Why do we have stories about struggle and strife in the Quran ? Stories of Prophets' and important figures' pain, loss, and suffering? We have verses that speak of darkness literally and darkness figuratively when they narrate to us the deep sadness of Prophet Jacob over his separation from Prophet Yusuf, the suffering of Maryam as she gives birth to Prophet Jesus all on her own, scared and lonely, the grief of the mother of Musa as she lets go of him into a river, the loss of Prophet Noah of his son who did not believe, all the struggles of Prophet Muhammad, including when he is forced to leave His beloved city Mecca, peace be upon them all. So much pain and suffering, why ? The stories of struggle, pain and loss in the Quran are not only there to help us cope with our own struggles but to also help us understand and acknowledge the pain of others so we can develop empathy and nurture compassion for others, in their times of darkness. I found this connected to a quote I heard recently in a podcast by Dr. Brene Brown on compassion: 'Compassion is not a relationship between the wounded and the healed, it’s knowing our darkness enough to sit in the darkness with others'. Not only do we know Allah as The Most Compassionate and Most Merciful all throughout the Quran, but we also know that He sent the Prophet peace be upon him as a source of mercy and compassion for the entire world - not just for Muslims, but for all of humanity and all creation. In turn, compassion is at the very root of our faith, of how our Creator wants us to know Him and the foundation of the Prophet's legacy. Verse 17 in Surat Al Balad reassures us of our need to urge each other to compassion. In fact, some sources cite there are over 200 verses about compassionate living in the Quran. So I believe we as Muslims need to be at the forefront of cultivating compassion. Karen Armstrong, in her book ‘12 Steps to Compassionate Living’, in which she chose the Prophet(SAW) as a role model says 'The root of all religion is compassion'' and 'Compassion is the true test of spirituality.' In the Qur’an, Allah tells us again and again about 'Those who believe and do good.' Engaging in goodness many times entails doing good for our society. Helping the economically disadvantaged, the orphans, the widows, etc. I believe compassion is essentially 'ihsan' in action. It is beautiful, morals and excellent character. Karen Armstrong writes 'Compassion compels you to work tirelessly to elevate the suffering of other people and to treat everyone with absolute justice, equity, and respect’. Is that not ihsan ? May we be of those who cultivate compassion in our hearts, homes and communities. Ameen.