The power of Bismilai

The Power of Bismillah
Whilst growing up we are pushed to recite Bismillah
ir-Rahman ir-Rahim before starting any task or
chore and especially before eating. But how many of
us understand the meaning behind the phrase? Even
for those of us who know the translation, when
saying it, how much sincerity is there in our
utterance.
Firstly it is vital to remember that Allah needs to be
remembered daily. Allah is self-sufficient, humans
are not. Humans without the remembrance of Allah
are like fish without water, we can not live without
invoking him. Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim is a
phrase often said to contain the true essence of the
entire Qur’an.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “The world
will cease to exist, doomsday will start, when the name of
Allah is no longer mentioned”.
In other words, the primary reason behind our
existence today remains because of the very few still
invoking the name of Allah on a daily basis, every
act and thought is in accordance with his divine
will.
The phrase shown in the above picture is pronounced
Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim, it is an exquisite
phrase which has a profound insight and offers deep
inspiration however only so if understood
correctly. The common translation is: “In the name
of God, most Gracious, most Merciful”. This phrase,
in its magnificence is truly an ideal to be expressed
with utmost sincerity and gratitude, but I can see
how it may fail to capture our hearts. So let’s look
deeper into the meaning.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, Any
important work that does not begin with Bismillah is
imperfect.
Bismillah
The common translation for bismillah is “In the name
of Allah”, It’s an expression that really does not
make much sense at first sight. To understand it
better, it has the connotations of with the blessings
of, under the governance of, with the support of, or for the
glory of (Allah) . In each of these cases, In the name
of indicates that one is submitting to, beginning by
or glorifying Allah, the most High.
Now, let’s take a deeper look into the Arabic roots
of the word bismillah.
The term bismillah, is a combination of three words:
1. The particle bī means by, with the aid of or by means of
and is used in conjunction with the next word (i.e
ism). Something to note about the word bī is that,
it is a prepositional phrase, which in Arabic can only
function with a verb following it. However in the
word bismillah there is no verb, you become an
active member of the narration by placing a verb
that is related to you, not in the literal sense but
defined by your corresponding action or intention.
2. The word ism indicates the means by which something
is distinguished, whether by use of an identifying mark or
by being raised up high so that it may be distinguished, in
other words by giving a name, attribute or a title.
Hence the common translation of ism as ‘name’
3. Allah, is the name of the One who is independent,
incomparable and eternal. In modern English this would
generally be translated as God.
If we put together these terms, we can define
bismillah in various ways:
I begin in the name of Allah
With the guidance of The Divine
By means of the very essence of God
The idea here is that, whatever action we take, we
do so through the essence of the One who has
created us, we take guidance from him first. So
when we are about to begin a task, if we start by
Bismillah, we in principle are saying, “I’m going to
begin this task with the guidance of Allah.” This is
an integral duty of a Muslim and a form of
humbleness, alone we are powerless! At times one
may feel he can succeed on his own, free from any
help or guidance, but once you control your ego,
you realise humans are prone to fault and
destruction & that we are dependent upon the
Creator (one who gave us the ability to think and
act & one who gives us life and takes it). Thus, to
say bismillah, it is to humbly offer oneself as a
vehicle for the glory and majesty of The One.
Ali (RA) said: Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim is an effective
du’a for simplifying a difficult task; and removes all grief
and brings happiness in the heart.
Ir Rahman Ir Rahim
The two terms rahman and rahim refer to attributes
of Allah. Whilst they are often translated simply as
Compassionate and Merciful, the roots point to a
deeper meaning. Both words have the same derivative
which indicates something of the utmost tenderness
which provides protection and nourishment, and that
from which all of creation is brought into being. The
term rahman is a very emphatic statement, which
then is immediately echoed by rahim. Although they
are from the same root, they have distinct
meanings.
1. Rahman:- The term rahman describes the aspect of
the source of creation, which is endlessly radiating
and nourishing. It conveys the idea of fullness and
extensiveness, indicating the great quality of love
and mercy which engulfs all of creation without
regard to any effort or request on our part. It’s
often translated as Gracious, Beneficent and
Compassionate which is denoting the benevolence of
Allah. It describes the quality of abounding Grace
which is inherent in and inseparable from the
Almighty.
2. Rahim:- On the other hand, the term rahim is
specific to individuals and operates in response to
the actions and behaviour of the recipient. It is in
this manner, how Allah takes ten steps towards us
when we take a single step toward him. It is in the
manner how we are gifted the Quran to guide us. In
a sense, it is the continuous manifestation of the
Grace in our lives and its effect upon us as a result
of our own activities.
So Rahman points toward the Beneficent One whose
endless outpouring of love and mercy are continually
showered upon all of creation, while Rahim points
towards the Merciful One whose love and mercy are
manifested in that which is received as the
consequence of one’s deeds. So, the phrase ir rahman
ir rahim is a recognition and honouring of the very
source of all existence, the source of all compassion
and mercy, the one who continues to shower his
mercy.
Allah is not only Gracious and Merciful, he is the
Most Gracious and the Most Merciful, think of
someone who shows an ample amount of mercy to
others, Allah is far more merciful than them; Allah’s
mercy is endless and overflowing, waiting for
someone to request it.
Allaamah Sayyid Haqqi (RA) said: Allah Ta’ala has three
thousand names. He revealed one thousand to the angels,
one thousand to the ambiya, three hundred are mentioned
in the Torah, three hundred in the Zaboor, three hundred in
the Injeel and ninety-nine in the Holy Qur’aan. One Name
He has kept to Himself; He revealed it to no one. Also, He
has condensed all His names into the three names
contained in Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem. They are
Allah, Rahmaan and Raheem. Any person saying
Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem; it is as though he has
remembered Allah by all His names.
To put it all together, I’ll do so by way of an
example:-
Say you are about to walk out of your house on
your way to work. You start by saying Bismillah,
before beginning anything you are putting Allah first
and bringing him into presence. So you’re saying
with the guidance of Allah, that going to work +
your journey to work goes well, and in the direction
of Allah’s will. The next step is to say Ir Rahman Ir
Rahim , what you are doing here is remembering
Allah’s attributes of being magnificently
compassionate to humanity, by bestowing life, etc
and also embracing his mercy towards you as an
individual, but not only that, how he is the most
compassionate and the most merciful. This in return
brings gratitude, because of his mercy to you, you
want to act in accordance of his will.
Now imagine putting this into practice with every
halal act you do, how perfect it becomes and
taqwa-orientated.
No matter where you are, what you are doing, begin
with Bismillah!

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