Ar-Rahim — The Most Merciful

Ar-Rahim is the mercy Allah directs to those who turn to Him — continuous, specific, and acting upon its object. Where Ar-Rahman describes the boundless mercy that covers all creation, Ar-Rahim is most often connected in the Quran to the believers, in this life and the next. The two are recited together in the Basmalah at the start of every surah but one, so a Muslim begins every reading by naming Allah twice by mercy. Classical commentators note the pairing is deliberate: mercy is both what He is and what He does.

Updated July 16, 2026