Surah Fatiha Ayat 3 in Arabic Text
English Translation
Here you can read various translations of verse 3
The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful,
Most Gracious, Most Merciful;
The Merciful, the Compassionate
The Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
The Beneficent, the Merciful.
The All-Merciful, The Ever-Merciful.
the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy,
Quran 1 Verse 3 Explanation
For those looking for commentary to help with the understanding of Surah Fatiha ayat 3, we’ve provided two Tafseer works below. The first is the tafseer of Abul Ala Maududi, the second is of Ibn Kathir.
Ala-Maududi
(1:3) The Merciful, the Compassionate[4]
4. Whenever we are deeply impressed by the greatness of something we try to express our feelings by using superlatives. If the use of one superlative does not do full justice to our feelings, we tend to re-emphasize the extraordinary excellence of the object of our admiration by adding a second superlative of nearly equivalent meaning.* This would seem to explain the use of the word Rahim following Rahman. The form of the word Rahman connotes intensity. Yet God’s mercy and beneficence towards His creatures is so great, so extensive and of such an infinite nature that no one word, however strong its connotation, can do it full justice. The epithet Rahim was therefore added to that of Rahman.
Ibn-Kathir
3. Ar-Rahman (the Most Gracious), Ar-Rahim (the Most Merciful)).
Allah said next,
(Ar-Rahman (the Most Gracious), Ar-Rahim (the Most Merciful)) We explained these Names in the Basmalah. Al-Qurtubi said, “Allah has described Himself by `Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim’ after saying `the Lord of the Alamin’, so His statement here includes a warning, and then an encouragement. Similarly, Allah said,
(Declare (O Muhammad ) unto My servants, that truly, I am the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful. And that My torment is indeed the most painful torment.) (15:49-50) Allah said,
(Surely, your Lord is swift in retribution, and certainly He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) (6:165)
Hence, Rabb contains a warning while Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim encourages. Further, Muslim recorded in his Sahih that the Messenger of Allah said,
(If the believer knew what punishment Allah has, none would have hope in acquiring His Paradise, and if the disbeliever knew what mercy Allah has, none will lose hope of earning His earning.)
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