What Is the Meaning of the Hadith “My Mercy Prevails over My Wrath”?
Answered By Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Fayez Awad
Question
What is the meaning of this hadith: “My mercy prevails over My wrath”?
Answer
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. O Allah, to You belongs all praise for the blessing of Islam and faith. And to You belongs all praise for making us from the Umma of Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace).
The Hadith in Question
Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) say:
“Indeed, Allah wrote a book before He created the creation, saying: ‘My mercy prevails over My wrath.’ It is written with Him above the Throne.” [Bukhari; Muslim]
This sacred hadith brings good news to every believer and peace of mind to anyone who has transgressed against themselves, repented to their Lord, and regretted their sin. In Allah’s words in the sacred hadith: “My mercy prevails over My wrath,” or in another narration, “My mercy overcomes My wrath,” there is a great favor from Allah, as He has made His mercy for His servants something that is written upon Himself, a covenant He has made with them.
Moreover, Allah’s informing His servants of what He has decreed for Himself in terms of mercy and His care in conveying this truth to them is an additional favor from Allah. It instills reassurance in the believer during trials, making them understand that these trials are not a sign of abandonment by Allah (Most High) or His exclusion of them from His mercy. Rather, they conceal within them all that is good for the believer.
This also instills confidence that every slip a Muslim makes can be forgiven by Allah, if He wills, through His mercy. Therefore, one should not despair or lose hope because of one’s sins. Instead, one should renew one’s repentance and increase one’s seeking of forgiveness to return to one’s previous state.
Allah’s Mercy in the Quran
Allah’s mercy indeed precedes His wrath, as is evident from the verses of the Holy Quran and the sayings of the Seal of the Prophets (Allah bless him and give him peace).
In the Quran, Allah (Most High) says:
“Your Lord is the All-Forgiving, Full of Mercy. If He were to seize them (immediately) for what they commit, He would have certainly hastened their punishment. But they have an appointed time, from which they will find no refuge.” [Quran, 18:58]
He (Most High) also says:
“Say, (O Prophet, that Allah says,) ‘O My servants who have exceeded the limits against their souls! Do not lose hope in Allah’s mercy, for Allah certainly forgives all sins. He is indeed the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.’” [Quran, 39:53]
Allah (Most High) further says:
“Had it not been for Allah’s grace and mercy upon you in this world and the Hereafter, you would have certainly been touched with a tremendous punishment for what you plunged into.” [Quran, 24:14]
And also:
“Had it not been for Allah’s grace and mercy upon you, none of you would have ever been purified. But Allah purifies whoever He wills. And Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.” [Quran, 24:21]
And in another verse, Allah says:
“As for those who repent, believe, and do good deeds, they are the ones whose evil deeds Allah will change into good deeds. For Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [Quran, 25:70]
Allah’s Mercy in the Hadith
Regarding the vastness of Allah’s mercy as mentioned in the sacred sunna, Abu Sa‘id (Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
“Among the Children of Israel was a man who had killed ninety-nine people. Then he set out to ask if his repentance could be accepted. He came upon a monk and asked him, ‘Is there any repentance for me?’ The monk said, ‘No.’ So, the man killed him, completing one hundred. Then he continued asking and was directed to a village. As death approached, he inched forward with his chest toward it, and the angels of mercy and the angels of punishment disputed over him. Allah revealed to this village to come closer, and to that village to move away. He then said, ‘Measure the distance between them.’ They found him closer to the village (of mercy) by a hand-span, so he was forgiven.” [Bukhari; Muslim]
In the Hadith of Intercession:
“There will remain a man who will be facing the Fire, and he will be the last of the people of Paradise to enter Paradise. He will say:
‘O Lord, turn my face away from the Fire, for its air has poisoned me and its blaze has burned me.’
So he will call upon Allah as long as Allah wills him to call, then Allah, Blessed and Exalted, will say: ‘If I do that, perhaps you will ask for something else?’
He will say: ‘No, by Your might!’ And he will give his Lord promises and covenants as much as Allah wills, so He will turn his face away from the Fire. When he turns towards Paradise and sees it, he will remain silent as long as Allah wills him to remain silent, then he will say:
‘O Lord, bring me forward to the gate of Paradise.’
