DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN
BISMILLAH OF EACH SURAH
The 'bismillah' preceding
one surah is different from that preceding another surah.
We were saying to which word the
preposition and the noun it governs in the 'bismillah' are related. One of the
possibilities is that the 'bismillah' of every surah is related to some appropriate
word of that very surah; for example in the Surah al-Hamd it may be related to the
word, al-Hamd. In that case 'bismillahi al- hamdu lillahi' would
mean: With the name of Allah all praises belong to Allah. On the basis of this
possibility 'bismillah' would signify differently in every surah, for in each surah
it would be referring to a different word. If it was related to the word 'al-hamdu'
in the Surah 'al-Hamd,' we would have to look for some other appropriate word, for
example, in the Surah 'al-Ikhlas' According to a rule of theology, if somebody
pronounced the bismillah with some surah and then wanted to recite another surah,
he would have to repeat the bismillah, and the previous bismillah would not
be enough for him. This rule shows that 'bismillah' does not have the same meaning
everywhere. It has a different significance with each surah, although there are some
people who wrongly maintain that 'bismillah' is not the part of any surah and it is
quite a separate verse revealed as a benediction. If it is accepted that 'bismillah'
was related to 'al-Hamd' then 'hamd' might include everything to which the
word 'hamd' applied, that is every kind of praise expressed by anybody on any
occasion. Thus the verse would mean that every praise expressed is with the name of Allah,
because he who expresses it is himself a name of Allah; his organs and limbs are a name of
Allah and the praise he expresses is also a name of Allah. From this point of view every
praise is with the name of Allah. We all are His names, or manifestations of His names,
because we all are His signs, He is our originator, who has brought us into existence. The
Divine Originator is in several ways different from a natural cause or agent. One of the
points of difference is that anything that is brought into existence by the Divine
Originator, or in other words, anything that emerges from the Divine source disappears in
that very source. To illustrate this point to some extent, let us take up an example,
although this example falls too short of the relation between the Creator and the created.
Anyhow, let us take up the example of the sun and its rays. The rays have no existence
separate from the sun. The same is the case with the Divine Originator or the Creator.
Anything coming into existence from this source depends on it for its existence as well as
continuation. There is no existing being which can continue to exist if Allah withdraws
from it even for an amount the light on which its existence depends. As no existing thing
has any independent position, it is said to be lost in its source.
Every Possibly Existing Thing Depends on
Allah for its Existence as well as Continuation
Every possibly existing being is
Allah's name, His deed and a manifestation of His glory. He Himself says: Allah is the
Light of the heavens and the earth. (Surah an-Nur, 24:35) Every possibly -existing
being is a manifestation of the glory of Allah, but not Allah. Everything that appears in
the world is so related to the source of its origin that it cannot have any independent
existence. That is why it has been said in the Qur'an that: 'Allah is the light of the
heavens and the earth.'
If it is admitted that the
definite article 'al' in al-Hamdu indicated 'Comprehensiveness', the verse would
mean that every praise by whomsoever it might be expressed, takes place with the name of
Allah.
As he who praises Allah, is
himself, one of Allah's names, it may be said that in a sense the praiser and the praised
are one and the same. One is the manifestation and the other is the manifester. Some
sayings of the Holy Prophet, such as: 'You are as You have praised Yourself', and 'I seek
refuge from You in You', point in this direction. As the relationship between the praiser
and the praised is that of passing away of the former in the latter, the former cannot
claim that it is he who praises. In fact it is the 'praised' who praises Himself, for the
praiser has passed in Him.
According to another possibility
it may be said that the definite article in 'al-hamdu' is not for showing
comprehensiveness, but it indicates that the word, 'hamd' signifies general praise
without any qualification being attached to it. In this case the praise of Allah performed
by us is not actually His praise. His praise is only that which He performs Himself. The
reason is that Allah is the Infinite Being while all others are finite. Any praise
expressed by a finite being will naturally be finite and limited and therefore it cannot
be the praise of the infinite Being.
While mentioning the first
alternative we said that every praise was Allah's praise. Even when you think that you are
commending the merits of a beautiful handwriting, you are actually extolling Allah.
