Rahman and Rahim... Same thing?

Asalamualaykum,

Excellent lesson in my Tafsir class... The difference between Rahman and Rahim. Are they the same thing? Both come from the root word Ra-H-Ma meaning Mercy and most of the time you will find this phrase "Al-Rahmanir Rahim" as in Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim; translated as:

• The Most Merciful the Compassionate
• The Most Merciful The Most Kind
• The Most Merciful the Gracious
• The Most Merciful the Beneficent.

Or vice versa,

The truth is all these translations more or less mean the same and are rather interchangeable. However, Allah is succinct and doesn't repeat the same meaning in the Quran... Indeed there is a distinct differentiation between Al-Rahman and Al-Rahim.

I'll begin with:

Al-Rahman

This is a very broad and comprehensive all encompassing statement or reference to the Mercy of Allah.

It is a Mercy that is

• Unlimited
• Unquantified
• Unrestricted

Every kind of Mercy that we know of and don't know of, eminates from this attribute of Mercy associated with Al-Rahman.

It encompasses
anyone and
everything
in any context.

Muslim or non, oppressor, tyrant, king, queen, rich poor, destitute, sinner, good-doer, kind caring lover or hater.

Because it is an all encompassing type of Mercy it is indeed an Attribute of Allah that none other can share, express or take part in.

That is to say no human is capable of expressing this sort of mercy. We are incapable of showing mercy to oppressors and tyrants for example. Yet we see Allah out of this attribute of Al-Rahman, still bestowing favours upon such people; tyrants still eat and drink and sustain themselves with the provisions Allah has bestowed on them and He gives them life, freedom and time. He does not cut off provisions from them even though they are a people who are tyrannical and oppressive. Allah's Mercy still encompasses such people. The same can be said for disbelievers in Allah Himself, Allah still provides for them and sustains them and gives them life, freedom and time even though they deny their Provider. Allahu Akbar.

So we say Allah is the only one entitled to this attribute.

One man during the time of the messenger tried to take this title of Allah for himself. He is known in history as Musaylamah al kathhab. Musaylamah had claimed prophethood at the time of the Messenger Muhammad peace and prayers be upon him.

"Musaylamah al Kathhab" is the only name I ever heard for him, I didn't know prior to my tafsir class that he had also called himself Rahman al Yamama (The Most Merciful (one) of Yamama-Yamama being a region of Arabia he resided in) he tried to let this self-imposed title take off with his followers and he tried to spread it so that they would call him by it, but no one did- not a single one, and he had a lot of followers... Reports of the size of his army was something like 20K or 60K. Instead the only title that stuck to him after his failed attempt at prophethood was Musaylamah al Kathhab (kathhab meaning liar). Allah had erased Rahman from his name, and replaced it with the lowest of attributes anyone can attain.

At the time he tried to come up with his own version of revelation, in which he tried to compete with a chapter revealed to the messenger which is titled "The Elephant" Surat Al-Feel chapter 105, which was in reference to an event that took place during the year of the Messengers birth, when Abraha of neighbouring Yemen and his 60,000 strong battalion army tried to attack the Ka'ba led by 9 or 13 elephants- the first of it's kind ever seen in the Arabian peninsula, the pack was lead by the unique white elephant named Mahmoud- I adore this name because of this elephant! Anyway, to cut a long story short Musaylamah had received Amr bin 'Aas who asked him if he had received any revelations as Muhammad peace be upon him had received Surat Al-Feel to which he said yes, I received this: ‘The elephant … and what will make you understand the elephant? It has a ropey tail and a long trunk.’ To which Amr bin 'Aas said, "I swear by Allah! You know that I know that you are a liar!" (kadhhab!)

So this is the name that befittingly stuck to him.

In application we are forbidden from calling anything/anyone- whether it be our sons, daughters or businesses "Rahman", unless "Abd" precedes the name eg: Abdur Rahman.

