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99 Names of Allah

Ar-Rahman, the Most Gracious.

Name 1 of the 99 Names of Allah. See its root and meaning, the verse where it appears, and how to use it in your dua.

Name 1 of 99

الرَّحْمٰنُ

Ar-Raḥmān

The Most Gracious

Root ر ح م r-ḥ-m

Meaning

Ar-Rahman explained.

Ar-Rahman (الرَّحْمٰنُ) means The Most Gracious. It is name 1 in the well-known list of the 99 Names of Allah. Ar-Raḥmān is mercy that is vast and reaches every created thing, believer and disbeliever alike, in this world. The pattern faʿlān carries the sense of something full to overflowing. No one else may be called Ar-Raḥmān.

The root and its meaning

Ar-Rahman comes from the Arabic root ر ح م (r-ḥ-m), which carries the sense of mercy, and the womb (raḥim) that shelters a child.

Where it is in the Quran

Allah tells us to call on Him as Allah or as Ar-Raḥmān, and the name opens every surah but one in the Basmalah. Surah 55 is named after it.

Surah Al-Israa 17:110

قُلِ ٱدْعُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ أَوِ ٱدْعُوا۟ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنَ ۖ أَيًّۭا مَّا تَدْعُوا۟ فَلَهُ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ ۚ وَلَا تَجْهَرْ بِصَلَاتِكَ وَلَا تُخَافِتْ بِهَا وَٱبْتَغِ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ سَبِيلًۭا

Qulid'ul laaha awid'ur Rahmaana ayyam maa tad'oo falahul asmaaa'ul Husnaa; wa laa tajhar bi Salaatika wa laa tukhaafit bihaa wabtaghi baina zaalika sabeela

Say, "Call upon Allah or call upon the Most Merciful. Whichever [name] you call - to Him belong the best names." And do not recite [too] loudly in your prayer or [too] quietly but seek between that an [intermediate] way.

Quran 17:110. Arabic: Uthmani text (Tanzil). English: Sahih International.

Surah Taa-Haa 20:5

ٱلرَّحْمَٰنُ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ ٱسْتَوَىٰ

Ar-Rahmaanu 'alal 'Arshis tawaa

The Most Merciful [who is] above the Throne established.

Quran 20:5. Arabic: Uthmani text (Tanzil). English: Sahih International.

Calling on Allah by this Name

Allah says: "And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them" (7:180). Begin your dua with يَا رَحْمٰنُ (Yā Raḥmān) and ask for what fits its meaning. For example: "Yā Raḥmān, Your mercy covers everything, so let it cover me and my family."

  1. Quran 17:110, translation by Sahih International.
  2. Quran 20:5, translation by Sahih International.

Our teachers will check the Arabic, transliteration and meanings on this page before launch.

The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.

Questions

Good to know.

What does Ar-Rahman mean?

Ar-Rahman (الرَّحْمٰنُ) means The Most Gracious. Ar-Raḥmān is mercy that is vast and reaches every created thing, believer and disbeliever alike, in this world.

Is Ar-Rahman in the Quran?

Allah tells us to call on Him as Allah or as Ar-Raḥmān, and the name opens every surah but one in the Basmalah. Surah 55 is named after it.

How do I use Ar-Rahman in dua?

Say Yā Raḥmān (يَا رَحْمٰنُ) at the start of your dua, then ask for what suits the Name, for example: "Yā Raḥmān, Your mercy covers everything, so let it cover me and my family."

Can a child be named after Ar-Rahman?

Use Abdur-Rahman, "servant of Ar-Rahman". Scholars say Rahman on its own should not be used as a person's name, because this Name belongs to Allah alone.