Ar-Rahman, Ar-Raheem

The best way to learn more about Allah’s Names and Attributes is to turn to the Holy Qur’an because in it, we will find the Names and Attributes which Allah has used to refer to Himself and has chosen for Himself.

Open the Holy Qur’an. The first chapter in the Holy Qur’an, or the introduction or the opening chapter is Surah Al-Fatihah, and Allah tells us about Himself in this chapter. What are the first Names & Attributes that Allah tells you about Himself in this chapter?



Read verse 1 of Surah Al-Fatihah.

Now read verse 3. You will see that the Names Ar-Rahman, Ar-Raheem are repeated; the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. And some scholars have translated Ar-Rahman, Ar-Raheem to mean the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

Do you know of a surah which is named by one of these Beautiful Names of Allah?

Yes! Surah Ar-Rahman.                              

In Surah Maryam, Allah’s Name, Ar-Rahman, is repeated several times. Do you know how many times the Name, Ar-Rahman, is mentioned in Surah Maryam?

16 times!

How many times are the Names of Allah, Ar-Rahman and Ar-Raheem mentioned in the Holy Qur’an?

Ar-Rahman and Ar-Raheem are mentioned about 190 times each in the Holy Qur’an. That shows you just how important it is for us to understand that Allah is extremely merciful!

The meaning of Ar-Rahman:

The Most Gracious. Ar-Rahman means that Allah has extreme and vast mercy which He shows to all of the creation on Earth, all creatures, and all people, both the believers and non-believers.

Ar-Rahman has mercy upon all of His creation. Look around you, the mercy of Ar-Rahman is all around us…

Is the sun and its warmth, energy, and light reserved only for the believers or is it enjoyed by all people?

The rain that Allah sends down is mercy. Rain can bring back to life dry, dead soil.

How many times do you blink your eyes in a minute? We blink around 15 to 20 times per minute; we do this without even thinking about it. Did you know that blinking your eyes keeps your eyes moist so they do not dry out and become irritated? Blinking helps prevent infection because the liquid washing your eye every time you blink contains anti-bacterial substances. Blinking helps wash away dust and other particles. Scientist have said that we blink to give our brains a mental resting point from visual stimuli so that we can focus our attention better.

How many times does your heart beat every minute? For an adult that is 60-100 times per minute and a child’s heart beats around 70-100 times per minute.

Allah’s mercy is always upon us and most times we don’t even think about it.

The meaning of Ar-Raheem

Allah has an additional, special, exclusive mercy reserved for the believers to reward them for the good they do and also a special mercy for the believers on the Day of Judgment. So, Ar-Rahman means Allah’s mercy in general and for all creation, and Ar-Raheem means Allah’s compassion and extra mercy especially for the believers.

{And ever is He, to the believers, Merciful [Raheem]} (Surah Al-Ahzab, verse 43)

Think of a mother’s love, mercy, and protection for her child. Of course Allah DOES NOT resemble anything from His creation. But by looking at pictures of a mother and her children, we can understand that Allah’s mercy upon us is far greater than a mother’s mercy upon her child.

Allah has placed mercy in the hearts of the mothers for their children, and Allah's mercy for His believers is far greater.

Story time                                                                   

Stories of how merciful Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was and the sayings of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to teach people to be kind and merciful.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) was often seen hugging and kissing his grandsons, Hasan and Husayn whom he loved very much. Once when Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was giving a sermon and the two young boys walked into the mosque, the Prophet (peace be upon him) pauesed his sermon to carry them and bring them close to him and then he continued his sermon.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “I stand in prayer and wish to prolong it. However, I hear the cry of a child and cut the prayer short for the anxiety which the mother is feeling.” (Al-Bukhari)

Anas bin Malik, the servant of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), said, “I served the Prophet (peace be upon him) for ten years. By Allah, he never even said to me, ‘Uff!’ He never said harshly for anything, ‘Why did you do that?’ or, ‘Why did you not do that?’.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5691, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2309)

This story shows the Prophet’s mercy for the woman who used to clean the masjid:

Abu Hurayrah narrated that a black man woman used to clean the mosque, and she died at night. The next day when the Prophet (peace be upon him) noticed her absence, he asked about her. His companions said that she had died. He said, “Why did you not tell me? Show me her grave.” So he went to her grave and offered the funeral prayer for her. (Sahih Al-Buakhari 458) 

We should be merciful to every living being.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “A man suffered from thirst while he was walking on a journey. When he found a well, he climbed down into it and drank from it. Then he came out and saw a dog lolling its tongue from thirst and licking the ground. The man said: This dog has suffered thirst just as I have suffered from it. He climbed down into the well, filled his shoe with water, and caught it in his mouth as he climbed up. Then he gave the dog a drink. Allah appreciated this deed, so he forgave him.” The Prophet’s companions said, “O Messenger of Allah, is there a reward for charity even for the animals?” The Prophet said, “Yes, in every creature with a moist liver is a reward for charity.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5663, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2244)

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) warned against cruelty to animals, he said, “A woman was punished due to a cat she had imprisoned until it died, so she entered the Hellfire. She did not give it food or water while it was imprisoned, neither did she set it free to eat from the earth.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3295, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2242)

How do I live by Allah’s Names, Ar-Rahmn and Ar-Raheem?

{Indeed, the mercy of Allah is near to the doers of good} (Surah Al-A`raf, verse 56)

To get that extra and special mercy of Allah, you should be keen on obeying Allah and upon being merciful to all people and all creatures, and by doing good deeds and spreading goodness.

Each student should write a to-do list of tasks and good deeds she will do for the coming week to gain more of that special mercy of Allah.

Duaa – Supplication with the Names of Allah

In our workshop, each child was given a cute journal and they decorated it and wrote with beautiful handwriting their supplications for each lesson and each of Allah’s Names.

رب اغفر لي و لوالديَّ و ارحمهما كما ربياني صغيرا

My Lord, forgive me, and forgive my parents and bestow Your mercy upon them as they raised me when I was young.

ربنا آمنا فاغفر لنا و ارحمنا و أنت خير الراحمين

Our Lord, we have believed, so forgive us and have mercy upon us, and You are the best of the merciful.

Arts & Crafts

Now, you can start teaching children the meanings of Allah's Beautiful Names Ar-Rahman, Ar-Raheem. In the comments below, please let us know if you found this useful to get you started on your journey of teaching children the Beautiful Names of Allah. Please share with us your own ideas to improve on what we started with!