Could you please give information about God’s mercy on people?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Have you ever thought how much Allah loves people and how much He wants them not to go to Hell?

To cut it short, let us look at the reminding of a sacred hadith and then we can move on to other examples.

Do you know what our Lord likes most?

The following is stated in the sacred hadith:

- Our Lord likes repentance of people most of all the deeds they commit
-Why?
-Because those people who repent will be saved from Hell. Our Lord likes the deed which saves people from Hell.

A mother does not want to throw her child onto fire; similarly, Our Lord does not want to throw people into Hell more than she does.

As a matter of fact, one of the Companions once narrated a childhood memory :
- As I was walking among scrubs, I took chicks into my bosom from a bird nest that I found there. At the very moment, the mother of the chick appeared flying over me. I felt pity for her and when I attempted to take chicks out of my bosom, the mother bird dived into my bosom next to her chicks. She spread her wings over them to protect them.

The Prophet’s (pbuh) question was:
- Did you become surprised with this mother’s mercy for her chicks?
And Prophet ( pbuh) added:
-You should have no doubt that God’s mercy for people is (incomparably) more than the mercy of this mother.

Once, a woman lost her child and she was running here and there like a crazy person seeking for her child. She was hugging every stranger child she encountered and she was suckling them right on the spot.
Seeing the anxiety of this woman, the Prophet ( pbuh) asked the people next to him :
-Do you think such a compassionate woman would throw her child into fire?
-“She would not!” they said.
Prophet (pbuh) affirmed their answer :
- “I also know she would not” and He added:
-God is more merciful than this woman. He would not throw people into fire unless they themselves dive into evil deeds and into fire.

Yes, God will not throw people into fire unless they themselves dive into evil deeds and into fire!

On the way back from a trip, a break was given and a woman, lit a fire, began to prepare the meal. When the flames rose, she took a sudden hold of the child that was running around and took him into her arms for fear that the child might fall into fire and imagining a possible scene of the child having fallen into fire and thinking that she could not bear this pain, she turned to Prophet (pbuh) and asked Him :

-You are Allah’s Prophet, aren’t you?
-You should have no doubt about it, he said.

And the woman went on :
-God’s mercy for people is much more than that of a mother’s for her child, isn’t it?
The Prophet (pbuh):
-You should have no doubt about it.
Then the woman said:
-So, a mother cannot throw her child into fire, she moaned.

The Prophet’s eyes were filled with tears and he said:
- God only throws the ones who rebel against him into fire. Not those who do not.

So, this means God does not want to throw people into fire; His infinite mercy and compassion does not require fire. However, people do not behave honestly and they commit deeds which will lead them to fire. They do injustice to each other and act unjustly against one another. They do not restrain from rebellion against their Creator and as a result, if they lead themselves to fire with their own deeds, this is their own choice.

This should be the essence of the issue.

Questions on Islam