Be merciful to those on the earth, and the One above the heavens will be merciful to you.
“Be merciful to those on the earth, and the One above the heavens will be merciful to you.”
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) points out that those who show mercy to others are shown mercy by the Most Merciful with His mercy, which encompasses all things - a fitting recompense.
The plain meaning, from HadeethEnc
عن عبد الله بن عمرو رضي الله عنهما أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: «الرَّاحِمُونَ يَرْحَمُهمُ الرَّحمنُ، ارحَمُوا أهلَ الأرضِ يَرْحْمْكُم مَن في السّماء».
‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Those who are merciful are shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Be merciful to the inhabitants of earth and the One in the heaven will be merciful to you."
What does Sunan al-Tirmidhi 1924 mean?
Narrated by ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr, recorded by Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi and Ahmad. The line before it in the hadith gives the rule the second half applies: those who show mercy are shown mercy by the Most Merciful. The commentators read “those on the earth” as unrestricted — people, animals, birds, every kind of creature.
Written from HadeethEnc