The Book of Repentance - Sahih Muslim 2752a

I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: Allah created mercy in one hundred parts and He retained with Him ninety-nine parts, and He has sent down upon the earth one part, and it is because of this one part that there is mutual love among the creation so much so that the animal lifts up its hoof from its young one, fearing that it might harm it.

Commentary on the Divine Mercy

This profound hadith reveals the infinite nature of Allah's mercy. The numerical division of mercy into one hundred parts serves as a metaphor to help human comprehension grasp the immensity of divine compassion. The retention of ninety-nine parts with Allah indicates that what we witness in creation represents merely a fraction of the total mercy that exists in the divine realm.

The single part distributed among creation manifests as the innate compassion found throughout the natural world - from human relationships to animal behavior. The example of the animal carefully lifting its hoof to avoid harming its offspring demonstrates how this divine mercy permeates all living beings, creating bonds of affection and protection.

Scholarly Insights

Classical scholars explain that this hadith emphasizes Allah's attribute of Rahmaniyyah (universal mercy) which encompasses all creation, believers and non-believers alike. The reserved ninety-nine parts represent the special mercy (Rahimiyyah) that Allah will bestow upon the believers in the Hereafter.

This teaching should inspire hope in Allah's forgiveness and encourage believers to reflect upon how the limited mercy we experience in this world produces such profound effects, thereby comprehending the magnitude of divine mercy awaiting the righteous in the afterlife.