- Interpretation Of Quran / The long version
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- (001) Al Fatiha
Dear believing brothers, we started the interpretation of the Book of Allah from “Surat Lukman”, and did not conclude it yet; we hope Allah, The Almighty, gives us the power to continue comprehension of the “Book of Allah” and implementing its orders.
The Noble Qur’an collected in “Surat Al- Fatiha”:
We will interpret “Surat Al-Fatiha”, Allah willing, because this chapter is great in its value. As the Prophet (PBUH) said:
( There is no prayer for those who did not read the opening (“Fatiha”) of the Book )
The Prophet (PBUH) called Al-Fatiha the “foundation of the Quran”, the “mother of the Quran” and the “opening of The Book”; Al-Fatiha has ten names, and the Quran is collected in it. For all these reasons I thought it would be appropriate to interpret Al-Fatiha after the last short ayahs which the Quran was concluded with.
First, Allah Almighty, said:
﴾ So when you want to recite the Qur'an, seek refuge with Allah from Shaitan (Satan), the outcast (the cursed one) » (98) ﴿
Scholars have agreed that “To You O Allah do I commit my-self counter to Al-Shaytan (Satan) the accursed” is not a ayah; however, the Prophet (PBUH) didn’t read Quran unless he recited “I seek refuge with Allah from Satan the accursed”. He was guided by the following ayah:
﴾ And when you recite the Quran begin with the opening formula of seeking Allah's help against satanic secret suggestions to the mind, thus: «To You O Allah do I commit myself counter to Al-Shaytan the accursed » (98) ﴿
Scholars agreed that it is preferred to say “To You O Allah do I commit my-self counter to Satan the accursed” out of the prayer, and it’s obligatory to say it during the prayer, but secretly. We say, “Glory be to You O Allah and praise be to You, blessed be Your Name, exalted Your deed, there is no God except You” silently, and then you say “To You O Allah do I commit my-self counter to Satan the accursed” silently too.
The prophet was always seeking refuge with Allah from the devil:
As for Bismillah, “In the name of Allah”, it is mostly read aloud. Abu-Hanifa, may Allah be pleased with him, deemed that it is possible to read “Bismillah” silently too; and his faction, may Allah be pleased with it, starts reciting prayer by saying: “Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds”; but often the “Bismillah” is read aloud. As for “seeking refuge” the scholars have agreed that it is recited silently during the prayer.
((Two men abused each other in front of the Prophet (PBUH) and one of them became angry, and his anger became so intense that his face became very red. The Prophet (PBUH) said, “I know a saying which will cause him who says it to relax: “ To You O Allah do I commit my-self counter to Satan the accursed” )).
If The Prophet (PBUH) had been traveling and the night came, and he stayed somewhere, he would say:
(( O earth, Allah is my Lord and your Lord, I seek refuge with Allah from the evil of you, I seek refuge with Allah from anything evil inside you, from anything evil that was created inside you, and from the evil of any creature walking on you; I seek refuge with Allah from a lion and from a black creature, and from the snake and the scorpion. I seek refuge with Allah from the evil of the inhabitants of this country, and from a father and what he has born)).
The Prophet (PBUH) was always seeking refuge with Allah, especially in the last two suras:
﴾1- Say: «I commit myself to Allah the Creator of the dawn and the incipient gleam», 2- «Counter to the evil generated by the spiritual, the animate and the inanimate among those created by Him, the Supreme», 3- «And counter to an evil process evolving under the umbrella of the night» or «to a heavenly body » if it happens to explode within or beyond one’s sight», 4- «And counter to the evil generated by the witches who stand in the way of concord and blow over entangled knots to fan the flow of discord», 5- «And counter to the evil generated by the envious when he feels envy at the superior
advantages of others»﴿.
And:
﴾ 1- Say: «I commit myself to Allah, the Creator and Master of mankind», 2- «The Sovereign Supreme of mankind», 3- «The Ilah of Mankind », 4- «Counter to the evil generated by the sneak whisperer and by his confederates, and by those with characteristics befitting AL-Shaytan (Satan) separately or combined»,
5- «Who instigate evil in peoples’ repositories of consciousness and suggest it secretly to the thoughts and the feeling and to the religious mind»,6- «Of the people among the Jinn and mankind»﴿.
All “The Divine Names” are combined in the word “Allah”:
Some scholars have said that the “seeking refuge” is to ask a strong person for protection from evil, while “the resorting” means to have the protection of a strong person in order to bring you welfare. Sought refuge with someone, and resorted to someone. Seeking refuge is the prevention of evil, and resorting is asking for welfare; so Allah The Almighty, commands us to seek refuge with Allah from “the accursed devil”.
As for the word “Allah”, this word is the Greatest Name of our Lord in which is combined all the 99 Names of Allah. The greatest name of Allah is the very same name, Allah, the most grand name which combines all The 99 Names of Allah. “I seek refuge with Allah” means that I seek refuge with Allah The Most Gracious, I seek refuge with Allah The All Wise, I seek refuge with Allah The All Kind, I seek refuge with Allah The Most Powerful, I seek refuge with Allah The Most Wealthy, I seek refuge with Allah The All Just, I seek refuge with Allah The Individual, The Everlasting, The One, The Irresistible Subduer, The Omnipotent, I seek refuge with Allah The All Loving; if you say “Allah”, this Name combines all the 99 Names of Allah. If someone says, “I seek refuge with The Most Gracious”, but the case needs power, then his “seeking refuge” would not be accurate; on the other hand, when you are afraid of something powerful you must say, “I seek refuge with Allah”, because Allah is The Most Powerful. If you need mercy you must say, “I seek refuge with Allah”, because Allah is The Most Merciful. If you need aid you must say, “I seek refuge with Allah”, because Allah is The Lord of the Worlds. If you need kindness you must say, “I seek refuge with Allah”, because Allah is The All Kind and The Most Experienced. If you need knowledge you must say, “I seek refuge with Allah”, because Allah is The pinnacle of Wisdom and Experience.
