El rahma mbc412/16/2023 In the Prophet’s many sayings about rahmah on earth, the central theme of nurturing, parental love clearly stands out. Instead he reminded us of our mothers and the familiar emotions they show us – emotions we call “compassion” or “nurturing love.” But the Messenger never spoke of such fearful people when describing Allah’s rahmah. We plead for “mercy” from police who can fine us, judges who can punish us, rulers who can overpower us, and murderers who can kill us. And if a cold-hearted murderer decides against killing a terrified victim, he too would have shown “mercy.” As we shall see, neither case would necessarily constitute rahmah. For instance, if a ruthless dictator decides to stop killing innocent people temporarily, he would have shown them “mercy,” even if his primary motivation is political and not based on a sincere emotional desire to alleviate suffering. Let’s consider instances where we use “mercy” in modern English. But the Arabic term rahmah is not limited to “mercy” in the encompassing manner by which the Prophet used the term. Allah is kind and forgiving towards us while having the power to harm us and the right to punish us for our sins. An event or a situation to be grateful for, usually because it stops something unpleasant.Ī) It’s a mercy she wasn’t seriously hurt.ī) His death was a mercy (because he was in great pain).įrom an Islamic standpoint, Allah is indeed merciful. A kind and forgiving attitude towards somebody that you have the power to harm or right to punish.ī) They showed no mercy to their hostages.ĭ) The troops are on a mercy mission (a journey to help people) in the war zone.Let’s look at the following definition from the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary : Rather, I will argue that we speakers of modern English must understand rahmah as Allah’s Messenger understood the term – not simply as “mercy” but something deeper – an emotion closely tied with motherhood.Īsk a native English speaker to describe his or her mother, and one often will hear adjectives like “loving” or “caring.” By contrast, native English speakers would rarely describe their mothers as “merciful.” Doing so sounds a bit odd to many of us, but why? The answer lies in the fact that “mercy” in modern English is associated with the negative connotation of the “power to harm,” something we do not associate with motherhood. Although “mercy” is included in the meanings of rahmah, the modern English usage of “mercy” fails to do justice to the Arabic word in my opinion. Our first answer may be that rahmah should be rendered as “mercy,” a word preferred in many Qurʾān translations. This only underscores how central rahmah is to Islamic theology and our relationship with Allah. It is thus by His rahmah that Allah introduces Himself repeatedly throughout the Qurʾān, so much so that after His tawhid (Oneness), the Qurʾān uses no other quality to describe Allah more than rahmah. Its first part defines an essential element of Muslim identity – to approach all matters “in the name of Allah.” Its ending, listing two of Allah’s names, beautifully repeats the sounds r-ḩ-m in a way striking even to non-Arabic speakers.īoth these names of Allah center on the Arabic quality of rahmah: (a) al -Raḥmān, the One who is defined by complete and universal rahmah and (b) al-Raḥīm, the One who continuously shows much rahmah. Set it and collect blessings from Allah (swt) for the khayr you're supporting without thinking about it.Īs the Qurʾān’s first verse, the invocation above (known as the basmallah) is our gateway to divine revelation and our companion when beginning any activity. The Prophet (SAW) has taught us the best of deeds are those that done consistently, even if they are small.Ĭlick here to support MuslimMatters with a monthly donation of $2 per month. All it takes is a small gift from a reader like you to keep us going, for just $2 / month. Help us get to 900 supporters this month. Keep supporting MuslimMatters for the sake of AllahĪlhamdulillah, we're at over 850 supporters.
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