Merits of Bismillah

It was a custom in the Age of Ignorance (Jiihiliyyah) before the advent of Islam that people began everything they did with the names of their idols or gods. It was to eradicate this practise that the first verse of the Holy Qur'an which the Archangel Jibrail brought down to the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) commanded him to begin the Qur'an with the name of Allah "Read with the name of your Lord."

The famous commentator al-Suyuti says that beside the Holy Qur'an all the other divine books too begin with Bismilliih. Certain other scholars are of the opinion that Bismilliih Al-Rahman Al-Rahim is peculiar to the Qur'an and to the followers of Muhammad (S.A.W) . The
two views can be brought into agreement with each other if we 'say that all the divine books share the common trait of beginning with the name of Allah, but the words Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Rahim are peculiar to the Holy Qur'an, as is evident from certain Traditions (Ahadith) which report that in order to begin with the name of Allah anything he undertook, the Holy Prophet (S.A.W), used to say the I words (Bismiki Allahumma), but when the verse Bismillah Al-Rahman Al -Rahim as revealed, he adopted these words. Since then this practice was established through the verbal command of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) or through his act or tacit approval). ( see Qurtubi and Ruh al-Ma'ani)

The Holy Qur'an again and again instructs us to begin what we do with the name of Allah. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) has said that no important work receives the blessings of Allah, unless it is begun with His name. According to yet another hadith (Tradition), closing the door of one's house, putting out the lamp, covering a vessel, should all be done with the recitation of Bismillah. The Holy Qur'an and the ahadith (Traditions) repeatedly instruct us to recite this verse while taking food, drinking water, performing the wudu (ablution), getting on a carriage or getting down from it. (See Qurtubi)

By instructing man to begin everything with the name of Allah, Islam has given to the whole of his life an orientation towards Allah so that he may, with each step he takes, renew his allegiance to the covenant with Allah that nothing he does, not even his very being can come into existence without the will and the help of Allah. Thus, allthe economic and worldly activities of man, each movement and gesture becomes transformed into an act of w0rship.l How brief is the action, which consumes neither time nor energy, and yet how immense is the gain -- it is a regular alchemy, transmuting the profane (dunya) into the sacred (din); a disbeliever eats and drinks just as a Muslim does but in saying 'Bismilliih' as he begins to eat, the Muslim affirms that it was not in his power to obtain this little morsel of food which has passed through innumerable stages from the sowing of the seed to the reaping of the grain corn. and which has during this process required the labours of the wind, the rain, the sun, of the heavens and of the earth, and of a thousand men -- and that it is Allah alone who has granted him this morsel of food or this draught of water by making it go through all these stages. A disbeliever goes to sleep, wakes up and goes about as much as a Muslim. But while going to sleep or waking up, the Muslim mentions the name of Allah, renewing his relationship with Him. Thus his economic and worldly needs and activities acquire the nature of the remembrance of Allah, and are counted as acts of worship. Similarly, in saying 'Bismillah' while getting on to a carriage, the Muslim testifies to the fact that it is beyond the power of man to produce this carriage and to procure it for him, and that it is only the infallible and divinely-created order of things that has brought together from all the corners of the world the wood, the steel and other metals which have gone into the making of the carriage, as well as the mechanics who have given a particular shape to these components, and the driver -- and finally put all these into the service of man who can make use of the labour of this army of the creatures of man who can God by spending a few coins. And even these coins have not been created by him, it is Allah himself who has provided the complex ways and means of earning them.

Veritably, 'Bismillah' is the legendary philosopher's stone which transmutes, not copper, but mere dust into the purest of gold. "So then, praised be Allah for the religion of Islam and its Teachings."

[Mariful Quran: Maulana Mufti Muhammad Shafi: Translated by Prof. Muhammad Hasan Askari & Prof. Muhammad Shamim- Revised by Mufti Taqi Usmani]

The Place of Cleanliness in Islam

Cleanliness and purification, in Islam, is not merely an essential condition for the performance of an act of worship like prayer, recitation of Qur'an and Tawaf , but as the Qur'an and the traditions tell, it constitutes a permanent department of Faith and possess a significance of its own as well.
It is set forth in the Qur'an:

Truely Allah loveth those who turn unto Him, and loveth those who have a care of cleanliness. (AI-Baqarah 2:222)

Besides, in praise of the residents of Quba, the Qur'an says:

"Where in are men who love to purify themselves. Allah loves the purifiers. " (At-Tawbah 9: 108)

One can imagine from these two verses what importance cleanliness enjoys in the Islamic scheme of things In the same way, the first Tradition we are going to quote from Sahih Muslim shows that cleanliness is not only a tenet and requirement of Islam but, also, forms a principal branch of it. Another hadith teams cleanliness as a half of faith.
The mentor of mentors, Shah Waliullah (R.A) remarks in his monumental work, Hujjatullah-il-Baligha

"By His special grace, the Almighty has explained to me the truth that the path of felicity for giving the call of which the Prophets were raised up, and which is called Shari'ah, consists of many chapters and there are tens and thousands of commands under each chapter, all these can be assembled, in spite of their vast multiplicity under the four fundamental headings 'Cleanliness', 'Fear of Allah', 'Genorosity' and 'Justice'.

Proceeding. he explains the meaning of each of the titles indicated above from which it distinctly follows that the Shari'ah, on the whole, is divided into these four parts.

