Quran Garden

Session 10

Chapter 1

Verse 1

A continuation

The Arabic words الرحمة ("mercy"), الرحمن ("the Most Merciful"), and الرحيم ("the Most Benevolent") all share the same root رحم, which means "the womb." The womb is the place where nourishment and protection are provided for the fetus in abundance. In the womb, the fetus finds everything his or her development requires from God, without any work or effort. This mercy extends beyond the womb: think about the overwhelming love a mother has for her child, her warm-heartedness towards him or her, and her concern for the baby even while still in the womb.  

God Almighty says in a sacred narration: 

"I am the All-Merciful. I created the womb and gave it the name الرحم, derived from My own name الرحمن. So, for whoever maintains ties with his womb and kin, I shall maintain ties with him. And, for whoever severs ties with his family, I shall sever ties with him."

God wants us to always be mindful of His kindness, as He provides for us and opens wide the doors of repentance time after time.  He does not punish or deprive us of His favors, nor does He destroy us even though we continually commit sin.  He wants us to begin the recital of the Holy Quran with His names "the Most Merciful, the Most Benevolent" so that we may remember the open doors of mercy.  Whenever you distance yourself from the right path, God longs for your return.  So raise your hands to the heavens and say, "Our Lord! Through Your mercy, forgive my sins and wrongful deeds." This way, you will always remain connected with your Creator.  Since God is the Most Merciful and the Most Benevolent, the doors of mercy will never close before you.

In the Arabic language, راحم (Rahem) means "the merciful," رحمن (Rahmaan) "the most merciful," and رحيم (Raheem) "the most benevolent."  So God chose to use the words "Most Merciful" and "Most Benevolent" in the hyperbole form to indicate the vastness of His mercy.  Always keep in mind that God's attributes do not change or oscillate between strength and weakness because they are attributes of absolute perfection at all times.  The only change is to whom these attributes apply.  Let's examine this concept in two examples from the Quran.  God says:

God does not wrong anyone, not even by the equal of an atom. (4:40)

This verse proves that there is no unjustness from God. Then we encounter the following verse:

And your Lord is not tyrannical to the slaves. (3:182)

In this verse, we notice the use of the word "tyranny," which means "extreme unjustness."  At first glance, this verse does not negate God being unjust because it only negates Him being extremely unjust.  Hence there seems to be a contradiction between the two verses.  However, when you take a closer look at the intricacies of the language, you will find the answer.  The first verse negates all unjustness from God with regard to a single being.  The second verse did not mention unjustness in regard to a single person, rather in regard to God's whole creation, as indicated by the plural word "slaves."  Given the enormous number of God's creations, if each person were inflicted even with an atom's weight of unjustness the total unjustness would be massive, and this would add up to tyranny.  Thus, both verses negate all unjustness from God, but the expression of hyperbole "tyranny" is used for the large number of people to whom the verse applies.  God does not treat anyone unjustly: His fairness, just like His mercy, is absolute and consistent. 

This brings us back to the words "Most Merciful" and "Most Benevolent."  God is the Most Merciful in this world because of the large number of those whom He includes under His mercy.  God's mercy envelops all, from the believer to the disobedient arriving to the disbeliever.  He provides everyone with the essentials of life and pardons many regardless of their faith or disbelief.  On the other hand, in the hereafter, God will extend His mercy only to the believers, while the rest will be expelled from it.  Here you may ask, why do we still use the form of hyperbole "the Most Benevolent" when God's mercy in the hereafter is only limited to the believers?  We answer that, while God's mercy in this world is general and widespread to all His creation, His mercy in the hereafter, specific for the believers, is far greater in its quantity and everlastingness.

Some scholars have differed about whether the verse "In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Benevolent" is a part of the Quran's chapters or not.  Is it the first verse of every chapter? Or is it just a separator between chapters?   The scholars are of the opinion that "In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Benevolent"  is a verse from amongst the other verses of the Quran, but it is only considered an integral part of the very first chapter of the Quran, الفاتحة ("The Opening of the Book").    

It is also worth noting that this verse occurs at the beginning of 113 chapters of the Holy Quran's 114 chapters.  All chapters begin with it except for Chapter 9, "The Repentance."  Also, it has been repeated twice in Chapter 27, "The Ants," once at the beginning of the chapter and once in the following verse:

It is from Solomon, and it says, "In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Benevolent."  (27:30)