The term “I seek refuge with Allah” means that I ask the protection from the Most Perfect name which combines all of “ The 99 Names of Allah”.
Allah The Almighty, says:
﴾ To Allah belong all the Commendable attributes you people may use when invoking Him under any circumstance ﴿
When Allah created us, He made a protocol for us:
Why was the devil was given this name, “Al-Shaytan? Because he stayed away, far from the way of truth. When Allah, Almighty, created us, He made a method for us. Allah, Glory be to Him, says:
﴾We said to them: «Go all of you from this blissful state, you are doomed to a lower state, and the earth shall be your state. And when it is decided that you shall receive directions thereon to guide you to the path of righteousness, then those steered by the spirit of truth into all truth shall have no ground for alarm nor shall fear or dread fall upon them nor shall they come to grief (38) ﴿
He, Almighty, says:
﴾«upon Our Command», Allah said «We down both of you upon, together with AL- Shaytan from hence with mutual enmity to each other» - «You shall receive from Me the spirit of truth guiding into all truth, and he who follows the path of righteousness and Providence his guide shall not err nor suffer spiritual death nor moral ruin»(123)﴿
And He says:
﴾Those who have proclaimed what they reverently entertained in their minds, and put their thoughts in words: « Our Ilah is Allah, the Creator.», and they have always trodden the path of righteousness and lifted to Him their inward sight, invite the descent of the angels who come down to impel them to the feeling of security and intimate to them thus: « You are not to fear fate nor to grieve over predestined events, and rejoice your hearts and minds at the blissful tidings of winning the Paradise you were promised.» (30) ﴿
If you follow the protocol of Allah, you won’t be fearful or grieved:
As long as you follow the way of Allah, you will not be fearful or grieved.
Allah, The Most Great, says:
﴾A Book, the spirit of truth guiding those who lift to Allah their inward sight into all truth, leading them to the path of safety and peace and guiding them, Allah willing, out of darkness and superstition of later times and out of want of spiritual and intellectual sight into intellectual illumination and enlightenment and directing them to the path of righteousness(16) ﴿
If you pursue the satisfaction of Allah Almighty, He will guide you to the ways of peace: peace in your home, peace in your health, peace in your children, peace in your trade, peace in your business, peace in your past, peace in your present, peace in your future, and peace in the last period of your life.
﴾A Book, the spirit of truth guiding those who lift to Allah their inward sight into all truth, leading them to the path of safety and peace and guiding them, Allah willing, out of darkness and superstition of later times and out of want of spiritual and intellectual sight into intellectual illumination and enlightenment and directing them to the path of righteousness(16) ﴿
ah their inward sight into all truth, leading them to the path of safety and peace and guiding them, Allah willing, out of darkness and superstition of later times and out of want of spiritual and intellectual sight into intellectual illumination and enlightenment and directing them to the path of righteousness(16) ﴿
If you pursue the satisfaction of Allah Almighty, He will guide you to the ways of peace: peace in your home, peace in your health, peace in your children, peace in your trade, peace in your business, peace in your past, peace in your present, peace in your future, and peace in the last period of your life.
﴾A Book, the spirit of truth guiding those who lift to Allah their inward sight into all truth, leading them to the path of safety and peace and guiding them, Allah willing, out of darkness and superstition of later times and out of want of spiritual and intellectual sight into intellectual illumination and enlightenment and directing them to the path of righteousness(16) ﴿
Devil is the creature who deviated from the straight path of Allah:
When the human applies the protocol of Allah, he becomes safe. This is an example to clarify: we have a very valuable machine with a very precise instructions from the company’s experts - if you followed the instructions, this machine would work for a very long time, but if you disobey the instructions it would become damaged and you would lose it and lose its price.
So, who is the devil? The devil is that creature who deviated from the straight path which was created by Allah, Almighty, for His believing worshipers. Therefore Allah, The Most Great, says:
﴾ This Quran does indeed guide to the best way of moral rightness which has had everlasting residence in the character of the Godhead and to the uprightness of decision. It announces joyful tidings to those who acknowledge Allah with hearts impressed with the image of religious and spiritual virtues and with deeds of wisdom and piety; they shall be recipients of a great reward (9)﴿
Who does not like to live a happy life, full of peace, satisfaction, reassurance, and the trust in Allah? Who among us does not like to escape from fear, to escape from anxiety, to escape from oppression, and to escape from pain?
﴾A Book, the spirit of truth guiding those who lift to Allah their inward sight into all truth, leading them to the path of safety and peace and guiding them, Allah willing, out of darkness and superstition of later times and out of want of spiritual and intellectual sight into intellectual illumination and enlightenment and directing them to the path of righteousness(16) ﴿
Whoever deviates from the protocol of Allah is a devil:
So, the devil is that creature who deviated from the method of Allah; and, every creature that deviates from the way of Allah is a devil. There are devils of human beings, and devils of “jinn”. Allah, The Most Great, says:
﴾ Qarun was a Hebrew of the people of Mussa (possibly a cousin), one who exercised iniquity and injustice toward his people. We made all grace abound in him. We bestowed on him such immense treasures that the keys (of the chambers where the treasures were hidden) would have been an immense burden for a host of strong men to carry (were a burden for three hundred mules). His people said to him: «Do not rejoice boastingly, for Allah does not like those who boast` vaingloriously of what they are made to possess»(76) ﴿.
