Teach your children kindness
A crown we bore
A head up high
A reason for mercy
A dog passing by
It is believed that man, regardless of how many sins he has committed, can be forgiven by God if he repents. The holy Quran has stated the essence of Allah’s mercy repeatedly along with the significance of showing mercy to His creation.
“And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.” Surah Al-Anbiya (21:107)
The Bhagawad Geeta encourages seeing all beings as equal and fostering compassion towards them.
“The yogi who is established in unity sees the Self present in all beings and all beings present within the Self.” Bhagavad Gita 6:29 (Chapter 6, Verse 29)
The Guru Granth Sahib emphasises that compassion is a divine virtue
“Daya daan kaaho ko det, gur kirpa te narak na det.” Ang 299:
(One who shows compassion and charity to others receives God’s grace and is saved from hell.)
The Bible highlights the importance of showing kindness to animals.
“The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.” Proverbs 12:10
Yet, humans, known to bear the crown of creation, failed to fulfil the duties that God made us capable of executing. Why? A simple answer is, ignorance. It is not a sin to be unaware. But it is a sin when you choose to remain that way. People are ignorant because of ego. Egoistic because of insecurity. Insecure because of fear, and fearful because of uncertainty. But that is where the beauty of life lies.
The universe has its way of communicating with you because all of us have a part of the universe inside us. Life is ruthless sometimes. It breaks you down, crushes your will and then asks you to rise again. But between those stages of rise and fall, God sends someone. A little puppy perhaps. Just to test the mercy in your heart. He wants to know whether you help the little soul that is looking at you with eyes full of fear.
This creature fears uncertainty too, just like us all. It wants to live too. A lovely life might not be possible but a less miserable one is attainable. Their life is more ruthless. They run, they hide, they hunt, they cry. A car drives over them and the next they get up to search for food. We cast stones at them, they fight back. We purposely hit them with vehicles, they scream but can’t avenge. If we can’t be compassionate towards them, let’s at least not hurt them. We understand life, they don’t. We have esteem, they don’t. So, when the life we flaunted with so much pride, finally gets decomposed in earth and we return to where we are meant to rest at last, will you have one reason to tell God to forgive you.
What will you do when he asks whether you threw away the leftover food or gave it to someone who needed it. Because if He is ever so merciful, maybe that one little puppy was sent to test your mercy. Will you have something to say? What if you are spared just because you fed a dog. What if you are freed just because you released a trapped cat. What if you are forgiven just because you decided to slow down your car when they were passing by. What if you are forgiven because of them?
Baazil Zubair, Class 11th , GGHSS Rajbagh, Srinagar.
