The word ‘grace’ refers to God’s favour and mercy, it also refers to man’s generosity and benevolence. We deal with both meanings below. God’s grace is expressed in al-Rahman, which implies that he has granted the creation favours (ni‘ma), irrespective of whether they believe in him or not, but he has granted special favours to those servants who have submitted to him with sincerity and love. The ninety-nine attributes of God mentioned in the Quran are repeated daily by Muslims, which means they make a deep impression on their consciousness.

Among the frequent attributes mentioned are: al-Rahman (the Merciful;170 times), al-Rahim (the Compassionate;227 times), al-Ghaffar and al- Ghafur (the Forgiving; 97 times) and al- Latif (the Kind; 7 times). Thus God is not only just, but also merciful. He is God, other than whom there is no god. He knows the unseen and the seen. He is the Merciful, the Compassionate . . . To Him belong the most beautiful names. Whatever is in the heavens and on earth glorifies Him and He is the exalted in Might, the Wise. (59.23–4)