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BISMILLAAH IR RAHMAAN IR RAHEEM – AN UNFAILING REMEDY FOR ALL ILLS [Bismillaah ir Rahmaan ir Raheem = In the name of Allaah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.]

“By Allaah! Bismillaah ir Rahmaan ir Raheem (In the name of Allaah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful)! The denizens of this town do not say it!” Thus wondered `Addaas, a Christian slave, when he heard the formula from the holy tongue of the Prophet of Islaam, Muhammad ‫ﺻﻠﱠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ‬ ‫ﺳﻠﱠﻢ‬. This occurred while the Prophet was Visit scribd.com/musarhad for returning from the extremely disappointing more articles on Islam. and painful journey of Taaif, exhausted with wounds and worn down with grief. He entered an orchard to save himself from the mischief of the hoodlums and to take some rest. This orchard belonged to `Utba and Shaiba, sons of Rabee`a. The Prophet ‫ ﺻﻠﱠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺳﻠﱠﻢ‬sat under the shade of the grapevines.

A SOUL-STIRRING INVOCATION BY THE PROPHET When the Prophet felt at peace, he started supplicating to Allaah. The words of this supplication are quite unusual and out of the ordinary. Never have such words of supplication been reported from him. The supplication is: ِ ‫ف ﻗُﱠوِﺘﻲ َوِﻗﻠﱠﺔَ ِﺤْﻴَﻠﺘِﻲ َو َﻫ َواﻨِﻲ َﻋﻠَﻰ اﻟﱠﻨ‬ ‫ت َر ﱡ‬ .‫ﻀ َﻌ ِﻔ ْﻴ َن‬ ‫ت أَ ْرَﺤ ُم ﱠا‬ َ ‫"اَﻟﻠﱠﻬُﱠم إﱢﻨ ْﻲ أَ ْﺸ ُﻛ ْو إﻟَ ْﻴ‬ َ ‫ﻀ ْﻌ‬ ْ َ‫ب اْﻟ ُﻤ ْﺴﺘ‬ َ ‫ َوأَ ْﻨ‬،‫اﻟر ِﺤ ِﻤ ْﻴ َن‬ َ ‫ َوأَ ْﻨ‬،‫ﺎس‬ ُ ‫ك‬ ْ ْ ْ ِ ‫ إَﻟﻰ ﻤ ْن ﺘَ ِﻛﻠُﻨِﻲ؟ إﻟَﻰ َﺒ ِﻌ ْﻴ ٍد ﱠﻴﺘَ َﺠﻬﱠﻤﻨِﻲ أَو إِﻟَﻰ َﻋ ُد ﱟو ﱠﻤﻠﱠ ْﻛﺘَﻪُ أَﻤ ِري؟ إِن ﻟﱠم ﺘَ ُﻛ ْن ﺴ‬،‫ت رﱢﺒﻲ‬ ‫ َوﻟَ ِﻛ ﱠن‬،‫ﺎﺨطًﺎ َﻋﻠَ ﱠﻲ ﻓَ َﻼ أَُﺒ ِﺎﻟ ْﻲ‬ ْ ْ َ ْ ْ ْ ُ َ ْ ْ َ َ ‫ﻓَﺄَ ْﻨ‬ ‫ﱡ‬ ِ ‫ َأ ُﻋوُذ ﺒِﻨُوِر و ْﺠ ِﻬ َ ﱠ‬.‫ك ِﻫﻲ أَوﺴﻊ ﻟِﻲ‬ ِ ‫ﺼﻠُ َﺢ َﻋﻠَ ْﻴ ِﻪ أَ ْﻤ ُر اﻟ ﱡد ْﻨَﻴﺎ َو ْاﻵ ِﺨ َرِة ِﻤ ْن َأ ْن ﺘُْﻨ ِز َﻝ ِﻟ ْﻲ‬ ْ َ‫ي أَ ْﺸ َرﻗ‬ ُ ‫ت ﻟَ ُﻪ اﻟظﻠُ َﻤ‬ ْ ‫ك اﻟذ‬ َ ‫ﺎت َو‬ َ ْ ْ ْ ُ َ ْ َ َ َ‫َﻋﺎﻓَﻴﺘ‬ ".‫ك‬ َ ِ‫ﻀﻰ َوَﻻ َﺤ ْو َﻝ َوَﻻ ﻗُﱠوةَ ﱠإﻻ ﺒ‬ َ َ‫ ﻟ‬.‫ك‬ َ ‫ﻀَﺒ‬ َ ‫ك اْﻟ ُﻌﺘَْﺒﻰ َﺤﺘﱠﻰ ﺘَْر‬ َ ‫َﻏ‬ “O Allaah! I complain to You the lack of my strength, inadequacy of my schemes, and my dishonour before the people. You are the Most Merciful of all those who show mercy.

