Allah Ta`ala could have deprived us of Imaan but through His infinite mercy, He has made us from amongst the Believers. After granting us Imaan, Allah could have made us from the Ummah of any of the previous Ambiya (AS), But He choose us to be from the Ummah of the most beloved Muhammed ﷺ.

At the end of Surah Taubah, Allah states:
لَقَدْ جَاءكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُم بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَؤُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Undoubtedly a Rasool from yourselves has come to you. The difficulties that afflict you are very distressing to him. He is anxious for (good to come to) you and extremely forgiving and merciful (gentle and kind) towards the Mu’mineen. Surah Taubah: verse – 128

The incidents depicting the gentle nature and compassion that Rasulullaah ﷺ displayed towards individuals of this Ummah and towards the Ummah, in general, are far too many to enumerate. If someone were to compile a book of such incidents, it would be a sizeable book indeed.

Hadhrat Abu Hurayra (RA) narrates that Rasulullah ﷺ said, “My example and yours is like a person who lit a fire. When it began to brighten all around him, moths began to fall into the fire. He tries to prevent them from flying into the fire, but they overcome him and continue to fall in it. This is my example. I am saving you from falling into the fire of Jahannam by grabbing hold of your waists. However, you are overpowering me and falling into it.”

This narration is reported in Bukhari. A narration of Muslim quotes that Rasulullah ﷺ said, “My example and yours is that I am holding you by the waist to keep you away from the fire but you are overpowering me and falling into it.”

There was no end to the compassion of Rasulullah ﷺ. While he advised Imaams of salaah to lighten the salaah for the followers, he also advised rulers to bring good news to their subjects instead of causing dislike. He emphasised that they should be lenient rather than harsh. On the night of Mi’raaj, Rasulullah ﷺ returned to Allah many times to have the number of obligatory salaah reduced and during his farewell Hajj he promised to intercede on behalf of his Ummah. He would sometimes spend the entire night weeping for the forgiveness of his Ummah as he repeated the verse:

إِن تُعَذِّبْهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ عِبَادُكَ وَإِن تَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ فَإِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
“If You punish them, then verily they are Your slaves (and You are at liberty to treat them as You please), and if You forgive them, then surely You are the Mighty, the Wise (and Your reason for doing so is filled with wisdom).” {Surah Maa’idah, verse 118}

Rasulullah ﷺ always chose for the Ummah that which was most beneficial for them. He ﷺ once said, “A messenger from my Rabb came to give me a choice saying, ‘You may either have half your Ummah entered into Jannah or you may choose to intercede on behalf of your Ummah’. I opted for the intercession. My intercession shall be for those who died without ascribing any partner to Allaah.” Tirmidhi

Rasulullah ﷺ opted for intercession because if only half the Ummah were admitted into Jannah, he would then be unable to intercede on behalf of the other half. By choosing intercession, the entire Ummah stands to benefit equally. Had Rasulullah ﷺ opted for the first option, it would have been to the tremendous detriment of half of the Ummah.