The Quran

159

Preface

فَبِما رَحمَةٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ لِنتَ لَهُم ۖ وَلَو كُنتَ فَظًّا غَليظَ القَلبِ لَانفَضّوا مِن حَولِكَ ۖ فَاعفُ عَنهُم وَاستَغفِر لَهُم وَشاوِرهُم فِي الأَمرِ ۖ فَإِذا عَزَمتَ فَتَوَكَّل عَلَى اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ المُتَوَكِّلينَ

Yusuf Ali

It is part of the Mercy of God that thou dost deal gently with them¹ Wert thou severe or harshhearted, they would have broken away from about thee: so pass over (Their faults), and ask for (God?s) forgiveness for them; and consult them in affairs (of moment). Then, when thou hast Taken a decision put thy trust in God. For God loves those who put their trust (in Him).

The extremely gentle nature of Muḥammad endeared him to all, and it is reckoned as one of the Mercies of God. One of the Prophet’s titles is “A Mercy to all Creation.” At no time was this gentleness, this mercy, this long-suffering with human weaknesses, more valuable than after a disaster like that at Uḥud. It is a God-like quality, which then, as always, bound and binds the souls of countless men to him.