Similarly when you believe that you are paying tributes to the world, in that case also
you are praising none but Allah. That is why, while describing the first alternative or
the first possibility, we said that every praise was that of Allah, whosoever might be the
praiser, for nothing except Allah has an independent existence. Every excellence, every
beauty and every perfection belongs to Him only. If Allah withdraws the manifestation of
His glory, nothing would be existing any longer.
All Existing Things Are A Manifestation of
Allah's Glory
The existence of everything
depends on Allah's glory. While discussing above the first possibility, we pointed out
that every thing existing is the outcome of a divine light. Allah Himself says that He is
the light of the heavens and the earth. If He takes away this light, everything is bound
to disappear and come to an end. As nothing except Allah has any excellence of its own,
nothing except Him is worth praising. In fact there is no excellence except His. He excels
in His essence, His attributes and the state of His manifestation. All the merits
attributed to anything or anyone else are His merits. Anybody who praises anyone for his
excellence and merit, actually praises Him. This is true if we accept the first
possibility mentioned above.
In the case of the second
possibility, which is also no more than a mere guess or a possibility, the word 'al-hamdu'
does not imply totality or comprehensiveness. It only signifies abosolute praise without
any qualification, restriction or any conception of its opposite being attached to it. But
the praise that we perform is definitely not absolute. It is a particular praise expressed
by a particular to a particular. We do not have access to the Absolute, nor can we
perceive Him. So how can we praise Him. Even at the time of saying, 'al-hamdu lillah'
you do not perceive the Absolute Truth, and as such the' question of praising the Absolute
does not arise.
Whatever praise is expressed,
that actually is not the praise of Allah, but is the praise of some manifestation of His
glory. In the case of the previous possibility no praise was that of Allah except that
expressed by Himself. In this case the word 'ism' (name) in 'bismillah al-hamdu
lillah , will not have the same meaning as we stated earlier when we said that everybody
is Allah's name including you and me. Now the name of Allah is a symbol for His absolute
and unqualified manifestation, the meaning of which can neither be explained nor grasped.
It is this name of Allah that is praised and this praise can be expressed only by Allah
Himself. This is a possible explanation based on the assumption that 'bismillah' is
connected with 'al-hamdu lillah'. In short there are two possibilities. According
to one possibility every praise is the praise of Allah and according to the other, praise
of Allah is only the absolute and unqualified praise pronounced and performed by Allah
Himself.
According to the first
possibility there is no praise that is not of Allah; and according to the second
possibility a praise can be of Allah only in its limited sense, not in its absolute sense.
In this case the 'hamd' (praise) in 'al-hamdu lillah' will mean an absolute
and unqualified praise. Allah can be praised only by the name that is worthy of Him. This
rule is also a mere possibility.
There is another possibility that
'bismillah' might have no link with the surah following it. We know that some
scholars maintain that the preposition and the noun in 'bismillah' are linked with
an omitted but understood verb, 'Zahara' (appeared), meaning, existence appeared.
Thus the sentence would mean: Existence appeared with the name of Allah. In other words
the name of Allah is the source of everything existing. This name of Allah is the same
that is alluded to in a Prophetic tradition in the following words: 'Allah created His
will Himself and created all other things through His Will.'
Here Allah's Will means 'the
first manifestation of His glory' that was created by Him direct. It is this manifestation
that has been called existence in the ellipsis mentioned above, namely 'Existence
appeared'. On the basis of the assumption that 'bismillah' is not linked with the
surah following it, some grammarians hold that some such elliptical phrase as 'We seek the
help' exists before 'bismillah' These grammarians may not realize, but in fact,
whoever seeks the help of Allah, he invariably seeks the help of His name. It is not
possible to seek His help in any other way. Though it is not necessary to always use the
words, 'with the name of Allah', the fact remains that in every thing His appearance or
presence is His name and thus the help of His name is invariably sought.
