Part 8 – Have you ever wondered?

Bismillah,

Now we come to “Arrahman Arraheem” (The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful).

Have you ever wondered why this comes before “Maliki Yaumi-Deen” (Master of the Day of Judgement) in Al-Fatiha?

Picture this scenario. You happened to be at the scene of a crime and there is an ongoing investigation. The trial begins and though you are innocent, the judge summons you for questioning. He proceeds to question you in one of two manners:

He at once bombards you with interrogation! (Why were you at the scene of the crime? What were you doing? At what time did you arrive? What did you see? Etc.) When your heart nearly stops and your nerves can no longer stand it, the judge then reassures you, “by the way, we know you are innocent but we are collecting as much information as we can.”

Or, he declares to you from the beginning that “we know you are innocent, but we appreciate all the information you can help us with”, and then proceeds with his questions.

You would be much more relaxed and comfortable in the second scenario, wouldn’t you?

So what does “Arrahmaan Arraheem” have to do with “Maliki Yaumi-Deen” and why does it come before it? To remind us that it is “Arrahmaan Arraheem” who will judge us on Judgment Day. These 2 names should kindle within us that sense of relief and reassurance in Salah when we are reminded of our stand before Allah on that terrifying day- Judgment Day. (Let us always strive to remain, worthy of this Mercy.) “Arrahman Arraheem” declares that Allah’s sovereignty is that of an all encompassing

Mercy (not Wrath). In this life, He is there for everyone- believers and non-believers, the righteous and the wrongdoers. He feeds, clothes, heals, and provides, for all. He’s not quick to punish but provides ample time for people to return to Him a whole lifetime!

And Allah’s Mercy is manifested either through His giving (of favors) or through His withholding of them. And when He sometimes withholds a favor from us, this in reality is the heart of giving, for we have been given of knowledge but so very little to immediately realize the wisdom. Again, it’s a mercy in disguise!

“…But it may well be that you hate a thing the while it is good for you, and it may well be that you love a thing the while it is bad for you, and God knows, whereas you do not know.”(2:216)

Now “Arraheem” is the One who delivers His mercy to His creation. You will see this name used in the Quran when Allah speaks of His mercy to believers, specifically.

If we knew well the true nature of Allah and the true nature of people, we would prefer without an instant of hesitation to deal with Allah, over having to deal with people. It suffices us to know that Allah’s Mercy for us far exceeds the mercy of our own mothers for us. So “Alhamdulillah” for the kind of sovereignty He reigns by.

Feel the rhythm of Arrhamaan Arraheem lift the heaviness off your heart.

Wassalamu Alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu