التَّأوِيلُ الإِسمَاعِيلِيُّ لِلرَّحمَة — الرَّحمَةُ الإِلَهِيَّةُ فِي التَّأوِيل: كَيفَ تُقرَأُ [وَرَحمَتِي وَسِعَت كُلَّ شَيء] فِي 7:156 فِي التَّأوِيلِ الإِسمَاعِيلِيِّ
In Ismaili ta'wil, al-Rahmah (الرَّحمَة — Divine Mercy; from *r-h-m*: the root meaning of womb [rahim]; mercy = womb-like love; al-Rahman and al-Rahim are both divine names; al-Rahman = the supremely merciful [the cosmic, encompassing mercy]; al-Rahim = the mercy-giving [the active, particular mercy]; the Quran opens every sura except al-Tawba with the Basmala: 'Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim' — In the name of God the Supremely Merciful the Mercy-Giver; this frames the entire Quran in the rubric of mercy; the key verses: [1] 7:156: 'wa-rahmatim wasi'at kulla shay' — fa-sa-aktubaha li-l-ladhina yattaquna wa-yu'tuna al-zakata wa-l-ladhina hum bi-ayatina yu'minun' [My mercy encompasses all things — so I will decree it for those who are God-fearing and give zakah and those who believe in Our signs]; [2] 21:107: 'wa-ma arsalnaka illa rahmatan li-l-'alamin' [We did not send you except as a mercy to the worlds]; [3] 55:1-2: 'al-Rahman — 'allama al-Quran' [The Supremely Merciful — He taught the Quran]; [4] 6:12: 'kataba 'ala nafsihi al-rahmah' [He has written mercy upon Himself]; [5] 39:53: 'la taqnatu min rahmati Allah — inna Allaha yaghfiru al-dhunuba jami'an' [Do not despair of the mercy of God — indeed God forgives all sins]; [6] hadith: 'inna Allaha khalaqa al-rahmah yawma khalaqaha mi'ata rahma — fa-amsaka 'indahu tis'an wa-tis'in rahmatan — wa-anzala fi al-ard rahmatan wahidah' [God created mercy on the day He created it — one hundred mercies — kept with Himself ninety-nine — and sent down to earth one mercy]; the structural distinction: al-Rahman vs al-Rahim: [a] al-Rahman is the cosmic, encompassing mercy [mercy that encompasses all things, believers and unbelievers alike, the general mercy of existence]; [b] al-Rahim is the particular, giving mercy [the mercy God exercises specifically toward believers]; in Ismaili ta'wil: [a] al-Rahman = the zahiri cosmic order in which all exist; [b] al-Rahim = the batin-mercy of walayah given specifically to the mu'minin; the Ismaili ta'wil of al-Rahmah: [1] the Prophet as rahma to 'all worlds' [21:107]: 'We sent you as a mercy to the worlds' — in Ismaili ta'wil: the Prophet's mission is a rahma not just to one generation but to all eras through the da'wa he established; the rahma continues through the Imam's ta'wil in each era; 'the worlds' [al-'alamin] = multiple levels of cosmological reality; [2] 'My mercy encompasses all things' [7:156] — but conditions: the encompassing mercy [rahma wasi'ah] is nonetheless specifically 'written' [maktub] for: [a] the God-fearing [al-muttaqun]; [b] those who give zakah; [c] 'those who believe in Our signs'; in Ismaili ta'wil: 'Our signs' [bi-ayatina] = the Imam's ta'wil; believing in the Imam's signs = recognizing the batin through the Imam; the mercy is universal in scope but specifically received by those who access the batin; [3] al-Rahman 'taught the Quran' [55:1-2]: the opening of Sura al-Rahman: al-Rahman is the subject; al-Rahman taught the Quran; in Ismaili ta'wil: just as the zahir of the Quran was transmitted by the Prophet, the batin of the Quran is transmitted by the Imam — the Imam as al-Rahman's teaching function; [4] the hadith of the hundred mercies: one mercy is in this world [all love and compassion experienced here]; ninety-nine are reserved; in Ismaili ta'wil: the one mercy in the world = the zahiri order including the mercy of social love; the ninety-nine = the batin-mercy available through the Imam's ta'wil — the vastly greater portion of divine mercy; [5] 'do not despair of the mercy of God' [39:53]: in Ismaili ta'wil: despair = the situation of one who has lost touch with the Imam's ta'wil but believes the door is permanently closed; the rahma re-opens through bay'ah — the renewal of walayah at any point) is Ismaili cosmology's most expansive single concept.
Two Names, Two Scales of Mercy
Al-Basmala opens every Quranic sura with two divine names from the same root: al-Rahman (the supremely merciful) and al-Rahim (the mercy-giver). Classical Arabic distinguishes them by scale: al-Rahman is the cosmic, total mercy — mercy that encompasses all things, as 7:156 says; al-Rahim is the active mercy directed specifically toward believers.
In Ismaili ta’wil, this distinction maps onto the zahir/batin axis. Al-Rahman = the zahiri cosmic order in which all creatures exist — the general mercy of existence, provision, life. Al-Rahim = the batin-mercy of walayah given specifically to those who accept the Imam’s ta’wil. One is universal; the other is particular. Both are real; neither negates the other.
The Prophet’s Mercy Continues
21:107 — “We did not send you except as a mercy to the worlds” — is one of the Quran’s clearest statements of the Prophet’s cosmic function. In Ismaili ta’wil, the rahma of the Prophet is not exhausted by his lifetime. Through the da’wa structure he established and the chain of Imams who continue the ta’wil, the mercy continues to reach “all worlds” — all levels of cosmological reality, all eras of history. The Imam in each era is the activated form of this ongoing mercy.
Mercy’s Conditions
7:156 introduces an apparent paradox: “My mercy encompasses all things” — and then immediately states that it is specifically written for those who are God-fearing, give zakah, and “believe in Our signs.” The encompassing mercy is universal in scope but specifically received by those who access what the ayat (signs) point toward.
In Ismaili ta’wil, “Our signs” (bi-ayatina) are the Imam’s ta’wil — the living signs of the batin that the Imam makes accessible. Believing in these signs is precisely what distinguishes those who receive the mercy in its fullness from those who experience only its zahiri dimension.
See also: Tawil Esoteric Interpretation, Bayah And Walayah, Ismaili Cosmology Hudud Al Din, Ismaili Tawil Of Al Shajara, Ismaili Tawil Of Al Kalima