How many times is mercy (rahmah) mentioned in the Quran?
114 times, counting every form of رَحْمَة. Here is every word from its root, where it appears most, and the verses that explain it.
times in the Quran
in 62 surahs
Mercy (rahmah) comes from the root ر ح م, the same root as the word for a mother’s womb. Two of Allah’s names, Ar-Rahman and Ar-Raheem, open every surah but one.
Every form of the root ر ح م
| Word | Meaning | Times |
|---|---|---|
| رَحِيم | Ar-Raheem, the Especially Merciful | 116 |
| رَحْمَة | mercy (the noun, rahmah) | 114 |
| رَحْمٰن | Ar-Rahman, the Most Merciful | 57 |
| رَحِمَ | to have mercy | 28 |
| أَرْحام | wombs, family ties | 12 |
| راحِم | those who show mercy | 6 |
| أَرْحَم | the most merciful (of all) | 4 |
| رُحْم | tenderness, affection | 1 |
| مَرْحَمَة | compassion | 1 |
Counted in the Quranic Arabic Corpus morphology: each word is counted once, in every form built from the lemma (singular, dual, plural, with attached letters such as “and” or “the”). Other counting rules give slightly different numbers.
Where it appears most
| Surah | Words from this root |
|---|---|
| 2. Al-Baqarah | 20 |
| 19. Maryam | 20 |
| 7. Al-A'raf | 18 |
| 4. An-Nisa | 16 |
| 6. Al-An'am | 13 |
Key verses about mercy
۞ وَٱكْتُبْ لَنَا فِى هَـٰذِهِ ٱلدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ إِنَّا هُدْنَآ إِلَيْكَ ۚ قَالَ عَذَابِىٓ أُصِيبُ بِهِۦ مَنْ أَشَآءُ ۖ وَرَحْمَتِى وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ ۚ فَسَأَكْتُبُهَا لِلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ وَيُؤْتُونَ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
And ordain for us in this world that which is good, and in the Hereafter (that which is good), Lo! We have turned unto Thee. He said: I smite with My punishment whom I will, and My mercy embraceth all things, therefore I shall ordain it for those who ward off (evil) and pay the poor-due, and those who believe Our revelations;
۞ قُلْ يَـٰعِبَادِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا۟ مِن رَّحْمَةِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
Say: O My slaves who have been prodigal to their own hurt! Despair not of the mercy of Allah, Who forgiveth all sins. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَـٰكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
We sent thee not save as a mercy for the peoples.
وَإِذَا جَآءَكَ ٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا فَقُلْ سَلَـٰمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ ۖ كَتَبَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ ٱلرَّحْمَةَ ۖ أَنَّهُۥ مَنْ عَمِلَ مِنكُمْ سُوٓءًۢا بِجَهَـٰلَةٍ ثُمَّ تَابَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَنَّهُۥ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
And when those who believe in Our revelations come unto thee, say: Peace be unto you! Your Lord hath prescribed for Himself mercy, that whoso of you doeth evil through ignorance and repenteth afterward thereof and doeth right, (for him) lo! He is Forgiving, Merciful.
وَٱخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ ٱلذُّلِّ مِنَ ٱلرَّحْمَةِ وَقُل رَّبِّ ٱرْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِى صَغِيرًا
And lower unto them the wing of submission through mercy, and say: My Lord! Have mercy on them both as they did care for me when I was little.
English: Marmaduke Pickthall (public domain). Arabic: Uthmani script, via quran.com.
What these verses teach
Allah says His mercy “embraceth all things” (7:156), and He “hath prescribed for Himself mercy” (6:54). Even the most hopeless are told directly: “despair not of the mercy of Allah” (39:53). And the Prophet ﷺ was sent as “a mercy for the peoples” (21:107).
99 Names of Allah · Duas for forgiveness
More Quran word counts
Frequently asked questions
How many times is rahmah mentioned in the Quran?
Rahmah (رَحْمَة) appears 114 times in the Quran, counting every form of the word. Words from its root, ر ح م, appear 339 times in all.
Which surah mentions rahmah the most?
Al-Baqarah (Surah 2), with 20 words from the root ر ح م.
Why do other websites give different numbers?
Counts depend on the rule used: whether plurals and verb forms are included, and whether the whole root is counted or one word. We count words as written in the Hafs text, using the Quranic Arabic Corpus, and print the rule on the page.