Ar-Rahman: The Manifestations of Allah’s Mercy

my personal experience with 15 wonderful kids!

Yesterday night, I had the opportunity of discussing tawheed with some kids in faraway Canada, like 15 of them. I was a bit tired with the activities of the day but hey, there I was at 9PM, teaching and discussing tawheed with brilliant kids far away from Nigeria.

It was such a fulfilling moment that brought some Nostalgia of when I was still an active class teacher in Lagos.

And having the opportunity to discuss Allah and His beautiful names is an experience I always look forward to.

The kids were very welcoming and discipline. Ma shaa Allah!

I could see that in their mannerism and the way they comport themselves. Most importantly, they were very attentive as they listen to my explanations and took turns to ask questions.

I was able to take them through some introduction to the classification of tawheed and about tawheed al-asma’ wa siffat. We were also able to discuss Ar-Rahman, the Beneficent or the Most Merciful as time could not permit us past 1hr and a few minutes.

Teaching the children opened new insightful pathways to me about Allah’s beautiful name Ar-Rahman — one I haven’t thought about recently. A fresh and deeper understanding of the name was unlocked to me by Allah, by His grace and mercy.

Indeed He is the Ar-Rahman — Most-Merciful.

Someone narrated to me the news of the loss of a sister to breast cancer, despite taking the best treatments and spending millions of Naira on medications and hospital bills.

We got into a deep conversation and pondered over the ephemeral state of life and how we, humans, goof and loafe and whine like we’ve got tomorrow. We lament our sorry state and the transitory of life.

No one is ever guaranteed the next second yet we act like we own tomorrow.

Towards the close of our conversation, she shared the late sister’s WhatsApp status with me. It was a sahih hadith which reads:

“Whoever is stricken with sadness, grief, sickness or hardship and says:

“Allahu Rabbi, la sharika lah” (Allah is my Lord, without any partners),

then it will be removed from him.” [‘Sahih al-Jami’ #6040].

But before I could ponder deeply on the hadith and acknowledge, she followed it with another message, thus:

“But It Was Never Removed”

This struck me.

It tapped into my consciousness and understanding of dua’ and faith, and the Prophet’s sayings about all sincere dua a Muslim make being accepted and the different ways they are being accepted.

It also pricked my consciousness on the last session I had with the Canadian kids, explaining the beautiful name of Allah — Ar-Rahman.

His Rahma (mercy and compassion) and how we are so blessed in so many ways without us asking for.

How some of the things He does for us, though we might perceive them as evil based on our limited scope of thought and insight, and our limited understanding of the different manifestations of Allah’s mercy.

First, as Muslims, we should never lose hope in Allah’s mercy. Those who do are the disbelievers (Qur’an 12: 87).

Alhamdulillah that even at the point of pain and agony, our late sister still kept her hope in Allah. This is a virtue of a believer. Alhamdulillah!

I quickly responded to her last remark that,

Allah removes things and heals in different ways. He is as-Shafi’i — the absolute Healer — One Who heals completely and He heals whomever He wills, in the way and manner that suits Him and only Him understands.

Sometimes, death is a CURE and HEALING.

While this sounds counterintuitive, it is one of Allah’s ways of Healing — of taking away earthly pain, grief and sorrow -

And taking His beloved back to Himself to enjoy eternal bliss; where there is no pain nor sorrow nor grief.

Yes, Allah’s Rahma and Shifa’ could be in a way we perceive as evil.

It is in His mercy that He takes His slaves from this sinful world while he/she is still a sincere worshiper and patient with what He has afflicted him/her with.

Allah is Ar-Rahman (the Beneficent). He is also Ar-Raheem (the eternally Merciful).

We all share a fraction of His mercy on earth, abundance and the best await us in the afterlife, bi idhniLlah!

May Allah forgive the late sister her sins and be merciful unto her. May He be with her family and strengthen them on His path. May He forgive my father and all the believers who have left us in faith, forgive us our numerous sins and let us die as sincere Mu’min — and unite us all in Jannatul-Firdaus.

Amin.

PS: I recently authored an illustration book for Muslim children to learn about the Authentic Beautiful Names of Allah. It is a collection of soul-inspiring and insightful poems of the 99names of Allah using analogies, stories, dua’ and lots more.

You can learn more about the book by visiting: www.thebeautifulnamesofallah.com

You can also get it on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SSHL2R7