A Maulana narrates his own anecdote:

"During the era of undivided India, I used to visit Delhi frequently. Once, I attended a gathering where I was introduced to a religious scholar (Mawlvi) from Delhi. In the promotional posters, the people of Delhi had written the title 'Sher-e-Punjab' (The Lion of Punjab) with my name, and 'Fakhr-e-Dehli' (The Pride of Delhi) with that Mawlvi Sahib's name...

All the friends were sitting together in a gathering, and the poster was right in front of us. The Delhite Mawlvi Sahib jokingly said:

'Maulana! If the letter "Yaa" (ی) is removed from Sher-e-Punjab, what will be left?'

(His witty implication was that removing 'Yaa' from 'Sher' turns it into 'Shar', which means 'mischief/evil of Punjab').

I replied:

'And Maulana! If the letter "Fe" (ف) is removed from the "Fakhr" of Fakhr-e-Dehli, what will be left then?'

(What remains is 'Khar', and 'Khar' means a donkey in Persian).

The audience thoroughly enjoyed this witty exchange.

A gentleman present there, who was also a poet—and that too from Delhi—said with great poise and seriousness:

'Respected elders! Do not drop these letters "Yaa" (ی) and "Fe" (ف); rather, put them to use:

Give the "Yaa" of Sher (Lion) to this Maulana, so he can place it in the middle of "Khar" (Donkey) to attain "Khair" (Goodness/Well-being). And you take the "Fe" of Fakhr (Pride), so you can place it before "Shar" (Mischief) to attain "Sharaf" (Honor/Nobility).'"

The timely and appropriate use of words is indeed a beautiful art, and the one who knows this art is truly highly skilled!

ارے بھائی!

اگر آپ ہزاروں کتابیں، نعتیں، تصاویر، ویڈیوز، اخبار، مضامین، قبلہ نما، اوقات نماز، اسلامک گھڑی اور بہت کچھ آسانی کے ساتھ حاصل کرنا چاہتے ہیں تو بس ہمارے Islamic Tube ایپ کو پلے سٹور سے انسٹال کرو، اور بالکل مفت اور آسانی کے ساتھ اسلامک مواد حاصل کرو

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Rulings on Using the Names 'Rahman' and 'Rahim' for Humans

Rulings on Using the Names 'Rahman' and 'Rahim' for Humans

It is not permissible, rather it is forbidden (Haram), to use the word "Rahman" for anyone other than Allah Almighty. If a person calls any human "Rahman", it amounts to Shirk (polytheism), because there can be no one besides Allah Blessed and Exalted whose mercy is so vast. Therefore, it is not permissible to call anyone else Rahman or Al-Rahman. From this, it also becomes known that the wrong custom prevalent in our society nowadays—where if someone is named Abdul Rahman, it is abbreviated and he is called "Rahman Sahib"—is highly incorrect. The word Rahman cannot be used for anyone other than the Being of Allah Blessed and Exalted. Therefore, if someone's name is Abdul Rahman, his full name should be pronounced as Abdul Rahman; it is not correct to address or refer to him simply as Rahman. There is a fear that this might unintentionally lead a person close to Shirk (Allah forbid). May Allah protect us all from this. Therefore, there is a great need to avoid this strictly. Similarly, caution must also be exercised regarding those names or attributes of Allah that are exclusive to Him, such as Al-Ghaffar, Al-Qahhar, Al-Khaliq, etc. For example, if someone's name is Abdul Khaliq, it is not correct to call him simply "Khaliq". However, the word "Rahim" is different from "Rahman" in this matter, because Rahim means one whose mercy is complete and perfect. Since this attribute can exist in a human being due to Allah's creation—that when a human shows mercy to another human, he shows complete mercy—it is permissible to use the word Rahim for an individual other than Allah. The Holy Quran itself states: "Certainly, a Messenger has come to you from among yourselves; grievous to him is what you suffer; he is deeply concerned for you, and to the believers, he is kind and merciful." Here, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has been called "Rahim", which means that he is merciful, and his mercy is complete upon whomever it is bestowed. Thus, it is proven that the word Rahim can be used for a human being, although its true and ultimate realization belongs only to Allah Almighty. However, it is permissible to use it for other than Allah in its literal sense. (Monthly Al-Balagh, January 2024, p. 13, 14)