What is the response to one who finds problematic the hadith: "I had intended to order a man to lead the people in prayer, and then burn down the homes of men who stay away from the Friday prayer," claiming it contradicts the Prophet's being a prophet of mercy?

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is the Prophet of Mercy, as Allah Almighty described him: "concerned about you, to the believers kind and merciful." The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, himself named himself "the Prophet of Mercy." The punishment that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, intended for those who lagged behind from the congregational prayer does not contradict his being the Prophet of Mercy, because he was sent with severity and harshness towards disbelievers and hypocrites, as Allah Almighty said: "O Prophet, strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites and be harsh upon them." Furthermore, those threatened with punishment were hypocrites who outwardly displayed Islam but inwardly concealed disbelief. Even if we assume they were Muslims, severity in upbringing can be praiseworthy for the righteousness it brings about. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is in the position of a father who is stern for the upbringing of his child. Similarly, the Islamic Sharia, despite being a law of mercy, contains rulings that involve severity, such as retribution (Qisas), which in reality is a mercy for society as a whole, as it prevents corruption and preserves life: "And there is for you in Qisas [retribution] life, O you [people] of understanding." This perspective is only understood by people of understanding. The questioner should not listen to the specious arguments raised by the enemies of Islam, so that his soul does not absorb them. Rather, he should make his heart like a "solid glass bottle" through which doubts pass over its surface without settling within it.