Subtleties and Allusions

The meaning of God’s names in the third verse of al-Ḥamd

As mentioned in the section on the subtleties and allusions of the noble verse Bismillāh...,(219) the Beautiful Names al-Raḥmān and al-Raḥīm, which make up the third verse of Sūrah al-Ḥamd, are not a repetition of the same names in the first verse of this chapter. This is because these noble names in the present verse are focused on establishing the exclusivity of praise to God Almighty and explaining the praiseworthiness of His lordship. However, in the first verse of the chapter, they are used in an unrestricted sense and do not have such limitations.

Differences in the Scope of Proofs for the Exclusivity of Praise

Although all the proofs derived from the beautiful names of God—Allah, Rabb, al-Raḥmān, and al-Raḥīm—aim to establish the exclusive praiseworthiness of the Divine Essence, the scope and boundary of each proof corresponds to the specific subject and middle term of the syllogism for that proof. For example, a proof whose middle term is the absolute lordship (rubūbiyya) of God over the worlds of existence proves the exclusivity of praise and commendation insofar as these stem from God’s lordship. And a proof whose middle term is the special divine mercy (raḥmah raḥīmiyya) and special divine grace establishes the exclusivity of praises related to such mercy. Thus, the semantic scope of the middle term of each proof determines the scope and domain of that proof.

Concealment of the Attribute of Wrath in Allah and al-Raḥmān

Since God’s mercy is both greater than His wrath and precedes it—“His mercy surpasses His wrath”,(220) “His mercy hastens ahead of His wrath”(221)—the attribute of divine wrath is concealed, not manifest, in both the noble name Allah and the all-encompassing attribute al-Raḥmān. It is this very concealment of wrath that causes those subject to wrath to be referred to in the passive voice, not the active voice. That is, it is said “those who have been subjected to wrath” (maghḍūb ʿalayhim), not “You were wrathful toward them” (ghaḍabta ʿalayhim). And if there were no wrath or anger whatsoever in the name Allah or the attribute al-Raḥmān, there would never be any occasion to mention “those who have been subjected to wrath” (maghḍūb ʿalayhim).