The First Word
The worth of Bismillah
Brother! You asked for advice, so listen to a few truths contained in the following parables in the successive nine Words. Since you are a soldier, I will express them in military terms.
In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate.
And from Him do we seek help. All praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our master Muhammad, his Family,1 and Companions.2
Bismillah (In the name of God) is the start of all good things, so we will start with it. This blessed phrase is a mark of Islam, one constantly recited by all creatures through their tongues of disposition. If you want to perceive its inexhaustible source of strength and blessing, consider the following parable:
Travelers in Arabian deserts must travel under a tribal chief’s name and protection, or else they will be bothered by bandits and unable to acquire what they need for the journey. Two people, one humble and the other arrogant, set out on a journey. The humble one obtained the name of a tribal chief; the arrogant one did not. The former traveled everywhere in safety. Whenever he met a bandit, he said: “I’m travelling in the name of such-and-such tribal chief,” and so was left alone. He was treated with respect in every tent he entered. In contrast, the arrogant one suffered disaster and constant fear, for he had to struggle and beg for every need. He became base and vile.
O arrogant soul! You are that traveler, and this world is the desert. Your weakness and poverty are endless, and the enemies and privations to which you are exposed are beyond number. Given this, invoke the name of the Eternal Owner and the Everlasting Ruler of this world, for only this can deliver you from such begging and fear.
Bismillah is a blessed treasure. It transforms your boundless weakness and poverty, by binding you to the All-Powerful and Merciful One’s infinite Power and Mercy, into the most heeded intercessor at His Exalted Court. When you say bismillah, you act in His name. You are like a soldier acting in the state’s name, fearing no one, doing all things in the name of the law and the state, and persisting against all odds.
How does everything re cite bismillah through its very mode of existence? For example: A stranger arriving in a city can order its people to gather at a certain place to work on a certain task. If this order is obeyed, the stranger obviously is acting in the name of the ruler’s strength and authority, not his own. In the same way, everything acts in the name of God, the All-Mighty. Small seeds and grains carry huge trees on their heads and raise weights as heavy as mountains. Each tree says bismillah and, filling its hands with fruit from Mercy’s treasury, offers them to us on a tray. Each garden, a cooking pot from the Divine Power’s kitchen where countless varieties of delicious foods are prepared, says bismillah.
All blessed animals (e.g., cows, camels, sheep, and goats) say bismillah and become fountains of milk from Mercy’s abundance. They offer us, in the All-Providing’s name, a most delicate and pure food like the water of life. Every plant and blade of grass, every root and stem, says bismillah. All plant, tree, and grass roots and fibers, soft as silk, say bismillah and pierce hard stones and soil. Mentioning His Name, the Name of the All-Merciful, subjects everything to them.
A tree’s branches spread in the sky, and its roots spread unhindered among stones and soil. It generates underground spontaneously, and its delicate green leaves hold moisture despite intense heat. These realities vex the naturalist. It jabs a finger into the naturalist’s unseeing eye and says: “You put so much trust in the power of hardness and heat, yet they obey the Divine Command. That is why each soft fiber of the plant’s roots, like Moses’ staff, obeys: And We said: ‘O Moses, strike the rock with your staff!’ (2:60) and penetrates the rock. Every delicate, paper-thin leaf, like one of Abraham’s limbs, recites: O fire, be coolness and peace! (21:69) in defiance of the intense heat.
All things inwardly say bismillah and deliver God’s bounties to us in His name. Thus we also should say bismillah, give and take in His name, and accept nothing from those who do not give in God’s name.
QUESTION: We pay people for whatever they bring us, even though they are only “tray-bearers.” What payment does God, their true Owner, ask of us?
ANSWER: That true Bestower of all precious bounties and goods we enjoy requires three things: remembrance, thanksgiving, and reflection. Saying bismillah at the beginning is a manner of remembrance, and saying al-hamdu lillah (All praise and gratitude are for God) at their end is a manner of thanksgiving. Reflection means always being mindful and thinking of the precious and in genius bounties we receive as miracles of the Eternally Besought One’s Power and as gifts from His Mercy.
If you kissed the hand of someone who brought you a precious gift without recognizing the true sender (the king), you would be making a great mistake. Praising and loving the apparent bestower of bounty, while forgetting the true Bestower of Bounty, is far worse. O soul! If you wish to avoid such stupidity, give and receive in God’s name. Begin and act, to the very end, in His name. This is the kernel of the matter. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi
1 The Prophet’s Family: The Prophet, Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn. These people are known as the Ahlu’l-Bayt, the Family (or People) of the House. (Tr.)
2 The Companions: Those who gathered around the Prophet to receive instruction and follow his example as closely as possible. They are considered the Muslim nation’s elite and vanguard and are given the highest respect and admiration after the Prophets. (Tr.)