Asalaam alaikum
I was attending a Tafseer class recently that talked about one of the 99 names for Allah, Ar-RaHman and some interesting things about it that I thought I would share.
The name Ar-RaHman is most often translated to The Most Merciful, although most of the Surat the name is mentioned in talk about punishment. And as someone asked in the discussion, “How is it different than Ar-RaHeem?” RaHeem is only referring to mercy and compassion, while RaHman includes the power and authority of Allah. True mercy is only possible if punishment is also possible. This really resonates with me that truly fearing and respecting Ar-RaHman comes from knowing that punishment is possible, as well as knowing the unlimited mercifulness.
It is also very freeing not to fear worldly things that often get too much attention, like “What if I don’t get that class I need?” Or “What happens if this person doesn’t like me and make my life worse?” Fearing Ar-RaHman makes everything else so much easier to approach. I know it’s a weird concept for non-religious folks to conceptualize; “If this being is so amazing, why would you fear them?”
The discussion also pointed out that the root word of RaHman is RaHim, which is womb. A way to think about mercy and compassion is how a mother shows compassion for their baby, as the baby is helpless and could easily be harmed by the mother, but the mother chooses to love and provide for it.
Insha’allah I hope you find this to be helpful or thought provoking. Let me know what your thoughts are or anything else to share.