Who Are The Servants of The Most Merciful?

And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth with humility, and when the ignorant address them harshly, they say words of peace... — Qur’an 25[Al-Furqan]:63–75

Suratul Furqan is a beautiful chapter in the noble Qur’an. Allah begins by praising Himself and affirming that He sent down the Qur’an as a criterion to the messenger ﷺ to warn the people. The chapter concludes with verses describing the characteristics of those who are the true servants of Allah. These verses are so soothing to read and relish when you listen to them.

One interesting thing about being a servant of the Most Merciful Lord is that you don’t even know yourself. Only Allah knows His true servants. In these verses, He mentioned with detail a description of who they are. This piece enlists their traits so that we can recognize and emulate these characteristics in our daily lives. I’ve tried to extract at least fifteen of them, so feel free to embark on the journey of implementation. Let’s examine them one by one:

1. They walk upon the earth with humility: The true servants of Allah are humble people. They’re not proud of themselves or their deeds. They do not look down upon the people with arrogance and pride. They hide their good deeds the way they love their sins to be concealed. They are not boastful or pompous but live a life of asceticism. This is a very good trait to imbibe as exemplified by our noble Prophet ﷺ. Allah has forgiven him for all his previous and future iniquities, yet he ﷺ will pray at night until his leg becomes swollen. And when his wife asked him why he worried so much, he ﷺ said: ‘Shouldn’t I be a thankful slave?’
2. They respond to ignorant people with words of peace: We live in a smart world today, but foolish people seem to show up more often than intelligent ones. Servants of the Merciful Lord do not foolishly respond to ignorant people. Rather, they explain things in clear terms without forcing their way. And if they refuse to accept their views, they walk away in peace. Muslims should not allow themselves to be provoked or toiled with.
3. They spend their nights in worship: The nightly prayers are the most important acts of worship after the compulsory ones. This is one of the reasons why Allah’s Apostle ﷺ was consistent with it and Allah loves those who frequently engage in it. Qiyam Al-Layl is one of the measures of sincere determination for a truthful servant of Allah. This is an act of worship you do when no one sees you and a quality of those who truly love their Lord because the act also connects the heart to its Creator.
4. They ask their Lord for safety against His punishment: Hmmn! No one is ascertained of the punishment of Allah except a hypocrite. Even the Messenger of Allah ﷺ confirmed to us that paradise is attained only by the mercy of Allah, not by our good deeds. The truthful servant of Allah knows how to live his life between fear and hope. He fears that Allah may punish him for his sins, but he doesn’t lose hope in the mercy of Allah admitting him into paradise. This is how Allah described their supplication: And those who say: “Our Lord! Avert from us the torment of Hell. Verily its torment is ever an inseparable, permanent punishment. Indeed, it is evil as a settlement and residence.”
5. They are moderate in their spending: Allah went further to describe these servants of His as neither wasteful nor stingy. However, they spend moderately on the right cause. If Allah has blessed you with wealth, invest in a business that will never fail. Spend moderately on yourself and loved ones but do not be extravagant.
6. They do not invoke partners in worship with Allah: Truthful servants of the Most Merciful are Muwahid — people of at-Tauhid or monotheists. We live in a time where polytheistic practices are indirectly encapsulated in Islam. Do not be deceived, seeking an intermediary to Allah is a form of shirk that should be averted by truthful Muslims.
7. They repent, believe, and do good deeds: Allah’s Apostle ﷺ told us that every son of Adam is a sinner and the best of the sinners are those who repent. Allah makes it clear to us that His sincere slaves are repentant believers who follow up their evil deeds with righteousness.
8. They do not kill innocent people: These servants of Allah are further described as ones who do not take the lives of others unjustly. The Qur’an categorically tells us that “whoever kills a soul, it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves a soul, it is as if he had saved mankind entirely.” Hence, the practice of terrorism ascribed to Islam is a tactic to name a dog to kill it. The world knows who the real terrorists are.
9. They do not commit illicit sexual acts: It’s normal for humans to have lust but Allah has made lawful means for us to satisfy our desires. The servants of the Merciful do not fall into temptations of any sort, nor do they walk in the path that leads to ruin. Tons of Muslims trivialize these ugly acts of adultery and fornication, but the true servants of Allah abstain from them with disdain.
10. They do not bear false witness: Bearing false witness is a major sin with gravity. This might be one of the reasons why Allah described His truthful servants among those who do not bear witness to falsehood. Allah’s Apostle ﷺ mentioned to us in one of his hadith that: “Truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. And a man keeps on telling the truth until he becomes a truthful person. Falsehood leads to wickedness and wickedness leads to the Hellfire, and a man may keep on telling lies till he is written before Allah, a liar.”
11. They do not indulge in foul talks: The tongue is one of the most unconsciously used organs of the human body. This is because the majority of people speak more without thinking about what comes out of their mouths. We often forget that the use of our tongues will be questioned on the day of reckoning. This negligence found among gross people might be one of the reasons why those who guard their tongues are selectively chosen by the Merciful Lord.
12. They are conscious of the reminder from their Lord: The sincere servants of Allah of Allah do not turn blind eyes to the signs and deaf ears to the verses of their Lord. They ponder over the meaning of the Qur’an and weep in contemplation while reflecting.
13. They want good for their family: A truthful servant of the Merciful Lord leads exemplarily through righteousness. He wants good for his entire family both in this worldly life and the afterlife as well. Imagine Prophet Ibrahim who would make supplication for his progeny yet unborn — he was such an excellent example for mankind. This is why Allah described among his servants thus: “And those who say, “Our Lord, grant us from among our wives and offspring comfort to our eyes and make us a leader for the righteous.”
14. They will be inheritors of the Garden of Bliss: Subhanallah! Allah goes further to tell us that these servants of the Merciful shall be among those who will be rewarded with the highest place in Paradise. May Allah count me and you to be one of them. This is the creme-de-la-creme, their reward for indulging in all these beautiful traits mentioned above.
15. They are people of patience: All these characteristics described about the servants of the Merciful can’t be attained without patience. Of all human virtues, patience is the easiest to advise but the most difficult to implement yourself. This is why Allah categorically capped their entrance into paradise as a reward for their patience. May Allah count us among those who will show beautiful patience during times of adversity. Amin!

Verily, those who say: “Our Lord is Allâh (Alone),” and then they stand firm, on them the angels will descend (at the time of their death) saying: “Fear not, nor grieve! But receive the glad tidings of Paradise which you have been promised! — Qur’an 41[Fussilat]:30

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Yaumul Jumah 6th Shabaan 1445H // Friday 16th Febuary 2024

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