Back after two years....

    It took me all this time to make sure I want to write this blog and give it a priority over other activities I am engaged in my daily life.   Some times you have to experience other potential choices in your life to rule them out and find peace and comfort in the path  in which you feel most fit. I would like to resume writing this blog with naming God again and repeating the most beautiful starting words ever.   

                                      بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   

                                         In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful 

   What could be the meaning of the two adjectives of "Rahman" the Beneficent and "Rahim" the Merciful ?  

    I believe if we would feel a relationship with God deep in our heart this will inevitably make us feel that every action we are about to take will either strengthen or weaken our relationship. In other words we will find a compass, a direction or an scale to check out every little mundane deed against the impact it may have on our relationship with God.  

   In essence, it is more or less like a love relationship that we experience over the course of  our human life.  When we truly love someone every thing we want to do will essentially get us closer or farther to our loved one.  We sometimes deprive our self from simple pleasures of life that are absolutely legitimate  and which we can never  refuse in the absence of that relationship.   There are times ,for example, when we may not eat a delicious meal alone feeling that our partner would have loved to eat this food with us.   We may intentionally pick something not as good or rather not to eat at all ( if it is just a mater of short time before you can eat together) in certain occasions. In exchange you will feel ever more closer to your loved one while surprisingly your partner will feel and act the same way without being aware of the choice you have  made. So we refrain from a eating despite hunger and similarly from many other physical pleasures that we would never stand otherwise. These are typical voluntarily acts of self deprivation out of love which will result in reinforcing our love relationship.

   Although it is probably not right to project the scope and qualities of earthly love to the the heavens, I believe there are striking similarities between the nature of the two.  I strongly believe that one of the main reasons we are going trough the journey of life is to experience and learn qualities and aspects of existence ,including love, which are the eternal and the most fundamental principals of existence as a whole.  By the way of example, we can see the world as a lab in that we have been granted our time of life to play with toys of every kind to learn and form concepts which will govern our lives on earth and beyond  through eternity. In this analogy, all every single experience that we go through over the course of life is a learning lesson which is supposed to build up a big picture of the whole life for us making sense of all the pain and joy that life will bring about.  They are the pieces of a puzzle which constitute an abstract perception of the whole that can only be seen by our heart.  An understanding with a nature of an inspiration which can not even be comprehended by our mind despite been instrumental to form that picture. 

   Going back to explain the way our relationship with God works, as we expect in any two sided  bond, if you take one step toward or for your loved one you would naturally expect the other side to do the same for you.  By the same token,  If we do something for God we would expect he does something for us in return.  More importantly, one would wish that the partner's reaction would be exclusively tailored for him or for her..  That is to say, it is not for you as well as others it is done entirely and specifically for you. That is the most important determinant quality of a love relationship ,exclusiveness, if we can call it that way. That happens to be exactly God's expectation from us in the first place, living exclusively for him.   Are we entitled to expect the same from God? I believe we can, if we prioritize him above everything else in our life..  

   That is why I believe "Rahman" "the Beneficent" means he is the one who takes the first step toward us, He is first to benefit every one, to favor every one equally. he is the one who initiates the relationship with all humans. He loves every one first, and then if we would take one and only one step toward him, he is the one that is "Rahim" "The Merciful" who will reply with exclusive favor to us making us feel he has a unique relationship with us. there is no one else who can replace you or me for him.  we are so special for him that he favors us in a way that only includes our individuality and the unique circumstances that defines our personal life.  

   What a heart worming words to being everything in life with: In the name of God, the one who loves us first, the one who cares about all of us and then the one who will love us exclusively if we turn to him. We are ,in fact, defining the propose of every deed with these words.  We will indeed determine the outcome right upfront, which is to strengthen our relationship with God , which will fill our heart with more of his love and his light. What would be the possible fruit of our earthly mundane life then?  I guess nothing but joy and peace which will emit from our heart to others'.

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There are many verses in Quran where the word "Rahim" is used.  Blew are a few :

Sura 4 ; Verse 16
وَٱلَّذَانِ يَأۡتِيَـٰنِهَا مِنڪُمۡ فَـَٔاذُوهُمَا‌ۖ فَإِن تَابَا وَأَصۡلَحَا فَأَعۡرِضُواْ عَنۡهُمَآ‌ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ ڪَانَ تَوَّابً۬ا رَّحِيمًا
However, if they repent and make amends, then, overlook them. Surely, Allah is Most-Relenting, Very-Merciful. 

Sura 9 : Verse 5
 فَإِذَا ٱنسَلَخَ ٱلۡأَشۡہُرُ ٱلۡحُرُمُ فَٱقۡتُلُواْ ٱلۡمُشۡرِكِينَ حَيۡثُ وَجَدتُّمُوهُمۡ وَخُذُوهُمۡ وَٱحۡصُرُوهُمۡ وَٱقۡعُدُواْ لَهُمۡ ڪُلَّ مَرۡصَدٍ۬‌ۚ فَإِن تَابُواْ وَأَقَامُواْ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَوُاْ ٱلزَّڪَوٰةَ فَخَلُّواْ سَبِيلَهُمۡ‌ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬
..... Then, if they repent and establish Salah and pay Zakah, leave their way. Surely, Allah is most Forgiving, Very-Merciful.

Sura 11: Verse 90
وَٱسۡتَغۡفِرُواْ رَبَّڪُمۡ ثُمَّ تُوبُوٓاْ إِلَيۡهِ‌ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى رَحِيمٌ۬ وَدُودٌ۬
Seek forgiveness from your Lord, then turn towards Him in repentance. Surely, my Lord is very merciful, most loving.

Sura 16: Verse 7
وَتَحۡمِلُ أَثۡقَالَڪُمۡ إِلَىٰ بَلَدٍ۬ لَّمۡ تَكُونُواْ بَـٰلِغِيهِ إِلَّا بِشِقِّ ٱلۡأَنفُسِ‌ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكُمۡ لَرَءُوفٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬
And they carry your loads to a city where you were not able to reach without putting yourselves to arduous labor. Surely, your Lord is Very-Kind, Very-Merciful. 

Quoted from Quran Explorer website.   http://www.quranexplorer.com/

Interestingly in most cases "Rahim" is usually used in conjunction with another adjective giving it a sense of exclusiveness that we  talked above.  It is important to emphasis however, that my impression from this word is not directly derived from the text, a word by word translation approach, but it is a subtle relationship that can be inferred from the context.