The Prophet, ﷺ, has called himself simply an absolute gift. Abū Hurayra, may God be pleased with him, reported Allāh’s Messenger ﷺ said,

“O People! I am only mercy gifted to you!” [1]

That is to say, if one were to ask just what the Prophet, ﷺ is, the answer is a gifted mercy. Whatever is beyond the right of a dependent is a mercy. A gift is beyond the rights of the needy. Therefore a gift is a mercy. Hence, in this tradition he stated, ﷺ, to all people without exclusion that he is but compounded mercy.

To compound something is to multiply it. The increased mercy here epitomizes the nature of his relationship with God’s dependents. These creatures have no foreseeable limit, as even the inhabitants of Paradise are dependent on God.  Therefore, the compounded mercy mentioned in the tradition of the Prophet ﷺ has an unqualified nature. With this point in mind, it may be said that he, ﷺ, is nothing more than unqualified mercy.

Imam Muhammad Abdul Latif Finch

May 2015

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[1] al-Darimi 1:21 Hadith #10 ;Ibn Abi Shayba in Al-Musannaf,6:325 Hadith #31782;Al-Hakim Al-Mustadrak 1:91 Hadith #100;Al-Tabarani in Al-Mu’jam Al-Awsat, 3:223 Hadith #2981; Al-Bayhaqi Sh’ab al-Iman 2:143 Hadith #1402;Al-Haythami in Majma al-Zawaid 8:257

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