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Allah Almighty says: {Say: “Invoke Allah, or invoke the Most Compassionate. Whichever you call upon, to Him belong the most beautiful names.”} [Surat al-Isrā’: 110]
Whenever our Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was distressed, he would say: “Ya Hayy ya Qayyūm birahmatika astagīth (O Allah, the Ever-Living and the All-Sustainer, I seek relief in Your mercy).” [Narrated by Ahmad in Al-Musnad; Hasan (sound)] How would a person not turn to the Most Compassionate while He is the refuge at times of hardships, the companion at times of loneliness, and the supporter at times of weakness?
He consoles the obedient servants and provides refuge to those who are fearful and fleeing to Him. Indeed, He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.
To Him only we should turn, and on Him alone we should pin our hopes.
{And your God is One God, there is no god but Him, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.} [Surat al-Baqarah: 163]
Mercy is a divine attribute and characteristic. That is why Allah Almighty described Himself as Ar-Rahmān (the Most Compassionate) and Ar-Rahīm (the Most Merciful).
When we recite the Qur’an, we begin with these two noble and beloved names. We say: Bismillāh Ar-Rahmān Ar-Rahīm (in the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful).
These two noble names are derivatives and superlative forms of “Rahmah” (mercy).
Linguistically, “Rahmah” is a word that denotes tenderness, compassion, pity, and kindness.
So, our Lord is the Possessor of mercy that encompasses all creation. {...And My mercy encompasses all things...} [Surat al-A‘rāf: 156] {...Surely Allah is indeed Ever-Compassionate, Most Merciful to mankind.} [Surat al-Hajj: 65]
Allah devotes the greatest share of His mercy to the believers. {...And He has been Most Merciful to the believers.} [Surat al-Ahzāb: 43]
So, our Lord is Ar-Rahmān, which means that mercy is His attribute, and He is Ar-Rahīm, which refers to His mercy towards His servants.
Indeed, He is more Merciful to us than any merciful one, than our fathers, mothers, children, and even our own selves.
“A man came to the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) with a child whom he embraced. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) asked him: ‘Do you show mercy yo him?’ The man said: ‘Yes.’ Then, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Allah is more merciful to you than you are to him, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.’” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad; Sahīh (authentic)]
The name “Ar-Rahmān” belongs exclusively to Allah Almighty. No one else can be given or described with this name. {Say: “Invoke Allah, or invoke Ar-Rahmān. Whichever you call upon, to Him belong the most beautiful names”...} [Surat al-Isrā’: 110] So, He equates it with the name “Allah”, which exclusively belongs to Him; it cannot be used for other than Him. Some even said that it is the greatest name.
As for the name “Ar-Rahīm”, it can be used to describe created beings. For example, Allah Almighty says: {There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned about you and is kind and rahīm (compassionate) towards the believers.} [Surat at-Tawbah: 128] We can say this is a “rahīm” man, but we cannot say a “rahmān” man.
General Mercy: It comprises all creatures. All created beings are shown mercy from Allah, as He has created them and raises and provides for them, in addition to other countless blessings that He bestows upon them.
{...Surely, Allah is Ever-Compassionate, Most Merciful to mankind.} [Surat al-Baqarah: 143] {Surely, He has been Most Merciful towards you.} [Surat al-Isrā’: 66]
Special Mercy: It leads to happiness in this world and in the Hereafter. This kind of mercy is only shown to the believers. {...And He has been Most Merciful to the believers.} [Surat al-Ahzāb: 43] {Their Lord gives them glad tidings of mercy from Him, and blessed satisfaction, and gardens...} [Surat at-Tawbah: 21]
He is the most worthy of being remembered, worshiped, and thanked for His benevolence and mercy.
Wherever you look, you will see signs of Allah’s mercy in this universe, the greatest of which is the divine revelation. {...And We have sent down to you the Book as clarification for all things and as guidance and mercy and good tidings for the Muslims.} [Surat an-Nahl: 89]
If the land becomes arid, famine and drought hit, and afflictions get tough, the mercy of Allah descends. {And it is He Who sends down the rain after they had despaired and spreads His mercy. And He is the Protector, the Praiseworthy.} [Surat ash-Shūra: 28]
When torment befell people, men wept, women screamed, children panicked, and horror prevailed, the mercy of Allah descended upon His sincere servants. {And when Our command came, We saved Hūd [Heber] and those who believed with him, by mercy from Us...} [Surat Hūd: 58] {And when Our command came, We saved Shu‘ayb [Jethro] and those who believed with him, by mercy from Us...} [Surat Hūd: 94]
We cannot achieve our desires or get our needs fulfilled except through the Most Compassionate Lord. Everything happens according to His will. There is no power nor strength in the entire universe except through Him.
