Purification of the Soul

Alhamdulillahi rabbil-'alamin was salatu was salamu 'ala ashrifil anbiya wal-mursalin nabiyina Muhammad wa 'ala alihi wa sahbihi ajma'in

Amma ba'ad

Truly, we were granted this life to be tested which of us would remain steadfast in the dhikr (remembrance) and shukr (gratitude) of Allah, the Sublime. Living in a landmine where every step you take can lead to your possible destruction, and not destruction of the body but rather of the soul, we see people being annihilated every single day.

This world is one big attraction, making those who in reality are meagre and full of weakness look strong and mighty, making those who are ignorant seem intelligent, and portraying those who have been misguided and enslaved to their own desires as being the most guided of people.

Know, that no one lives in this dunya (world) except that he will be eaten by it in its entirety or will leave bruised and scarred except for those whom Allah, the Most High, has mercy upon. Al-Hasan al-Basri, may Allah have mercy upon him, had some wise words concerning the dunya when he said:

"So beware of this land (the dunya) that is falling down and is misleading and deceiving, being decorated by its deceit and having eluded (others) by its delusion, and having killed its people with its hopes. It looks forward with anticipation towards the one who proposes to it for marriage. Hence it becomes like the unveiled bride - all the eyes are looking towards it, and the souls are in love with it, and the hearts are captivated by it." [Related by Abu Nu'aym in al-Hilyah (2/135-136)]

Indeed he was true in his words, as we are all guilty of the crime of being deceived by the dunya with its beauty and glamour. Some of us were fortunate to get out, praise be to Allah, while others have wandered off into the everlasting dark tunnel that had no light at its beginning and has no light at its end, and the only thing that will allow him to leave is death itself. Refuge is sought with Allah, the Most High, from such an evil ending.

And know for a fact that no matter how much good you may see in this dunya, in reality it is just a wolf dressed in sheep's clothing. Had there been any good in it, then Allah, the Beneficent, would have made it a place of reward, and place of dissension of His mercy but rather Allah only sent one of His mercies upon the earth through which we are kind to one another, and rather He has made it a place of trial and tribulation and a true prison for the believer. Likewise, had there been good in it we would have seen the Prophet, peace be upon him, being attached to it and living in its luxuries but rather he sacrificed it all with full certainty in that which will come after is better and everlasting. Thus, he said:

"The dunya is cursed. Cursed is all that is in it except for the remembrance of Allah, and that which resembles it, a scholar, and a student (of knowledge)." [Related by at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and Bayhaqi. The wording is taken from Shaykh al-Albani's Sahih at-Targhib wat-Tarhib (1/34)]

So do we need anymore proof that this dunya is an endless pit for the one who is not careful and falls into it?

One of the most beautiful words ever uttered were at the end of a sirah lecture (a lecture of the Prophet's life) where the speaker said referring to the Prophet, peace be upon him:

"He had the world at his feet, yet not a dinar to his name."

Indeed that's what true zuhd (asceticism) and taqwa (piety) is, having the dunya bestowed upon you from every angle imaginable and sacrificing it for the noble face of your Creator and Sustainer. Truly a noble attribute that most have lost, except those who have been encompassed by the Mercy of Allah. So let us abandon this dunya and its temporary beauty for the joys which will last for eternity. Let us be the children of the akhirah (hereafter) and not of the dunya as 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

"Verily the dunya is coming to an end, and the akhirah is coming to a beginning and they both have children. So be children of the akhirah and don't be children of the dunya. For verily today there is action with no account and tomorrow there's account with no action." [Related by Ibn al-Qayyim in ad-Da' wad-Dawa Fasl 15]

So let us wear the garments of iman (faith) and taqwa (piety) as they are the only true garments the cover the 'awrah, and are the only protection from the tribulations of the dunya. Like Allah, the Most High, said:

"And take provision, verily the best of provisions is at-taqwa." [Al-Qur'an 2:197]

And as He says:

"Verily for the muttaqin (people of taqwa) is success (i.e. Paradise)." [Al-Qur'an 78:31]

And as He says:

"Indeed successful are the believers." [Al-Qur'an 23:1]

And as He, the Most High, says:

"Verily those who believe and do righteous deeds will have the gardens of al-firdaus (the loftiest form of paradise)." [Al-Qur'an 18:107]

May Allah make us of these people - amin.

