<b>The concept of God in Christianity</b>


By Dr.Zakir Naik


Before we discuss ‘the concept of God in Christianity’, I would like to make a few points clear. Islam is the only Non-Christian faith, which makes it an article of faith to believe in Jesus (peace be upon him). No Muslim, is ‘a Muslim’ if he does not believe in Jesus (peace be upon him). We believe that he was one of the mightiest messengers of Allah Subhana Wa Taalah - of Almighty God. We believe that he was born miraculously, without any male intervention, which many modern day Christians do not believe. We believe that he gave life to the dead with God’s permission. We believe that he healed those born blind, and lepers with God’s permission. The Christians and Muslims, we are going together hand in hand, but there are parting of ways.


There are many Christians who say that ‘Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), he was Almighty God, he himself claimed Divinity’. Infact, if you read the Bible, there is not a single uneqvivocable statement in the whole Bible, where Jesus (peace be upon him) himself says, that ‘I am God’, or where he says ‘Worship me’. I would like to repeat that statement that there is not a single uneqvivocable statement in the complete Bible, where Jesus (peace be upon him) himself says that… ‘I am God’ or, where he says… ‘Worship me’. Infact if you read the Bible it is mentioned in the Gospel of John, Ch.No. 14, V.No.28, Jesus (peace be upon him) said – ‘My Father is greater than I’ In the Gospel of John, Ch. No.10, V.No. 29 ‘My father is greater than all’. In the Gospel of Mathew Ch.No.12 V.No.28 “I cast out devil with Sprit of God’. Gospel of Luke, Ch. No. 11 V.No.20 “I with the finger of God, cast out devils’. Gospel of John, Ch.No.5 V.No.30 ‘I can of my own self do nothing - as I hear I judge, and my judgement is just, because I seek not my will, but the will of thy Father, who has sent me’. He never claimed Divinity. Infact he came to testify the pervious law. And he mentions in the Gospel of Mathew Ch.5 V.17 to Verse No. 20, ‘Think not that I am come to destroy the law and the Prophets - I am come not to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till the heaven and earth pass, one jot or one title shall not pass away from the law, untill all be fulfilled. And whosoever therefore, shall break one of the least commandments and teach men to do so, will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven. And whosoever shall keep them, and teach them so, the same shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. For verily, unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and the Pharasees, in no way shall you enter the Kingdom of Heaven. So Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) said, ‘that If you people want to enter Heaven, you have to keep each and every commandment of Prophet Moses (peace be upon him). You have to follow each and every law given in the Old Testament, including the verses I quoted earlier that ‘there is one God, and you should not do idol worship, you should not make any graven image of Him’. Jesus (peace be upon him), he never said that he was God. Infact he said ‘He was sent by God. He was a Prophet of God’. It is mentioned in the Gospel of John, Ch.No. 14, V.No.24, ‘The words that you hear, are not mine, but it is my Father’s, who has sent me’. Gospel of John, Ch.No. 17, V.No.3 ‘This is eternal life, so that you may know there is one true God, and Jesus Christ, who Thou has sent’. And it is mentioned in the Gospel of Mathew, Ch.No.19, V.No.16 and 17, that one of the persons approaches Jesus (pbuh), and says ‘Good Master, what good things shall I do, that I shall attain eternal life’. Jesus (peace be upon him) replies in V.No.17 of Gospel of Mathew, Ch.No.19 – ‘And Jesus said upto him, ‘Why thou callest me good? For there is none good, except One, that is God - And if you want to enter life, keep the commandments’. Jesus (peace be upon him) never said that if you want to go to heaven, you consider me as Almighty God. He never said that you believe that I will die for your sins – In fact he said, ‘You keep the commandments’. It is further mentioned in the book of Acts, Ch.No. 2 V.No.22 “O men of Israel, hear this, Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God, amongst you, by miracles, and wonders and signs, which God did by him, in your presence, and you were witness’. It says, ‘Jesus of Nazareth a man approved by God, by miracles and wonders, which God did by him’. And when Jesus (peace be upon him) was asked, that ‘which is the first of the commandments’? he repeated verbitem what was said earlier by Moses (peace be upon him). It is mentioned in the Gospel of Mark, Ch. No. 12, V.No. 29, he said ‘Shama Israelo, Ada Ilahaino Ada Ihad’ It is a Hebrew quotation which means, ‘Hear Oh Israel, the Lord our God, is in one lord’. So if you read the Bible, you will understand the concept of God, in Christianity.