You are the Lord of the downtrodden. You are my Lord. To whom will You entrust me – to a distant stranger who assails me, or to an enemy whom You have given power over me. If you are not displeased with me, then I do not care. Nevertheless, your security is much better for me. I seek refuge with the light of Your countenance which enlightens all darkness and which sets right all the needs of this world and the Hereafter, lest Your wrath should come upon me. You deserve to be appeased till You are pleased. We have no strength (to protect ourselves from evil) nor power (to achieve something good) without You(r help).”

Both the brothers `Utba and Shaiba were watching the mischiefs of the hoodlums and the Prophet’s ‫ ﺻﻠﱠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺳﻠﱠﻢ‬suffering and distress with their own eyes. Their hearts were, in any case, hearts of a human being, not of a stone or a brick. They became

2 overwhelmed with empathy and the feeling of compassion overpowered them. They called out their Christian servant, `Addaas who appeared before them. He was ordered to take a bunch of grapes, place it in a tray, present it to the man and request him to eat. The servant obeyed his masters.

COMMENDABLE ACT, AMAZING QUESTION Now, an excellent bunch of fresh grapes is before the Allaah’s Prophet ‫ﺻﻠﱠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ‬ ‫ ﻭ ﺳﻠﻢﱠ‬in the tray. The Prophet had always been grateful to every bounty of the truly Bountiful, but when he saw this unexpected hospitality in this environment of alienism and unfamiliarity and this state of severe hunger and thirst, his heart became even more overwhelmed with the emotion of gratitude. The hands had not even risen towards the grapes that the words of “Bismillah ir Rahmaan ir Raheem” came upon his tongue. When `Addaas heard these words from him, his wonder knew no bounds. He pondered how the camphoric candle 1 of the Most Gracious and Most Merciful lighted up in this dark house of Misbelief and Polytheism. He could no more hide his emotions, and almost involuntarily he remarked: “By Allaah! The denizens of this town do not say “Bismillah ir Rahmaan ir Raheem”. Hearing his words of astonishment, the Prophet ‫ﺻﻠﱠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺳﻠﱠﻢ‬ enquired: “Where do you belong to?” `Addaas answered that he was a Christian from Nineva. The Prophet said, “Well, you belong to the town of Allaah’s pious servant Yoonus bin Mattaa.” “Yes, I belong to that very town, but tell me how ho you know him?” The Prophet said, “He is my brother being Allaah’s prophet just as I am,” said the Prophet.

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REPLY OF DEVOTION On hearing this, `Addaas fell upon the Prophet’s ‫ ﺻﻠﱠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺳﻠﱠﻢ‬feet and kissed his holy head and limbs. `Utba and Shaiba, the masters were observing the incident. One said to the other, “Certainly, he has spoilt our slave.” When `Addaas returned to them , they asked him, “`Addaas! What went wrong with you? You started kissing his hands and feet!?” `Addaas replied, “My Lords! At this time, there is nobody on earth greater than him.