Lastly, before I end off, I leave you with the words of the Prophet, peace be upon him:

"Every man starts his day being a vendor of his soul, either freeing it or bringing about its ruin."

He who enslaves his soul to Allah has indeed liberated it and he who enslaves his soul to his whims and desires then let him prepare for a marriage to captivity till death do you part. Proving this point is the statement of the 'allamah of raqa'iq (heart softening traditions) Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him:

"Verily the life of man is in the life of his heart and his soul. And there is no life in the heart except by knowing its creator, having love for him, worshipping him solely, turning to him in times of need, and seeking tranquillity with His remembrance. And he who loses this life has lost all good. Even if he attempts to substitute (this loss) with all that is in the world. For verily not even all of the world together would be able to replace this life. And verily for everything that a slave loses there is a substitute, but the one who loses Allah will never find anything to replace Him." [Related by Ibn al-Qayyim in ad-Da' wad-Dawa Fasl 49]

So take these two sayings, read them, understand them, and implement them to the best of your ability, and know, without a doubt, that Allah is the one who grants success.

- The statement of Fudayl bin 'Iyyad: "Man's fear of Allah is equal to his knowledge of Him and his renunciation of worldly pleasures is equal to his desire in the Hereafter."

- Secondly, the advice of Sufyan ath-Thawri: "Work for the sake of this life within the extent of your stay in it, and for the Hereafter within the extent of your stay therein."

[Both quotes are related in Abdul-Malik al-Qasim's Life is a Fading Shadow, (Dar-us-Salam)]

And Allah knows best.

May Allah make us of those people who benefit from admonition and of those who when they are given are thankful, when tested are patient, and when sin are repenting (as these are the keys to success in this dunya and the akhirah) - amin.

Completed on the 3rd day of Safar 1424H

From the Holy City of al-Madinah

Everything has its indications and signs. Indications that knowledge is beneficial are that it leads to fine character, good manners and praiseworthy attributes. In this regard it was said: "He whose knowledge doesn’t cause him to weep, can be justifiably considered not to have been granted beneficial knowledge", since Allah described the people of knowledge saying:

"Say believe in it (the Qur'an) or do not believe. Verily! Those who were given knowledge before it, when it is recited to them, fall down on their faces in humble prostration. And they say, 'Glory be to our Lord! Truly, the Promise of our Lord must be fulfilled.' And they fall down on their faces weeping and it adds to their humility." [Al-Qur'an 17:107-109]

Thus knowledge carries its possessor towards humility, prostration, crying, calling oneself to account and truthfulness with Allah.

Indeed crying is the clearest sign and best proof of the knowledge one possesses and of a person’s truthfulness. What is the benefit of knowledge a person learns, if it doesn’t lead him to crying, humbleness, penitence and good dealings with the people?

Is not the possessor of knowledge one who knows most about his Lord? Has he not read about His Exalted, Perfect, Lofty Attributes that which causes his heart to humble and his eyes to shed tears? Has he not read in the Book of Allah and in the sayings of the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, texts pertaining to the Fire, the terror in the grave and the fearful accounts of the Resurrection because of which mountains are humbled out of the fear of Allah?

So compare your position to this – may Allah have mercy upon us – and don’t forget the virtuous saying, "He who’s knowledge doesn’t cause him to weep, can be justifiably considered not to have been granted beneficial knowledge."

(s) Adorning Knowledge with Actions

The Hadith Qudsi [Reported by Muslim, Malik, at-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah]: I have divided the prayer between Myself and My servant.

Abu Hurayrah radiallahu 'anhu said: I have heard the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam say:

"Allah (the Mighty and Sublime) has said: I have divided prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves, and My servant shall have what he has asked for.

When the servant says: All praise belongs to Allah the Rabb of all the Worlds.

Allah (Mighty and Sublime is He) says: My servant has praised Me.

And when he says: The Most Gracious the Most Merciful.

Allah (Mighty and Sublime is He) says: My servant has extolled Me.

And when he says: Master of the Day of Judgement.

Allah says: My servant has glorified Me [and on one occasion He said: My servant has submitted to My power.]

And when he says: You alone do we worship and from You alone do we seek help.

He says: This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for.