It reminds me of an incident where Maulana Rahmatullah Karanvi - he was having a discussion with a Christian missionary, who was trying to prove to Maulana Shahib that ‘Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) is God Almighty, and that Jesus (peace be upon him) died for the sins of human beings’. After a great deal of time, without any results, the discussion was continued. Later on, the servant of Maulana Shahib, he comes and whispers something in the Maulana’s ears. The Maulana’s face becomes sad - he starts crying. The Christian missionary asks, ‘Maulana Shahib, ‘what is the bad news?’. The Maulana Shahib said in a very sad tone, ‘My servant, he just gave me information, - he brought news, that Arch Angel Gabriel - he died’. The Christian missionary began to laugh loudly. ‘Maulana Shahib, you being such an intelligent person, how can you believe in such absurd things - Can Angels die?’ The Maulana Shahib said, ‘When God can die, why can’t Angels die?’ And the Christian missionary, without speaking a single word, he left – It is a battle of wits.

<b>Why Islam?</b>


Many people have the misconception that Islam came into existence, and the founder of the religion of Islam was Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him), 1400 years ago. In fact Islam is there in existence since time immemorial - since man set foot on the earth. And the Holy Qur’an says in Surah Fatir, Chapter 35, Verse No.24…(Arabic)…‘There is not a nation or a tribe to whom We have not sent a warner’. The Holy Qur’an says in Surah Rad, Chapter No.13, Verse No.7…(Arabic)…. ‘And to every nation have We sent a guide’. By name only 25 are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an - But our Prophet Muhammed (Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam) - he said that there were more than 124 thousand messengers sent on the face of the earth. By name we know only 25, mentioned in the Holy Qur’an - Adam, Moses, Jesus, Solomon, Muhammed, (Peace be upon them all) - But there were more than one hundred and twenty four thousand messengers sent. Similarly by name we know only four Revelations of Allah Subhana Wa Taala, of Almighty God - the Torah, the Zabur, the Ingel and the Furqaan. The Torah is the ‘Wahee’, ‘the Revelation’ which was given to Moses (Peace be upon him), Zabur is the ‘Wahee’, ‘the Revelation’ which was given to David (peace be upon him), Ingel is the ‘Wahee’ ‘the Revelation’ which was given to Jesus (Peace be upon him), and Furqaan, that’s ‘the Holy Qur’an’ is the last and final revelation which was given to the last and final messenger, Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him). But if you analyze that all the other Scriptures, - whether are they the word of God or not - Bible, can I say it’s the word of God or not? We believe in the Ingel, the ‘Wahee’ which was given to Isa Alaysalam - This Bible that the Christians have today, is not the ‘Wahee’ which we believe in. This Bible does contain the word of God - It also contains the word of Prophet, and also words of historians, as well as pornography. It is totally not the word of God - No wonder the Christian scholars, they are keeping on revising the Bible. We believe in the original ‘Wahee’ given to Isa Alaysalam - But the present Bible is not the correct ‘Wahee’- It may contain part of the ‘Wahee’. How to check up, which part is true? - We have to check it with the ‘Furqaan’ - And the Furqaan is the Holy Qur’an. Simlilarly, if you analyze all the messengers that were sent before Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him) - all the revelations that came before Holy Qur’an… all of these revelations and these messengers were only sent for their people and their message was supposed to be followed only for a particular limited time period. As the Holy Qur’an Says in Surah Al-Imran, Chapter No.3, V.49, that… ‘Isa Alysalaam – He was sent only for the Bani Israel’. The message is repeated in Surah Saff, Chapter No.61, Verse No.6… ‘that Isa Alysalam, the son of Mary was sent only for the Bani Israel… the children of Israel’. The same message is given in Bible in the Gospel of Mathew, Chapter No.10, Verse No.5 to 6, that Jesus Christ (Peace be upon him) tells his disciples that ‘go ye not into the way of the Gentiles’ Who are the Gentiles? The Non-Jews, the Hindus, the Muslims. ‘Go ye not into the way of the Gentiles, but rather go to lost sheep of the house of Israel’ - that means he was only sent for the house of Israel. Jesus Christ (Peace be upon him) said - It’s mentioned in the Gospel of Mathew, Chapter No.15 Verse No.24 that ‘I have not been sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel’. So all the messengers, and all the revelations - by name only four revelations are given in the Holy Qur’an.


