on Arabic lexicology. The Arabs had numerous ilāhs or gods but none of them was ever called Allāh, while a Supreme Being called Allāh was recognized above them all as the Creator of the universe (29:61), and no other deity, however great, was so regarded.
Among the attributive names of the Divine Being occurring in the Holy Qur’ān, four stand out prominently, and these four are exactly the names mentioned in the Opening chapter (Fātiḥah), which by consensus of opinion, and according to a saying of the Holy Prophet, is the quintessence of the Book. The chapter opens with the proper name Allāh, and then follows the greatest of all attributive names Rabb which, for want of a proper equivalent, is translated “Lord”. Its real significance, according to the best authority on Quranic lexicology, is the Fosterer of a thing in such a manner as to make it attain one condition after another until it reaches its goal of completion (R.). Rabb, therefore, means the Lord Who brings all that is in this universe to a state of perfection through various stages of growth,13 and as these stages include the lowest and the remotest, which, as we go back farther and farther, dwindle into nothingness, the word Rabb carries with it the idea of the Author of all existence. Rabb, is thus the chief attribute of the Divine Being, and hence it is that prayers are generally addressed to Rabb, and begin with the words Rabba-nā, that is, our Lord.14 Indeed after the proper name Allāh, the Holy Qur’ān has given the greatest prominence to the name Rabb.
The order adopted by the Holy Qur’ān in speaking of the Divine attributes is a highly scientific one. Allāh, the proper name, comes first of all in the Opening chapter, and this is followed by Rabb, the most important of the attributive names. Their relative importance is further shown by the fact that while the name Allāh is found in the Holy Qur’ān some 2,800 times, the name Rabb occurs about 960 times, no other name being so frequently mentioned. Next in importance to Rabb are the names Raḥmān, Raḥīm15 and Mālik which follow Rabb in the opening chapter. These three names in fact show how the attribute of rabūbiyya, or bringing to perfection by fostering, is brought into play. Raḥmān signifies that love is so predominant in the Divine
13 The theory of evolution, to which a reference is undoubtedly contained in the word Rabb, is expressly referred to on several occasions in the Holy Qur’ān. Thus, speaking of the first state of the heavens and the earth, it says: “The heavens and the earth were closed up so We rent them” (21:30). This, no doubt, refers to an early stage in evolution when there was a state of chaos, out of which the present highly complicated but completely regulated system has grown up. And speaking of the creation of man, it says: “And indeed He has created you by various stages” (71:14), showing that man has been brought to the present stage of physical perfection after passing through various conditions. In another place it is said that man “shall certainly ascend to one state after another” (84:19), which is in all likelihood a reference to the spiritual evolution of man.
14 It should be noted here that Jesus Christ addressed the Divine Being as Ab or Father, instead of which the Holy Qur’ān adopts Rabb. Now while Ab or Father carries with it the idea of paternal affection combined with fostering, the word Rabb carries a far grander idea, the idea of the unbounded love and affection of the Author of all existence, Who has not only given to the whole creation its means of nourishment but has also ordained beforehand for all a sphere of capacity and within that sphere provided the means by which they may continue to attain gradually to their goal of perfection. It shows how highly the Quranic revelation has developed the simpler ideas of previous revelations.
15 Raḥmān and Raḥīm are derived from the one root raḥma, which means tenderness requiring the exercise of beneficence, and thus comprise the ideas of love and mercy. Raḥmān is of the measure of fa‘lān and gives expression to the preponderance of rahma in Divine nature, and Raḥīm is of the measure of fa‘īl and gives expression to the repetition of the quality of raḥma.