Short answer
Yes. The Qur'an says Allah's (﷾) mercy extends to all things. All but one of its 114 chapters open by calling Him Most Gracious, Most Merciful. It names the people He loves. They include those who do good, the just, the patient, those who trust Him and those who turn to Him in repentance. The Prophet (ﷺ) said Allah (﷾) is more merciful to His servants than a mother is to her child. He also said that Allah (﷾) wrote in His Book that His mercy prevails over His anger. The New Testament also speaks of judgement and fire. So it too joins love with justice. Islam's answer is mercy and justice together. It says openly which is the greater: mercy.
Full explanation
The charge: a God of wrath
A Christian will sometimes say to a Muslim: your God is a God of wrath, ours is a God of love. The verse behind this is 1 John 4:8, from a letter in the New Testament. It says that God (﷾) is love.
“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”
Mercy that extends to all things
The Qur'an says Allah's (﷾) mercy extends to all things. It says He has written mercy upon Himself. The opening verse of the Qur'an names Him Most Gracious and Most Merciful. That verse is repeated at the head of every chapter but one. The Qur'an forbids despair of His mercy, because He forgives all sins to those who turn back. The Prophet (ﷺ) added that when Allah (﷾) completed the creation He wrote that His mercy prevails over His anger. He also taught that no one enters Paradise by his deeds alone, not even he, but only by Allah's (﷾) mercy. So good deeds are the way to Paradise, but entry is Allah's (﷾) gift, never a price that deeds pay.
“"And ordain for us that which is good, in this life and in the Hereafter: for we have turned unto Thee." He said: "With My punishment I visit whom I will; but My mercy extendeth to all things. That (mercy) I shall ordain for those who do right, and practise regular charity, and those who believe in Our signs;-”
“Say: "To whom belongeth all that is in the heavens and on earth?" Say: "To Allah. He hath inscribed for Himself (the rule of) Mercy. That He will gather you together for the Day of Judgment, there is no doubt whatever. It is they who have lost their own souls, that will not believe.”
“In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.”
“Say: "O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: when Allah completed the creation, He wrote in His Book, which is with Him above the Throne, that His mercy prevails over His anger. Sahih Muslim 2751 has the same saying.
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said no one's deeds will save him. Asked whether that included him, he said: not even me, unless Allah covers me with His mercy. He then told them to do good deeds properly, sincerely and in moderation.
Whom Allah (﷾) loves
The Qur'an names the people Allah (﷾) loves. They are those who do good, those who judge justly, and the righteous. They are also the steadfast, those who trust Him, and those who turn to Him in repentance and keep themselves pure. One of His names is al-Wadud, the Loving. Those who follow the Prophet (ﷺ) are promised His love and forgiveness.
“And spend of your substance in the cause of Allah, and make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction; but do good; for Allah loveth those who do good.”
“(They are fond of) listening to falsehood, of devouring anything forbidden. If they do come to thee, either judge between them, or decline to interfere. If thou decline, they cannot hurt thee in the least. If thou judge, judge in equity between them. For Allah loveth those who judge in equity.”
“(But the treaties are) not dissolved with those Pagans with whom ye have entered into alliance and who have not subsequently failed you in aught, nor aided any one against you. So fulfil your engagements with them to the end of their term: for Allah loveth the righteous.”
“How many of the prophets fought (in Allah's way), and with them (fought) Large bands of godly men? but they never lost heart if they met with disaster in Allah's way, nor did they weaken (in will) nor give in. And Allah Loves those who are firm and steadfast.”
“It is part of the Mercy of Allah that thou dost deal gently with them Wert thou severe or harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about thee: so pass over (Their faults), and ask for (Allah's) forgiveness for them; and consult them in affairs (of moment). Then, when thou hast Taken a decision put thy trust in Allah. For Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him).”
“They ask thee concerning women's courses. Say: They are a hurt and a pollution: So keep away from women in their courses, and do not approach them until they are clean. But when they have purified themselves, ye may approach them in any manner, time, or place ordained for you by Allah. For Allah loves those who turn to Him constantly and He loves those who keep themselves pure and clean.”
“And He is the Oft-Forgiving, Full of Loving-Kindness,”
“Say: "If ye do love Allah, Follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins: For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."”