But there were several revelations of Allah Subhana Wa Taala, like ‘Sugfe Ibrahim’ and various other Revelations. But all the revelations that came before the Holy Qur’an, and all the messengers that came before Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him) - they were only sent for their people and for a particular time period. But our beloved Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him), the Holy Qur’an says in Surah Anbiya, Chapter 21, Verse No.107, it says… (Arabic)…. ‘That We have sent thee, not but as a mercy to the whole of humankind, as a mercy to all the worlds, as a mercy to all the creatures’. The Holy Qur’an says in Surah Saba, Chapter 34, Verse No.28 that …(Arabic)… That ‘We have sent thee not but as a universal messenger, giving glad tidings and warning them against sin - But most of the human kind yet do not know’. Similarly all the Religious scriptures that were sent by Allah Subhana Wa Taala, that came before the Qur’an, were only meant for that people, and for a particular time period. But the Holy Qur’an - it says in Surah Ibrahim, Chapter 14, Verse 52, as well as Surah Baqarah, Chapter 2 Verse 185, and Surah Al-Zumur, Chapter 39, Verse No.41, that it was sent for the whole of humanity


are these Scriptures - the Vedas, the Bible, the Zend Avesta, the Dasatir, the Upanishads - are they the word of Almighty God? What I can say – that we believe in ‘Injil’ as the word of God - But the present Bible is not the word of God. Regarding Veda, Upanishad, Geeta, Zend Avesta, Dasatir, I can say - may be they were the word of God - May be. I cannot say for sure, since the Qur’an does not say that Vedas is the word of God - I cannot say for sure. I can only say ‘may be’ they were word of God. But even if they were the word of God, all the Scriptures besides the Holy Qur’an, have been changed by human beings - they have been corrupted. As a famous critic of Islam, William Myore - He said 2 centuries before, that ‘the only Religious Scripture which has maintained its purity, is the Holy Qur’an for 12 centuries. <b>William Myore, who is a very strong critic of Islam - he had - to agree that this Qur’an has maintained its original purity for 12 centuries - He said this 200 years before.[/
b] So regarding the messengers, whether Ram…whether Ram whether Lakshman, all these, were they messengers of God or not? Jesus Christ (Peace be upon him) - he was - Because the Qur’an says. But the name of Ram and Buddha and Zorastras is not mentioned in the Qur’an - What I can say, ‘May be they were’ - I don’t know. But even if they were, they were only meant for that time, and they were only supposed to be followed by that particular people. The Scriptures that came before the Qur’an, they were only meant for a particular group of people, and they were only meant to be followed till that time. So even if they were words of God - Even if the previous messengers were messengers of God - you only have to follow the last and final messenger - that is Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him). Even if the other scriptures were the word of God, today you have to follow the last and final message of Allah Subhana Wa Taala, - that is the Holy Qur’an, and nothing else. Regarding - can you be a Christian, Hindu, Muslim, - is it the same? No it is not the same. Why – Because if you analyze the Holy Qur’an says in Surah Al Imran, Ch. 3 V. No. 52, that Jesus (Peace be upon him), he was a Muslim. Same thing, as the Bible says in Gospel of John, Ch. 5, V. No. 30…‘I seek not my will, but the will of my Father’.
</b> If you translate into Arabic, ‘Not my will…God’s will’… It is nothing but Islam – He was a Muslim. Abraham (Peace be upon him) - the Holy Qur’an says in Surah Al Imran, Ch.3, V. 67… ‘He was not a Jew or a Christian – He was a Muslim’. So today, if you have to choose any Religion – the Holy Qur’an says in Surah Al Imran, Ch. 3, V. 19…(Arabic)... ‘The only Religion acceptable in the sight of Allah (swt), is Islam’. Though the other religions speak about Monotheism – only Monotheism is not sufficient. You have to believe in Tawheed – You have to do ‘Ibada’ of Allah (swt). That is why the Holy Qur’an repeats the message in the Surah Al Imran Ch. 3, V.No.85, that… ‘If anyone desires any other religion besides Islam… submitting will to Allah (swt) – it will not be accepted of him. And in the Hereafter, he will be among the losers’.

