The Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) mercy and his great character.

The Shaykh : We return to the hadith. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was the most merciful of people toward children, and this is natural. It is natural that he (peace and blessings be upon him) should be the most merciful of people toward children, because mercy is a quality of praise and one of the noble moral traits. Allah (Mighty and Majestic) addressed His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with a general Arabic term, saying: . “Great character” refers to the genus of character, meaning all character. From this, it is certain that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) embodied and realized the meaning of those hadiths mentioned previously: . Thus, he does not command people with anything that contradicts them, as Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said in His Book regarding some of His prophets: . Therefore, it is self-evident that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is the most merciful of people toward children and toward others. How could it be otherwise, when Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said in the Qur’an a text more general than what was mentioned before, namely His saying (Mighty and Majestic): ? How could he not be the most merciful of people toward children and toward all the worlds? This is the hadith of Anas. After presenting this phrase that praises the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for his mercy toward children above all people, he brings an example from the biography of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and from the history of his life.