What Is Rahmah? Mercy in Islam

Rahmah (Arabic: رحمة) is pronounced RAH-mah, with a breathy “h”.

Meaning

Rahmah means mercy, compassion and loving care. Its Arabic root is linked to the word rahim, “womb” — the place where a child is surrounded by protection and nourishment before it even knows to ask. That image says a great deal about how Muslims understand God’s mercy.

Two of God’s most frequently mentioned names come from this root: ar-Rahman, the Entirely Merciful, and ar-Rahim, the Especially Merciful. They appear in the phrase bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim, which opens nearly every chapter of the Qur’an. The Qur’an also describes the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as sent as a mercy to all the worlds (Qur’an 21:107).

Mercy in creation

The Prophet ﷺ gave a moving picture of how great God’s mercy is:

Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying, Allah divided Mercy into one hundred parts. He kept ninety nine parts with Him and sent down one part to the earth, and because of that, its one single part, His Creations are merciful to each other, so that even the mare lifts up its hoofs away from its baby animal, lest it should trample on it

So every act of kindness we see — a parent’s love, a friend’s help, an animal caring for its young — is, for Muslims, a reflection of just a small part of God’s mercy.

Mercy in practice

Muslims are asked to show rahmah to everyone: family and strangers, Muslims and non-Muslims, the weak, the poor, and animals. Harshness and cruelty are seen as the opposite of faith.

Example

“Have rahmah on him — he’s trying his best.”

This idea is so central that this whole website is named after it: read Why Islam Is Called a Religion of Mercy.