<b>More Americans charged in Iraq rape-murder case</b>


7/9/2006 2:00:00 PM GMT


Four U.S. soldiers have been charged with the rape and murder of an Iraqi girl and killing the rest of her family, bringing to 5 the number of U.S. military men accused in the crime that took place in Mahmoudiya, Iraq, last March, the U.S. military said on Sunday.


A fifth soldier has been accused of dereliction of duty for failing to report the case.


"On July 8, 2006, the four soldiers were charged in connection with their alleged participation in the rape and murder of a young Iraqi woman and three members of her family," the 101st Airborne Division said in a statement.


The fifth soldier "was charged with dereliction of duty for his failure to report the rape and murder of these Iraqi civilians, but is not alleged to have been a direct participant in the rape and killings.


"All are charged with conspiring with former Private First Class Steven D. Green to commit these crimes."


“Personality disorder”


Last week, former soldier Steven Green, 21, was accused of carrying out the rape and killings on March 11 in Mahmoudiya, just south of Baghdad.


Court documents show that Green was discharged from the army due to a “personality disorder” before the Mahmoudiya case came to light.


Green pleaded not guilty in federal court in Kentucky.


Prosecutors said that Green shot and killed an Iraqi man, woman and child and then grabbed the 15-year old Iraqi girl, raped her then killed her.


A U.S. official, who demanded not to be named, said that Green and other soldiers who were manning a checkpoint close to the girl’s house, spent nearly a week plotting an attack on the family house, south of Baghdad to rape her.


According to Justice Department affidavit, three soldiers accompanied Green into the house, and another monitored the radio while the rest carried out their crime.


A U.S. military statement challenged the charges raised against the soldiers, describing them as "merely an accusation. Those accused are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."


The statement did not identify the soldiers newly charged in the crime.


The four soldiers will face an Article 32 investigation, similar to a grand jury hearing in civilian law. The Article 32 proceeding will decide whether there is enough evidence to put them on trial.


• Muslims’ Condemnation


The Association of Muslim Scholars, an influential Sunni organisation in Iraq, issued a strong condemnation over the rape of the Iraqi girl and the brutal killing of her family by U.S. troops.


"Raping this girl then mutilating her is shameful and will remain as a sign of shame to American invaders," the organisation said in its statement.


"The mean behavior and terrible violations committed by the invaders show the truth of the ugly American face and shows that their claims of supporting humanity and liberation are false," said the Sunni association.


"We call the world and all humanitarian organizations as witnesses to this ugly crime and urge them to face the American recklessness that went way too far".


http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=11648

Questions arisen out of Hadith "Sahih Al-Bukhari"


Does Mohammed say that a woman isn't as smart as a man?


<b>Mohammed asked some women, "Isn't the witness of a woman equal to half that of a man?" The women said, "yes," He said, "This is because of the deficiency of the woman's mind. " Vol. 3:826</b>


<b>"I have not seen any one more deficient in intelligence and religion than you." Vol. 2:541</b>


The Majority of people in hell are women?