This means that he deviated from the accurate way. Allah, Almighty, says:
﴾«Go to Pharaoh», Allah added, « he has transgressed all bounds and played the tyrant» (43) ﴿.
Tyranny is a deviation from the right way, committing adultery is a deviation from the right way, deviling is a deviation from the right way, and lechery is a deviation from the right way. Allah, Glory to Him, says:
﴾ Praise is to Allah Who created the heavens and the earth and introduced darkness and light- both physical and spiritual-. Yet the infidels equalize Him with creatures of their fancy and incorporate them with Him as a corporate deity!(1) ﴿
And says:
﴾Praise be to Allah Who sent down to His servant the Book -the Quran- well founded, constant,resolute and did not allow therein of declension, obliquity or crookedness(1) ﴿
Allah should be praised twice, once for creating the earth and the heavens, and once for this straight method which He revealed to His Prophets.
As long as you obey Allah, you are under His protection:
In brief, Allah has a method applied on the earth, and Allah has the “Quran”, He, Almighty, put a legislation. As long as you are following the legislation of Allah, you are safe in your worldly life, and on doomsday, and also when you are in heaven forever, as long as you are implementing this method.
If you deviate from this method, you will suffer. As long as you are obeying Allah, you are under His protection and under His guarantee, but if you turn away from the obedience to Allah, you will be out of His protection, so you will bear the troubles.
A Bedouin came to The Prophet (PBUH) and said: “O Messenger of Allah, preach to me, but in brief !”. The Prophet (PBUH) said: ((Say: “I believe in Allah”, then be straight)). The Bedouin said: “ I want something easier !”, The Prophet (PBUH) said: (( Then, prepare for catastrophe )).
The issue is clear like the sun: either you follow the instructions, or you prepare for catastrophe. Say: “O Allah, I seek refuge with You from “Al-Shaytan” (Satan) the accursed”. Al-Shaytan….the creature who oppressed, the creature who tyrannized, the creature who deceived, and the creature who was shunned.
Some scholars have said that the word “Shaytan” is derived from the Arabic verb “Shat” which means burned; the devil burned with the fire of farness, and the farness made him wretched. The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) said:
((… there are two types of men: one is God-fearing, righteous, and is generous to Allah; the other is dissolute, miserable, and cheap to Allah )).
If there was only one human on Earth and he was happy for his farness from Allah, hence this religion would be false; and, if there was only one human connected with Allah and he was unhappy in spite of his god-fearing and obedience, this religion would be false. Allah, The Most Great, says:
﴾And he who turns his back upon My spirit of truth that guides into all truth and does not keep Me in mind shall live a life of misery and hardness of fate and circumstances and We throng him in Day of Judgment as blind, lacking in intellectual, moral and spiritual perception as he was in life (124) ﴿
And He says:
﴾ Anyone whose deeds are imprinted with wisdom and piety, be it male or female, and whose heart with the image of religious and spiritual virtues shall be made to enjoy a good and happy life that is worth living and We will reward them Hereafter at the gauge of the best of their worldly deeds (97) ﴿
Promise in the Quran for those who spend for the sake of Allah:
“O Allah, I seek refuge with You from “Al-Shaytan” (Satan) the accursed”. Accursed means the remote, and the word “exiled” is more correct because the devil deviated from the right way. The Arabic word “Shaytan” means avoided, and burnt, and exiled.
Allah, Almighty, says: The devil threatens you with poverty, he frightens you, and commands you to commit fornication by the method of fornicating. He allures you with sins, embellishes the sins for you, and promises you with poverty. He sneaks and whispers to you that if you spend your money in charity, you will become poor. Eight ayahs in the Quran promise those who spend their money in charity plentiful compensation, Allah, The Most Great, says:
﴾ Who would like to lend Allah all the benevolence and pious deeds he can toward future security and Allah shall reimburse him multi-fold! Allah is He Who reduces to poverty causing want, and He also brings abundance and supplying want, and back to Him shall all of you return (245) ﴿
And He says:
﴾ Say to them O Muhammad: «Indeed, it is Allah, my Creator, Who gives livelihood generously and confers support gratuitously to whom He will of His servants and restrains it if He will. And whatever you spend in His cause and in benevolence, He replenishes it, for He is the most capable of meeting peoples' needs and the best Purveyor of all requisites of His creatures» (39) ﴿
﴾ …and no one is ever wronged not even to the equivalent of a single hair of the dry integument of the smallest seed» ﴿
Seeking refuge with Allah from the devil is obligatory in Prayer
So,
﴾And when you reauthor the Quran begin with the opening formula of seeking Allah's help against satanic secret suggestions to the mind, thus: «To You O Allah do I commit myself counter to AL-Shaytan the accursed )98) ﴿
It is recommended that you seek refuge with Allah out of prayer, but it is obligatory during the prayer. The Prophet (PBUH) sought refuge with Allah from everything, such as when he entered a house, and when he rode a back animal. When he rode a back animal he would say:
(( I seek refuge with Allah. O Allah, I ask You the welfare of this animal, and the welfare of what it was created for; and I seek refuge with You from the malevolence of this animal, and the malevolence of what it was created for )).
Seek refuge with Allah from an animal, from a house, from an act which does not satisfy Allah, The Almighty, from bad companions, and from an excursion that maybe has ended badly.
The believing person always seeks refuge with Allah from the accursed devil, in order to prevent the devil from misleading him, alluring him, subverting him, bewitching him, driving him to commit a sin, whispering to him, and estranging him from the right group.
I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed devil.
