Lesson: A Mercy to the World

A mercy to all the worlds

When Allah sent the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, He did not send him only for the people of Makkah, or only for one land. Allah sent him as a gift of kindness for everyone, everywhere. Allah says in the Qur'an that He sent him as a mercy to all the worlds. “Mercy” means gentleness, kindness and love. And Allah praised him with beautiful words, telling him that he has a great and noble character. Out of all the people who ever lived, Allah chose to praise his lovely manners.

Kind to children and animals

The Prophet ﷺ loved children. He would smile at them, play with them, and be gentle. Once, a man saw him kissing a little child and said he never kissed his own children. The Prophet ﷺ told him, “Whoever does not show mercy will not be shown mercy.” When he led the prayer and heard a baby crying, he would make the prayer shorter, so the child's mother would not be worried. He was kind to animals, too. He taught that a woman was forgiven by Allah because she gave water to a thirsty dog. And he warned that a woman did wrong because she was cruel to a cat and did not feed it. Even the smallest creature deserves our kindness.

Gentle, honest and forgiving

The Prophet ﷺ was gentle with everyone. He was the most generous of people, always giving to the poor and never turning anyone away. He was honest and kept every promise, just as the people of Makkah had always known. And he had a big, forgiving heart. When he returned to Makkah as its leader, the very people who had once been unkind to him were afraid of what he might do. But the Prophet ﷺ forgave them all and let them go free. He chose kindness when he could have chosen anger. That is what a mercy to the world does.

His farewell, and following his Sunnah

Near the end of his life, the Prophet ﷺ made a special journey to Makkah, called the Farewell Pilgrimage. There he spoke gently to a huge crowd, reminding them to worship Allah, to be kind and fair, and to look after one another. Soon after, the Prophet ﷺ passed away and returned to Allah. Muslims felt very sad — but he left behind the most wonderful gift: his beautiful example. The way the Prophet ﷺ lived, spoke, and treated people is called his Sunnah. Allah tells us that in the Messenger of Allah there is a beautiful example to follow. And Allah says that if we truly love Him, we should follow His Messenger ﷺ, and then Allah will love us. This is why Muslims all over the world love the Prophet ﷺ and try to copy his kindness every day. When we are gentle, honest and forgiving, we are keeping his beautiful example alive.