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LOVE, MERCY AND RESPECT
Dr. Levent KOÇ leventkoc@yahoo.com. Website: www.idcn.org
Bismillah-irrahman-irrahim - (In the name of God the most Compassionate, the most Merciful). Muslims start every positive action by uttering this short verse from the Qur'an. This verse mentions two of God's names which are derived from the word mercy. They are Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim, which respectively mean "The Most Compassionate" and "The Most Merciful." All chapters except one in the Qur'an begin with this verse. It is also mentioned in the middle of one chapter. Consequently, it is repeated 114 times in the Qur'an. This phrase is a continuous reminder for the servants of God to contemplate on His endless mercy and great bounties. An entire chapter in the Qur'an is named after God's divine name 'Al-Rahman' or 'The Most Compassionate. This chapter calls the reader to remember God's extensive and all-encompassing bounties and blessings upon humanity. Love, compassion, mercy, and similar names and attributes of God are mentioned frequently in the Qur'an and in the sayings (Hadith) of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and all the other Prophets). Frequent references to these qualities remind Muslims how to behave and interact with people of other faiths throughout their lives.
Dr. Levent KOÇ is
the Executive Director of the Interfaith Dialog Center (IDC), Carlstadt, New Jersey. IDC is a non-profit proactive interfaith organization
established by Turkish Muslims to foster dialogue and understanding between
faiths, and cultures.
In fact, God wants us all to know and love each other, and to behave towards each other with virtue and honesty. The following verse asserts this meaning very well. "O Mankind: We created you from a male and a female; and made you into tribes and nations that you may get to know each other. And verily, most honored before God is the most virtuous/ righteous of you." Qur'an (49:13). The following Prophetic tradition carries a similar meaning: "An Arab is not more privileged than a non-Arab, nor a white than a black. Spiritual excellence and true piety is the only distinction amongst humans recognized by God."
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is telling a story to teach us to what extent we should be merciful: "A certain person had committed 99 murders. He went to a scholar and asked, is there any chance for me to be forgiven? He said no, you have committed too many crimes. The man killed that scholar too, but his heart was restless, so he went to another scholar and asked the same question. This scholar said yes, but he added, you must leave this town of bad people and go live in the next town in the company of good people. The man set out to another town. On the way he died. A man passing by saw two angels arguing over his dead body. The Angel from Hell said, 'His body belongs to me because he had not done any good in his entire life.' The Angel from Heaven said, 'His body belongs to me because he had repented and left his town to be with good people.' The man who was the passer-by said, 'Let's measure the distance of his body from the town he was coming and the town he was going to.' This was done. He was found to be nearer to the town he was going to. In another version, the earth was ordered by God to shrink and make the distance smaller, so that he was admitted to Heaven." Reward for kindness and compassion was also assured by the Prophet Muhammad: "The merciful are shown mercy
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PEACE THROUGH DIALOGUE
14" Biennial JAINA Convention 2007 Jain Education Interational
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