In the Name of Allah, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful
May Allah send His peace and blessings upon His final Messenger, and upon his family and companions.

At the core of Islam's teachings, there are principles that ensure the well-being of the Ummah provided that it upholds its values. History has recorded that these divine principles gave the Muslim nation the capability of arising from every slump and overcoming the gravest of challenges.  Being that these principles manifest in the personalities of the torchbearers of this divine message, the Prophet (saws) exhausted his efforts in shaping and refining the character of the companions. Divine revelation aided him in producing a generation that would go on to revive and enlighten society.

One of the most significant aspects of the Prophet's (saws) personality which enabled him to achieve this objective was the great amount of compassion and mercy he had with people.  People felt his love through his facial expressions, his words and his actions.

Anas reported that a woman had something on her mind, so she said: O messenger of Allah, I want something from you. He said: O Mother of so and so, see on which side of the road you would like (to stand and talk) so that I may fulfill your need. He stood aside with her on the roadside until she got what she needed. (Sahih Muslim)

He was the seal of Prophets, the leader of a powerful state and the most esteemed man in society, but he had the time and the care to stand on the side of the road with a regular woman. "And by the Mercy of Allâh, you dealt with them gently. And had you been severe and harsh­-hearted, they would have broken away from about you." (3: 159)

The verse indicates that being gentle is a mercy from Allah. Furthermore, if we are harsh in our etiquette, we can impede the progression of Muslim Da'wah efforts. The Prophet (saws) said: "Whosoever has been denied (the quality of) gentleness, then he has been denied good." (Sahih Muslim)

For this reason the Prophet (saws) was able to reach their hearts and rescue them from a gloomy fate. The Prophet (saws) said: "My likeness and the likeness of my Ummah is that of a person who lit a fire and there began to fall into it insects and moths. And I am there to hold you back, but you plunge into it." (Sahih Muslim)

In another Hadith, the Prophet was asked to make supplication against the polytheists, so he said, "I was not sent as one who frequently curses (people), but Indeed I was sent as a mercy" (Sahih Muslim).

In our modern times, we as Muslims suffer a great lack of compassion and mercy for one another and for the people we should be reaching out to. Division, a description that the Qur'an expresses to be inherent amongst the disbelievers, has plagued even the most "religious" circles of Muslims. Allah said about the disbelievers: "Their enmity among themselves is very great. You would think they were united, but their hearts are divided, that is because they are a people who understand not." (59: 14)

Although complete congruency in thought and methodology is not religiously required, our differences should not lead us to lose our compassion and mercy for one another. "And We have sent you not but as a mercy for the Worlds" (21: 107).

If we, as Muslims who ultimately work for the same cause, are religiously obligated to maintain mercy when dealing with people of a different faith, then how about when we are dealing with each other?!! Allah describes those whom he loves: "humble towards the believers" (5: 34). This concept should be applied to all believers no matter how "weak" their Iman is.  "And He has united their (i.e. believers') hearts. If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have united their hearts, but Allâh has united them. Certainly He is All-Mighty, All-Wise." (8: 63) Indeed, what Allah has revealed is the truth. If we, after witnessing the desperate condition of our Ummah, do not feel the urge to strengthen our unity, then we should reevaluate the level of commitment we have to our faith and to our Ummah.

In order to revive our Ummah, the hope that motivates us all, we need to revive these principles that the Prophet (saws) adhered to in our hearts. The majority of people, no matter how much we disagree with some of their beliefs, have so much good to offer. Our love of the Prophet (saws) should push us to bring out the good in people and show them our compassion and mercy. "And say (O Muhammad SAW) "Do deeds! Allâh will see your deeds, and (so will) His Messenger and the believers. And you will be brought back to the All-Knower of the unseen and the seen. Then He will inform you of what you used to do." (9: 105)