(part 1 of 3): God the Merciful, the Merciful
If someone were asked, „Who is your god?“ Then a Muslim’s answer is: „The Merciful, the Merciful.“ According to Islamic sources, when speaking of God’s judgment, the prophets also emphasized His grace. In the book of Muslims, God describes himself as:
“He is God, except that there is no God, the connoisseur of the hidden and the apparent. He is the merciful, the merciful. ” (Quran 59:22)
In the Muslim language, ar-Rahman and al-Rahiem are personal names of the living God. Both are derived from the noun rahmah, which means “grace”, “compassion” and “loving affection”. Ar-Rahman describes God’s personal quality as The Merciful, while ar-Rahiem describes His mercy in His deeds He does to His creatures, a subtle difference that shows His all-embracing grace.
„Say: Call God or call the Merciful (ar-Rahman), whichever you call, His are the most beautiful names.“ (Quran 17: 110)
These two names are among the most frequently used names of God in the Quran: ar-Rahman is cited 57 times and ar-Rahiem is cited twice as often (114 times). [1] To convey the broader meaning of loving affection, the Prophet said,
“Indeed, God is kind and loves kindness. He grants with kindness what He does not grant with sharpness. ” (Sahieh Muslim)
Both are also divine qualities that express God’s relationship with creation.
“(All) praise is due to God, the Lord of the Worlds, the Merciful, the Beneficent,” (Quran 1: 2-3)
Every prayer section that the Muslims repeat at least 17 times a day begins with the statement:
“In the name of God, the Merciful, the Merciful. (All) praise is due to God the Lord of the Worlds, the Merciful, the Beneficent, ”(Quran 1: 1-3)
These powerful words conjure up a Divine Answer:
“ When the servant says: ‚(All) praise is due to God, the Lord of the Worlds, ‚I say (God):‘ My servant has praised Me. ‚ When he says: ‚the merciful, the merciful‘, I (God) say: ‚My servant has praised me.‘ ”(Sahieh Muslim)
These names keep reminding a Muslim of the divine grace that surrounds him. All but one chapter of the Muslim scripture begins with the words: „In the name of God, the Merciful, the Merciful.“ Muslims begin in God’s name to express their ultimate dependence on Him and to remind themselves of Divine Grace every time they eat, drink, write a letter, or do anything important. Spirituality blooms in the worldly. The invocation at the beginning of every worldly deed gives it importance, calls down and blesses divine blessing on it. This formulation is a popular motif for embellishing manuscripts and architectural ornaments.
„In the name of God, the Merciful, the Merciful.“ Calligraphy by Yousef, a Dutch artist.
Showing grace means that someone benefits from this grace. The one who feels this grace must be in need of it. Perfect grace provides for the needy, whereas unrestricted grace extends to the needy and the needless, ranging from this world to the wonderful life after death.
In Islamic teaching, people enjoy a personal relationship with the loving, merciful God who is always willing to forgive and answer prayers, but He is not merciful in a human sense, grief or pity for someone in misery. God does not become human to understand suffering. God’s grace is rather a quality that fits His Holiness, brings Divine help and gifts.
The grace of God is far-reaching:
„Say: Your Lord is full of Compassionate Mercy …“ (Quran 6: 147)
It extends to all existence:
„… but My Mercy embraces everything …“ (Quran 7: 156)
Creation itself is an expression of Divine favor, mercy and love. God invites us to look at the effects of His grace around us:
„Look at the traces of God’s mercy, how He brings the earth back to life after her death …“ (Quran 30:50)
God loves the Merciful
God loves Mercy. Muslims see Islam as a religion of grace. For them, their prophet is a gift of God’s grace to all mankind:
“And we have only sent you (O Muhammad) as mercy for the people of the world. ”(Quran 21: 107)
Just as they believe that Jesus was the grace of God for mankind:
„… and so that We make him a sign for the people and a mercy of us …“ (Quran 19:21)
One of the daughters of Prophet Muhammad – may God praise him – sent him the news of her suffering son. He reminded them that God is the one who gives and He is the one who takes, and everyone has a set date. He reminded her to be patient. When the news of her son’s death reached him, tears of compassion filled his eyes. His companions were surprised. The Prophet of Mercy said:
“This is the compassion that God has planted in the hearts of His servants. Of all His servants, God has mercy on the merciful. ” (Sahieh Al-Bukhari)
Blessed are the gracious, for they will be granted mercy, as the Prophet Muhammad said:
“God will have no mercy on those who are not merciful to men. ”(Sahieh Al-Bukhari)
He also said:
“ The Merciful shows mercy to those who are gracious. Be merciful to those on earth and the one above heaven will be gracious to you. ” (At-Tirmidhi)
Footnotes:
[1] In contrast, the “Merciful” does not appear once in the Bible as a divine name. (Jewish Encyclopedia, ‚Names of God,‘ p. 163)
(part 2 of 3): Your warm hug
The grace of God envelops all existence forever. The caring Lord of humanity is merciful to them, full of grace. The name of God, Ar-Rahman, which indicates His loving grace, is a precise aspect of His being; His grace is unlimited; an ocean without a seabed and shore. Ar-Razi, one of the classic Islamic scholars, wrote: “It is inconceivable that creation could be more merciful than God!” Rather, Islam teaches us that God is more gracious to a person than his own mother.
