Is the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) a mercy for all people, or is he a mercy only for the believers?!

The Lord says in the Qur’an: “And We did not send you except as a mercy to all the worlds.”[1]

Truly, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) is a mercy for all. Then why is it that so many people are untouched by this mercy?!

The answer to this question is found in the words of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), where he said: “The description of the guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me is like that of rain falling upon the earth: a portion of the land is good and fertile, it absorbs the water and brings forth much herbage and pasture; another portion is solid and hard, it holds the water and Allah benefits the people thereby, as they drink from it, irrigate their fields, and cultivate their crops; and yet another portion is barren land upon which the rain falls, but it neither holds the water nor produces any herbage…”[2]

According to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), some lands are like sandy deserts: the rain falls upon them, but as it pours down on one side, it seeps away on the other. After a single day passes and the sun shines, it is as though no rain had ever fallen. The water has come from one side and drained away through the other, sinking beneath the ground—while that land has not benefited in the least from it. Such are a group of people.

There are other lands that are very hard and stony; water does not penetrate them. They are like a basin that holds water upon its surface. That land itself does not benefit from the water, yet people, animals, and birds come and drink from it. It becomes a means of benefit for others, while deriving no benefit for itself. Some people are like this as well. They gather within themselves what Allah has sent through the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), like a reservoir of water. They convey it to others, and others benefit from it—but those unfortunate ones themselves gain nothing from it.

Such people may have memorized tens of thousands of traditions from the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and may relate them to others, bringing about change in them—yet they themselves do not act upon their own words. They are like a man who spreads a table laden with blessings for others, while he himself partakes of none of them.

But there is a third type of land, fertile soil that receives rain. This kind of soil does not hold the water like a basin, nor does it let it pass through; rather, it absorbs it completely. In such land, you see flowers, plants, and greenery sprout; after some time, it becomes lush and verdant, full of trees and vegetation.

Thus, the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) is a mercy for all—that is, potentially a mercy for everyone—because the rain does not fall for this land alone, but upon all lands. Yet who benefits from this mercy? Only the one whose inner being is prepared to receive and make use of it.

Thus, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) did not come solely to guide Salman, Abū Dharr, and ʿAmmār; he came to guide even Abū Jahl, Abū Lahab, and Abū Sufyān. Yet the ones who benefit from this Prophet are Salman, Abū Dharr, ʿAmmār, and the like—while others, by their own choice, remain deprived of this mercy and do not make use of it.

And this mercy and guidance continue to this very day…

Taken from the book Tafsīr Sūrat al-Tawbah, authored by Martyr Ustādh Murtadā Muṭahharī (abridged and with additions)

Tags: Abū Jahl – Abū Lahab – Abu Sufyan – All People – guidance – Lord – The Lord – the Prophet

Footnotes:

[1] Sūrat al-Anbiyāʾ, verse 107

[2] Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 1, p. 184; Nahj al-Faṣāḥah, p. 847