Allah, Blessed and Exalted, will say: ‘Did you not give covenants and promises that you would not ask for anything else? Woe to you, son of Adam, how treacherous you are!’
And he will continue to call upon Allah until Allah, Blessed and Exalted, will laugh at him, and when Allah laughs at him, He will say: ‘Enter Paradise.’ When he enters it, Allah will say to him: ‘Wish for something,’ so he will ask his Lord and wish for something until Allah reminds him of all that he desires. When his wishes have come to an end, Allah will say: ‘That is for you and, in addition, something equal to it.’
At this point, ‘Ata Ibn Yazid added: Abu Sa’id al-Khudri was with Abu Hurayra, and he did not contradict anything from his narration, until when Abu Hurayra narrated that Allah said to that man, ‘And something equal to it,’ Abu Sa‘id said: ‘And ten times like it, O Abu Hurayra!’ Abu Hurayra responded, ‘I only remember his saying: “That is for you and something equal to it.”’ Abu Sa’id then said, ‘I bear witness that I remember from the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) his saying: “That is for you and ten times like it.”’” [Ibid.]
Abu Hurayra added: “And that man will be the last of the people of Paradise to enter Paradise.”
The Infinite Nature of Allah’s Mercy
To comprehend the extent of the mercy that Allah has decreed upon Himself, we must understand that all the forms and manifestations of mercy that all creatures have experienced from the beginning of creation until this day, and will continue to experience until the Day of Judgment, are but one part out of a hundred parts. Abu Hurayra reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) say:
“Allah made mercy into one hundred parts. He kept ninety-nine parts with Him and sent down one part to the earth. From that one part, all creatures are merciful to each other, so much so that a mare lifts its hoof away from its foal, fearing that she might harm it.” [Ibid.]
Salman Farisi narrated that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
“Indeed, Allah has one hundred mercies, of which one is bestowed among His creation, and the remaining ninety-nine are reserved for the Day of Resurrection.” [Muslim; Ibn Hibban; Ahmad]
Allah’s mercy encompasses all of His creation—so vast, boundless, and infinite that it cannot be quantified or fully comprehended. It is beyond human capacity to enumerate or even follow its extent. Allah (Most High) says:
“But My mercy encompasses everything. I will ordain mercy for those who shun evil, pay alms-tax, and believe in Our revelations. ‘(They are) the ones who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whose description they find in their Torah and the Gospel. He commands them to do good and forbids them from evil, permits for them what is lawful and forbids to them what is impure, and relieves them from their burdens and the shackles that bound them. (Only) those who believe in him, honor and support him, and follow the light sent down to him will be successful.’” [Quran, 7:156-157]
Allah’s mercy overflows upon all His servants, enveloping them all, and it is through His mercy that their existence and lives are sustained. His mercy is evident in every moment of existence.
The Purpose of the Prophet’s Mission
One of the purposes of the mission of the final Messenger, Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace), is to be a mercy to the worlds. Allah (Most High) says:
“We have sent you (O Prophet) only as a mercy for the whole world.” [Quran, 21:107]
Abu Salih reported that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to call out to people, saying:
“O people, I am only a gifted mercy.” [Hakim; Abu Ya‘la]
Allah also described the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) with the attribute of mercy, and this characteristic dominated his behavior. Allah (Most High) says in describing His Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace):
“There certainly has come to you a messenger from among yourselves. He is concerned by your suffering, anxious for your well-being, and gracious and merciful to the believers.” [Quran, 9:128]
Allah further explains that because of His mercy towards the Prophet’s companions, they responded to him and obeyed him. Allah (Most High) says:
“It is out of Allah’s mercy that you (O Prophet) have been lenient with them. Had you been cruel or hard-hearted, they would have certainly abandoned you.” [Quran, 3:159]
One of the meanings of “Indeed, My mercy prevails over My wrath” is that Allah’s wrath does not encompass everything, unlike His mercy, which encompasses all things. Allah (Most High) says:
“My mercy encompasses everything.” [Quran, 7:156]
Thus, it is established that He is the Lord of all the worlds, the Benefactor to all creation. His wrath, on the other hand, is specific to those among the disobedient and sinners whom He wills, and He may forgive the disobedient and not exact retribution. This forgiveness for sins and disobedience is abundant. Allah (Most High) says:
“Whatever affliction befalls you is because of what your own hands have committed. And He pardons much.” [Quran, 42:30]
Who among creation has not been touched by Allah’s mercy? And who among us has sinned without Allah concealing it? Indeed, who among us has not been showered with His blessings, hoping that we might repent and return to our Lord? In the precedence of mercy, there is an indication that the portion of creation’s share of mercy is greater than their share of wrath, and that mercy reaches them without any entitlement, while wrath only reaches them by merit.