Meanings of “In the Name of Allah the Merciful”:
As for the expression ﴾In the Name of Allah, AL-Rahman (Beneficent) and AL-Rahim (Merciful) ﴿ it requires a lengthy discussion. Allah, The Most Glorious, says in “Surat Al-Naml”:
﴾ «It is from Suleiman,» she said, «and it reads, quote: «In the Name of Allah, AL-Rahman, and AL-Rahim.» (30) ﴿
The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) commenced all his actions with the words, “In the Name of Allah the Merciful”, and it is included in His Chaste Sunnah. Also, we find “In the Name of Allah the Merciful” in the introductions of books and in most fields we find “ In the Name of Allah the Merciful”. It has became a tradition. Perhaps a book consists of a subject about “Darwin’s theory” but the author has initiated his book with “In the Name of Allah the Merciful” - this is in contrast to the subject.
The motif in
﴾ In the Name of Allah, AL-Rahman (Beneficent) and AL-Rahim (Merciful) ﴿is the preposition “ in” which gives the meaning “I start with the Name of Allah”, and all the Names of Allah are the most beautiful. The Beneficent and The Merciful - it looks like insufficient meaning. There is a verb relating to the preposition “in” and this means “I start my work in the Name of Allah”; I eat in the Name of Allah; I constitute this book in the Name of Allah, I establish a sentence as a judge in the Name of Allah. What is the meaning of “In the Name of Allah” ? If you want to eat, and say: ﴾ In the Name of Allah, AL-Rahman (Beneficent) and AL-Rahim (Merciful) ﴿it has two meanings:
1-Meaning1: Everything you have are blessings from Allah
The food which you eat are blessings given by Allah, the Most Glorious. So eat this food in the Name of The All Provider, eat this food in the name of The Most Enriching, in the Name of The Feeder, in the Name of The Glorious, in the Name of The Grantor, and in the Name of The All Kind. In the name “Allah”, as I have said before, all the Most Beautiful Names of Allah are combined. If you say, “In the Name of Allah”, it differs according to the intended subject. If you ate and said, “In the Name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful”, then you believe that what you ate is made by Allah. Did you think about such things? Did you think that Allah, Glory to Him, is the All Provider ?
﴾Do the infidels not see that besides Our handiwork We have created for them cattle and made them the owners and the masters thereof! (71) ﴿
If you drank a glass of water, and said “In the Name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful ”, did you think that the origin of this water is the dispersion of sunrays upon the vast seas, so that their water evaporated, was distilled, and vaporized into the air; then clouds merged and were carried by the wind to a thirsty land, then Allah, with His Grace, fell it down as a heavy rain, which caused plants and olives to grow, springs to flow, and rivers to run. So, the sun participated in this glass of water, as did the galaxies, far places, the climate, the wind, the heat, the coolness, and the mountains.
So, if you said: ﴾ In the Name of Allah, AL-Rahman (Beneficent) and AL-Rahim (Merciful) ﴿, did you think about the Name of “The Provider”? The Name of “The Giver”? The name of “The Granter”? Did you think about the name of “The Most Rich” ?
﴾ In the Name of Allah, AL-Rahman (Beneficent) and AL-Rahim (Merciful) ﴿
means drinking the glass of water in the Name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful.
2- Meanning2: Allah has rules “Sunnah” for His creatures:
Allah has rules, “Sunnah”, for His creatures. In drinking water, if you have said: ﴾ In the Name of Allah, AL-Rahman (Beneficent) and AL-Rahim (Merciful) ﴿ then you should not drink the water in a way differs from the rules of the “Sunnah”. You should suck the water, not quaff it, and drink it in a three steps; you should drink it and praise Allah, The Almighty; and, you should keep the glass away from your mouth, and not breath into the glass. This is the chaste “Sunnah” of The Prophet (PBUH). He prevented us from breathing in the glass. Now it has been proven that there are diseases which are transmitted by exhalation into the glass, which is then mixed with water that is consumed. He said Peace Be Upon Him:
(( Keep the cup away from your mouth )).
Keep the cup away from your mouth between two sips, to prevent the intermixing between the breath and the water; and The Prophet (PBUH) has said:
((Drink the water by sucking, not quaffing, because quaffing hurts the liver)).
Liver disease comes from quaffing the water. The Prophet (PBUH) praised Allah after drinking water, and all these rules are from His chaste “Sunnah”. If you say, ﴾ In the Name of Allah, AL-Rahman (Beneficent) and AL-Rahim (Merciful) ﴿ it has two meanings: first, did you think about these blessings? The second meaning is: do you apply the “Sunnah” of The Messenger (PBUH) with regards to drinking water ? This is the case of drinking.
We should praise and thank Allah for His blessings:
As for food, Allah, The Greatest, says:
﴾ O you children of Adam: Pay attention to your personal appearance and your apparel at every mosque where you dutifully observe your act of worship. The apparel often proclaims the man and his due respect for the dignity of the occasion, not to mention the solemnity of applying your minds to the presence of Allah. Do not be influenced by the Pagan's superstitions of permitting certain kinds of food and prohibiting sh3er, but eat and drink of the permitted but avoid intemperance; Allah does not like the extravagant who carry anything to excess (31) ﴿
Eat and offer thanks to Him:
((Praise be to Allah who fed me till He filled me, and gave me drink until He quenched my thirst)).
(( Allah will be satisfied with His worshiper because every time the worshiper eats he praises Allah for it, and every time he drinks he praises Allah for it)).