<b>"I was shown the Hell-fire and that the majority of its dwellers are women. " Vol. 1:28, 301; Vol. 2:161; Vol. 7:124</b>


Women are harmful to men?


<b>"After me I have not left any affliction more harmful to men than women." Vol. 7:33</b>)OK I agree with that one. :P


Do all prophets have such sexual proweress?


<b>"The prophet used to visit all his wives in an hour round, during the day and night and they were eleven in number." I asked Anas, "Had the prophet the strength for it?" Anas replied, "We used to say that the prophet was given the strength of thirty (men). " Vol. 1:268</b>


What about assurance of salvation? Christians rest assured in their relationship with God because of the work of Christ. It seems that even Mohammed didn't know of his salvation.


<b>"By Allah, though I am the apostle of Allah, yet I do not know what Allah will do to me." Vol. 5:266</b>


God punishes the dead if the their relatives weep?


<b>"The deceased is punished because of the weeping of his relatives." Vol. 2:375</b>


If you speak badly against somebody they will go to hell?


<b>"You praised this, so Paradise has been affirmed to him, and you spoke badly of this, so hell has been affirmed to him. You people are Allah's witnesses on earth." Vol. 2:448</b>


Urine on your clothes will bring damnation?


<b>"The deceased person is being tortured in the grave not for a great thing to avoid, it is for being soiled with his urine. " Vol. 2:460</b>


Holy War Fighting is a one way ticket to Paradise?


<b>"The person who participates in (Holy battles) in Allah's cause and nothing compels him to do so except belief in Allah and His Apostle, will be recompensed by Allah either with a reward, or booty (if he survives) or will be admitted to paradise (if he is killed). " Vol. 1:35</b> (So as a side note, did not Mohammed himself fight in a Holy War? Then how come he had no assurance? I guess because he didn't die in battle? Therefore wouldn't it better to die in battle, for all to die in battle rather then win and live and face possible damnation later in life?


Drinking camel urine makes one healthy?


<b>"The prophet ordered them to follow his camels, and drink their milk and urine , so they followed the camels and drank their milk and urine till their bodies became healthy." Vol. 7:590</b>


Huh?


<b>"If a housefly falls in the drink of anyone of you, he should dip it (in the drink), for one of its wings has a disease and the other has the cure for the disease. " Vol. 4:537</b>


I think we can safely say that this is false...


<b>"As for the child, if the man's discharge precedes the woman's discharge, the child attracts the similarity of the man, and if the woman's discharge precedes the man's, then the child attracts the similarity of the woman." Vol. 5:275</b>


Shoe law?


<b>Mohammed said, "If you want to put on your shoes, put on the right shoe first, and if you want them off, take the left one first." Vol. 7:747</b>


Don't breath in your cup!


<b>Mohammed said, "Don't breath into your drinking utensil." Vol. 1:156</b>


We all know what causes an eclipse.


<b>Mohammed said, "The sun and the moon are two signs amongst the signs of Allah and they do not eclipse because of the death of someone but Allah frightens His devotees with them. " Vol. 2:158</b>


Yawning is from satan?


<b>The prophet said, "Yawning is from Satan and if anyone of you yawns, he should check his yawning as much as possible, for if anyone of yuo (during the act of yawning) should say: "Ha", Satan will laugh at him." Vol. 2:158</b>

What is a Fatwa?


Who can issue a Fatwa?


Are Fatwas binding?


What happens if one breaks a Fatwa?


What happens if one Fatwa contradicts another Fatwa?

Theres an old thread on here about womens rights in Islam, which has thrown up some questions for me.


I've seen it mentioned on here before that forced marriages are not allowed under Islamic law, but I've seen many stories that say otherwise, or at least that mulims don't agree on this point. The UK government recently tried to pass a law that outright banned forced marriages, but it was dropped after pressure from islamic groups. It was said that, due to the nature of the law, it would unduly focus on the muslim community, but how can that be possible if forced marriage is not allowed in Islam?


