Quran by Topic
Mercy (Rahmah)
الرحمة
Allah's mercy is the most-named attribute in the Quran. He writes it for Himself, names it as His first act on the Throne, and tells a prophet 'my mercy encompasses all things.' Specific, named, and against the grain of a 7th-century deity of war.
6 verses from the Quran
#01
"And decree for us in this world [that which is] good and [also] in the Hereafter; indeed, we have guided ourselves to You. (He said:) 'My mercy encompasses all things (وَرَحْمَتِي وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ). I will specify it for those who are conscious of Me and give zakah and those who believe in Our verses.' Mercy is named as universal, with conditions for its specificity — a two-level claim."
Arabic
۞ وَٱكْتُبْ لَنَا فِى هَٰذِهِ ٱلدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةًۭ وَفِى ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ إِنَّا هُدْنَآ إِلَيْكَ ۚ قَالَ عَذَابِىٓ أُصِيبُ بِهِۦ مَنْ أَشَآءُ ۖ وَرَحْمَتِى وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَىْءٍۢ ۚ فَسَأَكْتُبُهَا لِلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ وَيُؤْتُونَ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
English (Sahih International)
And decree for us in this world [that which is] good and [also] in the Hereafter; indeed, we have turned back to You." [Allah] said, "My punishment - I afflict with it whom I will, but My mercy encompasses all things." So I will decree it [especially] for those who fear Me and give zakah and those who believe in Our verses -
#02
"Say, 'To whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and earth?' Say, 'To Allah. He has decreed mercy upon Himself (كَتَبَ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ).' He will surely assemble you for the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt. Mercy is named as something Allah *wrote* upon Himself — a binding, stated attribute, not a mood."
Arabic
قُل لِّمَن مَّا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ قُل لِّلَّهِ ۚ كَتَبَ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ ٱلرَّحْمَةَ ۚ لَيَجْمَعَنَّكُمْ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ ۚ ٱلَّذِينَ خَسِرُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ فَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
English (Sahih International)
Say, "To whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and earth?" Say, "To Allah." He has decreed upon Himself mercy. He will surely assemble you for the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt. Those who will lose themselves [that Day] do not believe.
#03
"The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. The opening of every Quranic chapter names two forms of mercy: the general and the specific. A two-tiered formula that pre-Islamic Arabian prayer did not use."
Arabic
ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
English (Sahih International)
The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful,
#04
"Had it not been for Allah's favor upon you and His mercy, you would have been among the losers. Mercy named as the reason for not-destruction, repeatedly."
Arabic
ثُمَّ تَوَلَّيْتُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ ۖ فَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُۥ لَكُنتُم مِّنَ ٱلْخَٰسِرِينَ
English (Sahih International)
Then you turned away after that. And if not for the favor of Allah upon you and His mercy, you would have been among the losers.
#05
"And We have already sent messengers before you to their peoples, and they came to them with clear proofs; and We took retribution from those who committed crimes, and it was ever Our due upon the lost to help them (the messengers). The verb 'we helped' is read as 'we had mercy on.'"
Arabic
وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ رُسُلًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِمْ فَجَآءُوهُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَٰتِ فَٱنتَقَمْنَا مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَجْرَمُوا۟ ۖ وَكَانَ حَقًّا عَلَيْنَا نَصْرُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
English (Sahih International)
And We have already sent messengers before you to their peoples, and they came to them with clear evidences; then We took retribution from those who committed crimes, and incumbent upon Us was support of the believers.
#06
"Say, 'O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.' Mercy named as a thing to *not despair of* — the named limit is forgiveness-availability, not forgiveness-currency."
Arabic
۞ قُلْ يَٰعِبَادِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا۟ مِن رَّحْمَةِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
English (Sahih International)
Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful."
All Arabic text from the Uthmani edition · All English from Sahih International translation · Topical groupings are based on classical tafsir; scholars may differ on inclusion of specific verses