Ar-Ra'uf
Allah is Ar-Ra’uf, The One who is extremely compassionate. He is The One who’s mercy will endow whoever he willed among His creatures. Whatever Allah decrees is done with perfect judgement and He is never harsh or unjust in his rulings.
From the root r-a’-f which has the following classical Arabic connotations: to be kind, gentle, clement to be merciful, compassionate to show pity to show tenderness
Allah has already forgiven the Prophet and the Muhajireen and the Ansar who followed him in the hour of difficulty after the hearts of a party of them had almost inclined [to doubt], and then He forgave them. Indeed, He was to them Kind and Merciful. (Quran 9:117)
It is He who sends down upon His Servant [Muhammad] verses of clear evidence that He may bring you out from darkness’s into the light. And indeed, Allah is to you Kind and Merciful. (Quran 57:9)
And [there is a share for] those who came after them, saying, “Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts [any] resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Kind and Merciful.” (Quran 59:10)
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Name: |
Ar-Ra’uf |
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Ar-Ra’uf in Arabic |
ٱلرَّؤُوفُ |
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Arabic root: |
(ر أ ف) |
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Ar-Ra’uf meaning in English: |
The Compassionate, The Benign One, The All-Pitying |
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Ar-Ra’uf meaning in Urdu |
بہت مہربان |
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Appearance in the Quran: |
11 times |
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Tasbeeh: |
Recite Ar-Ra'uf 100 times to seek Allah's mercy and compassion. |
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Asma ul Husna with similar meaning: |
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Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ is Ar-Rauf (in Arabic: ٱلْرَّؤُفُ), which means He is extremely compassionate and with the greatest amount of empathy. Ar-Ra’uf came from the Arabic root ra-hamza-fa (ر أ ف) which has a traditional meaning of kindness, gentleness, mercy, and warmth. This name is understood to represent the highest mercy and compassion showing the quality of Ar-Rahim at an extreme. Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ is Ar-Ra’uf, as He is compassionate to even sinners who ask for forgiveness.
One way of showing His mercy is that He stops His believers from their wrongdoings and saves them from facing the bad consequences in the life hereafter. He may put His worshipper in hardness, but there is always hidden mercy and kindness in that hardness, and He will reward his people. The characteristics of Ar-Ra’uf came from “Ra’fa,” which is the ultimate limit of “Rahma.” The distinction is that Ra'fa appears before a disaster, but Allah's Rahma (mercy) appears after. Ra’fa is a form of mercy that doesn’t come with any sort of hardships or difficulties.
This name of Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ is mentioned in the Quran 11 times which signifies the importance it holds. In the Quran Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ says:
وَالَّذِيْنَ جَاۗءُوْ مِنْۢ بَعْدِہِمْ يَقُوْلُوْنَ رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا وَلِاِخْوَانِنَا الَّذِيْنَ سَبَقُوْنَا بِالْاِيْمَانِ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ فِيْ قُلُوْبِنَا غِلًّا لِّلَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا رَبَّنَاۗ اِنَّكَ رَءُوْفٌ رَّحِيْمٌ
"And [there is a share for] those who came after them, saying, 'Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts [any] resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Kind and Merciful.'"— (Qur'an 59:10)
In this verse, Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ uses both Ra’uf and Rahim, which shows both his mercy and compassion that He eases people’s hardships and also saves them from any hardship that is about to come. He says:
ہُوَالَّذِيْ يُنَزِّلُ عَلٰي عَبْدِہٖۗ اٰيٰتٍؚبَيِّنٰتٍ لِّيُخْرِجَكُمْ مِّنَ الظُّلُمٰتِ اِلَى النُّوْرِ۰ۭ وَاِنَّ اللہَ بِكُمْ لَرَءُوْفٌ رَّحِيْمٌ
"It is He who sends down upon His Servant [Muhammad] verses of clear evidence that He may bring you out from darknesses into the light. And indeed, Allah is to you Kind and Merciful."— (Qur'an 57:9)
The name of Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ, Ar-Ra’uf, holds great significance and it is one of the 99 names of Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ that is most lovable. It is often paired with Ar-Rahim (The Most Merciful) showing the close connection between His mercy and compassion. He is Ar-Ra’uf as He takes care of you before the hardship and guides you through it. And He is also Ar-Rahim as He holds you back together after the hardship and helps you move on.