Theres also been more than one case of 'honour' killings. The worst one so far has to be:


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,...05,00.html


I've also read that her parents had arranged for to marry someone in Pakistan, although that doesn't seem to be mentioned in that story.


I don't doubt that most on here will condemn that murder, but there seems to be vast gulf between what I read on this board, and what seems to pass for Islam in the real world. :(

Yet another bizarre fatwa which has come out of the mouth of an Arab Sunni Muslim:


Pray or die, Somali sheikh tells Muslims


Some excerpts:

Quote:A leading Mogadishu sheikh said on Friday Muslims who do not pray five times a day should be put to death -- the latest sign of a fast-emerging hardline face to Somalia's newly-powerful Islamists.
The sheikh's statement -- which he confirmed to Reuters after it was broadcast on local media -- caused consternation among residents and will fuel foreign fears the Islamists are planning a hardline Taliban-style rule.


"He who does not perform prayer will be considered as infidel and our sharia law orders that person to be killed," said Sheikh Abdalla Ali, who runs a sharia court in the Somali capital which the Islamists took last month.

Many of Saudi Arabia's 6-million foreign workers labor under conditions that are sometimes compared to "modern-day slavery.''


By SUSAN TAYLOR MARTIN, Times Senior Correspondent


© St. Petersburg Times


published July 23, 2002


RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- When 29-year-old Ramani Prianka accepted a job in Saudi Arabia, she thought it would be a pleasant way to earn more money than she could ever make in her native Sri Lanka.


After all, she would be working indoors -- as a housemaid -- for a well-to-do, educated Saudi couple. He was the manager of a big hospital; she was the principal of a school.


How tough could it be? Very tough, Prianka quickly discovered. The house had 20 rooms and 13 bathrooms, and Prianka, the only maid, was expected to clean every one every day. There were nine children, and Prianka had to wash all their clothes and cook all their food. Seven days a week, she was up at 4:30 a.m. and never got to bed before midnight. All this for the equivalent of $26 a week.


After nine months, depressed and exhausted, Prianka had enough. As the family slept, she sneaked out of the villa, flagged down a taxi and told the driver to take her to the Embassy of the Republic of Sri Lanka.


Prianka was not the only Sri Lankan maid to seek refuge in the embassy's safe house this hot June morning. There was Pushpa Chandra, 30, who was sick of fighting off sexual advances from her sponsor's teenage son. And as tears slid down her smooth brown cheeks, a tiny 26-year-old woman whispered that she had been raped by her sponsor's adult son.


Now, she sobbed, she thought she was pregnant.


Last year, at least 2,800 Sri Lankan housemaids ran away from their Saudi sponsors, claiming they had been overworked, sexually abused or physically mistreated by jealous wives. They are among the countless foreign "guest workers" in Saudi Arabia who live and work under conditions that are sometimes compared to modern-day slavery.


"The world must know about this," says Mohamed Sakoor, a Sri Lankan driver and translator who works at Riyadh's international airport. He shares a roach-and-rat-infested shed, just 8 feet by 10 feet, with three other men hired by two rich Saudi brothers.


Despite efforts to "Saudize" the work force by replacing foreigners with Saudis, the kingdom remains highly dependent on foreign labor. About two-thirds of all jobs are still held by foreigners, including almost 90 percent of those in the private sector.


No foreigner can work in the kingdom without a Saudi sponsor, who typically provides accommodations and pays travel expenses, including a trip home every one or two years. In most cases, the sponsor holds the employee's passport, and an employee cannot leave the country or change jobs without the sponsor's permission.


For nurses, engineers and other professionals from First World countries like the United States, working in Saudi Arabia can be extremely lucrative and surprisingly pleasant. Most Westerners live in walled compounds with swimming pools, tennis courts, attractive landscaping and well-stocked commissaries.


But for unskilled workers from poor countries, life in Saudi Arabia can be a very different story -- one of broken promises and stomach-churning squalor.