And when he says: Guide us to the Straight Path, the Path of those whom you have favoured, not of those upon whom is your anger, nor of those who are astray.

He says: This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for."

It is the delight of his heart, the pleasure of his eye and the joy of his soul that his Lord says about him: "My servant" three times. By Allah! If the fumes of desire and the darkness of the souls were not upon the hearts, they would have flown out of happiness and joy that their Lord, Maker and Deity says: "My servant has praised Me, My servant has extolled Me and My servant has glorified Me."

Then there would have been space in his heart to witness (the reality) of these three names which are the basis of all the Beautiful Names and these are: Allah, ar-Rabb and ar-Rahman ...

... When he says: Master of the Day of Judgement, he witnesses the glory which be fits none but the King, the Truth, the Manifest. So he witnesses a very powerful and compelling King, to Whom the whole creation has yielded, to Whom the faces are humbled, to Whom the creation humbles itself, and to Whom every possessor of power and honour submits to. He witnesses with his heart a King (Who is) upon the Throne of the Heaven ...

... And when he says: You alone do we worship and from You alone do we seek help, in which lies the secret of the creation and the affair, of the world and the hereafter, and which contains the loftiest of goals and the most excellent of means (of approach to Allah). The loftiest of goals is enslavement to Allah and the most excellent of means is His help and assistance. There is no deity deserving of worship in truth except He and there is no helper in His worship besides Him. Therefore, His worship is the greatest of goals and His aid is loftiest of means ...

... And these words contain the two types of tawhid and they are tawhid ur-rububiyyah and tawhid al-'uluhiyyah. Devotion and enslavement to Allah is comprised in the names ar-Rabb and Allah, so he is worshipped on account of His 'uluhiyyah, help is sought from Him on account of His rububiyyah and He guides to the Straight Path on account of His Mercy. The first part of the surah therefore, mentions His names Allah, ar-Rabb and ar-Rahman for the purpose of the one who seeks His worship, help and guidance. He is alone in being able to bestow all of that. There is no one who can aid others in His worship besides Allah and none can guide (to the Straight Path) except Him.

Then the caller realises with the speech of Allah: Guide us to the Straight Path, his extreme need for this (guidance). He is never in need of any other thing as much as he is for this guidance. He is need of it in every moment and at every glance of the eye ...

... Then Allah makes it clear that the people of this Guidance are those who have been specified with His favour, not of those upon whom is His anger, and they are the ones who know the Truth but do not follow it and not of those who are astray, and they are those who worship Allah without knowledge. Both of these groups share with each other in speaking about His creation, His command and His Names and Attributes without knowledge. The path of those upon whom is His favour and blessing is different from the people of falsehood with respect to knowledge and action.

When he finishes from this praise, supplication and tawhid he has been ordered to end it with "amin", which is a seal to (to his supplication) and to which the amin of the angels in sky coincides with. This amin is from the beautification of the prayer, just like the raising of the hands is a beautification of the prayer, a following of the sunnah, veneration of the command of Allah, worship by the hands and a sign of the movement from one pillar (of the prayer) to another.

(s) As-Salat wa Hukmu Tarikiha, p. 171-172

As for ikhlas, then that is one of the meanings of the testimony "there is nothing which has the right to ibadah except Allah" in that your ibadah should be exclusively and sincerely for Allah. Iman by itself is not sufficient for our ibadah to be accepted by Allah. Rather it is necessary that your action is out of iman in Allah and complete ikhlas to Him so that you do not make anyone a partner with Him. The Exalted said:

"Those who have iman and confuse not their iman with injustice. For them there will be security and they are the rightly guided." [Al-Qur'an 6:82]

Injustice here means shirk as was explained by the Messenger (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) to the companions (radiallahu anhum) and as has been recorded by Imam al-Bukhari in the Kitab at-Tafsir of his Sahih.