It is this appearance the help of
which we seek and with the help of which everything is done. The grammarians may not be
aware of this conception, but it is a fact that seeking help means turning to Allah. This
much as to which word 'bismillah' is linked with. We said earlier that a name is
the sign of the named. But there is nothing which is not the sign of Allah. Whatever you
see, you will find that to be a sign of Him. Of course signs also have degrees. There are
some names which are perfect signs of Him in every respect. There are some others that
cannot be said to be so perfect signs. Anyhow, all existing things are His signs and
manifestations in varying degrees. A tradition says: 'We are the beautiful names of
Allah'. Anyhow, at the stage of manifestation the loftiest and the most splendid names of
Allah are the Holy Prophet and the Imams who, unlike us who are still lying in the abyss
of base desires, have reached the highest stages of spiritual journey towards Allah.
Emigration
We have not yet started even
moving, but there are some people who have not only came out of the abyss but have also
emigrated from that stage. The Holy Qur'an says:
He who leaves his home,
emigrating for the sake of Allah and His Messenger and is then overtaken by death, shall
surely to be rewarded by Allah. (Surah an-Nisa', 4:100)
According to one possible
interpretation 'emigration' here might have meant going from oneself to Allah and 'home'
might have meant one's lower self. In this case the whole verse would mean that there were
some people who came out of the dark and dingy home of their base desires and continued to
move towards Allah till they were overtaken by death, that is they passed away from self
to survive in Allah, who was to reward them. In other words Allah Himself is their reward,
for they attach no importance to Paradise and the bounties found therein. Their sole
objective is Allah, because for a person who undertakes the path of self-annihilation and
proceeds towards Allah and His Prophet, nothing is left which he could call his own. For
him everything belongs to Allah. He who reaches this stage is surely to be rewarded by
Allah. It may be noted that there are some who have reached their desired goal after
emigration, while there are some others who though they emigrated, yet they could not
reach the stage of passing away in Allah. The third category is that of the people like us
who could not emigrate at all and are still groping in dark ness. We are not only lost in
the labyrinth of the mundane things but are also a prey to selfishness and egoism so much
that we cannot see anything beyond our self-interest. We want everything for our selves,
for we think that nothing except us has any value. We have not yet thought of emigrating,
because our thinking is limited to this world only.
Seventy Years Back
We do not discard the faculties
with which Allah has equipped us, but we use them for mundane purposes as if we were to
live in this world for ever. As the time passes, we continue to get away farther and
farther from the source to which we should have emigrated. According to a report once the
Holy Prophet was sitting along with his companions when a loud sound of something falling
was heard. The Holy Prophet's companions were startled. They enquired what had happened.
According to the report the Holy Prophet said: , A stone was rolling down in the middle of
Hell. Now after 70 years it has fallen into a well located at the other end of it. This
was the sound of its fall.' This event is said to be an allegorical description of a
wicked man who died at the age of 70. We are all rolling down towards the same hole. I may
go there at the age of 80. You will also go to that side in a few years.
Worst Enemy
It is our selfishness and egoism
that are responsible for our present condition. The following maxim expresses the same
truth: 'Your worst enemy is your lower self that is within you.' It is this idol which man
worships most and to which he is attached most. Man cannot become godly unless he smashes
this idol, because an idol and God cannot go together. An egoist can never be a devout
person. We may apparently be religious, but in reality are idol-worshippers unless we get
rid of our selfishness and egoism, which are the root-cause of all our troubles and evils.
While offering prayers we say: 'You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help',
but unfortunately all our thoughts remain concentrated on ourselves. We offer prayers to
serve our own selfish interests and thus in reality worship ourselves only.
Egoism the Cause of All Quarrels
All wars in the world are due to
man's egoism. Believers are not expected to fight each other. If they do, they are not
believers.
A dishonest and selfish man wants
to seize everything for his own benefit. It is this attitude which gives rise to all sorts
of troubles. I want a position for my self; you want it for yourself. As both of us cannot
occupy it at one and the same time, a quarrel is bound to arise. I want to take this
chair; you also want it. When I and you want to take the same thing, naturally there will
be an altercation. If two persons attempt to occupy this country, a war would ensue. All
wars and battles are the outcome of selfishness, the result of the conflict of
personalities and their interests. As the holy men are not selfish, they do not fight each
other. Even if all the holy men gather together at one place, there would be no fight and
no quarrel among them, for whatever they do, they do for the sake of Allah. As they are.
neither selfish nor egoistic, they do not oppose each other.
