Allah The Exalted — Page 35
Allah the Exalted 35 out distinction of believer and disbeliever. The same Rahman has made for all mankind day and night which follow each other so that a seeker of understanding should draw benefit from this wise arrangement and should find release from the coverings of ignorance and indifference and so that he who is eager to be grateful should render thanks. The true worshippers of Rahman are those who walk humbly upon the earth and when the ignorant ones ad- dress them harshly they reply to them in words of peace and compassion. That is to say, they offer kindness in place of harshness, and in return for abuse, they pray for their revilers and thus they exhibit gracious qualities, for the Gracious One bestows the bounties of the sun, the moon, the earth and other countless favours upon all His creatures regardless of whether they are good or bad. In these verses, it has been expounded that the word Rahman is used for God because His mercy encompasses all good and bad alike. At another place this mercy has been referred to in the verse: عذَابِي أَصِيبُ بِهِ مَنْ أَشَاءُ وَرَحْمَتِي وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ 39 I inflict My chastisement upon whom I so determine and My mercy encompasses everything. At another place it is said: قُلْ مَنْ يَكُلُّؤُكُمْ بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ مِنَ الرَّحْمَنِ 40 Tell these disbelievers and the disobedient ones that were it not for the attribute of Rahmāniyyat, they could not have averted divine chastisement. In other words, it is by 40 al-Anbiyā', 21:43 [Publisher]