The word mercy comes from the Arabic rahama, meaning pity, protect, compassion and forgiveness. The name All-Merciful and Most Merciful of our Lord comes from this root. The adjective All-Merciful, which is used in the Qur’an only for Allah means “He Whose mercy embraces everything; Who wishes goodness, mercy, and beauty for all created things; Who imparts countless blessings without distinguishing who He loves from who He does not.” The adjective Most Merciful, which is also used for our Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him in peace) (Surat at-Tawba, 128) when refers to Allah, means “He Whose mercy embraces only believers in the Hereafter, Who rewards those Who use His blessings well with greater and infinite blessings.”
The name of Allah All-Merciful and Most Merciful is repeated numerous times in other verses of the Qur’an. All the surahs in the Qur’an except Surat at-Tawba, begins with the ascription in the name of Allah, the All-Merciful and Most Merciful. The name All Merciful of our Lord has a wide range of meanings: protecting, pitying, compassionate, and merciful names of Allah are all manifestations of Allah’s name All Merciful. His mercy encompasses all things and is limitless, timeless, and eternal. Of all those who show mercy, our Lord is the Most Merciful.
In the Qur’an, Allah tells us that Job (pbuh) used this beautiful name in his prayers:
And Job, when he called out to his Lord: “Great harm has afflicted me, and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful.” (Surat al-Anbiya, 83)
Allah the All Merciful manifests His infinite mercy in everything seen and unseen. It is possible to see the All- Merciful name of Allah in the miracles of creation pervading the universe; the creation of humans and in the billions of details in the human body; in animals, food, drink, water, and air. In short, in every aspect of the universe. The universe manifests this mercy, for only He makes countless seeds sprout from under the ground; creates fruits and vegetables, sends down rain, feeds and nourishes the infinite number of creatures inhabiting our world; and creates the oxygen that life needs to survive. Our Lord surrounds every being with countless blessings, and thus no being can prevent the appreciation, generosity, and favor He shows toward humanity. In Surah Fatir our Lord announces His infinite Mercy upon the humans as below:
Any mercy Allah opens up to people, no one can withhold; any He withholds, no one can afterwards release. He is the Almighty, the All-Wise. (Surah Fatir, 2)
Every creature living on this planet, including human beings, can survive only if numerous conditions are met every moment, such as the existence of oxygen for them to breathe in, water and food for them to sustain their ability to carry out the countless processes. Moreover billions of processes take place in the human body every second. For the continuance of life, every single cell performs its own tasks upon Allah’s will. Even one single person’s survival, meeting all his physical needs, is bound to infinite number of details. Our Lord with his endless mercy has predetermined and supplied whatever is necessary.
He created human beings and placed them in the most suitable place to live. In return, all that human beings have to do is to be His servants. One manifestation of His name All-Merciful and Most Merciful is His sending of holy books through his Messengers to enable human beings to find the true path, and Prophets to explain the verses in ways that they could understand. In this way, Allah revealed Himself and invited them to the beauties of religious morality and told them how to lead a superior moral life. All of these things are clear evidence of our Lord’s endless mercy.
The unbelievers, idolaters, and hypocrites benefit from the air, water, and all blessings that Allah has bestowed, in His endless mercy, upon humanity: property and possessions, a beautiful house and children, sustenance, health, strength, and beauty. These are all manifestations of Allah’s infinite mercy. He does so in order to draw all people toward His religion and so that they will think reasonably and thank Him. Those who, nevertheless, continue to reject Allah will find that these blessings will only increase their misery. Those who turn away from Allah will enjoy these blessings throughout this short and temporary earthly life, while in the Hereafter, all of these blessings will belong to the believers who strove to draw near to Allah, earn His favor, and thanked Him without pause. Allah is eternal Justice and has announced the good news of Paradise, adorned with incomparable blessings, to the believers:
“Prescribe good for us in this world and the Hereafter. We have truly turned to You.” He said: “As for My punishment, I strike with it anyone I will. My mercy extends to all things, but I will prescribe it for those who guard against evil and give alms, and those who believe in Our Signs. (Surat al-A’raf, 156)
… Gardens of Eden, which the All-Merciful has promised to His servants in the Unseen. His promise is always kept. (Surah Maryam, 61)
