Between the Compassion of Creation and the Mercy of Believers: The Distinctive Significance of the Attributes (the Compassionate) and (the Merciful) in Narrative Interpretation

Abstract

This research examines the precise distinction between the attributes "Al-Rahman" and "Al-Rahim" as narrated in the exegesis of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them). The study demonstrates that this differentiation carries profound doctrinal and cognitive dimensions, establishing a comprehensive concept of divine mercy. The attribute "Al-Rahman" signifies a general and all-encompassing mercy that extends to all creation, both believers and non-believers. In contrast, the attribute "Al-Rahim" points to a specific mercy reserved for the believers alone, thereby delineating the scope of each name's influence and its relationship with creation. This research adopts an analytical and critical approach, focusing on examining the narrations transmitted from the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) and extracting the doctrinal implications and epistemological differences between the attributes "al-Rahman" (the Most Gracious) and "al-Rahim" (the Most Merciful). The methodology aims to analyze these texts and derive conclusions, while also critiquing and refuting other opinions that fail to differentiate between the two attributes. This research plan presents a comparative study of the attributes al-Rahman and al-Rahim, detailing their linguistic connotations. The first section is dedicated to the differences between them in terms of their linguistic roots and grammatical characteristics. The second section focuses on the doctrinal dimensions of each attribute, examining al-Rahman's general mercy, which encompasses all of creation in this world, and al-Rahim's specific mercy, which is reserved for believers in the Hereafter. This is achieved through an analysis of the noble narrations and an explanation of the implications of this distinction in Islamic thought