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Mercy (rahma)

الرحمة

In Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy's lessons, mercy is the principle that governs how a Muslim treats people and animals: it calms the soul and keeps hope alive. God is described as having made mercy binding on Himself; His mercy in this world covers believer and unbeliever, and in the Hereafter it is shown to those who were merciful to His servants. Its forms include kindness to the poor, parents, kin, neighbours and spouse, and gentleness in slaughter.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Global / Diaspora
Review

Spirituality and Sufism

Summary

In Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy's lessons, mercy is the principle that governs how a Muslim treats people and animals: it calms the soul and keeps hope alive. 1

God's mercy

He says God has made mercy binding on Himself. 2 He distinguishes God's mercy in this world, which covers believer and unbeliever, from His mercy in the Hereafter, which is shown to those who are merciful to His servants. 3 4 He also says a Muslim recites the basmala many times a day; the number he gives is not clear in the recording (needs_source). 5

The mercy of the mission

He cites the verse that calls the mission a mercy to the worlds and sees God's mercy as shown in sending the Prophet ﷺ. the verse that calls the mission a mercy to the worlds 4 6 He says believers show mercy to one another, like one body. 7

Mercy to the poor: the pomegranate

He tells how Fatima craved a pomegranate; Ali bought one, and on his way back met a beggar. 8 He says Islam gives the needy their right to help, not the honour of poverty. 9 He says the beggar asked for the pomegranate and was given it. 10

Mercy to animals

He says mercy extends to animals and urges kindness in slaughter: the slaughterer should sharpen his knife and ease the animal. 11 12

Mercy at home and in the neighbourhood

He says mercy includes kin, and that a neighbour must not be harmed. 13 14 He tells how Hind, the wife of Abu Sufyan, asked the Prophet whether she might take from her stingy husband's money without his knowledge, and was told to take what is reasonable. 15

His conclusion

He says God does not show mercy to those who do not show mercy to one another. 16 He says a heart that holds mercy does not find the way of hypocrisy. 17

Mercy between spouses and in upbringing

Between spouses, the Sheikh distinguishes affection from mercy and places affection in the days of engagement, when each adorns themselves for the other. 18 19 He recounts that a man told the Prophet he had ten children (needs_source: the number is spoken once in the transcript) and had never kissed one of them, and the Prophet told him that whoever shows no mercy is shown none. 20 21

From Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy's Tafsir lectures (episode 2)

The Sheikh urges a person to put himself in another's place when he sees someone weeping bitterly, for example someone dismissed from his job, and says our problem is that none of us puts himself in anyone else's place 22.

From Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy's lecture series Al Dinu Al Qayem

The Sheikh describes the Prophet as compassionate towards the believers, and distinguishes compassion (ra'fa) from mercy (rahma): in his account, ra'fa is fear for the believers' hardship, and rahma is prayer for them (needs_source: the distinction) 23. He describes the believers who spend in ease and in hardship, restrain their anger and pardon people, and he notes that God loves the good-doers 24.

The Sheikh holds, as his own opinion, that the sinner relies on God's mercy, and that his hope in God's pardon can exceed his hope in his deeds 25. He says that Suhayl rejected the word "the Merciful" at the opening of the document, and compares this with the disputes of Abraham (needs_source) 26.

People and things also explored

Prophetic adab (proper conduct)· Akhi Baba (title of the guild shaykh and tanners' head)· The angelic and the satanic inspiration (lamma)· Asking people for help (al-masala)· The soul (nafs) and the spirit (ruh)· Tabattul (withdrawal from the world)· Intimacy with God (uns billah)· Certainty and its degrees (yaqin)

Sources

  1. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Aadau Al Islam, episode 3, at 00:04:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  2. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Aadau Al Islam, episode 3, at 00:04:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  3. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Aadau Al Islam, episode 3, at 00:05:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  4. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Aadau Al Islam, episode 3, at 00:06:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  5. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Aadau Al Islam, episode 3, at 00:05:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  6. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Aadau Al Islam, episode 3, at 00:06:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  7. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Aadau Al Islam, episode 3, at 00:07:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  8. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Aadau Al Islam, episode 3, at 00:08:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  9. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Aadau Al Islam, episode 3, at 00:08:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  10. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Aadau Al Islam, episode 3, at 00:11:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  11. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Aadau Al Islam, episode 3, at 00:13:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  12. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Aadau Al Islam, episode 3, at 00:14:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  13. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Aadau Al Islam, episode 3, at 00:18:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  14. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Aadau Al Islam, episode 3, at 00:18:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  15. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Aadau Al Islam, episode 3, at 00:20:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  16. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Aadau Al Islam, episode 3, at 00:21:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  17. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Aadau Al Islam, episode 3, at 00:50:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  18. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Al Hoquq, episode 2, at 00:05:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  19. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Al Hoquq, episode 2, at 00:06:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  20. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Al Hoquq, episode 5, at 00:09:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  21. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Al Hoquq, episode 5, at 00:10:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  22. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Tafsir Al Quran Al Qareem, episode 2, at 00:28:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  23. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Al Dinu Al Qayem, episode 4, at 00:38:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  24. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Al Dinu Al Qayem, episode 13, at 00:21:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  25. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Al Dinu Al Qayem, episode 4, at 00:51:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  26. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Al Dinu Al Qayem, episode 5, at 00:37:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Mercy (rahma)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/rahma/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-25.

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Ideas

Beliefs, concepts, sciences and schools, explained in plain words. Related

Prophetic adab (proper conduct)

The body of proper conduct the believer is commanded in his words, deeds and relations with God and His servants; from the formula 'whoever believes in God and the Last Day' in Abu Hurayra's hadith Ibn Rajab derives that these traits are of the traits of iman and that deeds enter into iman, dividing the hadith's three commands into what belongs to God's rights — speaking good or keeping silent — and what belongs to His servants' rights — honouring the neighbour, withholding harm from him and honouring the guest; he transmits Aswad ibn Asram's report of the Prophet's counsel 'do not say with your tongue except what is good and do not extend your hand except to good', and that the tongue's uprightness is of the traits of iman; Abu Amr ibn al-Salah reports from Abu Muhammad ibn Abi Zayd, the Maliki imam of his time, that the conduct of goodness and all its reins branch from four hadiths: speaking good or keeping silent, leaving what does not concern one, 'do not become angry', and loving for one's brother what one loves for oneself.