Attributes of God
Senior 2 · Religion and Ethics
Attributes of God
Lesson 4 of 5
20 min
Before a meal, a Muslim family in Nyamirambo says "Bismillah" (In the name of Allah). Next door, a Christian family bows their heads and thanks God for the food. Both prayers remember a God who is good and generous. This lesson studies the moral attributes of God: mercy, love, justice and holiness. These are the attributes that believers try hardest to copy.
Mercy means kindness and forgiveness shown to someone who does not deserve it or cannot repay it.
In Christianity.
"The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness." (Psalm 103:8)
"The LORD is good to all. His tender mercies are over all his works." (Psalm 145:9)
Christians believe God's love is shown most fully in Jesus Christ, and that "God is love" (1 John 4:8).
In Islam. Every surah of the Qur'an except one begins with the words known as the Bismillah:
"In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful." (Qur'an 1:1)
The opening surah continues: "Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, The Beneficent, the Merciful." (Qur'an 1:2–3). The Beneficent (ar-Rahman) and the Merciful (ar-Rahim) both come from the Arabic word for mercy. The Qur'an also says: "Despair not of the mercy of Allah, Who forgiveth all sins. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful." (Qur'an 39:53)
Justice means fairness: giving each person what is right and due, and never favouring the powerful over the weak.
"The Rock: his work is perfect, for all his ways are just. A God of faithfulness who does no wrong, just and right is he." (Deuteronomy 32:4)
"Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope. For it (is only) that which it hath earned, and against it (only) that which it hath deserved." (Qur'an 2:286)
This verse means that each person is judged fairly, only for what he or she has done.
Holy means completely pure, set apart from all evil. Faithful means always keeping promises; God does not change.
"You shall be holy; for I, the LORD your God, am holy." (Leviticus 19:2)
"For I, the LORD, don’t change." (Malachi 3:6)
Among the names of Allah, the Qur'an lists "the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One, Peace, the Keeper of Faith" (Qur'an 59:23). The Holy One is al-Quddus, and Peace is as-Salam.
Both faiths teach that God is both merciful and just. Mercy does not mean wrongdoing is unimportant. God judges fairly, and God forgives those who sincerely turn back to him. You will study repentance and forgiveness in detail in Unit 4.
Question: Using one text from the Bible and one from the Qur'an, show that both faiths describe God as merciful. (4 marks)
Model answer: In the Bible, Psalm 103:8 says: "The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness." This shows God is patient and kind towards people who do wrong (2 marks). In the Qur'an, almost every surah begins "In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful" (Qur'an 1:1), so Muslims remember God's mercy before reciting the Qur'an and before daily actions (2 marks).
Note for your teacher: Pickthall's 1930 translation leaves the Bismillah of Surah 1 unnumbered, so its verse numbers for that surah are one lower than the standard numbering used here.
Tip
Memory hook. Remember M-L-J-H: Mercy, Love, Justice, Holiness. These are God's moral attributes, the ones believers are asked to copy. Power, knowledge and presence everywhere belong to God alone and cannot be copied.
Define mercy and justice.
Answer: mercy is kindness and forgiveness shown to someone who does not deserve it or cannot repay it; justice is fairness, giving each person what is right and due.
What is the Bismillah, and which two attributes of God does it name?
Answer: the words "In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful", which begin every surah of the Qur'an except one. It names Allah as the Beneficent (ar-Rahman) and the Merciful (ar-Rahim).
Which Bible verse says God does not change?
Answer: Malachi 3:6, "For I, the LORD, don’t change."
"If God is merciful, it does not matter how I behave." Do you agree? Give a reason from both faiths.
Model answer: no. Both faiths teach that God is merciful and also just. God's mercy is offered to those who sincerely turn back from wrong (Qur'an 39:53 speaks of God forgiving; Psalm 103:8 describes God as slow to anger), but God also judges fairly (Deuteronomy 32:4; Qur'an 2:286). Mercy is a reason to change, not an excuse to keep doing wrong.
Remember
Sources and credits