The ninety-nine beautiful names
The Qur'an says the most beautiful names belong to Allah (﷾), and tells believers to call on Him by them. The Prophet (ﷺ) said Allah (﷾) has ninety-nine names, and that whoever knows them will enter Paradise. Muslim scholars see two families among the names. Some show His beauty and mercy (jamal): the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, the Source of Peace. Others show His power and majesty (jalal): the Sovereign, the Irresistible, the Supreme. Three verses at the end of Surat al-Hashr, chapter 59 of the Qur'an, set both families side by side. Many Christians today speak of God (﷾) mainly through one word, love. Islam knows Him by all His names together, and the Qur'an puts mercy first among them.
“The most beautiful names belong to Allah: so call on him by them; but shun such men as use profanity in his names: for what they do, they will soon be requited.”
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: Allah has ninety-nine names, one hundred less one, and whoever knows them will enter Paradise.
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: Allah has ninety-nine names, one hundred less one; whoever commits them to memory will enter Paradise. Allah is One and loves what is odd in number.
“Allah is He, than Whom there is no other god;- Who knows (all things) both secret and open; He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Allah is He, than Whom there is no other god;- the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace (and Perfection), the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of Safety, the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the Supreme: Glory to Allah! (High is He) above the partners they attribute to Him. He is Allah, the Creator, the Evolver, the Bestower of Forms (or Colours). To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names: whatever is in the heavens and on earth, doth declare His Praises and Glory: and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.”
Pictures of mercy from the Prophet (ﷺ)
The Prophet (ﷺ) gave his companions pictures of Allah's (﷾) mercy. In the first, a mother among the captives nursed every child she found. She could never throw her own child into a fire, and Allah (﷾) is more merciful than she is. In the second, Allah (﷾) divided mercy into a hundred parts and sent only one to earth. All the kindness of creatures comes from that one part. In the third, Allah (﷾) says that whoever comes to Him walking, He comes to him running. Whoever meets Him with sins that fill the earth, but without associating anything with Him, is met with forgiveness as great.
Umar reports that captives were brought to the Prophet (ﷺ), among them a woman whose breasts were full of milk; whenever she found a child among the captives, she held it to her chest and nursed it. The Prophet asked whether she could ever throw her child into a fire. They said no. He said: Allah is more merciful to His servants than this woman is to her child.
Abu Hurayra heard the Prophet (ﷺ) say that Allah divided mercy into a hundred parts, kept ninety-nine with Himself and sent one part down to earth; from that one part all creatures show mercy to each other, so that a mare lifts her hoof from her foal for fear of treading on it. Also in Sahih Muslim 2752.
The Prophet (ﷺ) reports that Allah says: I am as My servant thinks of Me, and I am with him when he remembers Me; if he comes a hand-span nearer to Me, I come an arm's length nearer to him, and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running. Also in Sahih Muslim 2675.
Abu Dharr reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said that Allah says: whoever brings a good deed will have ten like it or more; whoever draws a hand-span closer to Me, I draw an arm's length closer to him; whoever comes to Me walking, I come to him running; and whoever meets Me with sins that would fill the earth, but without associating anything with Me, I will meet him with forgiveness as great.
Mercy and justice side by side
The Qur'an sets mercy and punishment together in two short verses. It does not hide either one. The Muslim has never claimed that his God is only wrath, or only love. His scripture says both, and says which is the greater.
“Tell My servants that I am indeed the Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful; And that My Penalty will be indeed the most grievous Penalty.”
“"And ordain for us that which is good, in this life and in the Hereafter: for we have turned unto Thee." He said: "With My punishment I visit whom I will; but My mercy extendeth to all things. That (mercy) I shall ordain for those who do right, and practise regular charity, and those who believe in Our signs;-”
Judgement in the New Testament
The New Testament does not picture a God who is only love either. In Revelation, the last book of the New Testament, the rider called the Word of God treads the winepress of the wrath of Almighty God (﷾). The Second Letter to the Thessalonians describes the Lord Jesus returning in flaming fire, taking vengeance. In Matthew, Jesus himself tells those on his left to depart into everlasting fire. The Gospel of John says all judgement is given to the Son. Paul, a Christian missionary of the first century, even places Christ in the wilderness with Israel. There, he says, those who tempted him were destroyed by serpents. If Jesus is God, as Christians believe, then the God (﷾) they call love is also this judge. Islam does not mock this, because judgement is real. The Prophet (ﷺ) said the son of Mary will return and rule with justice. Muslims believe he returns as a servant of Allah (﷾), not as God.
