Muslim

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: The purpose is that a person should have a spirit of compassion, goodwill, and kindness towards others in his heart, so that Allah, the Exalted, will deal with him with mercy and gentleness. The way he behaves regarding Allah’s blessings, Allah, the Exalted, will treat him accordingly.

Hadith Commentary:
The relevance to the chapter is evident: mercy (rahmah) is also one of Allah's attributes, so He may be invoked by the names "Ar-Rahman" and "Ar-Rahim" as well.

Hadith Commentary:
Give with this hand, take with that hand—here, the transaction is cash for cash.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
The scope of the mercy and compassion of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) extends to all—relatives and strangers, young and old, subordinates and even animals. A believer should never deal with anyone unjustly or oppressively under any circumstances. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
“Only the wretched one is deprived of mercy.” (Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi, Al-Birr wa’s-Silah, Hadith: 1923)
Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (radi Allahu anhuma) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
“Those who are merciful will be shown mercy by Allah. Be merciful to those on the earth, and the One above the heavens will have mercy on you.” (Sunan Abi Dawud, Al-Adab, Hadith: 4941)
Someone has beautifully said:
Be kind to the people of the earth, and Allah will be kind to you from the Throne above.

(2)
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (rahimahullah) writes that the mercy and compassion of the people of faith should benefit all the inhabitants of the earth, which includes believers, disbelievers, animals, birds, and so on. This mercy encompasses feeding others, giving them water, carrying their burdens, and extending a helping hand in cooperation—all such acts are included.
A person should continue to reflect upon himself; if he finds himself lacking or falling short, he should keep supplicating to Allah for its rectification.
May Allah instill within us the spirit of mercy and compassion.
(Fath al-Bari: 10/541)
Ameen

Benefit:

➊ In this hadith, encouragement is given to show mercy and compassion to Allah’s creation, especially human beings. Furthermore, the attainment of Allah’s mercy has been made conditional upon showing mercy to His creation: if you wish for Allah to have mercy on you, then you must have mercy on His creation. It is certain that as much as a human being is in need of mercy and compassion from others, he is in far greater need of Allah’s mercy. Without His mercy, both this world and the Hereafter are ruined.

➋ The Noble Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would also show mercy and compassion to animals, and he taught his ummah to do the same. He (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade using an animal as a pulpit—that is, for a person to remain mounted on an animal and stand chatting with someone; rather, he said that one should dismount and then converse. Likewise, he forbade placing a burden on animals greater than they can bear. He declared it unlawful to curse animals or to brand their faces. He commanded that animals be slaughtered with a sharp knife so that they do not suffer. Similarly, he forbade sharpening the knife in front of the animal, so that it does not die from fear before its actual death. All these matters indicate mercy. Whoever does not observe these matters and does not show mercy to Allah’s creation is deprived of Allah’s mercy.

➌ A prostitute woman, feeling pity for a dog, gave it water to drink, so Allah had mercy on her. On the other hand, another woman was punished because she tied up a cat and did not show mercy to it until it died in that state. Showing mercy to Allah’s creation is a means of being saved from Hell, while oppressing them is a cause of being deprived of Paradise.

➍ This is a point of reflection for landlords and those who mistreat their subordinates: what destruction will befall them if they treat Allah’s creation—and even the noblest of creation, human beings—as they would animals? That destruction is deprivation from Allah’s mercy.

➎ From this hadith, it is understood that one should assist the helpless and destitute, and be mindful of the needs of the needy.

➏ Allah, the Exalted, is characterized by the attribute of “Mercy” (Rahmah); it is befitting to His majesty. His mercy does not contain those human attachments that exist within a person, whereby he is sometimes overcome by mercy and compassion.