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Mercy in Christianity and Islam

18Jan 2015
Mercy in Christianity and Islam

“God, the compassionate, the merciful”

Recently, a small group of about twenty young individuals from the Islamic Unity Society (IUS) and the Focolare (a Christian group) met together at the Islamic College in West London. The friendship between the two groups has grown over several years through various interfaith meetings, and the aim of this meeting was to strengthen our relationship further and to deepen our understanding of each other’s religion and culture.

In this multicultural society of modern Britain, the media often focuses on negativity; picking out stories that distort and misrepresent religion. These stories cause division within communities and manufacture barriers to unity. In order to build a more united world, it is important to take the first step by creating a dialogue: to value similarities and to respect differences. In this way, Muslims, Christians, and those of other faiths will be able to work together for the good of society.

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As mercy and compassion are core parts of both Islam and Christianity it was a good basis for discussion between the two groups. We began by collaborating on our religious standpoints of mercy, presenting excerpts from the Bible and the Quran as an opening statement. We were then split into small groups of 4 -5 to discuss the central notion of mercy. While each group voiced interesting viewpoints, all expressed the same concepts. In Islam, the opening utterance “Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Rahim” is a phrase recited before every passage, speech, or action in order to receive blessings from God. It is essentially translated to: “In the name of God, the compassionate and the merciful.” However, the word ‘Al-Rahman’ (The Merciful) is one of the attributes of Allah, indicating that it should be mirrored in human characteristics [Tafsir of Quran 55]. Mercy and compassion, therefore, are the starting point for any Islamic discussion. In Christianity, Jesus highlights the importance of showing mercy to others, and promises that if we do so, God will be merciful to us in our turn. “Blessed are the merciful: they shall have mercy shown them” [Matthew 5:7].

Habits and customs vary between nations and at different times, and it would be difficult to find a habit or a custom that has been constant throughout history. Thus if we find common features among different nations and different people we can infer that this is an innate disposition built into the very soul of man. Both religions believe that God, who is “The Merciful” has formed us to be like himself. In Islam, it is said that “Verily I am creating a human being from clay. After I have created him and breathed into him of My Spirit” [Quran 38:71-72], whilst the first chapter of the bible recounts that “God created man in the image of himself, in the image of God he created him” [Genesis 1:27]. Therefore, both groups are called to become instruments of God’s mercy for those around them.

Yet, without concrete examples, these ideals could have lost their meanings over time. The Prophet Muhammed (pbh) gave his followers an example through his behaviour with one who was unkind to him. Everyday as he walked by the house of an old woman, she would throw rubbish at him. One day he walked by and she was not there. Instead of feeling relieved, he went to enquire about her and when he found out that she was ill, he offered her any help that he could. In doing so, he set an example for his followers to be merciful even to those who have insulted or injured them. Jesus also taught mercy by example. He was asked to judge a woman who had committed adultery, which according to the law meant she could be stoned to death. However, Jesus told her accusers “let him who is without sincast the first stone” [John 8:7]. His lesson was that every individual is constantly in need of God’s mercy for their own failings and therefore, merciful dealings with others will lead to a merciful judgement from God.

Discovering that each group could quote passages from our holy books promoting the same way of life, helped us to appreciate more our common goals. With this understanding, we hope that our efforts to be merciful and compassionate individuals will be strengthened with the knowledge that others, from different backgrounds strive for the same thing. We hope that together we can contribute to a more united world.

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We also found that by discussing key topics in religion we were able to understand our own beliefs more fully, and that in finding out about the other, we strengthened our own commitment. As important as it is to celebrate our similarities, it is also important to respect our differences. Our meeting taught us that a mutual respect for each other ‘s point of view would help ensure that our different beliefs will not be a barrier to our friendship.

The event ended with a wonderful lunch. Some had contributed in bringing biryani rice and ice cream. While some prepared the table, others took the opportunity to pray in the other room or play table tennis and socialise. We hope to be able to build on this friendship with future events and to demonstrate that society benefits from cooperation. We hope that by bridging this gap within our society, together we can glorify the Almighty.

First published on the New City Magazine

Written by Mary Stevenage and Frough Froghi

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