every verse in the Quran begins with the phrase:
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
(bismillahi rahmani raheem)

rough translation: in the name of God the most merciful, the most compassionate

alternatively sometimes translated as: in the name of God the most merciful, the most beneficent.

I personally prefer not to use the 'beneficent' version, simply because its not a well known English word, and the true meaning could be lost.

the two adjectives used (English 'merciful' and 'compassionate') both stem from the arabic root رحم - R-H-M, which literally means womb, but which spawns a family of words related to nurture and caring - equivalent to the protection and care (mercy) a womb provides to an unborn living creature.

In this arabic phrase, the distinction between the two adjectives is important. It is not merely two versions of "merciful". The first 'rahman' refers to the characteristic of 'mercifulness' that is the embodiment of God himself, innate, before it is even directed towards anything. Whereas 'raheem' refers to the mercy that is issued in response to the behaviour of the recipient.

put simply, mercy is granted in accordance with deeds and behaviour - by the embodiment of mercy Himself.

My take: life is created by the embodiment of mercy Himself, and therefore all life is blessed with mercy by default. However the degree of mercy must be conditional on the deeds and behaviour of individuals. But in the end mercy trumps wrath - how could it not? Life after all, was created, and will ultimately be judged by the embodiment of mercy Himself.

For all the talk about wrath and vengeance in all Abrahamic religions, in the end it is clear to me that the end game for God is mercy. Yes, we must be judged for our choices, and some sort of recompense is required for our misdeeds (otherwise judgement has no meaning) - yet in the end, mercy will trump wrath, always. Even for the very worst sins and evil.

Otherwise, why would each verse of the Quran start with "In the name of God the most merciful, most compassionate" and not "In the name of God the most wrathful/vengeful"?

https://wahiduddin.net/words/bismillah.htm

Why is gandi running away from his shahada, there is no god but allah?

The qur'an is about allah nobody else.

Bismillah Meaning in English and Urdu – Get allah Blessings

Bismillah Meaning in English as summarizing it in simple words are as “Starting with the Name of allah who is the most merciful and the most beneficial”.

qur'an 8.67: It is not for any prophet to have captives until he hath made a great slaughter in the land. Ye desire the lure of this world and Allah desireth (for you) the Hereafter, and Allah is Mighty, Wise.

mercy shown to people you've invaded and overcome.

qur'an 2.216: Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not.

mercy is actually people going out and performing jihad (don't let the bloodshed put you off this is mercy)

qur'an 3.151: We shall cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve because they ascribe unto Allah partners, for which no warrant hath been revealed. Their habitation is the Fire, and hapless the abode of the wrong-doers.

mercy is terrorizing innocent non believers.

qur'an 4.74: Let those that fight in the cause of Allah who sell the life of this world for the other. Whoso fighteth in the cause of Allah, be he slain or be he victorious, on him We shall bestow a vast reward.

jihad and suicide is really what mercy is about.

qur'an 4.95: Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) and receive no hurt, and those who strive and fight in the cause of Allah with their goods and their persons. Allah hath granted a grade higher to those who strive and fight with their goods and persons than to those who sit (at home). Unto all (in Faith) Hath Allah promised good: But those who strive and fight Hath He distinguished above those who sit (at home) by a special reward

once again mercy is right there so long as you remember that jihadists are the highest grade of muslims.

qur'an 9.29: Fight those who do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day and who do not consider unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have made unlawful and who do not adopt the religion of truth from those who were given the Scripture - [fight] until they give the jizyah willingly while they are humbled.

Now that's real mercy shown to non believers, the godd muzzies are to go out and kill them

qur'an 9.39: Unless ye go forth, He will punish you with a grievous penalty, and put others in your place; but Him ye would not harm in the least. For Allah hath power over all things.

Now we're getting somewhere we see the real mercy of allah who will severely punish people who don't want to go out as jihadists.

qur'an 47.35: Be not weary and faint-hearted, crying for peace, when ye should be uppermost: for Allah is with you, and will never put you in loss for your (good) deeds.

Once again the mercy of allah as he tells the muzzies not to seek peace, but go out an slaughter all those pesky unbelievers and oppress them.

qur'an 61.4: Truly Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in battle array, as if they were a solid cemented structure.

Now that's what I call mercy, allah loves the killers he's just not so keen on the backsliders who don't want to go and fight all the time.

qur'an 3.28: Let not the believers take disbelievers for their friends in preference to believers. Whoso doeth that hath no connection with Allah unless (it be) that ye but guard yourselves against them, taking (as it were) security. Allah biddeth you beware (only) of Himself. Unto Allah is the journeying.

There you go the merciful allah says don't take non believers as your friends, unless you're trying to deceive them

qur'an 98.6: Those who reject (Truth), among the People of the Book and among the Polytheists, will be in Hell-Fire, to dwell therein (for aye).

Now that's real mercy, people who reject islam are the worst of creatures.

qur'an 5.33: Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive upon earth [to cause] corruption is none but that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides or that they be exiled from the land. That is for them a disgrace in this world; and for them in the Hereafter is a great punishment,

Well you know mercy can only go so far, corrupters get tortured and murdered.


I would say the revamped moon god allah is the most evil prick ever devised by mankind

How often did Muhammad encourage his followers to be Merciful?

freediver wrote on May 2^nd, 2019 at 12:25pm:



It is recorded that on more than one occasion, Mohammed ['the example to every moslem' - Allah] sent assassins to murder his social critics.




This woman,   ---- >  Asma Bint Marwan was a poet and a social commentator of her day.

And it is recorded in ISLAMIC texts that she was a nursing mother.

To find out what happened to her....

WWW search....




.



freediver,

I think the point that gandalf is trying to make in the OP, is that no moslem actually practices ISLAM.



[...n.b. i don't believe that argument/proposition!       but hey, that is the argument/proposition which gandalf is trying to promote.

gandalf will accuse me of putting words into HIS mouth.

but hey,     we have all give up on gandalf ever giving a straight answer about ISLAM, haven't we ???  ]