The Prophet's Merciful Nature

He was also a model of mercy and kindness. It is related:

'The Prophet if he heard, during prayer, a child crying he would hasten the end of prayer so that the child's mother [who was praying with the Prophet] could go to the child.

Someone said to him: 'O Apostle of God, you made the prayer lighter today!' He said: 'I heard a child crying and I feared that his mother would be concerned.' 67 It is related that the Apostle of God smiled when some prisoners of war were brought before him. One of the prisoners said: 'O Muhammad, you take us prisoner and then you smile?' He said: 'I smiled because I want to take you towards felicity and Paradise, whereas you want to flee towards wretchedness and Hellfire.'

It is related that Maysarah ibn Ma!bad said: 'A man came to the Prophet and said: 'O Apostle of God, we were a people of the Ways of Ignorance, and we worshipped idols and killed our children. I had a daughter and she was always delighted when I called her. So one day I called her and she followed me and we went to a nearby well belonging to my family. There I took her hand and threw her into the well. The last thing I heard from her was her saying: 'Daddy, daddy.'' The Apostle of God wept until his eyes were blinded with tears.' 68

Notes:

67. bihar al-anwar; vol. 88, p.41, chap.2, 9ad:th2.

68. al-waf"' bi-a9w"l al-muNUaf"; vol.2, p.541.

Adopted from the book : "The Prophet Muhammad; a Mercy to the World" by : "Ayatullah Muhammad Sadiq al-Shirazi"