They all have the same source and
the same direction. It is we who are lying in a well that is as dark as possibly can be.
This darkness is that of our egoism. So long as we do not give up our egoism, we cannot
get out of this darkness. We are selfish and self-conceited. That is why we do not attach
importance to others and consider ourselves alone to be all important.
If a thing is advantageous to us,
we accept it. If it is not, we reject it howsoever right it may be. We believe only that
thing, which is in our favour. All this is egoism and selfishness. It is this attitude
that is the cause of all our troubles and is responsible for all misfortunes of humanity.
I want to pursue my interest and you want to pursue yours. There can be no godliness so
long as selfishness persists. Then what is the remedy? Man has within himself an
idol-temple. It is not easy for him to get out of it. He needs Divine help, a hidden hand
which may take him out of this dungeon. The Prophets have come for this very purpose.
Aim of the Prophets
All the Prophets and the revealed
Books have come only to smash this idol-temple and to take man out of it. The Prophets
have come to set up a divine order in this fiendish world ruled by the Devil whom we all
obey. Our base desires are the Devil's manifestation. The greatest Devil being our own
appetitive soul, whatever we do become devilish. That is the reason why nothing that we do
is free from selfishness. The Devil holds influence over us and we are dictated by the
Devil. We can get out of this labyrinth only if we emigrate from our present stage, act
according to the teachings of the Prophets and other holy men and cease to be selfish and
egoistic. If we do so we will gain an inconceivable success. This emigration is essential
for anybody who aspires to attain to perfection.
Major Jihad
He who wishes to get out of the
dungeon of egoism, must strive to emigrate from his present state. According to a
Prophetic tradition once certain companions of the Holy Prophet came back from a Jihad
(holy war). The Holy Prophet said to them: 'You have returned after carrying out a minor
jihad, but still owe a major one". A major jihad is carried out against one's lower
self. All other jihads are subservient to this one. Any other jihad performed by us will
be worth the name only if we succeed in the major jihad. Otherwise all other jihads will
be nothing more than a satanic act. If a person takes part in the holy war with a view to
obtain a slave girl or to provide for his livelihood, these very things would be his
reward. But if a person performs jihad for the sake of Allah, then it would be Allah's
responsibility to reward him. In fact the reward depends on the quality of the job
performed. Obviously there is a vast difference between the quality of our performance and
that of the holy men and friends of Allah, for our aims and objects are quite different
from theirs.
Devotion is the Criterion
Has it been said without any
reason that at the war of Ditch (Khandaq) one stroke of Imam Ali's sword was more
meritorious than all the acts of worship performed by the jinn and mankind? Apparently his
stroke was no more than a blow to kill a person. But it had a far greater significance. At
that time Islam was facing the combined forces of infidelity and if Muslims had been
defeated in that encounter, the very existence of Islam would have been endangered. There
is still another aspect of the question, and that is the dedication and devotion involved
in Imam Ali's act. Once while Imam Ali was on the chest of an enemy, he spat on the Imam's
face. Imam Ali at once got off so that his act might not be affected by the motive of
personal vengeance.
The spirit of such a stroke is
certainly superior to all acts of worship. It is this spirit which gives the acts of a
true believer their proper meaning and significance. Outwardly the acts performed by the
polytheists and the monotheists, the idolaters and these who do not worship the idols,
look alike. Apparently there is no difference in them. Abu Sufyan also used to offer
prayers. Mu'awiyah was him self the Imam of Congregational prayers. They performed their
religious acts like others. It is the spirit of prayer that accords sublimity to it. If
the spirit is there, prayer is a devotional act. Otherwise it is nothing more than a mere
show and a fraud. This principle applies to us also. We simply deceive each other.
Our Worship is For Paradise
All our devotional acts serve our
own interests only. Those who are more pious among us perform them for the sake of
Paradise. Take away the temptation of Paradise, then see who performs them. Imam Ali's
case is different. He was in fact fond of the acts of devotion and worship. It is said
about him that he loved the acts of devotion and em braced them. As a matter of principle
it is not of much significance to perform acts of worship for the sake of Paradise. A
person who has reached the stage of passing away in Allah, attaches no importance to
Paradise. He actually does not care for it. Paradise and Hell are alike for him who has
annihilated himself. He praises Allah because he believes that Allah deserves devotions.
