Ar-Rahim
The Merciful
Exalted and Glorious
He is the One Who Accepts Repentance, the Most Merciful. (2:54)
Truly, You are the One Who Accepts Repentance, the Most Merciful. (2:128)
I am the One Who Forgives and Accepts Repentance, the Most Merciful. (9:118)
Tell My slaves that truly I am the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful. (15:49)
Verify Allah is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful. (42:5)
Allah forgives all sins. Truly He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (39:53)
This is a revelation sent down by the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful. (36:5)
Truly, Allah is full of kindness, the Most Merciful toward mankind. (2:143)
All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinn, and all that exists). The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. (1:2-3)
Mercy may imply pity, long-suffering, patience, and forgiveness, all of which the sinner needs and Allah, the Most Merciful bestows in abundant measure. But there is mercy that comes before the need arises, the grace which is ever watchful and flows from Allah, the Most Gracious to all His creatures, protecting them, preserving them, guiding them, and leading them to clearer light and higher life.
Allah’s mercy is in all things and for all things. All nature subserves a common purpose, which is for the good of all His creatures. Our faculties and our understanding are instances of His grace and mercy. Each unit or factor among His creatures benefits from the others and receives them as Allah’s mercy to itself. And in its turn, each contributes to the benefit of others and is thus an instance of Allah’s mercy to them. His mercy is universal and all-pervasive.
Allah bestows good and blessings to those who use the gifts with which He ordered them, as Allah bestows forgiveness on the believers on the Day of Resurrection.
He who mentions this name 100 times every day after the dawn prayer and before the morning arrives will find intimacy, as well as helpfulness, and will be tolerant toward all people living around him.
Ar-Rahim is the constant overflowing of mercy to His believing faithful servants. So let us be as Allah describes, “Severe with the unbeliever, and giving mercy to each other,” and let us be patient in order to receive this mercy.
From: “The Meanings of the Names of Our Lord“, by Shaykh Muhammad Sa’id al-Jamal ar-Rifa’i Head of the Higher Sufi Council in Jerusalem and the Holy Land Teacher at the Dome of the Rock (al-Aqsa)
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Ar-Rahim
He is the source of infinite mercy and beneficence, who rewards with eternal gifts the ones who use His bounties and beneficence for the good. This is mentioned in the Qur’an:
He is compassionate and beneficent [only] to the faithful (Surah Ahzab 43)
Ar-Rahim indicates beneficence toward those who have a choice, and who use it according to Allah’s will and for His pleasure. When Allah says, “I have created everything for you …” that is the expression of His Rahmaniyyah. When we find this bounty hidden in everything, including ourselves, and use it as He wills us, caring for it as we are asked to do for His sake, we are rewarded with eternal salvation. Allah says, “… and I created you for Myself.” This great honor is the expression of His Rahimiyyah.
Hadrat Mujahid said: “Rahman belongs to the people of this world; Rahim belongs to those of the Hereafter.” The ones who know pray: ya Rahman ad-dunya wa Rahim al-akhirah” O Rahman of the world and Rahim of the Hereafter.” Rahman is mercy upon the nafs, (ego) the worldly being. Rahim is mercy upon the heart. Rahman gives sustenance in this world, and Rahim gives eternal salvation in the Hereafter.
The manifestation of Rahimiyyah in the faithful occurs as thankfulness to Allah, who gives us everything, and also as the ability to be compassionate, caring, and giving, which He also gives us. Absence of pride in being instrumental in doing good deeds, and the realization that He is the Creator of the one in need as well as the satisfaction of their needs: all this reflects Rahmaniyyah.
If you should encounter difficulties, unthankfulness, and resentment, you should bear it for Allah’s sake, because you will receive your reward here and a tenfold reward in the Hereafter. Do not show off your good deeds, especially to their recipients. Be thankful to them: if their conditions did not exist, your compassion and generosity could not be exercised.
As for the recipients of compassion and care, they should be thankful to their benefactors and remember them well at all times, because “The one who cannot be thankful to people cannot be thankful to Allah.” But such people should not make gods of their benefactors, becoming their servants instead of Allah’s servants. They should know that good comes only from Allah; but that the tool He chooses is a beautiful tool, worthy of respect.
The ones who find the taste of Allah’s attributes of Rahman and Rahim in their beings, and come close to their Creator through them, cannot have doubt and sadness in their hearts. They know that whatever happens, Allah, ar-Rahman, ar-Rahim, will have mercy upon them, save them, and reward them.
On the other hand, the ones who think that Allah’s compassion, mercy, and beneficence appearing in them are their own qualities will become arrogant and are bound to become doubters. That doubt, in extreme cases, may push people to take their own lives.
‘Abd ar-Rahim is a pious person whose fear and love of Allah are constant. Such a life is a constant effort toward perfection in accordance with the prescription of Islam. This is the person with whom Allah is pleased, who is honored with the manifestation of Allah’s compassion and beneficence, which he expresses toward other believers in Allah.
Those who, with a sincere feeling of compassion in their hearts, recite ya Rahmanu ya Rahim 100 times after each obligatory prayer, may be saved from forgetfulness, heedlessness, and hard-heartedness.
Whoever recites 100 times ya Rahim after each morning prayer may receive mercy and compassion from all creatures.
From: “The Name & the Named”, by Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti
