Ar Rahmaan
The Most Compassionate
He who wills goodness and mercy for all His creatures.
Allah is Ar-Rahmaan. He is the One who blesses every part of His creation with prosperity, free from disparity. He is most merciful, kind, and loving towards all creation. His mercy is universal — it embraces every being, believer or not.
Mentions of Ar Rahmaan
From the Quran & Hadith
From the root ra-ha-mim (ر ح م), which carries the classical Arabic connotations of tenderness, gentleness, kindness, love, mercy, pity, favour, and the goodness required for beneficence. The same root names the word *raḥim* (womb), evoking how mercy from this Name surrounds creation the way a womb surrounds the unborn.
We begin the journey of knowing Allah with the Names Ar-Rahmaan and Ar-Raheem. Allah introduces Himself to us through His mercy first. The Names of *Rahmah* are the most frequently invoked in the Quran. Every surah except one opens with the Basmala — 'Bismillāhir-Raḥmānir-Raḥīm' — in which we proclaim His mercy before anything else. The Quran itself is described as a gift, a sign of His mercy. The whole framing gives the impression that He wants all of mankind to know Him first as the most gracious and the most merciful.
There are 57 mentions of the Name Ar-Rahmaan spanning 16 different chapters of the Quran. Shaykh Tosun Bayrak writes of this Name: 'He is the one who wills mercy and good for all of creation, at all times, without any distinction between the good and the bad, the faithful and the rebel, the beloved and the hated.' Allah Himself says, 'My mercy encompasses all things' (Quran 7:156). There is no discrimination as to whom His mercy and compassion reach.
The Names of Mercy
Eight Names refer to His mercy and kindness: Ar-Rahmaan, Ar-Raheem, Ar-Ra'uf, Al-Barr, Al-Wahhab, Al-Ghaffar, Al-Afuww, and At-Tawwab. Each, though related under the umbrella of mercy, is distinct, and we explore each in its own page. Among them, Ar-Rahmaan is reserved for Allah alone — a quality that cannot be ascribed to any creature. A person can be called Raheem (merciful), but Ar-Rahmaan describes an all-encompassing mercy, so far-reaching that it touches everything and everyone — a mercy with no bounds. For this reason a person named Rahmaan must carry the prefix *Abdur*, meaning 'servant of the Merciful.'
Quli-dʿu-llāha awi-dʿu-r-raḥmān, ayyan mā tadʿū falahu-l-asmā'u-l-ḥusnā. Wa lā tajhar bi-ṣalātika wa lā tukhāfit bihā wa-btaghi bayna dhālika sabīlā.
“Say, 'Call upon Allah or call upon the Most Merciful. Whichever [name] you call — to Him belong the best names.' And do not recite [too] loudly in your prayer or [too] quietly but seek between that an [intermediate] way.”
Inna-lladhīna āmanū wa ʿamilu-ṣ-ṣāliḥāti sa-yajʿalu lahumu-r-Raḥmānu wuddā.
“Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds — the Most Merciful will appoint for them affection.”
Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: 'Allah has divided mercy into one hundred portions. He has kept ninety-nine portions with Himself and sent down one portion to the earth. From that one portion, all creation shows compassion to one another — so much so that an animal lifts its hoof from its young so as not to harm it.'
Abdullah ibn Amr (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'Those who are merciful will be shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Be merciful to those on the earth, and the One in the heavens will have mercy upon you.'
Jarir ibn Abdullah (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'Allah will not be merciful to those who are not merciful to mankind.'
Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) reported: Some captives were brought to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Among them was a woman searching for her child. When she found a baby among the captives, she clasped it to her breast and nursed it. The Prophet ﷺ said to us, 'Do you think this woman could ever throw her child into the fire?' We said, 'No, by Allah, not if she could prevent it.' He ﷺ said, 'Allah is more merciful to His servants than this woman is to her child.'
Belief in Allah's mercy moves a believer to examine their own capacity for mercy. The Prophet ﷺ said, 'Allah will not be merciful to those who are not merciful to mankind.' Knowing Ar-Rahmaan encourages us to act with virtue toward those around us so that we can hope for the mercy of our Lord: 'As for those who believe and do good, the Most Compassionate will certainly bless them with affection' (Quran 19:96). Allah's mercy is described by the Prophet ﷺ as exceeding the love a mother carries for her child. Imam Zarruq advised attaching oneself to this Name through fellowship, hope, and 'extreme affection because of firm trust in His affection.' Know that Allah is all-wise and all-knowing: your forgiveness toward others, and your patience with their imperfections, will be rewarded on the Day of Judgement. Lead with hope and compassion, and seek to help those who are lost. Begin every task with 'Bismillāhir-Raḥmānir-Raḥīm' — In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful — for nothing is made possible without His grace.
Yā Raḥmān, irḥamnī
O Ar-Rahmaan, have mercy on me.
- Sahih Muslim 2753
- Sunan at-Tirmidhi 1924
- Sahih al-Bukhari 7376
- Sahih al-Bukhari 5999 & Sahih Muslim 2754
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