Allah The Exalted — Page 58
58 Allah the Exalted couraged to believe that the power of God Almighty is vast and that for man's benefit He can bring into being all types of resources. The second excellence of God Almighty, which is His be- neficence in the next degree and which is called general grace, is Rahmāniyyat, by virtue of which God is named Rahman in Surah Fatihah. In the idiom of the Holy Qur'an, God Almighty is called Rahmān because He be- stowed upon every living thing, which includes man, its appropriate shape and qualities. That is to say, man was bestowed all faculties and powers and was given a shape and limbs which were needed by the type of life which had been designed for him and to which they were suited. Whatever was needed for his maintenance was provided. Birds, animals and man were all bestowed powers that were suited to them. Thousands of years before their coming into being, God Almighty by virtue of His attrib- ute of Rahmaniyyat, created the heavenly and earthly bodies so that all living things might be safeguarded. No one's action has anything to do with the Rahmāniyyat of God Almighty. It is pure mercy which came into opera- tion before the coming into being of living things. Man is the principal beneficiary of the Rahmaniyyat of God Al- mighty, inasmuch as everything is sacrificed for his success. Therefore, he is reminded that God is Rahman. The third excellence of God Almighty, which is His be- neficence in the third degree, is Rahīmiyyat, by virtue of which God has been named Rahīm in Surah Fatihah. In the idiom of the Holy Qur'an, God is called Rahim when accepting the prayers, supplications and righteous actions of people, He safeguards them against calamities, misfor- tunes and waste of effort. This beneficence is described