My Mercy

Qur’an 7.156

The mercy and beneficence of God are the foremost of his attributes mentioned in the Fatihah, Qur’an 1.

–Andrew Wilson, editor [World Scripture – a Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts. Paragon House, 1991] pp. 29-30.

Qur’an 1: The Fatihah 

The Fatihah is the chief Muslim prayer; it is recited with prostrations five times a day. In honor and in parallel content it is frequently compared to The Lord’s Prayer [Matthew 6.9-13].

–Andrew Wilson, editor [World Scripture – a Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts. Paragon House, 1991] p. 30.

When devout Muslims recite the Fatihah, the opening verse of the Qur’an–

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds:
The Beneficent, the Merciful:
Owner of the Day of Judgement.
Thee alone we worship; Thee alone we ask for help.
Show us the straight path:
The path of those whom Thou hast favored;
Not of those who earn Thine anger
nor of those who go astray.

they give praise to God and pledge to worship no other. The phrase, “Thee alone we worship; Thee alone we ask for help,” is an assertion that believers will not find solace in money or worldly supports, nor in any secular ideology which would deny God’s claim upon their life. It is a solemn oath to walk the “straight path” of morality and to honor the Creator from whom all good things issue.

–Joong Hyun Pak and Andrew Wilson [True Family Values, 3rd Edition] pp. 11-12