As she showed me how to write a version of the Bismillah - the declaration "In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful" - she revealed something astonishing.

BBC: The Koran through the ages

In the wake of the less merciful Katrina, Valero sent doctors to its New Orleans plant to help the injured.

FORBES: No Time To Waste

The Almighty and Merciful God, who is the Creator of the Universe, is also its Lord and Ruler.

NPR: Transcript of Ahmadinejad's U.N. Speech

The Lakers season came to a merciful end Sunday with a four-game sweep at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs that saw Howard tossed from the game after receiving his second technical foul.

FORBES: The Lakers' $130 Million Nightmare Season Comes To An End

In a merciful moment bestowed by the food gods, it occurred to me that my tart did not have to be French.

NPR: Cool and Comforting Ceviche

In the name of God, most merciful, most compassionate.

CNN: Saddam addresses Iraqi people

No score came and it was probably considered a merciful release by fans and players alike when the referee finally blew the whistle.

BBC: Lomas off in bore draw

This masochistic exercise in conspicuous Conservative contrition is not quite over but is drawing to a merciful close, and Mr Lilley appears to have got the gist of what Britons think.

ECONOMIST: Something for the kitchen table

Only when she learnt that this merciful tactic merely caused a long summer of reshuffle speculation in the press did she see the merit of getting the carnage out of the way in July.

ECONOMIST: Into the reshuffle season

She said appeal judges decided to impose a four-year term after concluding that the 18-month sentence for offences committed over a 12-year period was "not simply merciful" but "unduly lenient".

BBC: Redhill osteopath Mark Piraino's sentence increased