Allah’s Mercy in 100 Parts: The Authentic Hadith Explained
Watch a mare lift her hoof so she does not step on her foal. Every bit of care like that, in every creature, comes from one part of mercy. The hadith about Allah’s mercy in 100 parts tells us that Allah kept the other ninety-nine for the Day of Resurrection. After nine articles on the Fire, this is where our Hell series ends: not with less fear, but with the hope that must stand beside it.
At a glance
- Source: Sahih al-Bukhari 6469, also in Sahih Muslim 2752a and 2753
- Narrated by: Abu Hurairah and Salman al-Farisi
- Grade: Sahih (al-Bukhari and Muslim)
- Topic: Allah’s mercy, fear and hope
- Practise it: Turn back to Allah today, without despair and without feeling safe
The hadith: mercy in one hundred parts
إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَلَقَ الرَّحْمَةَ يَوْمَ خَلَقَهَا مِائَةَ رَحْمَةٍ، فَأَمْسَكَ عِنْدَهُ تِسْعًا وَتِسْعِينَ رَحْمَةً، وَأَرْسَلَ فِي خَلْقِهِ كُلِّهِمْ رَحْمَةً وَاحِدَةً، فَلَوْ يَعْلَمُ الْكَافِرُ بِكُلِّ الَّذِي عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ لَمْ يَيْأَسْ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ، وَلَوْ يَعْلَمُ الْمُؤْمِنُ بِكُلِّ الَّذِي عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ لَمْ يَأْمَنْ مِنَ النَّارِ
“Verily Allah created Mercy. The day He created it, He made it into one hundred parts. He withheld with Him ninety-nine parts, and sent its one part to all His creatures. Had the non-believer known of all the Mercy which is in the Hands of Allah, he would not lose hope of entering Paradise, and had the believer known of all the punishment which is present with Allah, he would not consider himself safe from the Hell-Fire.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 6469 · Narrated by Abu Hurairah · Translation adapted from Sunnah.com
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates this. In Sahih Muslim he narrates it with the image of the mother animal, and al-Bukhari records very similar wording, with a mare and her foal, in Sahih al-Bukhari 6000:
جَعَلَ اللَّهُ الرَّحْمَةَ مِائَةَ جُزْءٍ فَأَمْسَكَ عِنْدَهُ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ وَأَنْزَلَ فِي الأَرْضِ جُزْءًا وَاحِدًا فَمِنْ ذَلِكَ الْجُزْءِ تَتَرَاحَمُ الْخَلاَئِقُ حَتَّى تَرْفَعَ الدَّابَّةُ حَافِرَهَا عَنْ وَلَدِهَا خَشْيَةَ أَنْ تُصِيبَهُ
“Allah created mercy in one hundred parts and He retained with Him ninety-nine parts, and He has sent down upon the earth one part, and it is because of this one part that there is mutual love among the creation so much so that the animal lifts up its hoof from its young one, fearing that it might harm it.”
Sahih Muslim 2752a · Narrated by Abu Hurairah · Translation from Sunnah.com
Ninety-nine parts kept for the Day of Resurrection
Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates where the ninety-nine parts are kept:
إِنَّ لِلَّهِ مِائَةَ رَحْمَةٍ فَمِنْهَا رَحْمَةٌ بِهَا يَتَرَاحَمُ الْخَلْقُ بَيْنَهُمْ وَتِسْعَةٌ وَتِسْعُونَ لِيَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ
“Verily, there are one hundred (parts of) mercy for Allah, and it is one part of this mercy by virtue of which there is mutual love between the people and ninety-nine reserved for the Day of Resurrection.”
Sahih Muslim 2753 · Narrated by Salman al-Farisi · Translation from Sunnah.com
The Encyclopedia of Translated Prophetic Hadiths explains that because of this single mercy, humans, jinn, animals and insects are merciful to one another, and that Allah has kept the other ninety-nine to have mercy on His slaves on the Day of Judgment (HadeethEnc 4291).
What it means: fear and hope together
Think of every kind act you have ever seen: a mother up at night with a sick child, a stranger helping someone in the rain. All of it, from the first creature to the last, comes from one part. The ninety-nine are kept for the Day when people will need them most.
