The Quran stresses that righteousness is not in precise observance rituals but in acts of compassion and kindness. It says that the litmus test for true belief and genuine worship is that it leads to compassionate living:1. It is not righteousness that you turn your faces to the East or the West, but truly righteous is he who believes in Allah and the Last Day and the angels and the Book and the Prophets, and spends his money for love of Him, on the kindred and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and those who ask for charity, and for ransoming the captives; and who observes Prayer and pays the Zakat; and those who fulfill their promise whenof the they have made one, and the patient in poverty and afflictions and the steadfast in time of war; it is these who have proved truthful and it is these who are the God-fearing. (Al Quran 2:178) Every Friday in the second part of the sermon, Muslims all over the world hear a verse, which stresses, justice, kindness and natural mutual love as among the closest blood relatives: 2. Indeed, Allah enjoins justice, and the doing of good to others; and giving like kindred; and forbids indecency, and manifest evil, and wrongful transgression. He admonished you that you may take heed. (Al Quran 16:91) Allah says that to be godly is to be compassionate. He makes His relationship or His Providence to the common man, conditional to common human compassion, by claiming that those, who wish to find Him, will succeed only if they are kind and compassionate to the common people: 3. And as for those who strive in Our path — We will surely guide them in Our ways. And Indeed, Allah is with those who are of service to others. (Al Quran 29:70) 4. Indeed, Allah is with those who are righteous and those who do good. (Al Quran 16:129) Allah says that we should be the first and take initiative to do good to others, but, if others have been kind to us, in the first place, we have no choice, but to return the favor: 5. The reward of goodness is nothing but goodness. (Al Quran 55:61) In one of the verses, which is recited at the time of marriage ceremony, Allah links the responsibility owed to Him to kind treatment of the in-laws relationships: 6. O ye people! fear your Lord, Who created you from a single soul and created therefrom its mate, and from them twain spread many men and women; and fear Allah, in Whose name you appeal to one another, and be mindful of your duty to Allah, particularly respecting ties of relationship. Verily, Allah watches over you. (Al Quran 4:2) In the very beginning of every chapter or Sura of the Holy Quran, except one, we read, “In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.” Allah is not only the Gracious and the Merciful, but, also wants humanity to be gracious and merciful, to each other, in their spheres and this can be inferred from many verses of the Holy Quran. As this verse is in the beginning of 113 chapters, except for Sura Taubah and in the middle of one Sura, it really sky rockets my count of verses here. 7-120. In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. Let me make a suggestion here, now, that we have 120 instructions from the All Knowing God, to be kind, merciful and compassionate. Anyone, who has conscious or unconscious desire to benefit from political Islam, should first try this repeated teaching of being compassionate for a few decades. May be it will assuage his or her political ambition and bring him or her to true teachings of Islam. The Holy Quran suggests compassion and kindness to be a recipe to turn ones enemies into bosom friends: 121-122. And good and evil are not alike. Repel evil with that which is best. And lo, he between whom and thyself was enmity will become as though he were a warm friend. But none is granted it save those who are steadfast; and none is granted it save those who possess a large share of good. (Al Quran 41:35-36) Now, I am going to catalog all occurrences of the word “Mohsin,” in Arabic, in the Quran, in singular or plural form, as it means, one who does good and is of service to others. Two of these occurrences have already been counted above and I will not repeat those here: 123. It shall be no sin for you if you divorce women while you have not touched them, nor settled for them a dowry. But provide for them — the rich man according to his means and the poor man according to his means — a provision in a becoming manner, an obligation upon the virtuous. (Al Quran 2:237) 124. Those who spend in prosperity and adversity, and those who suppress anger and pardon men; and Allah loves those who do good. (Al Quran 3:135) 125. So Allah gave them the reward of this world, as also an excellent reward of the next; and Allah loves those who do good. (Al Quran 3:149) 126. And who is better in faith than he who submits himself to Allah, and he is a doer of good, and follows the religion of Abraham, the upright? And Allah took Abraham for a special friend. (Al Quran 4:126) 127. So, because of their breaking their covenant, We have cursed them, and have hardened their hearts. They pervert the words from their proper places and have forgotten a good part of that with which they were exhorted. And thou wilt not cease to discover treachery on their part, except in a few of them. So pardon them and turn away from them. Surely, Allah loves those who do good. (Al Quran 5:14) 128. So Allah rewarded them, for what they said, with Gardens beneath which streams flow. Therein shall they abide; and that is the reward of those who do good. (Al Quran 5:86) I Love Holy Quran