As Salamu Alaikum


Dawah Apparel is sole proprietor currently looking for halal Investors, Business partners and/or Sponsors in order to expand company growth. Dawah Apparel creates clothing for Men and Children and plans to offer accessories for Men, Women and Children Inshallah. Business plan and additional designs are available upon request. If interested, please send an e-mail with any questions and concerns to AqilSadiiq@DawahApparel.com to discuss further. Serious inquiries only please. http://DawahApparel.com


Wa Salam

Bismillah


As Salam alaikum


Insha'Allah this will be a humble undertaking of the 99 names of Allah. I started a new thread in order to in sure congruity. Be forewarned that I will edit out posts that do not add to the information here, eg "Great post." If someone has more information about a particular Attribute or Name of Allah, please please post it in order for us all to benefit, insha'Allah


1) ar-Rahmân



The Most Lovingly Beneficent, The Most Kind and Giving, The Most Gracious, The Infinitely Good


The One who continually showers all of creation with blessings and prosperity without any disparity. The One who is most kind, loving and merciful.


The One whose endless, loving mercy is perfect and inclusive. The One who is overflowing with the quality of loving mercy and is continually pouring it upon all of creation.


The One whose perfect mercy and loving beneficence endlessly embrace all of creation. The One who loves and cherishes all of creation. The One who is most loving, gentle and merciful.


From the root r-h-m 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


This name is used in the Qur'ân. For example, see 1:1


The root r-h-m also indicates womb; meaning that which provides protection and nourishment, and that from which all of creation is brought into being.


Rahmân conveys the idea of fullness and extensiveness, indicating the great quality of love and mercy which engulfs all of creation without any effort or request on our part, while Rahîm conveys the idea of constant renewal and giving liberal reward to those who are deserving.


Al-Rahmân is the Beneficent One whose endless outpouring of love and mercy are continually showered upon all of creation, while al-Rahîm is the Merciful One whose love and mercy are manifested as that which is received as the consequence of one's deeds.


According to Ibn Qayyum (1350 AD), Rahmân describes the quality of abounding Grace which is inherent in and inseparable from the Almighty.


In Muhammad Ali's translation of the Qur'ân, he refers to classical sources (as indicated by the initials in parenthesis) who said:


Rahmân and Rahîm are both derived from the root rahmat, signifying tenderness requiring the exercise of beneficence [kindness] ®, and thus comprising the ideas of love and mercy.


Al-Rahmân and al-Rahîm are both active participle nouns of different measures denoting intensiveness of significance, the former being of the measure of fa'lân and indicating the greatest preponderance of the quality of mercy, and the later being of the measure of fa'îl and being expressive of a constant repetition and manifestation of the attribute (AH).


The Prophet is reported to have said: "Al-Rahmân is the beneficent One whose love and mercy are manifested in the creation of the world, and al-Rahîm is the merciful One whose love and mercy are manifested in the state that comes after" (AH), i.e as a consequence of the deeds of men. Thus the former is expressive of the utmost degree of love and generosity, the latter of unbounded and constant favor and mercy.


Lexicologists agree in holding that the former includes both the believer and the unbeliever for its objects, while the latter relates specifically to the believer (LL).


In the Dictionary of the Holy Qur'ân, Abdul Omar quotes from classical resources:


Rahmân is an active participle noun of the measure fa'lân which conveys the idea of fullness and extensiveness and indicates the greatest preponderance of the quality of love and mercy which comprehends the entire universe without regard to our effort or asking, even before we are born. The creation of the sun, the moon, air and water, etc are all there because of this attribute.... the term Rahmân circumscribes the quality of abounding Grace inherent in and inseparable from the Almighty.


Rahîm is in the measure of fa'îl and denotes the idea of constant repetition and giving of a liberal reward to those who deserve it and seek it. The Manifestation of this attribute is in response to and is a result of the action of the human being. That is, Rahîm indicates that which is extremely and continuously loving and merciful, and who is the dispenser of grace and love as a result of our deeds and supplications, and the One in whom the attribute is constantly and [endlessly] repeated.


Your God is One God; there is no God save him, THE BENEFICIENT, the Merciful.



(2:163)