“Allah will be satisfied with His worshiper means that if a person has eaten until he is full, he should say, “Praise be to Allah”. And, if you have said, “In the Name of Allah”, this expression means that you have to think about these blessings which are benefits from Allah; so, you have to implement the command of Allah with regards to food. If you entered your home, and said:
﴾ In the Name of Allah, AL-Rahman (Beneficent) and AL-Rahim (Merciful) ﴿, Allah, Almighty would say:
﴾O you who have conformed to Islam: Do not enter houses not your own until you have asked permission and greeted those who dwell therein. This is best for you and mannerly, it is hoped that you shall bear this in mind (27) ﴿
Your houses are most worthy to greet the persons in them. The Prophet (PBUH) said something to the effect of: If the man has entered his house and didn’t salute his family, the devil would say, “We found the night-shelter”, then he spends the night in that house, and corrupts in it as much as Allah will allow to him to corrupt in that night. So, this is a command from Allah, to salute when you enter home. When you say, “In the Name of Allah” and open the door of your house, it is better to say: “Praise be to Allah who housed me”, because there are many people living without a home. In many eastern Asian countries their inhabitants sleep on the pavements, or make boats in the rivers as a home for themselves. In some poor countries you see thousands of people with their wives and children sleeping on pavements, and this became a very familiar scene in their countries.
If you were in a house and opened the door and said: ﴾In the Name of Allah, AL-Rahman (Beneficent) and AL-Rahim (Merciful) ﴿ that means: “Praise be to Allah who housed me” and you remembered how many people are living without homes.
“In the Name of Allah” makes you discerning of the matter:
Did you see the blessings of Allah, The Almighty ?
If you opened the water faucet for ablution, and said: “In the Name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful”, did you know that this is a priceless blessing, the blessing of the water existing in the house?
Now, if you entered the home and said: “In the Name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful” that means:
﴾ And you must live with them in equity and honour according to the manner and the Islamic laws of matrimony…(19) ﴿
(( Be kind with women, then by Allah, the one who lionizes them is generous, and the one who despises them is ignoble. Women overpower every generous man, and an ignoble overpowers them. I would prefer to be a conquered generous man, not to be a triumphant ignoble ))
“Bismallah” means, if you were driving your car and said, “In the Name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful”, then did you think about where are you going? Are you going to a place does not satisfy Allah, The Almighty? That makes a contradiction between the “Bismallah” and the place where you are going, so you decide not to complete the way and return to your rightness.
Do you thank Allah for the blessing of the vehicle? Do you utilize it for worshiping Allah ? Do you use it to aid the weak? Do you use it to save the sick ? The issue is very extensive. The Prophet, Peace Be Upon Him, said:
(( For every important matter, if it does not start with “in the Name of Allah”, then this matter is discontinued))
That means, the welfare is discontinued. You constitute a book, do you mention something false in this book ? If you have written on the front part of its pages, “In the Name of Allah”, then you have to inspect: Is your purpose for writing this book only for the sake of Allah? Or do you want to acquire the reputation and the sublimity? “In the Name of Allah” makes you discerning of the matter.
Distinction between the Beneficent and the Merciful:
This “Bismallah” puts before you two things. It reminds you of the blessings of Allah, The Almighty, and that is a blessing from Allah. And, it reminds you with the command of Allah in this subject, in food, in drinking, in entering the home, and in going shopping. The Prophet (PBUH) sought refuge with Allah from a losing transaction if he entered the market, and he sought refuge with Allah from a false oath such as when the salesman says: “I swear by Allah that I did not earn any profits” while he is lying. He sells all his religion with one word.
The Prophet (PBUH) sought refuge with Allah from false oaths, and from losing transaction. If a person has collected ill-gotten money, Allah, The Almighty, makes him feel that the purchase is profitable so he buys it; then, this transaction will be the way to his bankruptcy. This ill-gotten money, which was collected by that person, was wasted in a losing transaction. Hence, if a person enters the market, he should say “in the Name of Allah”; if he enters to his house, he should say “in the Name of Allah”, if he is driving a vehicle, he should say “in the Name of Allah”, if he drinks water, if he has eaten food, even if he has made love with his wife, he should say “in the Name of Allah”, so as not to have a bad progeny.
“In the Name of Allah”: the preposition “ in” here means I seek refuge and resort with the Name of Allah, I eat in the Name of Allah, I marry in the Name of Allah, and I enter my home in the Name of Allah. This “Bismallah” always reminds you of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah, and reminds you of His optimal orders.
﴾In the Name of Allah, AL-Rahman (Beneficent) and AL-Rahim (Merciful) ﴿.
Yet, in fact, scholars are puzzled in the distinction between “ The Beneficent” and “The Merciful”. Some scholars have said: “The Beneficent” with all His creatures, and “The Merciful” with believers. Some scholars have said: “The Beneficent” with the great blessings, and “The Merciful” with the tiny blessings. Some scholars have said: “The Beneficent” in the worldly life, and “The Merciful” on doomsday.
And some of them have said: “The Beneficent” in and of His-Self, and “The Merciful” in His deeds. The last interpretation is the most logical. For example, you met a doctor hurrying to save a patient in front of crowd of people, so he acquired a good reputation for saving the patient. Then, we can say that this doctor is merciful, but the doctor does not harbor a mercy in his heart, rather he did that to obtain a good reputation. Then he is merciful, but he does not go about his work because of mercy in his heart.
Mercy is something people are happy about:
There is a difference between “The Beneficent” and “The Merciful”. The Beneficent in His-Self, and The Merciful in His actions; He is compassionate, and His actions are compassionate. Mercy is something that gives comfort to the self. Rain is a part of the Mercy of Allah: rain falls down, then springs fill, and the plant grow, trees blossom, we eat, and the prices become cheaper. All of what was mentioned are from mercy of Allah.
