Gracious and Compassionate

Two articles appeared in the wake of the deportation of Hamza Kashgari from Malaysia back to Saudi Arabia. Both lamented on how Muslims have forgotten the true meaning of their religion. Hamza, 22, had sparked outrage for an imaginary conversation with the prophet Muhammad on his Twitter account, in which he addressed him as an equal, amongst other lines were: "I will say that I have loved aspects of you, hated others, and could not understand many more."

The article by Farhana Abdul Halim equated the reaction of some Muslim demanding Hamza's death to the characters in the movie “The Twilight Saga”, She lamented that Muslims have turned Islam into a religion of punishments where all wrongs are dealt with severely. Muslims have forgotten that Allah is most forgiving and compassionate. Even if Hamza is guilty of insulting the prophet, is it impossible or wrong to forgive him? As long as we are still alive, there is is always room for forgiveness from God. So who are we, mere mortals to ignore Hamza's apology?

The article by Tehmina Kazi also questioned why some Muslims immediately demand the death penalty for Hamza. The writer mentioned that those who threatened Hamza should stop and re-examine their motives and remember what Islam is actually for. It is a belief system to purify the heart and the writer quoted a hadith, "Verily, in the body there is a piece of flesh. If it is sound, the body is all sound. If it is corrupt, the body is all corrupt. Verily, it is the heart."

This brings us back to the most repeated phrase in a Muslim's life, Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim, which is usually translated as "In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate". Gracious and compassionate, that must be our guide in whatever we do. We must never forget the depth of meaning or inspirational message that the phrase conveys. It is not meant to be repeated parrot-like but to be practiced and in Hamza's case, that compassion is sorely missing from some Muslims.

Image from guardian