Bismillah-e-Rehman-e-Rahim (Verse 01, Surah Fatihah)

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِِ

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

BISMILLAH

To start any good deed with "(I begin) in the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful" means a supplication unto Allah for successful completion of the work. It also means that the supplicant undertakes the job in the name of and on behalf of Allah to serve the good in the work as well as achieve his own legitimate purpose. In other words he dedicates his life to Allah and employs his self-interest-oriented activity in the service of overall goodness. He admits his helplessness and relies on the truth that ability to make any work fruitful is exclusively with Allah, and with no one else. By invoking Allah in the name of His beneficence and mercy he prays for His aid to achieve success in his undertaking. It is quite logical to believe that the divine beneficence and mercy would bless such a faithful. It does.

It is a fact that nothing exists or takes effect outside the course of Allah's will. The will of Allah governs the scope of every activity but does not determine the desires and methods of any created being. Anything that happens or exists without seeking Allah's pleasure, is covered by the will of Allah, but is not blessed with His grace. Should an individual begin any work without saying bismillah, it may be completed but without earning the divine pleasure. The desires and actions of an individual shall be blessed only when he surrenders them to Allah's pleasure. The Holy Prophet has made it known that anything done without invoking the divine grace by reciting bismillah is not approved by Allah.

As said earlier anyone can begin any work, without invoking Allah with bismillah, and it will be executed, if the divine will allows it. However, in this event, it does not earn the divine pleasure, but on the contrary is liable to be punished according to the degree of evil involved, the intention of the individual, the nature and the effect of the work. Even if it is not evil in its nature, disciplinary action can be taken because the individual has relied upon his ability and will which is as bad as setting oneself against the almighty Lord.

The very act of any one starting his work in the name of Allah whom he remembers as beneficent and merciful, eloquently speaks of the individual's obedience to the supreme being, who in return would automatically be reciprocal to the devotee's expectation in seeking His pleasure and mercy. In starting a work in the name of Allah, the reciter demonstrates the undernoted aspects of fundamental importance :

1. Acknowledgement of the supreme being as his Lord master.

2. Confession of his own helplessness.

3. Belief in Allah as the ever-living and all-knowing - almighty.

4. Reliance on the supreme being, seeking His pleasure and mercy, and invoking Him with His mercy-invoking attributes.

5. Conviction at heart and confidence that if called, the beneficent and the merciful Allah will certainly not deny him His mercy.

The words of bismillah i.e., in the name of Allah, have wide and discernible implications. The words may mean not only 'in the name of' but also:

1. For the sake of

2. To the service of

These and many other implications will serve the supplicant when he sincerely turns to Allah for obtaining His mercy and blessings.

RAHMANIR RAHIM

He is the creator of the creation and of the nature of creation, therefore, He is essentially all-aware and all-knowing.

He is the beneficent and merciful. He loves each and every living being, so the beloved must stay attached with Him. He is near, gives answer to the supplicants when they cry unto Him.

As it is His mercy which sustains the whole universe, He alone is the true bountiful.

Belief in His mercy and beneficence, derived from observation and contemplation in its operation, creates love, brotherhood, justice, peace and harmony in the social, economic and political life of the human beings; and as an individual, every one of them makes a choice of sincerity, integrity and piety as a way of life.