He told me about a fact which none other than a prophet can tell. His act of saying “Bismillaah ir Rahmaan ir Raheem” also had a great influence on me.

Remembering the Lord’s name before using any bounty of His and proclaiming that He is the Most Gracious and Most Merciful is not an ordinary event. This indicates the perfection of a man’s devotion and servitude to Allaah. If my heart got fascinated in the love and devotion for such an extraordinary man, then what’s there to wonder and ponder?” After this reply marked with devotion, `Utba and Shaiba could not help keeping quiet.

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[Camphoric candle: a candle made of camphor whose light is very bright and clear, and is totally smokeless.]

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THE BLESSING OF BISMILLAAH It is a fact that in the aforementioned incident, the Christian slave `Addaas truly appreciated the blessing, significance and essence of Bismillaah. Any heart where the glory and grandeur of Allaah has found a place and which acknowledges that ‫ﺟﻮ ﮐﭽﻬ ﮨﮯ‬ ‫ ﻭﮨﻢ ﻭ ﮔﻤﺎں ﮨﻤﺎﺭﺍ‬،‫( ﺳﺐ ﺧﺪﺍ ﮐﺎ‬Whatever is there belongs to Allaah, only doubts and conjectures belong to us.) would find it impossible to remain oblivious of the significance of the highly meaningful words of Bismillaah. For such a heart, these words are highly exhilarating and enrapturing. It is a repertoire of power and strength, fountain-head of Allaah’s help and assistance, and spate of blessing and bounty.

THE HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE OF BISMILLAH In the days of ignorance before the holy Messenger’s arrival, people used to begin their important works in the names of their idols. To end this custom, the first verse of the Holy Quran that Gabriel, the Trustworthy, brought had the command to start reading the Holy Book in Allah’s name: {1} ‫ﻚ اﻟﱠ ِﺬي َﺧﻠَ َﻖ‬ َ ‫ﺎﺳ ِﻢ َرﺑﱢ‬ ْ ِ‫اﻗـ َْﺮأْ ﺑ‬ Read in the name of your Lord. (Quran 96:1) Researchers in the field have pointed out that the Heavenly Books other than the Holy Quran have also begun with Bismillah (In Allah’s name) i.e., Bismillah is the common object in the beginning of the Holy Quran and other Heavenly Books. However, Bismillah ir rahman ir raheem (In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful), in its entirety, is a distinctive feature of the Holy Quran and Prophet Muhammad’s ( ‫ﺻﻠﱠﻰ ﷲ‬ ‫ )ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺳﻠﱠﻢ‬Umma. According to some traditions, in early days the Holy Prophet ( ‫ﺻﻠﱠﻰ ﷲ‬ ‫ )ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺳﻠﱠﻢ‬too used to say (or dictate) BismikAllahumma (In your name, O Lord!) at the beginning of every important work. When the verse of Bismillah ir Rahman ir Raheem came, he adopted these words and thus a noble custom was established.

STARTING EVERY GOOD WORK WITH BISMILLAH At several places in the Holy Quran, there is instruction to begin every work in Allah’s name and the Holy Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﱠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺳﻠﱠﻢ‬is quoted as saying that any serious work that does not begin with Bismillah remains unfulfilled and unblessed. There is a Hadith which instructs us to say Bismillah when shutting the home’s door, when putting off the lamp and when covering a utensil. The Quran and the Hadith repeatedly advise us to say Bismillah at the times of having a meal, drinking water, going for wudhu, boarding a vehicle, getting down a conveyance, and slaughtering an animal. Well-informed people are not ignorant of the fact that Bismillah ir rahman ir raheem appears at the beginning of every Quranic surah other than Surah Tauba which adds up to 113 times and it also appears as a Quranic verse (30th verse) in the text of Surah An Naml. It is sunnah (Prophet’s tradition) to write Bismillah at the start of a written work. However, if it is feared that the paper may get desecrated then it is advisable to say Bismillah orally for performing the sunnah and not bring it into writing. But the case of writing Bismillah with the purpose of teaching or informing about rules regarding Bismillah is an

4 exception. In such a case it becomes mandatory for the readers to observe the sanctimony of such a part of the paper.

THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND BISMILLAH The grand Mufti, Maulana Muhammad Shafee (1896-1976) has rightly written in his exegesis of the Holy Book while discussing the philosophy behind Bismillah that: “By instructing to begin every work in Allah’s name, Islam has turned the course of a man’s entire life towards Allah such that he renews his oath of fealty at each and every step, effectively professing that neither my being nor any of my work can come into existence without Allah’s Wish, Intention and Aid. This one simple command has turned each and every permissible action and lawful economic and worldly activity of his into worship. How modest this action is – it neither requires time nor labour – yet its benefit is magnificently great and alchemic (philosopher’s stone-like) – that even worldly pursuits become holy. Just imagine how high this simple Islamic instruction has raised man. So it can be veritably affirmed that Bismillah is a philosopher’s stone which transforms clay – not copper – into gold.” (Ma’ariful Quran, Vol. 1, pp. 74-75.)

BISMILLAH – AN EMPOWERING INVOCATION The renowned exegete and litterateur Maulana Abdul Majid Daryabadi (18921977) writes in the beginning of his Quranic exegesis: A person who begins a work in the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful practically announces that my conscience is pure, my intentions are sincere, my goal is high, I am a devout adherent of Monotheism, sick of both Polytheism and Atheism. In short, there is no invocation that is more empowering and more uplifting for a person’s spirits and morale other than Bismillah. A Bismillah-invoker turns his eyes away from every creation, fixing his hopes solely upon the Being of Allah and upon his attributes of Infinite Grace and Mercy. (Tafseer e Majidi, Note no. 8 on Sura Fatiha.)

5 Farz Wajib Sunnat Sunnat e muakkada Nafl Mustahab Afzal Adab, Aadaab Jaiz/mubaah Makrooh tanzeehi Makrooh tahreemi Haram

obligatory, mandatory compulsory Prophet’s tradition, custom emphasized custom desirable highly rewarding, more rewarding etiquette permissible avoidable strictly avoidable forbidden, prohibited

Rooh Nafs

soul spirit

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muhm = (May Allah’s Mercy be upon him) (‫)ﺭﺣﻤﺔ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ‬ muhr = (May Allah’s Mercy be upon her) (‫)ﺭﺣﻤﺔ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻬﺎ‬ mutm = (May Allah’s Mercy be upon them) (‫)ﺭﺣﻤﺔ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻬﻢ‬ puhm = (May Allah’s Pleasure be upon him) (‫)ﺭﺿﻲ ﷲ ﻋﻨﻪ‬ puhr = (May Allah’s Pleasure be upon her) (‫)ﺭﺿﻲ ﷲ ﻋﻨﻬﺎ‬ putm = (May Allah’s Pleasure be upon them) (‫)ﺭﺿﻲ ﷲ ﻋﻨﻬﻢ‬ pmd = Prophet Muhammad (‫)ﺻﻠﱠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺳﻠﱠﻢ‬ pmd = Prophet Muhammad ‫ﺻﻠﱠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺳﻠﱠﻢ‬ thp = the Holy Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﱠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺳﻠﱠﻢ‬ pbuh = (‫)ﺻﻠﱠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺳﻠﱠﻢ‬ puh = (‫ﺍﻟﺴﻼﻡ‬

‫)ﻋﻠﻴﻪ‬

7 Arabic Words not Translated: 1. aqeeqa 2. azaan 3. Deen, Deeni 4. Dua = litany, formula 5. Hadith 6. iqama 7. kalima 8. khatna 9. salam 10. sunnah 11. surah 12. Surayya = Pleiades 13. Tauheed 14. Ummah Dr Arthur Elison Maulana Abdul Majid Daryabadi (1892-1977)