Muhammad the Prophet of Mercy

16. If this
is the truth, rain down upon us
stones from the sky!

In straying from truth instead of praying for guidance, the disbelievers
of Quraish defiantly called down damnation upon themselves, preferring it to
being guided aright.

Abu Jahl said: “O
Allah! If this (the Qur’an) is indeed the truth (revealed) from You, rain down
upon us stones from the sky or bring us a painful torment.”

In response, Allah U
revealed1: (But Allah would not punish them while you
(O Muhammad) are among them, and Allah would not punish them while they seek
forgiveness.)2

Although they deserved the damnation and punishment they called
for, Allah U
did not bring them down upon them. He U has given respite as long
as the mercy He has sent continues to survive among people, in person during
the Prophet’s life, and in principles and practice after his death (the Qur’an
and Sunnah).

In the past, the disbelieving nations who rejected their
prophets and remained corrupt were totally destroyed. From the time of Prophet
Muhammad r
until the end of this world, humanity is protected from total destruction, even
if they are corrupt, and even if they do not believe.

Allah has sent Prophet Muhammad r as a mercy for all of humanity,
whether they believe or disbelieve. Anyone who believes in him will attain
mercy in this life and in the hereafter, whereas people who choose not to
believe in him will be saved from suffering the fate of total destruction in
this world, as happened in the past to the disbelieving nations of Nuh (Noah r),
Lut (Lot r),
and Pharaoh:

(And Nuh’s (Noah) people, when they denied the
Messengers We drowned them, and We made them as a sign for mankind.)3

(And We made the highest part (of Sodom) its lowest and rained upon them stones
of fire-baked clay.)4

(They
belied the Signs of their Lord,
so We destroyed them for their sins, and We drowned the people of Pharaoh. They
were all wrongdoers.)5

(Such is the Seizure of your Lord when He seizes the
towns while they are doing wrong. Verily, His Seizure is painful and severe.)6

They will be saved from this fate out of
the Mercifulness of Allah U towards existing
humanity.
But the pagans of Makkah did not appreciate the magnitude of this mercy, nor were
they grateful. Instead, they invoked Allah to hasten their share of punishment:
(And
they say, “Our Lord, hasten for us our share (of the punishment) before the Day
of Reckoning!”)7