58 – The Primacy of Mercy
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In this episode, Shaykh Yahya Rhodus highlights one of the most central teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), which is to show mercy. He narrates that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Those who show mercy have the Mercy of Allah Most High shown to them. Have mercy for those on Earth and The One in Heaven will have mercy on you.” Shaykh Yahya explains that one of the important aspects of this narration is that it is traditionally the first narration related and taught by scholars of the Prophetic Tradition (Hadith) to their students. This is because what ultimately underlies all aspects of Islam is mercy. Shaykh Yahya explains that what is meant by “those who show mercy”, are those who show mercy to all of God’s creation and not just humankind. He then gives many examples of the different avenues and methods of how one could show mercy. Shaykh Yahya also defines mercy and the difference between human mercy and Divine Mercy. He emphasizes that showing mercy is completely manifest in the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Therefore, we should take him as our exemplar and follow in his footsteps. The foundation of Islam is mercy, our beginning in treading the path of Islam is mercy, the path itself is mercy and its end is mercy. So we should show mercy in all situations and contexts.
The Content of Character is a remarkable collection of sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. Chosen by the scholar, Shaykh Al-Amin Ali Mazrui and translated by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, this book was published to great critical acclaim.
Shaykh Al-Amin intended to show that progress among Muslims required not the abandonment of Islam but the recovery of the original spirit of Islamic enlightenment.
In this podcast series for SeekersHub, Shaykh Yahya Rhodus does a commentary on these concise and yet comprehensive sayings, with a special focus on character-building, morals, good manners and ethics.
Check out all of the SeekersGuidance podcasts by visiting https://seekers.flywheelstaging.com/podcasts/
