Sheikh Sa‘di (may Allah have mercy on him) writes that a king fell ill with an annoying disease. He requested for prayers that may the Bountiful God heal him.
Sheikh Sa‘di replied, ‘There may be thousands of innocent people imprisoned in your jail. How can my prayer be accepted against their curses?’ The king set the prisoners free, and then he became healthy.
This means that if compassion is shown for the people of God, then God also shows His mercy.
(Malfuzat, Vol. 9, p. 369)