Ar-Rahman
/ar.raħˈmaːn/noun
An Arabic name of God in Islam, commonly translated as “the Most Merciful” or “the Universally Merciful.”
Did you know?Ar-Raḥmān is both the opening divine name in the Qur’an’s chapter 55 and a name traditionally associated with boundless, all-encompassing mercy.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*r-ḥ-m
“A reconstructed root associated with tenderness, compassion, and the maternal womb.”
Pre-Islamic Arabic
Arabic
raḥima
“To show mercy, compassion, or tenderness.”
Pre-Islamic Arabic
Arabic
raḥim
“Womb; the maternal organ, and figuratively a bond of kinship.”
Qur’anic Arabic
Arabic
al-Raḥmān
“The Merciful or Most Merciful; a divine name emphasizing encompassing mercy.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ar-Raḥmān
“The assimilated pronunciation of al-Raḥmān before the Arabic sun letter r.”
Modern English
English
Ar-Rahman
“An established transliteration and proper name for God in Islamic contexts.”