Rahman
/rɑːhˈmɑːn/noun
An Arabic name and divine epithet meaning the Most Merciful, especially referring to God in Islam.
Did you know?In the Qur’an, al-Raḥmān is both a divine name and the title of Chapter 55, which repeatedly invokes God’s mercifulness.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*r-ḥ-m
“A reconstructed root associated with compassion, tenderness, and the womb.”
Pre-Islamic Arabic
Arabic
raḥima
“To show mercy, compassion, or tender care.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
raḥmān
“Abundantly merciful or compassionate; an intensive form derived from the root R-Ḥ-M.”
7th Century
Qur’anic Arabic
al-Raḥmān
“The Most Merciful, a prominent divine epithet in the Qur’an.”
Medieval Islamic usage
Arabic
ar-Raḥmān
“A reverential name for God used in theology, prayer, literature, and personal names.”
Modern English
English
Rahman
“An English transliteration used as a personal name and as a reference to the Islamic divine name.”