AS A Muslim, you become humble when you abjure such negative qualities as pride, arrogance, and haughtiness; when you recognize your place in the universe and give up delusions of grandeur; and when you avoid giving any indication to people that you are superior to them. Since human beings are inherently boastful and think well of themselves, humbleness is an elusive quality for many of us; if we wish to adopt it, we must struggle and act contrary to our souls’ inherent inclinations; we must, if you will, swim against the current. Because humbleness is a quality that comes through effort and struggle, Allah (SWT) praised those of His slaves who are humble: “And the slaves of the Most Beneficent (Allah) are those who walk on the earth in humility and sedateness, and when the foolish address them (with bad words) they reply with mild words of gentleness.” (Qur’an 25: 63)
The word ‘Ar-Raheem’ is repeated in the Holy Qur’an 115 times as the name of Allah. Mercy implies a comparison with other beings or with other times or places, while there is no being like unto Allah. Mercy may imply piety, patience, or forgiveness – all which the sinner needs and Allah Most Merciful bestows in abundant measure. Where the terrible consequences of evil (the rejection of Allah) are mentioned, there is always stress laid on Allah’s attributes of Grace and Mercy.
9. The Fragrance of Paradise
Paradise is filled with a wonderfully pleasing fragrance, which the believers will be able to discern from a great distance. The Prophet (SAW) said: “Whoever kills a man of ahl adh-dhimmah (non-Muslim living under Islamic rule and protection) will not smell the fragrance of Paradise, even though its fragrance can be detected from a distance of forty years’ traveling.” (Saheeh al-Jaami’ as-Sagheer)