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BISMILLAAH IR RAHMAAN IR RAHEEM ANUNFAILING 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 . This occurred while the Prophet wasreturning from the extremely disappointingand painful journey of Taaif, exhausted with

wounds and worn down with grief. Heentered an orchard to save himself from the

mischief of the hoodlums and to take some rest. This orchard belonged to `Utba andShaiba, sons of Rabee`a. The Prophet sat under the shade of thegrapevines.

A SOUL-STIRRING INVOCATION BY THE PROPHET

When the Prophet felt at peace, he started supplicating to Allaah. The words ofthis supplication are quite unusual and out of the ordinary. Never have such words of

supplication been reported from him. The supplication is:

"

.

.

. ."O Allaah! I complain to You the lack of my strength, inadequacy of my schemes, andmy 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 meto 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 ismuch 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 Yourwrath 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 Prophets suffering and distress with their own eyes. Their heartswere, in any case, hearts of a human being, not of a stone or a brick. They became

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overwhelmed with empathy and the feeling of compassion overpowered them. Theycalled 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. Theservant obeyed his masters.

COMMENDABLE ACT, AMAZING QUESTIONNow, an excellent bunch of fresh grapes is before the Allaahs Prophet

in the tray. The Prophet had always been grateful to every bounty of the trulyBountiful, but when he saw this unexpected hospitality in this environment of alienismand 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 thegrapes 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 thecamphoric candle

1of the Most Gracious and Most Merciful lighted up in this dark house

of Misbelief and Polytheism. He could no more hide his emotions, and almostinvoluntarily he remarked: By Allaah! The denizens of this town do not say Bismillah

ir Rahmaan ir Raheem. Hearing his words of astonishment, the Prophet 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 Allaahs pious servantYoonus 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 Allaahs prophet just as I am, said theProphet.

REPLY OF DEVOTION

On hearing this, `Addaas fell upon the Prophets feetand kissed his holy head and limbs. `Utba and Shaiba, the masters were

observing the incident. One said to the other, Certainly, he has spoilt ourslave.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 Lords 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 mans devotion and servitude to Allaah. If my heart got fascinated in the

love and devotion for such an extraordinary man, then whats there to wonder and

ponder? After this reply marked with devotion, `Utba and Shaiba could not help keepingquiet.

1[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 trulyappreciated the blessing, significance and essence of Bismillaah. Any heart where the

glory and grandeur of Allaah has found a place and which acknowledges that

(Whatever is there belongs to Allaah, only doubts and conjecturesbelong to us.) would find it impossible to remain oblivious of the significance of thehighly 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 ofAllaahs help and assistance, and spate of blessing and bounty.

THE HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE OF BISMILLAH

In the days of ignorance before the holy Messengers arrival, people used to begintheir 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 Allahs name:

{1} Read in the name of your Lord. (Quran 96:1)

Researchers in the field have pointed out that the Heavenly Books other than the HolyQuran have also begun with Bismillah (In Allahs 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 Muhammads ( ) ) Umma. According to some traditions, in early days the Holy Prophet () too used to say (or dictate BismikAllahumma (In your name, O Lord!) at the

beginning of every important work. When the verse ofBismillah 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

Allahs name and the Holy Prophet ( ) is quoted as saying that any seriouswork that does not begin with Bismillah remains unfulfilled and unblessed. There is a

Hadith which instructs us to say Bismillah when shutting the homes door, when puttingoff 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, boardinga vehicle, getting down a conveyance, and slaughtering an animal. Well-informed people

are not ignorant of the fact thatBismillah ir rahman ir raheem appears at the beginning ofevery 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(Prophets 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 forperforming 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

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exception. In such a case it becomes mandatory for the readers to observe the sanctimonyof 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 Allahs name, Islam has turned the course of amans 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 Allahs Wish, Intention and Aid. This one simple command

has turned each and every permissible action and lawful economic and worldlyactivity of his into worship. How modest this action is it neither requires time nor

labouryet its benefit is magnificently great and alchemic (philosophers 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 philosophers stone which transforms clay not copper into gold. (Maariful

Quran, Vol. 1, pp. 74-75.)

BISMILLAH AN EMPOWERING INVOCATION

The renowned exegete and litterateur Maulana Abdul Majid Daryabadi (1892-

1977) writes in the beginning of his Quranic exegesis:A person who begins a work in the name of Allah, Most Gracious, MostMerciful practically announces that my conscience is pure, my intentions aresincere, my goal is high, I am a devout adherent of Monotheism, sick ofboth Polytheism and Atheism. In short, there is no invocation that is moreempowering and more uplifting for a persons spirits and morale other thanBismillah. A Bismillah-invoker turns his eyes away from every creation,

fixing his hopes solely upon the Being of Allah and upon his attributes ofInfinite Grace and Mercy. (Tafseer e Majidi, Note no. 8 on Sura Fatiha.)

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Farz obligatory, mandatory

Wajib compulsory

Sunnat Prophets tradition, custom

Sunnat e muakkada emphasized custom

Nafl

Mustahab desirable

Afzal highly rewarding, more rewarding

Adab, Aadaab etiquette

Jaiz/mubaah permissible

Makrooh tanzeehi avoidable

Makrooh tahreemi strictly avoidable

Haram forbidden, prohibited

Rooh soul

Nafs spirit

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muhm = (May Allahs Mercy be upon him) ( ) muhr = (May Allahs Mercy be upon her) ( ) mutm = (May Allahs Mercy be upon them) ( )

puhm = (May Allahs Pleasure be upon him)( )puhr = (May Allahs Pleasure be upon her) ( )putm = (May Allahs Pleasure be upon them)( )pmd = Prophet Muhammad( )pmd = Prophet Muhammad thp = the Holy Prophet ( )pbuh = ( )puh = ( (

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Arabic Words not Translated:

1. aqeeqa2. azaan3. Deen, Deeni4. Dua = litany, formula5. Hadith6. iqama7. kalima8. khatna9. salam10.sunnah11.surah12.Surayya = Pleiades13.Tauheed14.UmmahDr Arthur ElisonMaulana Abdul Majid Daryabadi (1892-1977)