Islam is a religion of mercy

If you hear the word of 'Islam', maybe some of you associated with terrorism, others think that islam is related to poverty, traditional and left behind. Actually those opinions arise because misunderstanding about islam.

Islam is both a religion and a way of life, islam stands for a specific set of religious beliefs, Islam denotes the action of submitting to, surrendering to, and falling into accord with the will and pleasure of Allah. The 'doers' of Islam are muslim. They are those who believe in the six pillars of islamic belief system and take part in the five pillars of Islamic practice.

Islam which was conveyed by The Prophet Muhammad (May peace be upon him) in the 6th century, has become the second largest religion in the world which has one fourth of the worlds population. Many non muslims convert to Islam because they find the truth, it is rational religion, there are no doctrins in islam.

Nowdays many people misunderstand about Islam, they think that it is spread by sword. In addition it is associated to terrorism. Those opinions absolutely incorrect. Islam is a religion of peace, mercy and does not permit terrorism. Islam prohibits oppression, Allah The Most High says in a qudsee hadeeth :

" O my servants, indeed I have prohibited oppression upon myself, and I have prohibited it amongst you so do not be oppressive".

Islam is not spread by sword. The Messengger (May peace be upon him) was sent as a mercy to mankind, He (May peace be upon him) brought peacefulness, Allah (The all mighty) says on quran: "We have not sent you except as a mercy to mankind".

Ibnu AbbasMay Allah favor him said : "Whomsoever follow the prophet May Peace be upon him, they will get the mercy in the world and the day after.

Islam came with mercy for all creation through the beauty of the islamic legislation which establishes justice, fairness and advocate, the grounds for security and stability in communities. Allah The Most High says in the Holy Quran :

" But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your share of the world. And do good as Allah has done good to you. And desire not corruption in the land, Allah does not like corrupters." [Al-Qasas: 77].

In this Ayah Allah The Most High, orders His slaves to seek the blessing given from Allah, but do not forget their share of the world, and His also orders to good deed, but forbids to corrupt or do destruction, because it can cause instability in life.

In another Ayah Allah The Most High, says :

" Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded." [An-Nahl: 90].

Immorality includes; every greater sin likes shirk, killing another illegally, sexual act without married, looting, arrogant, humiliate to the others. Bad conduct includes every sin and wickedness related to the rights of Allah. Oppression includes every act oppresses to the life being, to the soul, to the property and their honors.

Those Ayahs tell us that Islam is full of Mercy and far from oppression. Let us take a look on sunnah as a second basic rule after Quran. From Abu Hurairah May Allah pleased him, The Prophet May Peace be upon him said :

"Whomsoever not to love another, thus will not be loved".[reported by Bukhari].

From Jarir bin Abdullah May Allah pleased upon him, The Prophet May peace be upon him said; " Allah does not love those who do not love another".[Reported by Bukhari]

In Islam there is jihaad. It is different from terrorism, jihaad is maintained to protect the rights, the property and the honor, not to occupy and take the rights and the properties as the colonizer did, but to establish the peak of the mercy that is Tawhid, and jihaad has etiquettes that must be followed. These etiquettes emerge from Allah and The Prophet. like; not to kill the children, civilian, women and elderly people, even the animals, and not to kill the surrenders, prisoners, disturb them or torture the enemy's dead body, and not to destroy the bulding of worship.

From those Ayahs and Sunnahs/hadeeths and still many more from the story of sahabah and other rigteous predecasors. We come to conclusion that islam is far from terrorism actions and oppression and other negative actions, on the contrary islam is full of mercy, peacefullness, and justice even to other religions.