Being Merciful When You are Still Weak
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Part 2 of 4 (see below for other parts)
Many times when we are struggling due to people's malice towards us or barely surviving the back-stabbings of those we trusted or thought cared for us, we are told to show mercy as our beloved prophet Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was merciful towards Quraysh when he finally entered Makkah despite the many years that they had slandered, tortured, imprisoned, boycotted, starved and fought the Muslims.
Maybe it's being merciful to an envious colleague who is trying to shatter your hard-won reputation into pieces or even a greedy business partner trying to take what's not theirs. Maybe it's being merciful to a close family member who is slandering you to save face or to relatives who have an eye on your wealth or inheritance. Maybe it's being merciful to a toxic spouse who has falsely accused you and taken you to court or to your enemies on a battlefield.
Whoever they are, being merciful towards them while you are still weak and at the mercy of their plots is the height of folly. This is because people fail to realise that our beloved prophet only showed mercy to the people of Makkah when he had the upper hand as he was entering it as a conqueror. However, why don't they mention the way that he dealt with Bani Qurayzah for committing treason at a time when the Muslims were weak and had been surrounded by their enemies from all sides, during the Battle of the Trench? Or why not consider the fact that Allah Ta'ala rebuked the Muslims for accepting ransoms after the Battle of Badr when they may have won the battle but they certainly hadn't won the war (see Surah 8:67)? Mercy and justice are two separate concepts. Our beloved prophet was always just but he showed mercy at a time when he had strength and power, not when his relatively small group of believers were weak and being threatened with complete annihilation.
Maybe they repent and ask you for forgiveness or maybe they don't. Either way, once you have secured your back or prevented those under your leadership or care from being harmed then go ahead and stretch out your hand towards them in mercy or help them in their time of need. To do it any other way is to be cruel to yourself and to those who are relying on you.
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Part 1 (https://protectyourthaghr.wixsite.com/home/standards-that-never-existed)
Part 3 (https://protectyourthaghr.wixsite.com/home/what-does-the-help-of-allah-look-like)
Part 4 (https://protectyourthaghr.wixsite.com/home/passivity-revolts-and-muslims-dehumanising-muslims)
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​Wal-hamdu lillahi rabbil 'alamin (February 2023)
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