God is kind to us in ways that we cannot even imagine.
His kindness is manifested to us from before we are born into our infancy and adulthood, in every aspect of our lives.
It is from God’s kindness that He creates the fetus in its mother’s womb, and that the womb does not reject it even though it is a foreign body.
God makes the womb ready to welcome it. He thus enfolds the fetus in three protective coverings, that of the placenta, that of the womb, and that of the mother’s body where it develops in safety and receives nourishment from its mother.
It is from God’s kindness that the newborn knows to take his mother’s breast and knows to cry whenever he is hungry or needs something so that his needs can be tended to.
God’s Kindness and Mercy
It is from God’s kindness that He blesses us with patience and fortitude in the face of pain and hardship. When we bear patiently what befalls us reconcile ourselves to His will, it is good for us.
We see this in the story of Joseph (peace be upon him). First, he suffered at the hands of his brothers who abandoned him at the bottom of a well. Then he suffered years of imprisonment in Egypt as a result of sexual allegations he was innocent of.
Finally, God blessed him to enjoy power and influence in Egypt. After everything that happened, Joseph declared:
Lo! My Lord is Most Kind to whom He pleases. (12: 100)
Most people grumble about the tribulations that they face as individuals and as communities, because they do not see anything in them but their obviously negative aspects.
With time, they come to see the situation’s many dimensions and outcomes, and they realize that it manifests God’s kindness in many profound ways.
It is from God’s kindness that He made the religion easy. He says:
And in truth We have made the Quran easy to understand, so will anyone take heed? (54: 17)
Facilitation and flexibility are among the overarching principles of Islamic law. Whenever Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was faced with a choice between two options, he would always choose the easier of the two, as long as no sin was involved.
God is Kind in what He provides for us and in what He withholds from us. This is why He says:
Allah is Most Kind to His servants; He gives sustenance to whom He pleases. (42: 19)
It is from God’s kindness that He gives His servants of His bounties what is best for them and withholds from them when receiving those bounties is not in their best interests. God gives to us and withholds from us according to the dictates of His wisdom, mercy, and justice.
If we ponder God’s kindness towards us, we will feel more devoted to Him and we will glorify His praises all the more. Whenever we are in difficulty or distress, we should remember that God is the Most Kind, and beseech Him, saying:
“O You who are the Most Kind, show kindness to me and save me from that which I dread.”
(From Discovering Islam archive)