Allah has laid down a condition for the perfection of iman, which gives its possessor security, guidance and freedom from shirk and that is ikhlas; the abundance of which is necessary for ibadah to be accepted. The Exalted has said:

"And they were not commanded except with this: that they should worship Allah, being completely sincere in the Din." [Al-Qur'an 98:5]

And the Exalted also said:

"Say: Indeed I have been commanded to worship Allah making the Din sincerely for Him alone." [Al-Qur'an 39:11]

And there is also the Qudsi Hadith reported by Muslim: "I am so self-sufficient that I am in no need of having partners. Thus, whoever does an action for someone else's sake as well as Mine, will have that action rejected by Me to him whom he associated with Me." [Reported by Muslim]

Ikhlas is the sanctification of your speech and action from every blemish of the soul's desire. For example, desiring your beautification in the hearts of people, desiring their praise so that they say 'a scholar', 'what a brave man' or 'a doer of good'. Also included in this is running away from the criticism of the people (i.e. abandoning certain actions because people may criticise or become angry), seeking people's magnification of yourself, their aid and assistance, the fulfilment of your needs or desiring other peoples wealth and possessions - while being contented with all of that because your soul is deceived and your amazement with yourself.

Know also - brother and sister Muslim - that ikhlas is not correct until you are truthful in your speech, action, striving and while you desire nothing but the Face of Allah and the Home of the Hereafter.

The Exalted said:

"And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it as it should be strived for while being a believer then his striving will be acknowledged (rewarded)." [Al-Qur'an 17:19]

There are some other useful definitions of ikhlas:

1. It is the freedom of the desire for nearness to Allah from every blemish or impurity;
2. It is singling out Allah with one's intention in all acts of worship;
3. It is forgetting the sight of the creation by continual observance of the Creator; and
4. It is to hide your good deeds just like you would hide your evil deeds.

[Taken from the book Al-Ikhlas by Abu Muhammad ibn Sa'id al- Baylawi]

So be warned - brother and sister Muslim - that no action is acceptable to Allah if somebody else is given a share in it. Reflect carefully upon the words of Yusuf ibn al-Husayn ar-Razi: "Indeed the hardest thing (to achieve) in this world is ikhlas. How many times have I struggled to extinguish riya' (showing off) from my heart except that it only appeared again in a different colour." [Jami ul-'Ulum wal-Hikam of Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali]

Also reflect upon the words narrated by Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi in his Mukhtasir Minhaj al-Qasidin, "Indeed mankind, all of them, are destroyed except those with knowledge and all those with knowledge are destroyed except those who act upon it and all those who act are destroyed except those who are sincere in their action and all those who are sincere are in great danger (of associating other than Allah in their actions)."

There are two things one should be take heed of if one wishes to attain success and felicity:

1. To know the details of the means of attaining good and evil, and to be clear about these through witnessing them in the world around, through one's own experience and that of others, as well as through reports one has heard about earlier and latter nations. One of the most effective means for attaining this is pondering over the Qur'an, for along with the Sunnah, it clearly explains the paths to good and evil. If you turn your attention to them, they will suffice you. They will inform you of Allah's treatment of the obedient, and of the sinners. Moreover, apply what you read to practical experience, and you will see the illustration of this - that Allah is true, the Messenger is true, the Qur'an is true, and that Allah fulfills His promise. History contains details of the paths to good and evil mentioned in the Qur'an and Sunnah.
2. Beware of deceiving oneself with regard to these paths. This is very important, for the servant knows that sin and heedlessness are harmful to him in his world and the Hereafter, and yet he may deceive himself through relying on Allah's pardon and forgiveness, by procrastination of repentance, by performing istighfar only verbally, by doing good deeds [after impetuously sinning], by knowledge, by justifying his sins by the argument of destiny, by citing exam ples of people committing similar sins, or by following in the footsteps of ancestors and elders.

Many people think that they can perform some sin, and then if they say "Astaghfirullah" the sin will disappear. Or, they may deceive themselves with ahadith such as:

"Whoever says subhanallahi wa-bihamdih" one hundred times in a day, his sins are taken off from him, even if they be like the foam of the ocean."

Or:

"A servant committed a sin and then said, 'O Lord! I have committed a sin, so forgive me,' and so he was forgiven ... then Allah says, 'My servant knows that he has a Lord Who forgives sins, and takes [to task] for them. I have forgiven My servant, so let him do as he wishes.' "

Such people cling to the texts of hope, and hold fast to them with both hands, and put [all] their reliance in them, such that if they are reprimanded for committing some sin, they will recite all that they known about Allah's mercy and forgiveness. Some went to excessive limits in this, such that they claimed that to remain free of sins is being ignorant or under-estimating Allah's mercy and pardon.