“And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.”
“And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”
“And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;”
“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”
“For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:”
“Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.”
Abu Huraira reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) swore that the son of Mary will soon descend among the Muslims as a just ruler. He will break the cross, kill the swine and end the jizya, and wealth will be so plentiful that no one will accept it. Abu Huraira then recited Qur'an 4:159: none of the People of the Book but will believe in him before his death.
Forgiveness that asks for no sacrifice
Jesus told a parable in which a lost son comes home. His father runs to meet him and forgives him. No one is punished in the son's place. The Prophet (ﷺ) taught the same truth: Allah (﷾) comes running to the one who walks towards Him. The Epistle to the Hebrews, a New Testament letter, says that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Yet in the parable the father forgives with no sacrifice for sin. The Qur'an teaches forgiveness as the parable pictures it.
“And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”
Abu Dharr reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said that Allah says: whoever brings a good deed will have ten like it or more; whoever draws a hand-span closer to Me, I draw an arm's length closer to him; whoever comes to Me walking, I come to him running; and whoever meets Me with sins that would fill the earth, but without associating anything with Me, I will meet him with forgiveness as great.
“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.”
The verse Christians cite, answered
Romans 5:8 — Epistle to the Romans, chapter 5, verse 8
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Cited for
God loves sinners before they change, while the Qur'an says Allah loves only those who do good.
The response
The Qur'an's mercy is not only for the deserving. Allah (﷾) gives life and provision to believer and disbeliever alike. Of His bounties, it says, He bestows freely on all, "these as well as those". His mercy extends to all things. The Qur'an also calls even those who have transgressed against themselves to come back without despair. And He loves those who turn to Him in repentance, that is, sinners who come back. Jesus himself ties the Father's love to obedience: "he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father" (John 14:21).
Where it lands — The Qur'an offers Allah's (﷾) mercy to every sinner who turns back, and Jesus himself ties the Father's love to keeping his commandments (John 14:21).
Perspectives
Christian
God is love, and His love is shown above all in the cross. Some Christians contrast this with what they see as a God of wrath in Islam.
1 John 4:8 says that God is love.
Rebuttal
Granted: Islam also says God (﷾) loves; al-Wadud, the Loving, is His name, not a passing mood. But "God is love" never meant love without judgement: the same New Testament shows Jesus returning in flaming fire. Both scriptures join love to justice, and the Prophet (ﷺ) said which prevails: mercy.
What the New Testament also says
The New Testament pictures the returning Jesus as judge, in fire and in war. So it does not support the claim that the Christian God is only love while the God of Islam is wrath.
In Matthew, Jesus sends those on his left into everlasting fire. John says all judgement is committed to the Son.
Revelation and 2 Thessalonians picture Christ's return with wrath, flaming fire and vengeance.
The parable of the lost son shows forgiveness with no sacrifice for sin, which sits badly with Hebrews 9:22.
The Islamic perspective
Allah (﷾) is the Most Merciful and the Loving. His mercy extends to all things and prevails over His anger, as the Qur'an and the Prophet (ﷺ) teach, and He is also just.
The Qur'an says Allah's (﷾) mercy extends to all things.
The Prophet (ﷺ) taught that Allah (﷾) wrote in His Book that His mercy prevails over His anger.
The Prophet (ﷺ) taught that Allah (﷾) is more merciful to His servants than a mother to her child.
The Qur'an names those whom Allah (﷾) loves, and promises His love to those who follow the Prophet (ﷺ).
The most beautiful names belong to Allah (﷾). The Prophet (ﷺ) taught that He has ninety-nine names, names of mercy and names of majesty alike.
Allah (﷾) comes running to the servant who walks towards Him. He forgives even sins that fill the earth, short of associating partners with Him.
Allah (﷾) forgives all sins to those who repent, with no sacrifice needed in their place.