Allah The Exalted — Page 37
All a h the Exalted 3 people who strive truly in the cause of God and withdraw from every darkness and disorder. By virtue of this grace, in the Holy Qur’ a n, God's name is Ra hi m. Because the attribute of Ra hi miyyat is special and follows upon the fulfilment of certain conditions, it is mentioned after Ra h m a niyyat , for Ra h m a niyyat was manifested before Ra hi miyyat manifested itself. On account of this natural order Ra hi miyyat is mentioned after Ra h m a niyyat in S u rah F a ti h ah and All a h the Exalted says: 42 This attribute is mentioned at several places in the Holy Qur’ a n. For instance, at one place it is said: 43 This means that God's Ra hi miyyat is confined to the be- lievers and that a disbeliever and a rebellious one have no share in it. It is worthy of note that the operation of the attribute of Ra hi miyyat has been confined to the case of believers, but Ra h m a niyyat is not so limited. Nowhere is it stated that God is Ra h m a n towards believers. The mercy which is specially related to the believers is always described as Ra hi miyyat. At another place it is said: 44 The Ra hi miyyat of All a h is close to those who do their duty to the utmost. At another place it is said: 42 ‘The Gracious, the Merciful’—al-F a ti h ah, 1:3 [Publisher] 43 ‘And He is Merciful to the believers’—al-A h z a b, 33:44 [Publisher] 44 al-A‘r a f, 7:57 [Publisher]