Some deceived people cling to the notion of fatalism; that the servant has no free-will and that he is compelled to commit sins. Other cling to the notion of irja' (false hope), claiming that faith is merely affirmation, and that deeds are neither a part of faith nor have any effect upon it. According to their claim, the iman of the most sinful of believers is just like the iman (faith) of the angels Gabriel and Michael.

Some are deceived by their fathers and elders, thinking that they have a rank before Allah, such that they would not leave them to perish. They take this by analogy from the behavior of worldly kings, who might grant a favor or pardon to someone based on the merits of his father or relatives. Such people are used to being taken out of difficult situations by their fathers, and are under the impression that this may happen in the Hereafter too.

Others deceive themselves by reasoning that Allah has no need of punishing them since He gains nothing from it, and He does not lose anything by showing them mercy. Such a person may say, "I am in dire need of His mercy, and He is not at all needy of [anything]. if a poor, thirsty person were in dire need of a drink of water from someone in whose premises there flows a river, he would not be denied it, and Allah is more generous, and more expansive in mercy."

Others are deceived by ridiculous misinterpretations / misunderstandings, e.g.:

"Your Lord will give you, so that you become pleased." [Al-Qur'an 93:5]

He says : I am not pleased to enter the Fire. This is despicable ignorance, and clear lies, for he should be pleased by what Allah is pleased by, and it is not against Allah's pleasure to punish the oppressors, wrong-doers, evil-doers, traitors and those persistent on major sins.

"Allah forgives all sins." [Al-Qur'an 39:93]

This is also despicable ignorance, for this verse refers to those who repent; otherwise it would imply invalidation of the verses threatening punishment for the sinners. This is specified by other verses:

"Allah does not forgive that partners be associated with Him, and He forgives anything beneath that to whomever He wills." [Al-Qur'an 4:48]

"None will burn in it except the most miserable one who rejected and turned away [from the truth]." [Al-Qur'an 92:15-16]

This is a specific fire from among the various levels of Jahannam, and moreover the fact that only the rejecters will burn in it does not rule out that others may enter it.

"[Hell] has been prepared for the unbelievers." [Al-Qur'an 2:24]

The fact that it has been prepared for the unbelievers does not rule out that sinful Muslims may also be punished in it, just as the fact that Heaven " ... has been prepared for the pious" [Al-Qur'an 3:133] does not rule out that people with the smallest grain of faith may enter it even if they were not pious.

Some are deceived by fasting the days of 'Ashura and 'Arafah, such that some may even say that the fast of 'Ashura expiates the whole year, and the fast of 'Arafah remains as a surplus of reward. Such people have failed to realize that the fast of Ramadhan and the 5 daily prayers are greater and more noble than the fasts of 'Arafah and 'Ashura, and that [it is understood that] sins are [only] forgiven as long as major sins are avoided. So, [fasting] from one Ramadhan to another, [praying] from one Jumu'ah to the next, act in a mutually strengthening manner to achieve forgiveness of minor sins, provided major sins are avoided. So, how then can an optional fast expiate every major sin of a person while he still persists upon the sins, and has not repented from them? Also, it is possible that these two optional fasts expiate all sins in totality, but that this has certain prerequisites and conditions, such as avoidance of major sins, or that the expiation is achieved in conjunction with other good deeds, much the same as the 5 daily prayers and the fasting of Ramadhan expiate minor sins in conjunction with the avoidance of major sins.

"If you abjure the major things which you are prohibited from, We shall expiate you your evil deeds." [Al-Qur'an 4:31]

Some are deceived by the hadith qudsi, "I am according to the good expectation/thought of My servant, so let him think of Me as he wishes." i.e. that whatever he thinks I will do to him, I will. But, good expectations can only be with good conduct, for one who does good expects that his Lord will deal with him well, will not break His promise, and will accept his repentance. As for the one of evil conduct, who persists upon major sins, oppression and other evils, the desolation of sin, wrongdoing and [other] prohibited things prevent him from having good expectations of his Lord. This is something we witness in everyday life. A disobedient employee who has run away with company property will not have a good expectation of his boss. The evil of wrong deeds cannot coexist with good expectation. The best in expectation of his Lord's mercy is the most obedient to Him. Al-Hasan al-Basri said, "The believer has good expectation of his Lord, so he make his deeds good. But, the evil person has bad expectation of his Lord, so he does evil."

