الرَّحْمٰنُ

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الرَّحْمٰنُ [thus generally written when it has the article ال prefixed to it, but in other cases رَحْمَانُ, imperfectly decl.,] and are names [or epithets] applied to God: [the former, considered as belonging to a large class of words expressive of passion or sensation, such as غَضْبَانُ and عَطْشَانُ &c., but, being applied to God, as being used tropically, or anthropopathically, may be rendered The Compassionate: ↓ the latter, considered as expressive of a constant attribute with somewhat of intensiveness, agreeably with analogy, may be rendered the Merciful: but they are variously explained: it is said that] they are both names [or epithets] formed to denote intensiveness of signification, from رَحِمَ; like الغَضْبَانُ from غَضِبَ, and العَلِيمُ from عَلِمَ; and الرَّحْمَةُ, in the proper language, is “ tenderness of heart, ” and “ inclination requiring the exercise of favour and beneficence; ” but the names of God are only to be taken [or understood] with regard to the ultimate imports, which are actions, exclusively of the primary imports, which may be passions: and the former is more intensive in signification than the latter; the former including in its objects the believer and the unbeliever, and ↓ the latter having for its peculiar object the believer: (Bd on the بَسْمَلَة:) accord. to J, they are two names [or epithets] derived from الرَّحْمَةُ, and are like نَدْمَانُ and نَدِيمٌ, and are syn.; the repetition being allowable when the [mode of] derivation is different, for the purpose of corroboration: or the repetition is because the former is Hebrew, [originally 165,] and ↓ the latter is Arabic: but the former is applicable to God only; though Museylimeh the Liar was called رَحْمَانُ اليَمَامَةِ; and it is said to mean the Possessor of the utmost degree of الرَّحْمَة; and accord. to Zj, is a name of God mentioned in the most ancient books: whereas ↓ the latter is syn. with : or [rather] رَاحِمٌ is the act. part. n. [signifying having mercy, &c.], and has an intensive signification [i. e. having much mercy, &c.]: the latter is applied also to a man; and so is رَحُومٌ , in the same sense, and likewise to a woman: the pl. of is رُحَمَآءُ; occurring in the trad., إِنَّمَا يَرْحَمُ ٱللّٰهُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الرُّحَمَآءَ, or الرُّحَمَآءُ, as related by different persons; [i. e. God has mercy on the merciful only of his servants, or verily those on whom God has mercy, of his servants, are the merciful;] الرحماء being in the accus. case as the objective complement of يرحم, and in the nom. case as the enunciative of ما in the sense of الَّذِى.

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Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon

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