“I have realised that sometimes the most profound life lessons come from random strangers.”

One day, I was running late for a meeting and hopped into a Grab. The driver, an elderly Malay uncle, seemed a little reserved at first. But after a few minutes of polite small talk, he began to share his story. He told me he used to work in a shipyard, where he was the only Malay Muslim among Chinese colleagues. There were many stray dogs around the area and his boss owned an expensive pedigree dog.

Before continuing, the uncle suddenly asked me, “What do you think about Muslims touching dogs?” I sensed he was testing my response before deciding whether to go on. Honestly, I wasn’t paying much attention at first. I was late and secretly hoping for a quiet ride. But I still answered politely, “Dogs are creatures of Allah too and we should treat them well and not harm them. If we touch them, we just need to ‘sertu’. I grew up with neighbours who had dogs on both sides and we never had any issue with that.”

He smiled and continued. “Well, my boss’ dog mated with a stray one and had four puppies. Two looked like pedigree breeds and two looked like strays. My boss took home the mother dog and the two pedigree puppies, but he abandoned the other two at the shipyard.”

At this point, I leaned in, curious.

“I pitied those two abandoned puppies,” he said. “They still needed their mother. So, I stepped in. I went to the vet to ask what milk to buy for newborn puppies and I bottle-fed them. I built a small kennel at the shipyard and every day I fed them until they grew strong. They would wag their tails and run to me whenever they saw me. During my breaks, I would play with them. Of course, every time I handled them, I would ‘sertu’ myself and change my clothes before praying.”

I was moved. I told him what he did was noble, an act of compassion exactly as our Prophet PBUH taught us. He nodded and said he remembered the story of the woman who gave water to a thirsty dog and Allah forgave her sins and granted her Paradise.

But the story didn’t end there.

“One day, after a long while, my boss returned and saw the dogs had grown. He asked why I had bothered to care for them. I told him I couldn’t bear to watch them starve. The next day, the dogs were gone. My boss told me he had taken them to be put down, since they were strays and he didn’t want more strays around.”

I was speechless. What started as such a heartwarming story ended with such a heavy twist. I asked softly, “Were you sad, pakcik?”

“Of course I was,” he said, his voice catching. “I raised them from when they were barely surviving until they grew strong and healthy. And then, just like that, they were gone. I wish I had done something to stop it… but I wasn’t expecting that at the time. Do you think I will be accountable in the Hereafter for not saving them?”

He was asking me? I stumbled a little but replied, “No pakcik. On the contrary, I believe Allah will reward you for your kindness. You did your part with sincerity and Allah never lets any act of compassion go unnoticed.”

I sat quietly after that, deeply touched. What began as a ride I wished would be silent turned into a lesson I will never forget. Kindness, even to the smallest and weakest of Allah’s creatures, weighs heavy in His sight.

Our Beloved Prophet said in one of his narrations: “The merciful are shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Be merciful to those on the earth and the One above the heavens will have mercy upon you.”

الرَّاحِمُونَ يَرْحَمُهُمُ الرَّحْمَٰنُ، ارْحَمُوا مَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ يَرْحَمْكُمْ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ

May Allah guide us to keep being kind to everyone and every living thing, even towards the Earth itself.

Mercy is not just a feeling. It is a way of life. It is the Sunnah of our Prophet ﷺ and a reflection of one of the Divine attributes of our Creator.

It is how we treat those who cannot repay us, how we respond to those who wrong us and how we care for the weak and voiceless among us. It is found in the gentle words we speak, in the patience we show and in the compassion we extend even when no one is watching.

In a world that often celebrates strength, power, and individualism, our Prophet ﷺ reminded us that true strength lies in gentleness and thoughtfulness. Mercy and kindness softens hardened hearts, heals wounds we cannot see and brings us closer to the One whose Mercy is endless.

So let us be merciful, kind and compassionate to our parents and children, to our friends, neighbours and strangers, to animals and the environment and even to ourselves when we fall short. For every act of kindness and mercy we show is a door to Allah’s mercy upon us.

NAME : Nadia H.

Share Your Story to http://nadyabooks.com/submit

Read Stories: https://nadyabooks.com/stories