As narrated by Abdullah: I visited the Prophet ﷺ during his ailments, and he was suffering from a high fever. I said, "You have a high fever. Is it because you will have a double reward for it?" He said, "Yes, for no Muslim is afflicted with any harm but that Allah will remove his sins as the leaves of a tree fall down." (Sahih al-Bukhari 5647)
Ar-Ra’uf is the name you can call upon during difficult times. It reminds believers that Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ is the most merciful, unlike humans, whose empathy can be selfish and conditional. It reminds the ones in hardship that it is not eternal and nothing goes unnoticed and indeed they will be rewarded for their hardships. Through this quality of Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ, believers are motivated to incorporate Ra’fa (Compassion) in their lives.
Reciting Ar-Ra’uf in your daily prayer and dhikr can help you absorb Allah’s mercy. It guides believers toward Allah’s path and helps them trust His instincts regarding their needs. As He says we read:
وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللہِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُہٗ وَاَنَّ اللہَ رَءُوْفٌ رَّحِيْمٌ
"And had it not been for the Grace of Allah upon you and His mercy, and that Allah is Ever Compassionate, Ever-Merciful (you had been the losers)."— (Qur'an 24:20)
The mercy of Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ is not hidden from His creatures as He is the kindest among all and nobody’s mercy can exceed His. Several names of Allah praise His kindness and mercy, similar to Ar-Ra’uf. Different aspects of Allah’s compassion can be seen through these names. Some of them are as below:
All these names show Allah’s mercy, kindness, generosity, affection, and compassion for His creation. They offer believers each a unique way to connect to their maker, i.e., Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ by remembering Him through them. Allah’s great qualities can be understood by reading and understanding His name.
Ar-Ra’uf is mentioned in Quran several times, which shows Allah’s divine mercy. A few of them are mentioned below:
Quran says:
لَقَدْ تَّابَ اللہُ عَلَي النَّبِيِّ وَالْمُہٰجِرِيْنَ وَالْاَنْصَارِ الَّذِيْنَ اتَّبَعُوْہُ فِيْ سَاعَۃِ الْعُسْرَۃِ مِنْۢ بَعْدِ مَا كَادَ يَزِيْغُ قُلُوْبُ فَرِيْقٍ مِّنْھُمْ ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْہِمْ۰ۭ اِنَّہٗ بِہِمْ رَءُوْفٌ رَّحِيْمٌ
"Allah has already forgiven the Prophet and the Muhajireen and the Ansar who followed him in the hour of difficulty after the hearts of a party of them had almost inclined [to doubt], and then He forgave them. Indeed, He was to them Kind and Merciful."— (Qur'an 9:117)
In Surah Aal-‘Imran (3:30), Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ says:
يَوْمَ تَجِدُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّا عَمِلَتْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ مُّحْضَرًا۰ۚۖۛ وَّمَا عَمِلَتْ مِنْ سُوْۗءٍ۰ۚۛ تَوَدُّ لَوْ اَنَّ بَيْنَہَا وَبَيْنَہٗۗ اَمَدًۢا بَعِيْدًا۰ۭ وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ اللہُ نَفْسَہٗ۰ۭ وَاللہُ رَءُوْفٌۢ بِالْعِبَادِ۳۰ۧ
“On the day when every man will find whatever of good he has earned and of evil, and is confronted with it, he shall wish that a distance appeared between him and that day -- (that it were far away). God bids you beware of Him, though compassionate is God to His votaries.”
In Surah Baqarah it is again reminded about His compassion, Allah says:
وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَّشْرِيْ نَفْسَہُ ابْـتِغَاۗءَ مَرْضَاتِ اؘ۰ۭ وَاللہُ رَءُوْفٌۢ بِالْعِبَادِ
“And there is a man who is willing to sell even his soul to win the favor of God, and God is compassionate to His creatures.” (Quran- 2:207)
Our Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) gives us the lesson of compassion as he was compassionate himself. He guides his followers to follow this quality of Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ as it gets believers closer to Him.
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah shows compassion only to those among His slaves who are compassionate". (Riyad as-Salihin 29)
Anas ( رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهَا) reported that the Prophet (ﷺ), may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If there is roughness in anything it is bound to disgrace it. Allah is compassionate and loves compassion." (Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 466)
'A'isha ( رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), may Allah be pleased with her, said, "I was on a camel which was somewhat intractable, and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, remarked, 'You must be compassionate. Whenever there is compassion in something, it adorns it, and when it is removed from something it disgraces it." (Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 469)
'Abdullah ibn Mughaffal ( رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهَا) reported that the Prophet (ﷺ), may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah is compassionate and loves compassion. He gives for compassion what He does not give for harshness." (Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 472)