Note On 'Kind, Merciful'

S 9:128  A messenger has come to you from yourselves. Dear to him is what you have suffered. Greedy upon you. To the believers is he kind, merciful.

The author says of himself that he is kind and merciful. The Arabic is:

 لَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ

ra'ufun rahimun

If we turn to Exodus 34:6 in the Arabic Bible we find:

فاجتاز الرب قدامه. ونادى الرب: «الرب اله رحيم وراوف بطيء الغضب وكثير الاحسان والوفاء.

rahimun wa-ra'ufun

The Hebrew has:

וַיַּעֲבֹר יְהוָה עַל־פָּנָיו וַיִּקְרָא יְהוָה יְהוָה אֵל רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב־חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת

rahum v'hannun

The KJV has:

And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

In the Bible, GOD says that he's merciful and gracious; in quran the author says that he himself is kind and merciful.

Adjective

[edit]

رَؤُوف • (raʔūf) (feminine رَؤُوف (raʔūf) or رَؤُوفَة (raʔūfa), masculine plural رُؤَفَاء (ruʔafāʔ), feminine plural رَؤُوفَات (raʔūfāt))

1. compassionate, merciful, gracious synonym ▲ Synonym: حَنُون (ḥanūn)

  رؤوف - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Cognate with Arabic حَنُون (ḥanūn, “kind, affectionate”).

Adjective

[edit]

חַנּוּן • (khanún)

1. gracious, merciful, compassionate quotations ▲
   

• Tanach, Exodus 34:6, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society: וַיַּעֲבֹר יְהוָה עַל־פָּנָיו וַיִּקְרָא יְהוָה יְהוָה אֵל רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב־חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת Va-ya'avor Adonai 'al panav va-yiqra Adonai Adonai El raḥum v-ḥanun érekh apáyim v-rav ḥésed ve-emet And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed: ‘The LORD, the LORD, God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth

• Tanach, Psalms 116:5, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society: חַנּוּן יְהֹוָה וְצַדִּיק וֵאלֹהֵינוּ מְרַחֵם׃ Ḥanun Adonai v-tsaddiq, v-elohénu m'raḥem. Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; Yea, our God is compassionate.

• 
  

Usage notes

[edit]

• This adjective is nearly always used to describe God, and thus the feminine and plural forms are very rare.

• 
  

Adjective

[edit]

חָנוּן • (khanún) (masculine plural חֲנוּנִים)

1. passive participle of חָנַן (khanán). quotations ▲
   

• c. 1200, Yehuda Alharizi, “Translator's Preface”, in Maimonides, translated by Yehuda Alharizi, Rambam's Introduction to the Mishnah‎[1]: חַנּוּנָיו הֵמָּה חֲנוּנִים וּמְלֻמָּדָיו הֵם מְלֻמָּדִים כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וַיֹּאמֶר אֲנִי אַעֲבִיר כָּל טוּבִי עַל פָּנֶיךָ וְקָרָאתִי בְשֵׁם ה' לְפָנֶיךָ וְחַנֹּתִי אֶת אֲשֶׁר אָחֹן וְרִחַמְתִּי אֶת אֲשֶׁר אֲרַחֵם Ḥanunav héma ḥanunim u-m'lumadav hem m'lumadim k'mo she-ne'emar, 'vayómer: ani a'avir kol tuvi 'al panékha v-qaráti v-shem Adonai l'fanékha v-ḥannotí et asher aḥon v-riḥámti et asher araḥem.' His merciful ones are merciful, and his learned ones are learned, as is written, 'And he said: I will pass all my goodness before Your face and call by the name of Adonai before you, and have mercy over whom I have mercy and compassion over whom I have compassion.'

 חנון - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

It seems probable that the Ear heard the Exodus passage and adapted it and applied it to himself.

Further reading:

To the Believers Is He Most Kind and Merciful