It is so unfortunate that Islam has been morphed into a religion of hatred that motivates its believers to engage in brutal prejudice, not only against fellow Muslims but also, and more dangerously, against people of different religions. A sense of growing prejudice, rage and hatred among many urban fundamentalist Muslims has indeed taken place in Indonesia.

In the final days of Ramadan, I am seeking to reclaim the beautiful, true face of Islam that has been largely overshadowed by the ugly practices of fundamentalist Muslims. The struggle for the soul of Islam emerges from a countering belief that the true nature of Islam is one of compassion and mercy.

In my endeavor to argue for the case of Islam as a religion of compassion, I take a brief look at the most compelling sources of Islamic messages for compassion and mercy: the Quran, the hadiths and the early multivocal traditions of Islam.

The Quran is certainly the most authoritative reference to speak precisely of Islam as a religion of compassion and mercy. The opening words of the Quran and all surah (chapters), with the exception of Surah al-Tawbah, begin with the invocation: “In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful”.

This invocation is a great reminder for all Muslims, especially those filled with anger and hatred, to fully embrace the true nature of both divine epithets, al-Rahman (the compassionate) and al-Rahim (the merciful). 

In well-known verses of the Quran, God Himself reveals His compassion and mercy to His servants by saying, “I visit My punishment on whomever I will, but My mercy embraces all things” (Surah al-A’raf verse 156); “‘And to those who commit evil deeds, but repent thereafter and believe,’ thus God spoke, ‘indeed, after that, your Lord shall be all-forgiving, all-merciful,’” (Surah al-A’raf verse 153) and in the hadith Qudsi (divine sayings not included in the Quran), where God says “Verily, My compassion and mercy prevail over my wrath,” (Sahih al-Bukhari verse 518).