Mercy

Mercy: the cards as text

Akhlaq. Draft written with AI help: awaiting scholar review.

  1. Card 1

    Muslims begin almost everything by naming God's mercy.

  2. Card 2

    Two names, one root: the womb

    Before eating or travelling, Muslims say Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim. Every surah but one opens with both names, ar-Rahman and ar-Rahim, two of God's most used. Both share a root with rahm: the Arabic word for womb.

  3. Card 3

    Qur'an 1:1

    بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ۝١

    1 In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

  4. Card 4

    Lesson: Muslims begin almost everything in the name of mercy.

  5. Card 5

    "A mercy to the worlds"

    The Qur'an speaks of the Prophet in the language of mercy too. It calls him a mercy to all the worlds, not to Muslims alone. Had he been harsh and hard-hearted, it says, people would have left him.

  6. Card 6

    Qur'an 21:107

    وَمَآ أَرۡسَلۡنَٰكَ إِلَّا رَحۡمَةࣱ لِّلۡعَٰلَمِينَ ۝١٠٧

    107 We have not sent you [O Prophet] except as a mercy to the worlds.

  7. Card 7

    Lesson: In the Qur'an's telling, harshness drives people away from the truth.

  8. Card 8

    A thirsty dog and a starving cat

    A well-known hadith tells of a sinful person forgiven for giving water to a thirsty dog. Another, of a woman punished for starving a cat. Islamic teaching extends mercy beyond people. Cruelty to animals is condemned.

  9. Card 9

    Lesson: Mercy given is mercy received.

  10. Card 10

    Reflect: Which root do the names ar-Rahman and ar-Rahim share?

    Answer: Rahm, the womb. Rahm, the womb: the closest image of protective, nurturing love.

  11. Card 11

    The end of Mercy.

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