Yet the same hadith in al-Bukhari does not end with hope alone. It holds two sentences side by side: if a disbeliever knew the full extent of Allah’s mercy, he would not lose hope of Paradise; if a believer knew the full extent of His punishment, he would not feel safe from the Fire. Sahih Muslim has a similar narration, which closed our first article, Hellfire in Islam.
Take heed: mercy this vast is not permission to sin. The one who knows Allah’s mercy best is the one who turns back to Him quickest, and the one who feels safe from the Fire has not understood it.
How to practise it
- After a sin, turn back to Allah straight away. Despair of His mercy is never the answer.
- Ask for His mercy and forgiveness in your own words, and with the duas He taught, such as those in O Son of Adam, I Will Forgive You.
- Show mercy to people and animals. The mercy we see in creation is from that one part, and it is a reminder of the ninety-nine.
- Keep the fear alive too: read one of the Hell series articles below when you feel too safe.
Hope: “My mercy encompasses all things”
Allah tells us in the Quran how wide His mercy is, and to whom He will decree it:
۞ وَٱكْتُبْ لَنَا فِى هَـٰذِهِ ٱلدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ إِنَّا هُدْنَآ إِلَيْكَ ۚ قَالَ عَذَابِىٓ أُصِيبُ بِهِۦ مَنْ أَشَآءُ ۖ وَرَحْمَتِى وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ ۚ فَسَأَكْتُبُهَا لِلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ وَيُؤْتُونَ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
And decree for us in this world [that which is] good and [also] in the Hereafter; indeed, we have turned back to You.” [Allāh] said, “My punishment – I afflict with it whom I will, but My mercy encompasses all things.” So I will decree it [especially] for those who fear Me and give zakāh and those who believe in Our verses-
Surah Al-A‘raf 7:156 · Translation: Saheeh International, from Quran.com
Reflection: the verse holds the same balance as the hadith. Allah’s punishment reaches whom He wills, but His mercy encompasses all things, and He will decree it for those who fear Him, give zakah and believe in His verses. Hope, then, is not a wish. It is a reason to act.
Looking back: the Hell series
Over ten articles we went through what the authentic hadith say about the Fire. Each one ended with hope; this one is the hope that holds them together:
- Hellfire in Islam: 6 Authentic Hadith About Jahannam: what the Fire is, in the Prophet’s ﷺ own descriptions
- Hellfire 70 Times Hotter Than Our Fire: our fire is one part of seventy
- Hellfire Breathing Hadith: the two breaths, in summer and winter
- The Least Punishment in Hell: even the lightest is unbearable
- Paradise Is Surrounded by Hardships: the Fire is surrounded by desires
- Save Yourself From the Fire, Even With Half a Date: a small charity as a shield
- Dua for Protection From Hellfire: authentic duas to ask Allah for safety
- A Mustard Seed of Faith: the least faith still brings a person out
- Hadith About Women in Hellfire: the reasons named, and the remedy given
- Allah’s Mercy in 100 Parts: the mercy kept for that Day (this article)
Questions people ask
What is the hadith about Allah’s mercy in 100 parts?
The Prophet ﷺ said that Allah created mercy in one hundred parts, kept ninety-nine with Him and sent one part to all His creatures. It is in Sahih al-Bukhari 6469 and 6000 and Sahih Muslim 2752a, from Abu Hurairah.
Where are the 99 parts of mercy?
According to Salman al-Farisi’s narration in Sahih Muslim 2753, the ninety-nine parts are reserved for the Day of Resurrection.
Does Allah’s mercy mean no one should fear Hell?
No. The same hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari 6469 says that if a believer knew all the punishment with Allah, he would not feel safe from the Fire. Hope and fear go together.
Key lessons
- Allah created mercy in one hundred parts.
- All the mercy in this world comes from one part; ninety-nine are kept for the Day of Resurrection.
- Even an animal lifting its hoof from its young is from that one part.
- Knowing His mercy, no one should despair of Paradise.
- Knowing His punishment, no believer should feel safe from the Fire.
If all the tenderness in this world is one part, imagine the ninety-nine. Fear the Fire enough to leave what leads to it, and hope in His mercy enough to never stop turning back to Him.
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