Asmaul Husna - 99 Names of Allah and their Meaning (2/99)

2. Ar-Rahim (The Bestower of Mercy)

The name Ar-Rahim comes from the same root as Ar-Rahman which refers to Allah’s attribute of being Merciful.

Although similarly related the meanings are different. Ar-Rahman can be understood to refer to Allah as the origination/source of all mercy, whereas Ar-Rahim refers to its sustaining/infiniteness.

Some view the name of Ar-Rahim as being merciful to His creation and deserving of mercy (primarily the mercy reserved for the believers).

Arabic roots: From the root ra-ha-mim (ر ح م), which has the following classical Arabic connotations: to have tenderness, gentleness, kindness to love to have mercy, to have pity to show favor and goodness to have all that is required for beneficence.

Some benefits of reciting Ar-Rahim

The person who recites it 100 times after fajr prayer will find him away from distress. Moreover, he will be treated graciously by the people around him.

Ar-Rahim in the Quran

Allah's Ar-Rahim has been mentioned in the Qur'an a total of 114 times. Twice as much as the name Ar-Rahman.

Put your trust in the Almighty, Most Merciful (26:217)

O Prophet! When the believing women come to you, pledging to you that they will neither associate anything with Allah ˹in worship˺, nor steal, nor fornicate, nor kill their children, nor falsely attribute ˹illegitimate˺ children to their husbands,1 nor disobey you in what is right, then accept their pledge, and ask Allah to forgive them. Surely Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (60:12)

Indeed, we used to call upon Him ˹alone˺ before. He is truly the Most Kind, Most Merciful. (52:28)

Ar-Rahim in the Hadith

Chapter: “Say: Invoke Allah or invoke the Most Gracious, by whatever name you invoke Him, for to Him belong the Best Names.”

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدٌ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ وَهْبٍ، وَأَبِي، ظَبْيَانَ عَنْ جَرِيرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ لاَ يَرْحَمُ اللَّهُ مَنْ لاَ يَرْحَمُ النَّاسَ ‏"‏‏.‏

Narrated Jarir bin `Abdullah: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Allah will not be merciful to those who are not merciful to mankind."

(Sahih al-Bukhari 7376)

What we can learn from Allah's Name Ar-Rahim

Ar-Rahman is a universal mercy that applies to all His creation while 'Ar-Rahim' is a specific kind of mercy reserved only for "Al-Mu'min," the believers.

This statement is based on this ayah 33:43,

He is the One Who showers His blessings upon you—and His angels pray for you—so that He may bring you out of darkness and into light. For He is ever Merciful to the believers. (33:43)

The belief in Allah's mercy is beneficial to a believer because it causes an individual to reflect on their ability to be merciful.

As a fellow Muslim, I encourage brothers and sisters to become more merciful towards each other.

If you see someone (especially our Muslim brothers or sisters) that make mistakes or sin, try to give them advice in the most merciful way.

Don't attack them with harsh words as the hidayah is not ours but Allah's.

Therefore, using kind words and making dua' for them is far better, not only for us but also for our beloved Muslim community.

Stay in good health and be a good Muslim. May Allah give us Jannah together with Prophet Muhammad S.A.W.

Resources:

1. Quran Al-Kareem (https://quran.com/)
2. Sunnah.com (https://sunnah.com/)
3. Beloved and respected Scholars.

Disclaimers:

1. Some of the translations in this article are quite different from others because the author is not a native English speaker (the Author is Malaysian).
2. The author is practicing Mazhab As-Syafie (Fiqh), Asya'irah (Tauhid), and Imam Al-Ghazali (Tasawwuf), so there might be some differences in culture, fiqh, and practices.
3. The knowledge in this article is shared based on the author's understanding of Islam with reference to his teacher.
4. Islam is perfect while the author is not. Hence, there may be some mistakes in translation or writing style.
5. Knowledge in this article is 100% from other scholars and not from the author's know-it-all perspective.
6. The knowledge in this article is not complete. Therefore the author encourages brothers and sisters to learn more about these with their respective teachers or scholars such as Mufti Menk or Ustaz Nouman Ali Khan. Never learn Islam alone through books.