Ar-Ra’uf

The Compassionate

Exalted and Glorious

And Allah would never make your faith (prayer) to be lost.  Truly, Allah is full of Kindness, the Most Merciful towards mankind.  (2:143)

 

And of mankind is he who would sell himself, seeking the Pleasure of Allah. And Allah if full of Kindness to His slaves.  (2:207)

 

And Allah warns you against Himself (His Punishment). And Allah is full of Kindness to His slaves.  (3:30)

 

After that the hearts of a party of them had nearly deviated (from the Right Path), but He accepted their repentance.  Certainly, He is unto them full of Kindness, Most Merciful.  (9:117)

 

This name is an attribute of Allah which means the compassionate.  Allah is full of kindness and mercy.  His blessing keeps His purity spotless, for He hears all prayer and knows all the temptations to which nature is subject.

 

He who repeats this name frequently will be blessed by Allah.  The recitation of this sacred name of Allah turns a harsh and hard master into a kind and lenient one.

 

Ar-Ra’uf is the Gentle One Who through His Forgiveness is favorably disposed towards sinners.  He is the Generous in His Subtlety and Gentleness, and in His Compassion, covers over your defects and then forgives them.  So worship Him in what He confirms in you in your standing up to struggle in obedience to Him, glory be to Him.

 

Allah Allah Allah

From: The Meanings of the Names of Our Lord by Shaykh Muhammad Sa’id al-Jamal ar-Rifa’i Head of the Higher Sufi Council in Jerusalem and the Holy Land Teacher at the Dome of the Rock (al-Aqsa)

 

AR-RA’UF

 

Allah is All-Clement.  He has created all with His hand of power, and He can extinguish all, for He is not in need of His creation.  This power and independence do not prevent Him from exercising His mercy and clemency nor does His ability to sell all, including the revolt and denial in some of His creatures.  On the contrary, the fact that He chooses to forgive in spite of His ability to see our sins, of His being just, of His being able to punish, proves His mercy and clemency are infinite.

 

Even someone who lacks faith, whose arrogance is boundless, who believes that we obtain our livelihood by ourselves and are the masters of our own destiny, can reflect upon the animals and plants.  They are without language, understanding, or intellect. How do they care for their offspring?  How do birds build nests?  Why are they not excessive in any direction that might cause their destruction, while human beings are?  What is the mystery in that factory which is the silkworm, which builds its cocoon and produces the most beautiful and soft clothing, or in the little bee who builds her hive and produces the sweetest of all foods?

 

These and all else are the signs of the clemency, mercy, and generosity around you. But for human beings, the manifestation of Allah’s clemency is greater.  He has “… created everything for you and you for Himself.”  He created you as the best of creatures, perfect, as His deputy to govern, to guide, to use His kingdom.  He has given you the means to think, to talk, to read and write.  He has taught you what is best for you, what is bad for you, the right and the wrong, the lawful and the unlawful.   If you try to count His bounties and blessings upon you, you will be unable.  For believer and unbeliever alike, His generosity, mercy, and clemency are boundless.

 

The one in whom the clemency of Allah is reflected is the one who remembers his sins and realizes that all these bounties of Allah arrive in spite of them. He tries to serve Allah’s creation with his mind, his body, and his property.

 

‘Abd ar-Rau’uf is the servant in whom Allah’s mercy and compassion are manifest.  He is clement in every way except regarding punishment in accordance with the shari’ah. Although the justice of the religious law seems to be punishment, in reality it is mercy, because the fault for which one has paid is eliminated.

 

The believer who recites this Name 286 times a day will have a heart filled with compassion and care for others, and this feeling will be mutual.  That person will also be given the means to help those who are in need.

 

From: The Name & the Named by Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halvet