Children are a mercy from Allah. They fill the quietness of the house with life and activity, and fill the house with pleasure. Then, when the son has grown up he aids his parents. So, children are a mercy from Allah. Allah, The Almighty, says:
﴾ We invested him with the privilege of begetting a pious progeny, Ishaq and Ya'qub (Isaac, Jacob) (84) ﴿
Mercy is everything which the human is happy about. The good and organized working of body systems is a mercy from Allah, to eat delicious food is a mercy from Allah, to drink fresh water is a mercy from Allah. To marry a good and trusted wife who will obey if you make a request, who pleases you if you look at her, and who safeguards when you are absent. This wife is a mercy from Allah. To see your child moving in the house like an angel is a mercy from Allah; and if you had a job produces incomes to you, it is a mercy from Allah.
If you have gone to a garden and enjoyed the beautiful landscapes, it is a mercy from Allah; and if nice breezes have blown, and they stopped the working of the air-conditions and made them useless, it is a mercy from Allah; and if it was warmth, on the other hand, it is a mercy from Allah too. So, the mercy is everything which the human is happy about. Allah, The Almighty, created us to have mercy on. Allah says:
﴾ But not those whom Allah has graced with His mercy. In this Manner of freedom of choice and of thinking did He bring mankind into being. Thus has the word of Allah, your Creator, answered the purpose and complied with His decree, thus: «I will fill Hell with the Jinn together with mankind who were wrongful of actions, guilty of defiant impiety and whose lawless desires were seas scorning all bounds» (119) ﴿
To have compassion on us in the worldly life, and to have compassion on us in the afterlife. However, a person will say: “Glory to Allah! He created us for agonizing”. This is the devil’s talk. O brother, you were not created for suffering, but you were created for mercy, so to be happy in the worldly life and the afterlife.
Allah created us to have mercy on us:
In worldly life, if you believed in Allah, He would delight you for a while and grant everyone with merit his merit. There is happiness even in the worldly life, and it full of pleasure, but only for who obey Allah, The Almighty:
﴾ Pause here - you people - and think What advantage or benefit does, Allah derive from inflicting punishment on you if you impel yourselves to the feeling of gratitude and gratefulness and conform your will to His will! (147) ﴿
Allah created us in order to have mercy on. This is the great divine purpose, but the torment which Allah punishes us with is made by ourselves, by our sins, by our aberration, by our perversity, by our oppression, by our farness, and the punishment is made by our shortcomings; even the burden which the human bears is a reflection of his bad deeds.
Some scholars have said that “Bismallah” should exist with person in all the different fields of his life, and all his activities; for example, if he performs the ablution, if he enters the home, if he wants to eat, and if he wants to drink.
You wanted to eat, then you said, “In the Name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful”. The Prophet (PBUH) commanded us with ablution before eating food, and this ablution is not complete, but it is washing hands and mouth only.
(( And the blessing of the food is the ablution before and after it)).
Scholars agree that food ablution is different from prayer ablution. Food ablution is washing the hands and mouth; for instance, you were outside, there was dust, or you shook hands with someone, or held your shoes. This means that this hand touched many things. So, the blessing of the food is the ablution before it, then if you want to eat and say, “In the Name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful”, this is a command to stand and go to wash your hands and mouth. This is the meaning of:
﴾In the Name of Allah, AL-Rahman (Beneficent) and AL-Rahim (Merciful) ﴿.
Names of Al-Fatiha surah:
Allah, The Greatest, says:
﴾Hearts surge forth and answer thanks to Allah, Creator of the uniayah, for whom all His glorious attributes are extolled and praised (2) ﴿
Now, we start with “Al-Fatiha”. The Prophet (PBUH) gave it the name “Al-Fatiha” when He said:
((As for the person who does not reauthor the Prelusion of The Book “Al-Fatiha” during the prayer, his prayer is not acceptable )).
Al-Fatiha was named the “Praise Sura” because it begins with: ﴾Hearts surge forth and answer thanks to Allah, Creator of the uniayah, for whom all His glorious attributes are extolled and praised (2) ﴿
Also, Al-Fatiha was named “The Prelusion of The Book” because The Noble Quran opens with Al-Fatiha; and it was named the “Mother of The Book”, and mother of anything means the origin of that thing. Our Lord, The Almighty, says:
﴾It is He who has revealed to you O Muhammad; the Quran with revelations that are precise and exactly defined. These constitute the essential part and the fundamental or groundwork of Allah’s system of faith and worship and unequivocal understanding and obedience from every intellectual being. Other revelations are allegorical. They describe a subject under the guise of some other comparable subject (7) ﴿
All the ayahs of Al-Fatiha are precise and exactly defined. The Prophet (PBUH) named Al-Fatiha the “Mother of The Book”, and it was named “Mother of the Quran”. The Prophet (PBUH) had said:
((Praise be to Allah… “Al-Fatiha” is the “Mother of Quran”,the “Mother of The Book” and “seven reiterative dual ayahs” ))
Al-Fatiha was named “ The Cure”, because The Prophet, Peace Be Upon Him, said:
(( In the Prelusion of The Book “Al-Fatiha” is a cure for all diseases ))
It was named “The foundation”. The foundation of the book is the Quran, the foundation of the Divine Books is the Quran, and the foundation of the Quran is “Al-Fatiha”. Moreover it was named “the sufficient” and “the adequate”, and the Prophet (PBUH) said:
(( The “Mother of the Book” is a substitute for sh3er, but sh3er are not a substitute for it))
It is mentioned in Al-Qurtobi interpretation that “All the Quran is in Al-Fatiha”.
I remember a speech that was narrated from “Al-Hassan Al-Basri”, may Allah have mercy on him, that Allah sent one hundred and four Books. Allah, Almighty, collected the secret of the one hundred Books in the four Books, and collected the secret of the four Books in the Quran, and collected the secret of the Quran is in Al-Fatiha, and collected the secret of Al-Fatiha in these two words ﴾It is You and You alone Whom we worship, it is You and You alone Whom we invoke for guidance and help﴿. The Prophet (PBUH) said:
(( Allah will be satisfied with His worshiper, because every time the worshiper eats he praises Allah for it, and every time he drinks he praises Allah for it)).
