Three forms of “Merciful Love” (rahma) in Islam

Qur’an: We only sent you [O Muhammad ] as merciful love for all the worlds (Surat al-Anbiya’ 21:107)

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ
wa-ma arsalnaka illa rahmatan lil-‘alamin

While I have always felt, over the last forty years, that the translation of rahma as “mercy” was insufficient and should have “love” in it in some way, it was not until I realized that Shaykh Ninowi was translating “rahma” as “unconditional love” (one example of which is here: https://www.facebook.com/NinowyZawiyaPTA/photos/a.594994610585219.1073741828.589388284479185/1253961294688544/?type=3&theater —that I felt comfortable with going beyond the usual translation of rahma as “mercy.” Recently, I discussed the topic of hate at some length; and then “mercy” was raised so I thought that now would be a good time to talk a little more about “mercy” in Islam.

Because the times in which we live are saturated with hate, reeking with hate, it is particularly important to discuss what Islam has to say about the relationship between love and rahma. The Qur’anic perspective on various forms of love have been dealt with in the book “Love in the Holy Qur’an” http://www.altafsir.com/LoveInQuranIntroEn.asp#.WMjadm8rK00

While there are a variety of Arabic words that we commonly translate as “love” in English, the most common are “hubb” (love or affection)–with its related words habib (lover or beloved), muhibb (lover), mahbub (beloved), and mahabba (love or affection); ‘ishq (love or passionate love)–with its related words ma’shuq (beloved) and ‘ashiq (lover); and wudd (love)–with its related words al-Wadud (God, the Loving) and mawadda (love).

I would like to propose that we should also include rahma among these, translating it as “merciful love,” while translating al-Rahman as “the Unconditionally Loving” or “God, the Unconditionally Loving,” and al-Rahim as “the Compassionately Loving.” Sa’id ibn Jubayr, a leading 2nd generation Muslim (tabi’i), stated that “Al-Rahman consists of God’s rahmah and bounty (ni’mah) that flows to both those who embrace faith (mu’min) and those who ungratefully deny (kafir), [both] God’s friends and enemies. Clearly, this is unconditional rahma and bounty, although whether it is love or simply mercy is certainly up for discussion. In support of Sa’id ibn Jubayr’s viewpoint, that al-Rahman is unconditional, for everyone, the Sunni Qur’an commentator al-Tha’labi (d.427/1035) (and subsequently Maybudi) stated the following “Al-Rahman is the one who is affectionate (al-‘atif) to all of the Divine’s Creation, because the Divine has created them and bestowed them with sustenance (rizq); and also by means of al-Rahman, God said, “My rahma encompasses every thing.”

Concerning al-Rahim, al-Tha’labi stated, “God is al-Rahim to the believers, in particular, by [endowing them] with guidance and grace (tawfiq) in the world and by [endowing them] with paradise and the vision [of God] in the Hereafter, as God stated “He is rahim to those who embrace faith.” So from al-Tha’labi’s perspective, al-Rahim is conditional, with the condition being the “embrace of faith” (iman).

While this short discussion has certainly not solved the question as to whether or not we are justified in using “love” in our translations of rahma, al-Rahman, and al-Rahim, in the very least we have shown justification for the unconditionality of the mercy or merciful love that is rahma and al-Rahman and the conditional nature of the mercy or compassionate love of al-Rahim.

Further discussion will need to examine the criteria for “love” given to it by English lexicographers, in contrast to those for the English word “mercy,” together with what the Arabic lexicographers and Qur’an commentators have said about the Arabic words. Then we will be in a position to discuss whether or not we would be justified in including the word “love” (in some way) in our translations of the words “rahma,” “al-Rahman,” and “al-Rahim.”

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The calligraphy is by the Saudi calligrapher ‘Aabed97 https://twitter.com/aabed97
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33eagZlROOc&feature=youtu.be

For Tha’labi’s commentary on this, see https://tinyurl.com/glcwp5w
For Maybudi, see Kashf al-asrar, v. 1, p. 7.