How can someone claim to have good expectation of his Lord when he is like a runaway, and is doing things which displease and anger his Lord, and has abandoned His orders, and is at war with Him. How can one have good expectation of his Lord if he thinks that He does not see him?

"And, you used not to conceal yourself, lest your hearing, sight and skin testify against you, but you though that Allah does not know much of what you used to do. And that, your expectation which you entertained about your Lord, has destroyed you, so you have become among those lost/ruined." [Al-Qur'an 41:23]

So, these people, who thought that Allah did not know much of what they did, actually had ill-expectation of their Lord, and that destroyed them. Such people are deceived if they think they will directly enter Heaven; they are fooling themselves; Satan is leading them astray and beguiling them.

Ponder over this.

Consider : how is it possible for one's heart to be certain that one is going to meet Allah, that Allah sees and hears all that he does, and knows his secret open affairs, and that he will be made to stand before Allah, answerable for all his deeds - how can one be certain and aware of all of this, and yet persist upon things which displease Allah; persist upon abandoning Allah's orders, neglecting His rights, and yet claim that he has good expectation of Allah?!!

Abu 'Umamah Sahl ibn Hanif reports: 'Urwah ibn az-Zubayr and I entered upon 'A'ishah and she said, "If only you had seen the Messenger of Allah in one of his illnesses; when he had 6 or 7 dinar. The Messenger of Allah ordered me to distribute them in charity, but the pain of the Messenger of Allah kept me from doing that, until Allah cured him. Then, he asked me about them, 'What have you done? Had you distributed the 6 dinar?' I said, 'No, by Allah. Your pain had kept me from doing so.' He asked for them to be brought to him, and put them in his hand then said, 'What would be the expectation of Allah's prophet if he met Allah with these in his possession?' "

What, then would be the expectation of the people of major sins, and the oppressors, if they were to meet Allah with these sins and forfeited rights of people on their backs? If their claim that they entertained good expectations that Allah would not punish evil and wrongdoing people, were to benefit them, then everyone could do as he wished, doing everything that Allah has forbidden, provided he kept good expectation of Allah, thinking that the fire will not touch him. Subhanallah! How deceived can one be? Prophet Ibrahim said to his people, "Is it a lie, gods besides Allah, that you desire? What then is your expectation of the Lord of the Worlds?" [Al-Qur'an 37:86] i.e. what is your expectation of Allah, what do you expect He will do to you if you meet Him having worshipped other than Him?

So, if we reflect over this, we will realize that good expectation of Allah is equivalent to good deeds, for one is moved to good deeds by good hope of Allah, that He will reward him for his efforts and accept them. Otherwise, good expectation along with pursuit of whims and desires and lusts is incapacity.

In short, good expectation can only occur if the means for salvation are pursued. Pursuit of the means to destruction cannot accompany good expectations.

Someone might claim: It might, based on the expansiveness of Allah's mercy and forgiveness and generosity, and that His mercy exceeds His wrath, and that punishing does not benefit Him, nor does forgiveness harm Him. The reply is: Allah is indeed most generous and merciful, but this is in the appropriate place. Allah is also described as possessing wisdom and might and inflicting retribution, seizing with might, and punishing those deserving punishment. So, if the good expectation is based merely on some of Allah's attributes, then the righteous and the evil, the believer and the unbeliever, would equally be candidates for it. But, the names and attributes of mercy do not benefit the unbeliever or similarly one who has neglected his duty and exposed himself to Allah's curse. Rather, good expectation of Allah is for one who repents, regrets his sins and desists from the. This is good expectation, whereas the first is deception.

"Those who believe, and those who perform hijrah and jihad in the path of Allah - they are hopeful of Allah's mercy." [Al-Qur'an 2:218]

So, these people are the ones who can be truly hopeful of Allah's mercy; not the evil and sinful people.

" ... then, your Lord is, to those who make hijrah after they have been persecuted, and then perform jihad and are patient/steadfast - indeed, your Lord is, after that, Most Forgiving, Most Merciful." [Al-Qur'an 16:119]

So, the knowledgeable one is he who puts hope in its correct place, whereas the deceived one is he who puts it elsewhere.

(s) Al-Jawab al-Kafi li man Sa'al 'an ad-Dawa' al-Shafi