God's mercy and compassion
- Updated On Monday, 26 May 2014
- Written by Dr. Mohammad Ali Shomali
- Editor Kawther Rahmani
- Supervisor Sayyed Roohullah Musavi
- Published on Friday, 21 January 2011
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- Hits: What is the status of God's mercy and compassion in the Quranic image of Him?
After the unity of God, the mercy and compassion of God seems to be the most important aspect of the Quranic image of Him. There are more attributes in this category than any other category and altogether they are by far the most often repeated characteristics of God in the Quran. Every chapter of the Quran starts with 'bismillah' except Chapter 9. However, Chapter 27 contains this phrase twice: once in the beginning and then again in verse 27:30. In such an extraordinarily important phrase which stands as a symbol for Islam and occurs 114 times in the Quran, and with which Muslims are highly recommended to begin every act or speech, two attributes in particular are singled out: al-Rahman and al-Rahim. Another interesting case is the first chapter of the Quran, the Opening, which has seven verses. Indeed, this chapter is a brief account of Islam, without which no ritual prayer can be performed. The chapter starts with the customary 'bismillah,' but then proceeds as follows: "All praise belongs to God, Lord of all the worlds, the All-Compassionate, the All-Merciful, Master of the Day of Retribution. You [alone] do we worship, and to You [alone] do we turn for help. Guide us on the straight path, the path of those whom You have blessed, not the path of those who have incurred Your wrath, nor those who are astray" (2:2-7). As we can see, four attributes of God are mentioned: the Lord of all the worlds, the All-Compassionate, the All-Merciful and Master of the Day of Retribution. These four must be very significant and therefore they deserve careful study. In brief, they refer to two acts of God: the first is that He is the one who runs the universe and the second is that He is the one who establishes justice. They also refer to two qualities of God: the All-Compassionate and the All-Merciful. This indicates that the primary factors and governing principles in the entire creation are divine compassion and mercy. In the other articles, the different divine names and qualities that indicate God's mercy are explained in more detail.