Consider how mercy encompasses a person from the time they are a fetus, an infant, a weaning child, and a growing youth, without any act of obedience on their part to deserve it, whereas wrath does not befall them except due to their transgressions. Allah (Most High) says:
“But they will always (choose to) differ—except those shown mercy by your Lord—and so He created them (to choose freely).” [Quran, 11:118-119]
A Balance Between Hope and Action
The question arises: Can we rely solely on this assured divine mercy and abandon righteous deeds? The truth is that hope in Allah must be accompanied by diligent action. Whoever hopes for something seeks it, and whoever fears something avoids it. However, hope without action and persistence in sins is not true hope; rather, it is a vain wish and a deluded false sense of security, as Allah (Most High) says:
“Then they were succeeded by other generations who inherited the Scripture. They indulged in unlawful gains, claiming, ‘We will be forgiven (after all).’” [Quran, 7:169]
As Karkhi said: “Hoping for Paradise without action is a sin among sins, hoping for intercession without a cause is a form of delusion, and hoping for mercy from the One who is not obeyed is ignorance and foolishness.” [Abu Mawahib al-Shadhili, Sharh al-Hikam al-‘Ata’iyya]
It is also said that hope while persisting in sin is like seeking fire from cold embers. As mentioned, Shaddad Ibn Aws reported that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
“The wise person is the one who holds himself accountable and works for what is after death, and the foolish person is the one who follows his desires and merely hopes for Allah’s mercy.” [Tirmidhi; Ibn Majah; Ahmad]
Abu ‘Umar wrote to one of his brothers: “As for what follows: You have woken up hoping for a long life, and you place your expectations on Allah despite your bad deeds. You are striking cold iron.” [Dihlawi, Lam‘at al-Tanqih fi Sharh Mishkat al-Masabih]
We ask Allah to shower us with His mercy, encompass us with His forgiveness, and pardon us. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all worlds.
[Shaykh] Dr. Muhammad Fayez Awad
Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Fayez Awad, born in Damascus, Syria, in 1965, pursued his Islamic studies in the mosques and institutes of Damascus. A graduate of the Islamic University of Medina in 1985, he holds a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from Bahauddin Zakariya University in Pakistan.
He has extensive experience developing curricula and enhancing the teaching of various academic courses, including conducting intensive courses. Shaykh Awad has taught Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Quranic sciences, the history of legislation, inheritance laws, and more at several institutes and universities such as Al-Furqan Institute for Islamic Sciences and Majma‘ al-Fath al-Islami in Damascus.
He is a lecturer at the Sultan Muhammad al-Fatih Waqf University in Istanbul, teaching various Arabic and Islamic subjects, and teaches at numerous Islamic institutes in Istanbul. Shaykh Awad is a member of the Association of Syrian Scholars, a founding member of the Zayd bin Thabit Foundation, a member of the Syrian Scholars Association, and a member of the Academic Council at the Iman Center for Teaching the Sunna and Quran.
Among his teachers from whom he received Ijazat are his father, Shaykh Muhammad Muhiyiddin Awad, Shaykh Muhiyiddin al-Kurdi, Shaykh Muhammad Karim Rajih, Shaykh Usama al-Rifai, Shaykh Ayman Suwaid, Shaykh Ahmad al-Qalash, Shaykh Muhammad Awwama, and Shaykh Mamduh Junayd.
