Why is Allah Merciful?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

I have these weird questions pop up in my mind. We know Allah is Merciful, and I don’t complain, but *why* is He Merciful? He has no benefit/harm if He shows Mercy to us, but He also has no benefit/harm if He does not show Mercy to us. *Why* does His Mercy overpower His Wrath? Could it have been the other way around? Since the nature of Allah’s attributes is so consistent in terms of His Mercy, it seems that it may be an irrational statement to say “non-Merciful God,” even though our brains are not able to derive the explanation for this. Maybe you guys have studied Philosophy. I haven’t; these are just my thoughts. What do you think?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

All good things come from Allah, while evil results from human actions. Even the punishment we receive is a form of mercy meant to guide us back to Him. Allah’s mercy is boundless and extends to all of His creation, regardless of whether they believe in Him. It manifests in countless ways and is present at every moment.

Suffering individuals, even those who do not believe, are granted divine mercy. However, as humans, we do not always possess perfect wisdom that would allow us to recognize mercy in a particular situation. Instead, our first instinct may be to view suffering as evil and believe it should not exist. This is a mistaken assumption. In reality, suffering exists for a divine purpose.

Allah’s Mercy Surpasses His Wrath

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “When Allah completed the creation, He wrote in His book with Him upon the Throne: Verily, My mercy prevails over My wrath.”

[Bukhari; Muslim]

Allah Divided Mercy into One Hundred Parts

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Allah made mercy into one hundred parts. He kept ninety-nine parts with Himself and sent down one part to the earth. From that one part, the creation is merciful to each other, such that a horse raises its hoof over its child for fear of trampling it.”

In another narration, the Prophet said, “Allah has kept ninety-nine parts of mercy to show to His servants on the Day of Resurrection.”

[Bukhari; Muslim]

Ninety-Nine Parts of Mercy for Judgment Day

Salman al-Farisi (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Verily, on the day Allah created the heavens and the earth, He created one hundred parts of mercy. Each part can fill what is between the heavens and the earth. He made one part of mercy for the earth, from which a mother has compassion for her child; animals and birds have compassion for each other. On the Day of Resurrection, He will perfect this mercy.”

[Muslim]

Ibn Hajar (Allah have mercy on  him) explains that these hundred parts are about the mercy of the slaves of Allah Most High because Allah’s mercy is unlimited.”

[Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari, Sharh al-Sahih al-Bukhari]

I would like you to review the valuable answers and video links below. You will receive guidance and direction in sha Allah.

Related 

• The Reality of Allah’s Mercy and the Divine Wisdom Behind Suffering – SeekersGuidance
•  Introduction – Divine Beauty: Understanding the 99 Names of Allah – Shaykh Faraz Rabbani – YouTube
• The Divine Names al-Rahman & al-Rahim – Divine Beauty – Shaykh Faraz Rabbani – YouTube

Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.