Praise for the blessing is better than the blessing itself:
I will reauthor a Prophet’s speech, “Hadith”, that will motivate reassurance in yourselves:
((Praise and thanks for the blessing is protection from losing it ))
Any blessing you praise Allah for will not disappear, and will not go to waste. And, to say praise be to Allah for the blessing is protection from losing it. There is a definitive speech about this idea: Al-Hassan said: “No blessing is better than praise to Allah”. How? This means, if Allah has given you health blessing, and you were active, hard, and strong as a horse, years will pass then death will come and the human dies. What will remain from this blessing? It is gone. But if you have praised Allah for it, your spirit would ascend in the way of praise; you will be happy with your praise forever. So, praising for the blessing is better than the blessing itself. Al-Hassan said: “No blessing is much better than praise and thanks to Allah”. For example, Allah has bestowed a righteous wife for you who aided you in life troubles, prevented you from committing fornication, and you trusted her. But at a specific time you will leave each other - either she will leave you first or you will leave her first. But if you have praised Allah for the blessing of the righteous wife, you would be pleased with the reward of that praise forever.
Praise Allah for the blessing is the protection from losing it:
Therefore, a person met the Judge “Shuraih” and said: “O Shuraih, how is your life at home?”Shuraih said:”For twenty years ago I had never found anything to disturb my life, or disturb my happiness. The man said: “And how did you realize that?” Shuraih said: “I got engaged to a woman from a righteous family, then when I met her separately I prayed two prostrations of thanks for the blessing of the righteous wife. Then when I concluded my prayer I found her praying and following me in my prayer. Then when I got nearer to her she said “ O Abu Omiya, I’m a strange woman, I don’t know what you like or what you hate! So, tell me what you like so I can do it, and what you hate so I can avoid it. O Abu Omiya, there were in the women of your people who were efficient for you, and I had in my people those who were fit for me, but I became your wife according to the Book of Allah, the Quran and the “Sunnah” of His Messenger (PBUH), so fear Allah in me, and obey what Allah says:
﴾Divorce is permissible only twice, if each time both parties think they can reconcile with their hearts and with Allah. There and then they shall have to hold together in equity or else part in kindness. But if you decide on divorce, then you are forbidden to reclaim what you gave them of dower or gifts unless you fear obstinacy against Allah’s ordinances, then you are absolved if she wishes to buy her freedom. These are the limitations imposed by Allah, and those who transgress them are wrongful (229) ﴿
Shuraih said: “ Then she sat down”, which means that the righteous wife was waiting for her husband’s reply. I mentioned this story for the usefulness of its lessons. When the Judge “Shuraih” came to his righteous wife he prayed two prostrations of thanks. So, praise for the blessing is the protection from losing it.
Any blessing, for instance, the blessing of health if you praised Allah for it, would not disappear. Allah delights you with your hearing, your eyesight, your mind, and your strength all the time that you are alive. Do you lower your eyes from what Allah forbade? Then you will not be mourned with, Do you conserve your ear from hearing any sound which does not satisfy Allah? You will not be grieved with it. Do you use your tongue to say the truth or to say the false? You will not be grieved with it. This memory is used for what? The right or unlawful? If you used it in memorizing “The Quran”, memorizing the rules of Allah, and memorizing the virtuous speech “Hadith” of The Prophet (PBUH); then Allah, Almighty, would not grieve you with it.
This hand, this strength, and other blessings - praise and giving thanks for the blessing is the protection from losing it.
The word “praise for Allah” is better than the whole world:
He, Peace Be Upon Him, said:
((Every time Allah bestows a blessing upon a worshiper, and the worshiper says “Praise be to Allah”, Allah will give him better than what He has
taken )).
What did the worshiper give? He gave the word “Praise be to Allah”. This word which the worshiper gave to his Lord is better upon Allah than what the worshiper has taken. If he has taken a house that is worth is five million, and he said, “O Allah, praise be to You!” then the word “Praise be to Allah” is better to Allah than this house, because the fate of the house is devastation, but the word of praise gives happiness to the person forever.
The Prophet (PBUH) said:
((If the whole world and everything in it was in the hand of a man from my nation and then he said "Praise be to Allah”, “Praise be to Allah” would be the best of all)).
The whole world means its luxury houses, its vernal orchards, its abundant wealth, its beautiful women, and its luxurious crafts. The word “Praise” means that you know Allah, and if you know Him, then you know everything, and if you missed Allah, everything missed you. If the world and everything in it was in your hand and you said: “Praise be to Allah”, the word “Praise be to Allah” is better upon Allah than the world and what it contains.
So scholars contemplated which is better, “Praise be to Allah”, or “There is no god but Allah”? There are declarations that say, “Praise be to Allah” is the best, and some of them have said, "There is no god but Allah” is better, but the word “Praise be to Allah” is the first Praise in The Book of Allah, is blessed.
﴾ Hearts surge forth and answer thanks to Allah, Creator of the uniayah, for whom all His glorious attributes are extolled and praised (2) Al-Rahman, AL-Rahim (3) ﴿
As for the Praise “Al- Hamd”, why did Allah, Almighty, not say praise to Allah, Lord of the worlds as “Hamdan”? Instead, Allah, Glory to Him, says: “ Al-Hamd”?
Scholars have said that this “Al” is for encompassment of all praise; this means “All the praise strictly, all of it and some of it, whatever its volume, big or small, is for Allah, Almighty.