This position is attained by those who are fond of acts of worship. They worship Allah
because they believe that He is fit for being worshipped.
There are many degrees of
devotion. Anyhow, the first step is shunning the selfishness and getting out of the narrow
hole of egoism.
For this purpose the first thing
to be done is to wake up for the sake of Allah and not to remain sleeping. At present we
are asleep, although apparently awake. Our waking is that of animals, not of man.
A tradition says that people are
asleep; they will wake up when they will die. At that time they will realize that they
were totally unconscious of the real situation. A Qur'anic verse says: 'Hell is
surrounding the unbelievers'. It means that Hell is even now surrounding them but man
being in a state of unconsciousness does not perceive that. When he will gain his
consciousness, he will realize that there is a fire all round him. We all have to go by
this path. Therefore it is better for us to wake up and walk along the 'straight path'
shown to us by the Prophets.
Prophets Come to Reform Men
Reforming mankind is the mission
of all Prophets. For this purpose they set up a just order. It is man who is just or
unjust. To establish a just order means turning the wicked into the righteous and the
unbelievers into believers. The Prophets' job is to transform the people. If people were
left to do what they liked, they would certainly fall into the deep pit of hell. It is the
Prophets who guide them to the right path. Alas! We are not yet following it. I am 70
years old, but am still where I was. I have not emigrated. Perhaps my condition will not
change till the end of my life. Anyhow, it is essential for everybody to follow the
straight path. There is no alternative.
An Appeal to the Youth
You are young and can adopt this
path better. Do not worry about us, for we are already a spent force. You can purify your
soul easily as you are closer to the world of divinity than we the old people.
Comparatively you have deteriorated less but things are becoming worse day by day. The
more delay will make the matter more difficult. It is difficult for an old man to be
reformed, but a young man can be reformed quickly.
It is easier to reform thousands
of young men than to reform an old man. Therefore do not postpone the task of reform to
old age. Begin this work while you are still young. Follow the teachings of the Prophets.
This is the starting point.
The Prophets have shown us the way we should follow. While we are unaware of it, the
Prophets are familiar with the way of safety and security. If you want safety, follow the
way shown by them. Gradually pay less and less attention to your desires. You will not get
the desired result immediately, but gradually you can get rid of your egoism. One day all
our desires will come to nought. It is not in our interest to pay attention to them.
Lasting is only that which relates to Allah. The Qur'an says: What is with you will
come to an end, what is with Allah will remain. (Surah an-Nahl, 16:96)
Man has that 'which is with you'
as well as that 'which is with Allah'. All the things that keep your attention directed to
yourselves, are that 'which is with you'. All these things will vanish. But those things
that keep your attention directed to Allah, are lasting and permanent.
Continue Your Effort Till You Gain Complete
Victory Over Your Lower Self
You and we should make every
effort to change our present state. Those who achieved success in their struggle against
the unbelievers, never worried as to how many people were with them. After all it was
he[*] who said that even if all the Arabs were combined against him, he would not give up.
As he was doing the duty assigned to him by Allah, there was no question of failure in it,
what to say of being repulsed. Then there is another question. Suppose you retreat, but
where will you go to? Those who advanced in the jihads, went forward without caring for
their lives or their personal interests. They fought against their lower self to the
utmost degree. The struggle of those who occupied a higher spiritual position was
proportionately more intense. In fact man can achieve nothing unless he fights against his
lower self. He cannot go forward unless he ignores his desires and keeps clear of this
world, which is another name of base desires. The desires of every body are his world. It
is this world which has been denounced, not the physical world.
This world is within you. When
you pay attention to your lower self, you yourself become this world. Thus this world of
everybody is within him. It is this world which has been condemned, not the sun, the moon
or any other natural object.
All the natural objects, being the signs and manifestations of Allah, have been praised.
It is this world in the above
mentioned sense that deprives man from gaining proximity to Allah. May Allah grant us
success in getting out of the deep dungeon of egoism. It is the friends of Allah who have
gained success in being delivered from the catastrophe of egoism.
[*] Imam Ali (Peace be upon him).
References:
LIGHT WITHIN ME
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