Compassion in the Qur'an

All Muslims must embrace the moderate, gentle, compassionate, calm and
kind style Allah depicts in the Qur'an.
Radicalism means supporting sudden revolutionary destructive changes
in any sphere and applyinga strict uncompromising policy in order to
achieve them. Radicals are characterised by their desire for
revolutionary change and the stern, sometimesaggressive attitude they
adopt.
In this, as in every sphere of life, the guide for the Muslim is the
Qur'an. When we look atradicalism in the light of the Qur'an, we see
that ithas nothing to do with the way in which Allah commands the
believers to behave. When Allah describes a believer in the Qur'an,
He depicts him as a loving, soft-spoken person, shunning conflicts and
arguments, approachingeven the most hostile people with warmth
andfriendship.
Beautiful Examples from our Prophet (saas)
An example to guide us in this matter is the command given by Allah to
Moses and Aaron to go to Pharaoh and speakgently to him:
Go to Pharaoh; he has overstepped the bounds.But speak to him with
gentle words so that hopefully he will pay heed or show some
fear.(Surah Ta Ha, 43-44)
Pharaoh was one of the most cruel and rebellious unbelievers ofhis
time. He was a despot who denied Allah and worshipped idols; moreover,
he subjected believers (the Israelites of the time) to terrible
cruelties and murder. But Allah commanded His prophets to go to such
a hostile man and speak to him gently.
You will notice that the way shown by Allah wasthe way of friendly
dialogue, not the way ofconflict with sharp words, angry slogans and
agitated protests.
If we examine the Qur'an you will see that a warm, gentle and
compassionate disposition characterized all the prophets. Allah
describes Abraham as "tender-hearted and forbearing." (Surat at-Tawba,
114) and in another verse, the prophet Muhammad's moral principles are
described in this way:
It is a mercy from Allah that you were gentle with them. If you had
been rough or hard of heart, they would have scattered from around
you. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them, and consult with
them about the matter. Then when you have reached a firm decision, put
your trust in Allah . Allah loves those who put their trust in Him.
(Sura Al'Imran, 159)
Compassion in Islam
An obvious characteristicof radicalism is its anger.This disposition
can be clearly seen in the speeches, writings and demonstrations of
radicals. However, angeris not an attribute of Muslims. When Allah
describes believers in the Qur'an, he describes," those who give in
times of both ease and hardship, those who control their rage and
pardon other people - Allah loves the good-doers" (Surah Al'Imran,
134)
Therefore, it is the duty of a Muslim only to explain the facts and to
invite people to accept them. Whether or not people accept the
invitation is completely up to their own conscience. Allah
revealsthis truth in the Qur'an when He says that there is no
compulsion in religion.
There is no compulsion where deen is concerned. Right guidance has
become clearly distinct from error...(Surat al-Baqara, 256)
Therefore, there is no coercion to make peoplebelieve and become
Muslims, or to make Muslims perform prayersand beware of sin. Thereis
only advice. Allah reveals in a few verses addressed to the Messenger
of Allah that Muslims are not oppressors:
We know best what theysay. You are not a dictator over them. So
remind, with the Qur'an, whoever fears My Threat. (Surah Qaf, 45)
Muslims are responsible only for explaining their religion, they apply
no pressure or coercion on anyone and are enjoined to speak gentlyto
even the most tyrannical deniers. Such persons cannot be radicals.
The Behind the Scenes ofRadicalism
There is no radicalism in the religion of Islam. Islam commands to be
moderate, temperate and compassionate and prohibits extremism. In one
verse Allah relates thus:
"Say: 'People of the Book! Do not go to extremes in your religion,
asserting other than the truth, and do not follow the whims and
desires of people who were misguided previously and have misguided
many others, and are far from the right way.' (Surat al-Maida, 77)
When the social phenomena depicted as "radicalism" are examined, it
will be seenthat they are actually a compilation of the methods and
statements formerly employed by communists.
Muslims must refrain from a harsh, angry, andchallenging approach, for
these are contrary to the Qur'an's method andessence. Instead,
Muslimsmust adopt the accepting, moderate, calm, and rational approach
described in the Qur'an. In other words, they must be rolemodels for
humanity and earn people's admiration for the morality of Islam and
themselves. Muslims should also make great progress and produce superb
works of science,culture, art, and aesthetics, as well as live Islam
in the best way, and thus represent it to the world. (Harun Yahya,
Justice and Compassion in the Qur'an )