Prophet Muahmad is the most merciful creature:
There is no other authority that deserves praise except Allah, ever. Listen to the words of, our Lord, Allah The Almighty:
﴾…solved on a course of action, then in Allah you trust, for Allah likes those who put their trust in Him (159) ﴿
Our Messenger Muhammad (PBUH) is the most merciful person with human beings; if you combined the mercy of all msh3er in this world from Adam until the Day of Resurrection, then it is not equivalent to the mercy of The Prophet (PBUH) with His nation. Allah, The Greatest, says:
﴾ O you people: There has come to you a Messenger raised in your midst and related to you by kinship. He is grieved at heart and affected with deep sorrow to see you perfect your ruin and be destroyed by your iniquities which oppress his feelings and his mind. You are his object of care and deep concern with view to guiding you to the path of righteousness, and he is kind, tender and merciful to those whose hearts have been touched with the divine hand (128) ﴿
(( The most merciful person with my nation is “Abu Bakr”, and the most strict person in execution of the rules of Allah is Omar…))
As for the most merciful person with human beings, he is The Prophet, peace be upon him. This means that The Prophet (PBUH) is more merciful with you than
yourself. However, Allah, The Almighty, says:
﴾…solved on a course of action, then in Allah you trust, for Allah likes those who put their trust in Him (159) ﴿
All the mercy is from Allah and The Prophet was given a part of it:
Allah, The Almighty, says:
﴾If Allah, your Creator. the Source of true forgiveness and divine mercy,were to censure them for their demerits which are far above all praises of man, He would have hastened them to their painful end. But We have determined for them a point of time when they shall be reduced to a useless form and besides Allah they shall find no one to afford them refuge (58) ﴿
What is the distinction between “Mercy” the indefinite noun in the ayah of “Al-‘Imran”, and “the mercy” the definite noun in the ayah of “Al-Kahf”? They have said that in the second “mercy” the “Al” is not meant as a definite article, but it’s for enormity, this means that all the mercy is from Allah, and The Prophet (PBUH) was given a part of it. Now all the praise be to Allah.
I mentioned a story one month ago or maybe more, that “Al-Hajjaj” commanded the hanging of ten men; then the sundown call to prayer came, and one of them was not hanged yet. Al-Hajjaj ordered one of his ministers to take the sentenced man to his house until the morning. On the way to minister’s home, the sentenced man said: “ I swear by Allah that I didn’t disobey the Prince, and I didn’t hurt anybody of Muslims. Then can you give me permission to go to my family in order to entrust them, see my children, and write my will before I die?”.
The minister laughed and said: “ Am I crazy, to let you go?” The man said: “ I swear by Allah, if you set me free, I assuredly will come back to your home before dawn”. This man convinced the minister to allow him, and when the minister allowed the man to leave he felt unbearably distressed. He said: “I spent the longest night of my life”, for if the man did not return he would die instead of him. As soon as the dawn call to prayer has come, the door was knocked, and the man who promised the minister to return came back, came to die. When tomorrow came, the minister took the sentenced man to Al-Hajjaj and said to him: “I will tell you what happened yesterday”. After he did, Al-Hajjaj said to him: “Would you like me to confer him to you?” the minister said, "Yes”, and then Al-Hajjaj said: “So, he is for you”. In another words, “As long as he has a devotion like that we forgive him”. When the minister came out and said to the man: "O man, go on your way”. Then the man who was pardoned did not speak, did not look at him, did not thank him, and did not say a word, but he looked to heaven, and said: “Praise be to Allah”.
That minister who had sought to release the man and relieved him from a certain death, “If he thanked me !”. After three days the man came to him and said:" I praise your work, but when you said to me, “go on your way”, I hated to praise anyone along with Allah”.
The basis of the worshiper’s knowledge of his God:
The human, sometimes, seems to have the specter of calamity, as if he is infected with a tumor and does not know whether it is benign tumor or malignant tumor. He conducted an analysis, and if the tumor was normal, the first thing he has to say is, “Praise be to Allah”, and to not praise anybody but Allah. A younger man has an inflammation of meningitis, and he is on the verge of death, then he is saved from death from Allah’s guidance and his ability. Don’t say:”I swear by Allah that the doctor is not good, he told me to do an early analysis, but rather say: “Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds”. Therefore, “Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds” is the basis of the worshiper’s knowledge of his God. There is a very exact speech “Hadith”, The Prophet, peace be upon Him, says:
((Praise is the apex of thankfulness; a worshiper would not be thankful to Allah if he does not praise Him ))
Some have said that praise is a mood, and thankfulness is behavior, so, there is no thankful behavior without the basis of feeling thankful; then if the person does not have a feeling of praise, his behavior is false, and he is in a hypocrisy and blarney mood
((Praise is the apex of thankfulness; a worshiper would not be thankful to Allah if he does not praise Him ))
First is the praise, and second is thankfulness. Allah, The Greatest, said:
﴾ «Work righteousness O you the sons of Dawud and let your deeds reflect gratitude and gratefulness to Me». But it is only a few of My servants who do this and impel themselves to the feeling of gratitude and gratefulness (13) ﴿
Thankfulness is an action, ﴾«Work righteousness O you the sons of Dawud and let your deeds reflect gratitude and gratefulness to Me» ﴿, but praise is a feeling. Sometimes a person offers a favor to you, and feel that you are grateful to him. Sometimes you express gratitude by doing a favor, sometimes by a nice word, and sometimes by saying “May Allah reward you for me”. But the basis of these words or that favor is a mood you have felt, and that is the praise.
The blessing of satisfaction is the most complete blessing:
You pray the obligatory prayer; the obligatory prayers are only seventeen prostrations in a day, and seventeen prostrations of “Sunnah”. This means that you’re saying, “Praise be to Allah” in a prayer about forty times. Are you up to this ayah? It means are you satisfied with Allah, The Almighty, satisfied
