رحمه الله
raḥimahu Allāh
The phrase "may allah have mercy on him" in Arabic is رحمه الله (raḥimahu Allāh).
This expression is a prayer used immediately after mentioning the name of a deceased Muslim person to ask God for their forgiveness and grace.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb raḥima (had mercy), the object pronoun hu (him) and Allāh (God).
Which one should you use?
To increase the level of reverence in the prayer, you can use the form رحمه الله تعالى, which means "may Allah the Exalted have mercy on him".
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to a deceased female, the object pronoun changes from hu to hā, resulting in the form رحمها الله (may Allah have mercy on her).
How do you pronounce it?
raḥimahu Allāh
Did you know?
- In written Arabic, this phrase is often abbreviated to a single letter or a small symbol in footnotes and biographies to save space.
- The name Allāh shares a common linguistic ancestor with the Hebrew word 'Eloah', meaning they belong to the same Semitic family of names for the divine.
- While the phrase is a prayer, using it in a conversation functions as a social marker that identifies the deceased person as a Muslim.
Examples in context
- نعزّي أسرته في هذا الوقت العصيب. الله يرحمه.We condole his family in this difficult time. May Allah have mercy on him.
- كان جدي رجلاً صالحاً، رحمه الله.kana jaddi rajulan salihan, rahimahu Allah.My grandfather was a righteous man, may Allah have mercy on him.
- لقد فقدنا معلماً متميزاً، رحمه الله.laqad faqadna mu'alliman mutamayyizan, rahimahu Allah.We lost an excellent teacher, may Allah have mercy on him.
- سمعت عن وفاة جارنا، رحمه الله.sami'tu 'an wafati jarina, rahimahu Allah.I heard about the passing of our neighbor, may Allah have mercy on him.
Example conversation
Ziad and Maryam are talking about a late relative.
- زياد Ziadهل تذكرين عمي خالد؟Hal tadhkurina ammi Khalid?Do you remember my uncle Khalid?
- مريم Maryamنعم، كان كريماً جداً، رحمه الله.Na'am, kana kariman jiddan, rahimahu Allah.Yes, he was very generous, may Allah have mercy on him.
- زياد Ziadلقد اشتاق الجميع إليه.Laqad ishtaqa al-jami'u ilayh.Everyone missed him.
- مريم Maryamاللهم آمين.Allahumma amin.Amen.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries الله, CC BY-SA 4.0.