Al-Rahim

This is a much more narrower concept of Allah's Mercy, unlike Al-Rahman which is all encompassing, Al-Rahim is a special "brand" of Allah's mercy if you like. It refers only to the believers and how Allah will manifest His Mercy towards them on the Day of Resurrection.

This mercy is saved for His slaves on the Day of Rising, as following on from the Haddith of Allah's Beloved, peace and blessings be upon him: Upon the narration of Abu Hurayra, he reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Allah Almighty has divided mercy into one hundred parts. He kept ninety-nine parts and sent down one part to earth. Because of that one single part, creatures are merciful to one another so that even the mare will lift its hooves away from its foal so that it does not trample on it." [Bukhari]

The 99 remaining Mercies are reserved for the Day of Resurrection and it is at this time we will see most the manifestation of Allah's attribute; Al-Rahim.

There are many haddith that show us how Allah's Mercy will be on this Momentous Day. The major ones include the following:

1. Shade of Allah on the Day of the Gathering. When one and all will be made to stand for 50,000 years, under the hot sun which will be just overhead, on the straight and level plain erected by Allah for all the nations to stand on. Everyone from Adam to the last man to ever live will be made to stand there, all awaiting the beginning of Judgement... As a result some people will be ankle high, knee high, waist high, neck high, chin high, nose high or drowing in their sweat. Allah protect us! While others the righteous believers will be shaded under Allah's Magnificent throne out of His Mercy towards them. That day, there will be no shade save His Alone. Beneath His throne are a 7 categories of believers as narrated by Abu Hurayrah in Sahih Bukhari:
1. A just ruler
2. A yong man who has been brought up in the worship of Allah (ie worships Allah alone, sincerely from his childhood)
3. A man whose heart is attached to the mosque (offers the 5 compulsory congregational prayers in the mosque)
4. Two persons who love each other only for Allah's sake and they meet and part in Allah's cause only
5. A man who refuses the call of a charming woman of noble birth for an illegal relationship with her and says; I am afraid of Allah
6. A person who practices charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given (ie. no one knows how much he has given in charity)
7. A person who remembers Allah in seclusion and his eyes become flooded with tears dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
2. Drinking from the blessed fountain- Al Kauthar- of the Messenger which he described in the following haddith as reported by Muslim. Anas reported: One day the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was sitting amongst us and he dozed off. He then raised his head smilingly. We said: What makes you smile O Messenger of Allah? He said: A Sura has just been revealed to me, and then recited: "In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Verily We have given thee Kauthar (fount of abundance). Therefore turn to thy Lord for prayer and offer sacrifice, and surely thy enemy is cut off (from the good)". Then he (the Holy Prophet) said: Do you know what Kauthar is? We said: Allah and His Messenger know best. The Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) said: It (Kauthar) is a canal which my Lord, the Exalted and Glorious has promised me, and there is an abundance of good in it. It is a cistern and my people would come to it on the Day of Resurrection, and tumblers there would be equal to the number of stars. A servant would be turned away from (among the people gathered there). Upon this I would say: My Lord, he is one of my people, and He (the Lord) would say: You do not know that he innovated new things (in Islam) after you. Ibn Hujr made this addition in the hadith:” He (the Holy Prophet) was sitting amongst us in the mosque, and He (Allah) said: (You don’t know) what he innovated after you” dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
   Abu Huraira reported: Verily Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: My Cistern has its dimensions wider than the distance between Aila (in Jordan) and Aden (in Yemen), and its water is whiter than ice and sweeter than the honey diluted with milk, and its cups are more numerous than the numbers of the stars. Verily I shall prevent the (faithless) people therefrom just as a man prevents the camels of the people from his fountain. They said: Messenger of Allah, will you recognise us on that day? He said: Yes, you will have distinctive marks which nobody among the peoples (except you) will have; you would come to me with a blazing (luminous) forehead and bright hands and feet on account of the traces of ablution. [Muslim] dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
