Ar-Rahman - The Most Gracious
Understanding Allah's attribute of all-encompassing mercy that embraces all creation.
Ar-Rahman (الرحمن) is one of Allah's primary names, indicating His all-encompassing mercy that embraces all creation without discrimination. This mercy provides sustenance, guidance, and countless blessings to believers and disbelievers alike. The Prophet (PBUH) said Allah divided mercy into 100 parts—99 are saved for the Day of Judgment, and one part is distributed among all creation, from which comes all compassion on earth. Understanding Ar-Rahman inspires hope, gratitude, and emulation of divine mercy in our dealings with others.
My mercy encompasses all things.
Ibn Arabi wrote that Ar-Rahman represents the divine breath that brings all creation into existence—mercy is not just an attribute but the very source of being.
Quran
Written about in
- What Islam says about forgiveness
The mercy named here covers believer and disbeliever alike — it is the mercy that feeds, not the mercy that saves. With ninety-nine parts held back for the Day of Judgement, everything merciful you have ever experienced came out of the one part released.