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Fatwa CenterTwo Names of Allaah explained
Question
What is the difference between the Name of Allaah The Almighty, Ar-Rahmaan and Ar-Raheem, which are translated in the Quranic verse that reads (what means): {And your god is one God. There is no deity [worthy of worship] except Him, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful} [Quran 2:163]?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alyhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
Scholars hold different opinions with regard to the meaning of the Names of Allaah The Almighty, Ar-Rahmaan and Ar-Raheem. Some said that they have the same meaning but are placed together for emphasis. Others stated that Ar-Rahmaan signifies that to Allaah The Almighty belongs the absolute Mercy that encompasses all creation, while Ar-Raheem means that His Mercy is conferred exclusively on the believers and that the word "Ar-Raheem" in itself is not a Name of Allaah The Almighty. Al-Qurtubi, a Maaliki scholar 
attributed this opinion to the majority of scholars. Indeed, this opinion is closer to the meaning, for Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {And ever is He, to the believers, Especially Merciful.} [Quran 33:43]
Allaah Knows best.
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