The Book of Repentance - Sahih Muslim 2753 c

Verily, Allah created, on the same very day when He created the heavens and the earth, one hundred parts of mercy. Every part of mercy is coextensive with the space between the heavens and the earth and He out of this mercy endowed one part to the earth and it is because of this that the mother shows affection to her child and even the beasts and birds show kindness to one another and when there would be the Day of Resurrection, Allah would make full (use of Mercy).

Commentary on Divine Mercy

This profound hadith reveals the vastness of Allah's mercy, which precedes His creation. The hundred parts represent the completeness of divine compassion, with each part encompassing the entire cosmos. The earthly mercy we witness - maternal love, animal kindness - constitutes merely one percent of Allah's total mercy.

The scholars explain that the preserved ninety-nine parts demonstrate Allah's preparedness for the Day of Judgment, where His mercy will overwhelm His wrath. This teaching encourages hope and repentance, reminding believers that the Creator's compassion far exceeds the limited mercy we experience in this temporal world.

Spiritual Implications

This narration teaches us to never despair of Allah's mercy, regardless of our sins. The overwhelming balance of mercy reserved for the Hereafter assures believers of divine forgiveness for those who repent sincerely.

The comparison between worldly and divine mercy humbles human understanding, reminding us that our comprehension of Allah's attributes remains limited. The maternal and animal kindness we observe serves as but a faint reflection of the Creator's infinite compassion.