In God’s abundant grace, He sends down the rain to produce fruit from the orchards, to supply the human body. The soul also needs intensive spiritual nourishment, just like the body needs nutrients. In His grace, God sent men prophets and messengers and revealed scriptures to nourish the human spirit. Divine grace was revealed in the Torah of Moses:
„… In their scripture guidance and mercy is for those who are in awe of their Lord.“ (Quran 7: 154)
And the revelation of the Quran:
„… These are insightful signs from your Lord and guidance and mercy for people who believe.“ (Quran 7: 203)
Mercy is not shown on the merits of some ancestors. Divine Mercy is shown to be based on God’s Word and listening to its recitation:
“And this (the Quran) is a book that We (as revelation) sent down, a blessed (book). So follow him and be godly so that you may have mercy. ” (Quran 6: 155)
“And when the Quran is recited, listen and listen so that you may find mercy!” (Quran 7: 204)
Mercy is the result of obedience:
„And do the prayer and pay the levy and obey the Messenger so that you may find mercy!“ (Quran 24:56)
God’s mercy is man’s hope. Consequently, the believers beg God for His mercy:
„… And also Ayyub, when he called to his Lord: ‚I have certainly done mischief, but you are the Most Merciful of the Merciful!“ (Quran 21:83)
They beg God’s grace for the believers:
“Our Lord, do not let our hearts wander after you have guided us, and give us mercy on your part. You are the constant giver. ” (Quran 3: 8)
And they beg God’s grace for their parents:
„… Lord, have mercy on them how they raised me when I was little.“ (Quran 17:24)
Allocation of Divine Grace
Divine Mercy includes the believers and the unbelievers, the obedient and the insurgents, but in the life to come it will be reserved for the believers. Ar-Rahman is gracious to all creatures in the world, but in the life beyond, His grace will be reserved for believers. Ar-Rahiem will distribute His grace to the faithful on the day of judgment:
“… With my punishment I meet who I want, but my mercy encompasses everything. I will determine them for those who are godly and pay the levy and who believe in Our Signs, who follow the Messenger, the prophet who has no knowledge of the scriptures, who they find written down in the Torah and in the Gospel. …. ” (Quran 7: 156-157)
The divine division of grace was described by the Prophet of Islam as follows:
“God created mercy in one hundred parts. He distributed some of it among His creatures, because of which they feel affection for one another. God kept the remaining ninety-nine parts for Judgment Day to honor His servants. ” (Sahieh Al-Bukhari, Sahieh Muslim, Al-Tirmidhi, and others.)
A simple part of Divine Mercy fills heaven and earth, makes people love one another, and predators and birds drink water together.
But the mercy of God, which comes into effect on the day of judgment, is correspondingly more powerful than what we have known in this life; just as God’s punishment will far exceed what we have experienced here. The prophet of Islam explained the two extremes of these divine qualities:
“If a believer knew what punishment God had in store, he would despair and not a single person would suspect that he could reach paradise. If an unbeliever knew about God’s great mercy, not one would doubt that he could reach paradise. ” (Sahieh Al-Bukhari, Sahieh Muslim, Al-Tirmidhi)
So according to Islamic teaching, Divine Mercy outweighs Divine Wrath:
„Truly, My Mercy outweighs My Wrath.“ (Sahieh Al-Bukhari, Sahieh Muslim)
(part 3 of 3): The sinner of
God’s grace is extremely close to each one of us, waiting to surround us when we are ready. Islam recognizes man’s tendency to sin because God has created man weakly. The Prophet – glory and salvation on him – stated:
„All of Adam’s children are constantly wrong …“
At the same time, God lets us know that He forgives sins. The same hadith continues:
„… but the best of those who are always wrong are those who are constantly repenting.“ (Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Ahmad, Hakim)
God says:
“Say: O My servants, who have been immoderate against yourself, do not lose hope in God’s mercy. Certainly, God forgives all sins. He is the Forgiving and Merciful. ” (Quran 39:53)
Muhammad, the prophet of mercy – blessings and salvation on him – has been commissioned to convey the good news to all people.