Out of His mercy, He sent His messengers to us.
Out of His mercy, He revealed His books to us.
Out of His mercy, He brought us out of misguidance into guidance.
Out of His mercy, He guided us out of blindness.
Out of His mercy, He taught us what we did not know.
Out of His mercy, He subjected the sun and moon for our benefit, created the night and day, and leveled the land.
Out of His mercy, He created Paradise and will admit its dwellers therein where they will lead a blissful life.
Out of His mercy, Allah Almighty created mercy as a hundred parts, each of it is as great as the distance between the heaven and earth. Out of these, He sent just one part of mercy to the earth, which He spread among His creation so that they can show mercy to one another. With this mercy, a mother shows compassion to her child. Indeed, the whole world and its system relies upon this mercy.
Let us talk about the vastness of Allah’s mercy: {Say: “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He Who is the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”} [Surat az-Zumar: 53] The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) is authentically reported to have said: “If the believer were to know what is with Allah of punishment, no one would hope to enter His Paradise, and if the disbeliever were to know what is with Allah of mercy, no one would despair of entering His Paradise.” [Narrated by Muslim]
This vast mercy stems from might, power, and dominance, not from weakness.
{And indeed, your Lord – He is the All-Mighty, Most Merciful.}
[Surat ash-Shu‘arā’: 9]
I bear witness that there is no god other than Allah. He is the Most Generous, the Most Merciful, upon Whom people pin their hopes.
Allah is no need for us or our worship. We will not enter Paradise except with His mercy. This even applies to our Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “‘No one will enter Paradise by his deeds.’ They said: ‘Not even you, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said: ‘Yes, not even me, unless Allah encompasses me with grace and mercy from Him.’” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
Whoever knows this should engage in the worship of hope, and getting attached to Allah’s mercy and seeking to attain it. This can be achieved through piety, faith, and acts of obedience.
By this we can attain mercy from our Lord.
{...And My mercy encompasses all things. So I will decree it [especially] for those who fear Me and give zakah and those who believe in Our verses }
[Surat al-A‘rāf: 156]
Allah’s mercy can be attained by obeying Him and obeying His Prophet. Allah Almighty says: {And obey Allah and the Messenger so that you may obtain mercy.} [Surat Ᾱl-‘Imrān: 132]
Mercy can also be attained by doing good. Allah Almighty says: {...Indeed, the mercy of Allah is near to the doers of good.} [Surat al-A‘rāf: 56]
It is also obtained through seeking forgiveness. Allah Almighty says: {...Why do you not seek forgiveness of Allah so that you may receive mercy?} [Surat an-Naml: 46]
Allah’s mercy can also be obtained through remembering and supplicating Him a lot.
The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The supplication of a distressed one is: Allāhumma rahmataka arjū fala takilni ila nafsi tarfata ‘ayn wa aslih li sha’ni kullah la ilāha illa ant (O Allah, Your mercy is what I hope for, so do not leave me to myself for a while, and put all my affairs in good order for me. There is no god but You).” [Narrated by Abu Dāwūd; Hasan (sound)]
Allah’s mercy can only be attained by the merciful among His servants. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Indeed, Allah shows mercy to the merciful among His servants.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim] For example, a prostitute will enter Paradise by virtue of her mercy towards a thirsty dog as she gave it water in her shoes.
Some people, when afflicted with disasters, crises, or saddening incidents, they give up their faith and fail to remember that Allah Almighty is more merciful to them than their own selves. So, they do not knock on the door of the Most Compassionate or hope for His mercy. That is why, they fall into the devil’s misleading plots, which may ultimately lead them to ruin. Allah Almighty says: {...And do not kill yourselves. Surely Allah has been Most Merciful to you.} [Surat an-Nisā’: 29]
Do not ever think that your sin, no matter how great it may be, can be greater than Allah’s mercy! The devil wants nothing but this from you; namely to make the sin look so big in your eyes that you belittle Allah’s mercy in comparison.
Indeed, the mercy of Allah is greater than your sin and any sin. The man who killed 99 people and then completed them a hundred repented to Allah sincerely, so Allah forgave him.
I put all my trust in You, my Lord.
And I will not go through any door but Yours.
Allah Almighty says: {On the Day We will gather the righteous to the Most Compassionate as a delegation.} [Surat Maryam: 85] What a great promise, what a noble delegation, and what an excellent feeling! May Allah make us among this delegation.
O Allah, if we are not worthy of attaining Your mercy, indeed Your mercy is worthy of reaching us. So, encompass us in Your mercy in this world and in the Hereafter, O the Most Merciful of those who show mercy!