This is the second in my series of commentaries on the holy Quran, to read the first article, please click on this link.
In the previous and first ever article in my Quran commentary series, we discussed the ‘isti’aadah’.
- It is the words ‘A’udhubillahi min as shaytan ar rajeem’ in Arabic or ‘I seek refuge in Allah from the rejected Satan’.
- We said that it should be recited before reading the Quran and looked at the Quranic verse which tells us to do so.
- It does not form an actual part of the Quranic text.
- It denotes the three-sided relationship of man, God and the devil, and the nature of life whereby God encourages man to good and thus his salvation, whereas the devil incites man to evil. Man has to choose between these two ways.
In this article I will be looking at the ‘Basmallah’.
In Islam Muslims are supposed to recite ‘Bismillahi rahman ar raheem’, in the name of God the most beneficient, the most merciful’ before any action including eating, prayer, or any major piece of work.
I will first carry out a look at each of the individual words.
1.”Bi”
ب
‘Bi’ is an Arabic word meaning ‘with’.
It is usually followed by a verb:
“That is to the say the preposition ‘bi’ in ‘bi-ism-illah’ requires a verb to introduce it, but there is no explicit verb within it, so it is the hearer’s knowledge of the intention of the person who says ‘bi-ism-illah’ which enables him to do without the speaker having to announce explicitly what he intends'”
(From Tafseer At-Tabari, section on the ‘basmallah)
As ‘bi’ is a preposition, it is known in Arabic grammar as a ‘harf’ (preposition or particle).
In Arabic words are classified in to three categories.
- Ism (name)
- Fi’il (verb)
- Harf (preposition or particle).
These are of course then sub-divided in to sub-categories.
The word ‘bi’ is the second word ever revealed to the holy prophet, the second word ever revealed in the Quran.
The first was ‘Iqra’ which Jibreel said to the prophet in the cave of Hira. Then that was followed by ‘bismi rabbika’ [in the name of your lord’
2. “Ism”
“Ism” in Arabic means name and as its meaning suggests it is of course classified as an ‘ism’ or noun.
Names are very powerful.
What is a name?
A name is used to identify someone or something and thus by definition distinguish that person or thing from others.
The name given to a child for instance can determine many things about his or her life. For example how high or low he is on the class list/register and thus at times if he gets things first or later.
Allah ta’ala (ta’ala = the most high) taught Adam the ‘”names”. According to the tafseer (Quranic exegisis/commentary) of the Damascene writer, Ibn Katheer, the names which Allah ta’ala taught Adam included knowledge of all things including objects:
“Allah taught Adam the names of everything, their proper names, the names of their characteristics, and what they do, just as Ibn `Abbas stated about the terms for passing gas.”
(Ibn Katheer).
There are various branches of science be it physics and biology where materials or life forms are identified and placed in to categories or sub-categories and their different characteristics and properties are identified. Thus we know copper can conduct electricity and therefore we use it in wires and this knowledge has helped us to create the modern world. Knowledge and correct identification of things is a prerequisite for progress.
In Islam it is said that when you name a child that you should be careful and try to name them with a good name and certain names have more virtue than other names.
In the following article I will talk about the name ‘Allah’ and the other names of Allah. This is a topic which requires an article on its own right and will thus be discussed separately.
However we read in the work of the Andalusian writer and commentator (exegete or ‘musafir’ in Arabic) the following in relation to the ‘basmallah’
‘The shari’ah recommends the basmallah at the beginning of every action, like eating, drinking, slaughtering, sex, purification, embarking on a ship and the like. Allah says ‘Eat that over which the name of Allah has been mentioned’ (Quran, 6:118) and ‘He said Embark in it. In the name of Allah be its voyage and its landing!” (Quran, 11.41) The prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said ‘ Lock your door and mention the name of Allah’ Put out your lamp and mention the name of Allah. Cover your vessels and mention the name of Allah. Tie up your waterskins and mention the name of Allah.” He said if anyone of you wants to go to his wife, he should say “In the name of Allah, Oh Allah keep the Shaytan (Satan) away from us and keep Shaytan away from what you provide us with. If a child is decreed for them, Shaytan will not harm him at all.”
(Qurtubi, section on the basmallah)
The ‘basmallah’ along with the ‘isti’aadah’ help protect us from the evil of Shaytan (Iblis), who is engaged in a never-ending war to destroy us and cause our ruin, to cause us harm, suffering and tears.
The name of Allah sanctifies and gives blessings and benediction (barakah) on any action in whose name it is performed. The name of Allah is holy and has great spiritual powers. We should always remember Allah, praise Allah and invoke his name.
Faatih
The Quran commentary series: 2a
Published May 26, 2018 quran , Quranic commentary series 3 CommentsTags: Allah, Arabic grammar, basmallah, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Ibn Katheer, Islam, Muslim, nouns, particles, parts of speech in Arabic, prepositions, Qurtubi, religion, tafseer, verbs
This is the second in my series of commentaries on the holy Quran, to read the first article, please click on this link.
In the previous and first ever article in my Quran commentary series, we discussed the ‘isti’aadah’.
In this article I will be looking at the ‘Basmallah’.
In Islam Muslims are supposed to recite ‘Bismillahi rahman ar raheem’, in the name of God the most beneficient, the most merciful’ before any action including eating, prayer, or any major piece of work.
I will first carry out a look at each of the individual words.
1.”Bi”
ب
‘Bi’ is an Arabic word meaning ‘with’.
It is usually followed by a verb:
“That is to the say the preposition ‘bi’ in ‘bi-ism-illah’ requires a verb to introduce it, but there is no explicit verb within it, so it is the hearer’s knowledge of the intention of the person who says ‘bi-ism-illah’ which enables him to do without the speaker having to announce explicitly what he intends'”
(From Tafseer At-Tabari, section on the ‘basmallah)
As ‘bi’ is a preposition, it is known in Arabic grammar as a ‘harf’ (preposition or particle).
In Arabic words are classified in to three categories.
These are of course then sub-divided in to sub-categories.
The word ‘bi’ is the second word ever revealed to the holy prophet, the second word ever revealed in the Quran.
The first was ‘Iqra’ which Jibreel said to the prophet in the cave of Hira. Then that was followed by ‘bismi rabbika’ [in the name of your lord’
2. “Ism”
“Ism” in Arabic means name and as its meaning suggests it is of course classified as an ‘ism’ or noun.
Names are very powerful.
What is a name?
A name is used to identify someone or something and thus by definition distinguish that person or thing from others.
The name given to a child for instance can determine many things about his or her life. For example how high or low he is on the class list/register and thus at times if he gets things first or later.
Allah ta’ala (ta’ala = the most high) taught Adam the ‘”names”. According to the tafseer (Quranic exegisis/commentary) of the Damascene writer, Ibn Katheer, the names which Allah ta’ala taught Adam included knowledge of all things including objects:
“Allah taught Adam the names of everything, their proper names, the names of their characteristics, and what they do, just as Ibn `Abbas stated about the terms for passing gas.”
(Ibn Katheer).
There are various branches of science be it physics and biology where materials or life forms are identified and placed in to categories or sub-categories and their different characteristics and properties are identified. Thus we know copper can conduct electricity and therefore we use it in wires and this knowledge has helped us to create the modern world. Knowledge and correct identification of things is a prerequisite for progress.
In Islam it is said that when you name a child that you should be careful and try to name them with a good name and certain names have more virtue than other names.
In the following article I will talk about the name ‘Allah’ and the other names of Allah. This is a topic which requires an article on its own right and will thus be discussed separately.
However we read in the work of the Andalusian writer and commentator (exegete or ‘musafir’ in Arabic) the following in relation to the ‘basmallah’
‘The shari’ah recommends the basmallah at the beginning of every action, like eating, drinking, slaughtering, sex, purification, embarking on a ship and the like. Allah says ‘Eat that over which the name of Allah has been mentioned’ (Quran, 6:118) and ‘He said Embark in it. In the name of Allah be its voyage and its landing!” (Quran, 11.41) The prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said ‘ Lock your door and mention the name of Allah’ Put out your lamp and mention the name of Allah. Cover your vessels and mention the name of Allah. Tie up your waterskins and mention the name of Allah.” He said if anyone of you wants to go to his wife, he should say “In the name of Allah, Oh Allah keep the Shaytan (Satan) away from us and keep Shaytan away from what you provide us with. If a child is decreed for them, Shaytan will not harm him at all.”
(Qurtubi, section on the basmallah)
The ‘basmallah’ along with the ‘isti’aadah’ help protect us from the evil of Shaytan (Iblis), who is engaged in a never-ending war to destroy us and cause our ruin, to cause us harm, suffering and tears.
The name of Allah sanctifies and gives blessings and benediction (barakah) on any action in whose name it is performed. The name of Allah is holy and has great spiritual powers. We should always remember Allah, praise Allah and invoke his name.
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