Ar-Rahim
/ar.raˈħiːm/noun
An Arabic divine name meaning “the Merciful,” traditionally understood as referring to God’s enduring and particular mercy.
Did you know?Ar-Raḥīm shares the Semitic root R-Ḥ-M with Arabic raḥim, “womb,” and Hebrew reḥem, reflecting an ancient association between mercy and maternal protection.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*raḥim-
“Womb; a reconstructed root associated with compassion, tenderness, and maternal protection”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
reḥem / raḥămîm
“Womb; compassion or mercies, preserving the connection between bodily nurture and pity”
Pre-Islamic Arabic
Arabic
raḥim
“Womb, kinship, or a bond of compassion”
Qur'anic Arabic
Arabic
al-Raḥīm
“The Merciful, one of the traditional divine names of God”
Medieval Islamic usage
Arabic
al-Raḥīm
“A central devotional name, frequently appearing with al-Raḥmān in the Qur'anic formula”
Modern English
English
Ar-Rahim
“An English transliteration of the Arabic divine name”