“Let My servants know that I am the Most Forgiving and Most Merciful …” (Quran 15:49)
Repentance attracts Divine Mercy:
“… Would you ask God for forgiveness so that you may find mercy!” (Quran 27:46)
“… Certainly, God’s mercy is close to those who do good.” (Quran 7:56)
Since the earliest times, God’s mercy has saved believers from impending doom:
„And when Our command came, We saved Hud and those who believed with him through Mercy from Us.“ (Quran 11:58)
“When Our Command came, We saved Shuaib (Jethro) and those who believed with him by Mercy from Us.” (Quran 11:94)
The completeness of God’s affection for the sinner can be seen in the following:
1. God accepts repentance
“And God wants to accept your repentance; but those who follow their desires want them to deviate completely (from the right path). ” (Quran 4:27)
“Don’t you know that God is the One who accepts the repentance of His servants and takes the alms, and that God is the Receptive and Merciful?” (Quran 9: 104)
2. God loves the sinner who repents
“… Truly, God loves those who turn to repentance …” (Quran 2:22)
The Prophet said,
“If men did not commit sins, God would create other creatures who would commit sins. Then He would forgive them because He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful. ” (Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Musnad Ahmed)
3. God is delighted when the sinner repents, because he becomes aware that he has a Lord who forgives sins!
The Prophet said:
“God is more pleased with His servant’s repentance when he repents than any of you would be if he found his camel with whom he had ridden through a barren desert and had escaped from his food and drink. When he had given up hope, he came to a tree and lay in the shade. And then, when he was very desperate, the camel came and stood by his side. Then he took hold of his reins and cried out for joy: ‚Oh God, you are my servant and I am your master!‘ – he made this mistake because of his extraordinary joy. ” (Sahieh Muslim)
4. The gate of repentance is open day and night.
Divine grace grants forgiveness every day and night in the year. The Prophet said:
“God stretches out his hand at night to accept the remorse of the one who sinned during the day, and extends his hand during the day to accept the remorse of the one who sinned at night – until (the day comes ) the sun rises from the west (one of the larger signs for the day of judgment). ” (Sahieh Muslim)
5. God even accepts repentance when the sins are repeated.
God repeatedly shows His affection to the sinner. God’s loving mercy for the children of Israel was evident before they committed sin with the golden calf, God treated Israel according to His affection, and even after their sin He was gracious to them. Ar-Rahman says:
“And when we made an appointment with Moses on forty nights (on Mount Sinai), you then accepted the (golden) calf (as deity) after him, with which you were wrong. Then, after all, we forgave you so that you would be grateful. ” (Quran 2: 51-52)
The Prophet said:
“A man committed a sin and then said: ‚Oh my Lord, forgive me my sin‘, then God said: ‚My servant has sinned, then he became aware that he has a master who can forgive him and who can forgive him Then the man repeated the sin and then said: ‚O my lord, forgive me my sin‘, then God said: ‚My servant has sinned, then he became aware that he had a master who sins him forgive and who can punish him for it.´ Then the man repeated the sin (a third time) and then said: ´O Lord, forgive me my sin´, then God said: ´My servant has sinned, then he became aware that he has a Lord who can forgive him sins and who can punish him for it. Do what you want because I forgave you´ ”(Sahieh Muslim)
6. Acceptance of Islam clears all previous sins
The Prophet has stated that acceptance of Islam removes all previous sins of the new Muslim, no matter how difficult, on one condition: the new Muslim takes Islam solely for God on. Some people asked the Messenger of God: ´O Messenger of God, will we be held responsible for what we did in the days of ignorance before we adopted Islam? He replied:
„Whoever accepts Islam solely for God will not be held accountable, but one who did it for another reason is responsible for the period before and after Islam.“ (Sahieh Al-Bukhari, Sahieh Muslim)
Although God’s mercy is sufficient to cover up any sin, it does not release man from his responsibility to behave properly. Discipline and hard work are required on the path to salvation. The law of salvation in Islam calculates belief and observance of the law, not mere belief in God. We are weak and imperfect, and this is how God created us. If we cannot keep the Holy Law sufficiently, the loving God is ready to forgive. Forgiveness can be achieved simply by confessing his sins to God alone and by begging him for His mercy, with a firm and sincere intention not to do this sin again. But you should always keep in mind that you don’t deserve paradise by your deeds alone, but it is given to us by God’s grace. The Prophet of Mercy made this fact clear:
„Not a single one of you will enter paradise solely because of your actions.“ They asked: “Not even you, O Messenger of God?” He said, „Not even me, if God does not surround me with His grace and mercy.“ (Sahieh Muslim)
Belief in God, adherence to His law and good deeds are seen as a reason and not as a price for entering paradise.
Source: https://www.islamland.com/deu/articles/die-gttliche-gnade-