Ar-Rāfiʿ
The Exalter, The One Who Raises
Root ر ف ع (r-f-ʿ). Lane gives rafaʿahu as ‘he raised it; elevated it; upraised it’, contrasting with khafaḍahu. The term rafīʿ means exalted, as seen in Qur'an 40:15, where Allah is described as rafīʿ ad-darajāt. Marfūʿ in Qur'an 52:5 means raised, and narfaʿu, meaning we raise, appears in 6:83. Ar-Rāfiʿ occurs only with a pronoun, rāfiʿuka, ‘I will raise you’, Allah addressing ʿĪsā (3:55), and is not used as a standalone name in the Qur'an.
The root
ر ف عr-f-ʿ
Raising. Lane gives rafaʿahu as 'he raised it; elevated it; upraised it', the contrary of khafaḍahu.
- رَفِيعrafīʿexalted (40:15, rafīʿ ad-darajāt)
- مَرْفُوعmarfūʿraised (52:5)
- نَرْفَعُnarfaʿuWe raise (6:83)
Pronunciation
الرَّافِعُ
ar-RAA-fi'
In the Qur'an
إِذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ يَا عِيسَىٰ إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَيَّ وَمُطَهِّرُكَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوكَ فَوْقَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَأَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ فِيمَا كُنْتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ
[Mention] when Allah said, "O Jesus, indeed I will take you and raise you to Myself and purify you from those who disbelieve and make those who follow you [in submission to Allah alone] superior to those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return, and I will judge between you concerning that in which you used to differ.
3:55 · Sahih International