Al-Rahman al-Rahim (the Merciful, the Compassionate)

Al-Rahman and al-Rahim are two of God's names, appearing in the basmala and in the Fatiha. Sha'rawi holds that their meaning shifts with their place: in the basmala they recall forgiveness, and in the Fatiha they are joined to God's lordship over the worlds. ^{1 2}

Sha'rawi says the two names in the basmala recall mercy and forgiveness, so that one who has disobeyed is not ashamed to seek God's help, since God is approached through the door of mercy. ¹

In the Fatiha the names follow "Lord of the worlds", so the mercy of lordship reaches believer and unbeliever alike, all receive their favours in this world, the disobedient are given time, and the door of repentance stays open. Sha'rawi holds that God made His mercy precede His anger. ²

Sha'rawi cites a hadith qudsi, which he attributes to Ahmad's Musnad, in which the sky, the seas and the mountains ask leave to punish the son of Adam for his disobedience, and God says to leave them, for perhaps they will repent; if they repent He is their beloved, and if not He is their physician. He uses this to argue that creation serves the human by God's subjection of it despite disobedience. ³

This is Sha'rawi's reading and is attributed to him. The grading of the hadith on p.66 has not been checked here, and no other view on the two names is given in the scan. The edition is unverified; page numbers are scan pages.