Discussion of the Narrations

It is narrated from al-Riḍā (a.s.) that he said, after explaining “Lord of the worlds” (rabb al-ʿālamīn): “The All-beneficent, the All-merciful (al-raḥmān al-raḥīm) is an appeal and a mention of His blessings and favors upon all His creatures.”(222)

Note: Although the words raḥmān and raḥīm are translated into Persian as “bakhshāyishgar” (forgiving) and “bakhshandeh” (generous), forgiveness is not the equivalent of raḥmān and raḥīm. Rather, it is equivalent to “hibah” (gift), “jūd” (generosity), and “sakhāwat” (munificence), and none of these words express the meaning of raḥmān. This is because in the word raḥmān, in addition to giving, something else is implied which is one of the sources of mercy, as the aforementioned ḥadīth points to, and that is tenderness and affection. When God introduces Himself as raḥmān and raḥīm, it means that His giving is accompanied by affection and love. And if a servant of God calls upon Him by these beautiful names, apart from attracting His generosity and giving, he seeks to attract His tenderness and loving inclination. In reality, raḥmān gives two things: one is the essence of what man wants, such as healing from illness or wealth, and the other is love and affection, which is a spiritual matter and compensates for many psychological deficiencies.