3. Intercession. Rasulullah peace be upon him will be the greatest intercessor for us on the Day of Rising. When people from every nation will be running around asking the prophets to save them from the Wrath of Allah that day, they will all reply with nafsy nafsy! Myself myself! None will be able to intercede for the people except the one granted the Greatest Intercession, Muhammad ibn Abdillah, peace be upon him- a station given to him from the Mercy of Allah. While the messengers on the Day of Rising are made to reside on their pulpits, the Messenger of Allah will not take his place on his as he will be preoccupied with seeking intercession for his nation. Truthful is the One who said, "We did not send you but a mercy to mankind!" (Surat Al Anbiyaa verse 107) dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
4. Light. The day that there will be no light save the light of Allah, Allah out of His Restricted Mercy He will grant the believers light on their faces, arms and feet and wherever water touched during their ablution. Allah says in the Holy Quran: On the Day you shall see the believing men and the believing women their light running forward before them and by their right hands. Glad tidings for you this Day! Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise), to dwell therein forever! Truly, this is the great success! On the Day when the hypocrites men and women will say to the believers: "Wait for us! Let us get something from your light!" It will be said: "Go back to your rear! Then seek a light (of your own)!" So a wall will be put up between them, with a gate therein. Inside it will be mercy, and outside it will be torment." (Surat Al Hadid, Verse 12-13) dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
5. Speed at the Siraat. The Siraat is a bridge that all must pass over, Muslim or Non Human or Jinn. This bridge is like a thread only thinner than a hair and sharper than the sharpest blade and beneath it is the fire of Hell, may Allah protect us! Those of the believers who were good and upright and held the laws of Allah will be made to pass on it at lightening speed out of His Mercy towards them and their upholding the covnant of Allah. Narrated by Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri: We, the companions of the Prophet said, "O Allah's Apostle! What is the bridge?' He said, "It is a slippery (bridge) on which there are clamps and (Hooks like) a thorny seed that is wide at one side and narrow at the other and has thorns with bent ends. Such a thorny seed is found in Najd and is called As-Sa'dan. Some of the believers will cross the bridge as quickly as the wink of an eye, some others as quick as lightning, a strong wind, fast horses or she-camels. So some will be safe without any harm; some will be safe after receiving some scratches, and some will fall down into Hell. The last person will cross by being dragged over the bridge." [Bukhari] May Allah fasten our heels on the Day heels are made firm and heels are made to fall! dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
6. Forgiveness and saving (believing) wrong-doers from Hellfire. This is the Primary manifestation of Allah's Mercy on that Day. The stories! O Allah, the stories! So many examples and beautiful stories of how people will be forgiven... To succinct I will only share one; which is *so* beautiful... Upon the narration of Ibn `Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: I heard Messenger of Allah (PBUH) saying, "A believer will be brought close to his Rubb on the Day of Resurrection and enveloping him in His Mercy, He (SWT) will make him confess his sins by saying: `Do you remember (doing) this sin and this sin?' He will reply: `My Rubb, I remember.' Then He (SWT) will say: `I covered it up for you in the life of world, and I forgive it for you today.' Then the record of his good deeds will be handed to him". [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Allahu Akbar! What a beautiful note to end on. *tear*

I will just conclude by saying, we don't deal with the name Rahim as we do Rahman. This can be used as a name on its own (like Karim, Mumin, Aziz etc.) because Allah has allowed use for it in the Quran but just as a general rule of thumb it's more ideal to name sons Abdur Rahim out of honour and venerration for the Name of Allah. It can be used as a title too so one can refer to a man as "Rahim bi ahlih" or "Rahim be 'abdih"- one merciful to his household or one merciful towards his servant... We can share in this sort of mercy as it is a more restricted and targeted type of mercy.

May Allah aliven our hearts that we may be merciful and compassionate towards one another just as we would hope to receive the Mercy and Compassion of the Most Merciful...

As always, Allah knows best.