Here we shall summarise only the part of Shah Waliullah's Hujjah in which he expounds the significance of cleanliness. A right-minded person, it reads, whose heart is not ruled over by bestial urges and filthy propensities feels a peculiar type of uneasiness and gloom within himself when he is involved in an impurity or seized with a strong desire for defecation or urination or has just had sexual intercourse. On the other hand, when he comes out of this state i.e., gets done with the urge for a natural evacuation and purifies 'himself after it, or if he has copulated,
takes a bath, changes his clothes and applies perfume, the feeling of discomfort and depression disappears his cheerfulness returns and he is in good spirits again. The former state is called hads (i.e. impurity) and the latter, Taharah (i.e. cleanliness). People who possess a wholesome disposition and whose natural instincts are sound realize clearly the difference between the two states. They instinctively dislike the condition, of impurity and find the other one, i.e., of cleanliness and purification agreeable. The state of the cleanliness of the human spirit bears a close resemblance to the state of the celestial world, i.e., of the angels because they are eternally free from animal impurities and remain happy and at ease owing to the heavenly state of feeling, and it is for this reason that solicitude for perpetuity of cleanliness, to the extent to which it is possible, enables the soul to attain angelic heights and profit from the celestial world through inspiration and revelation. On the contrary, when a person is sunk in the state of uncleanliness and impurity, he develops a resemblance and affinity with the devils and a typical susceptibility is created within him of responding to satanic desires and passions'.

It is, thus, evident that cleanliness or purity and uncleanliness or impurity are the names of the two states of the soul or moral and spiritual being we have just mentioned and what we call as such are their causes and origins. The Shari'ah, in fact, deals with them and prescribes necessary rules and regulations. Purification has rightly been described as one-fourth of the Shari'ah.

Shah Waliullah further, writes:

"Cleanliness is of three kinds. One. purification from impurity (i.e., to attain purity or cleanliness, by taking a bath or performing ablution in states in which they become necessary or desirable according to the Shari'ah); two, to cleanse one's body, dress or place from an apparent impurity or filth; and, three: to remove the dirt or grime that collects in various parts of the body, such as, the cleaning of teeth and nostrils, the pairing of nails and the removing of the hair below the navel".

[Excerpt from Maariful Hadith by Maulana Mohammad Manzoor Nomani - Translated by Mohammad Asif Kidwai]

Al-Fatihah: The Merits and Peculiarities

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ
صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ

Commentary:
This Surah (Chapter) of the Holy Qur'an possesses a number of merits peculiar to it. Firstly, the Holy Quran begins with it; the prescribed prayer begins with it; and even in the order of revelation this is the first Surah which was revealed to the Holy Prophet & in its complete form. Some verses of the Surahs Iqra (al-'Alaq), al-Muzzammil and al-Muddaththir had no doubt been revealed earlier, but the first Surah to be revealed in a complete form is no other than
this. Certain Companions of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) have reported that this was the first Surah to be revealed. Most probably they had meant that no Surah had been revealed in a complete form before this. Perhaps that is why the Surah has been named as 'The Opening of the Book.

The other important peculiarity of the Surah is that it is, so to say, the quintessence of the Holy Qur'an, and the rest of the Qur'an is its elaboration. The Surah may thus be delineated for two reasons. Firstly, all that the Holy Qur'an has to say is, in one way or another, related to either of the two themes, faith (Iman) and virtuous deeds (al-'amal al-salih), and the basic principles of the two have beenindicated in this Surah (See Ruh al Ma'ani and Ruh al-Bayan). That is why authentic Traditions ( Ahadith)i ve to this Surah such titles as "Umm al-Qur'an" (Essence of the Quran), "Umm al-Kittab" (Essence of the Book), "Al-Qur'an al-'Azim (Glorious Qur'an).

Secondly, this Surah gives a special instruction to the man who begins the recitation or the study of the Qur'an - that he should approach this book with a mind cleansed of all his previous thoughts and opinions, seeking nothing but the Truth and the right path, praying to Allah for being guided in the right path. The Surah begins with the praise of Him before whom the request is to be submitted, and ends with the request for guidance. The whole of the Qur'an is the answer to this request. The answer begins with the words: "Alif Lam Meem" This is the Book", which is an indication that the guidance man had prayed for has been provided in this Book.

The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) has said, "I swear by Allah who is the master of my life, neither the Torah, nor the Evangile nor the Psalms of David have anything to compare with the Opening Chapter of the Quran, and no other Chapter of the Qur'an itself can compare with it." (Reported by the Companion Abu Hurairah).

The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) has also said that this Surah is a cure for all kinds of illnesses. According to another Tradition (Hadith), the Surah has also been named the "Cure" (Al-Shifa), (See Qurtubi ) ,and Al-Bukhari reports from the Companion Anas that the Holy Prophet
(S.A.W) has called this Surah the greatest among all the Surahs of the Holy Qur'an. (See Qurtubi)

[Mariful Quran: Maulana Mufti Muhammad Shafi: Translated by Prof. Muhammad Hasan Askari & Prof. Muhammad Shamim- Revised by Mufti Taqi Usmani]

Actions are by Intentions

The Prophet (May Peace and Blessings be upon him) said, "Actions are only by intentions, and a person receives only what he has intended. Therefore, whoever's emigration is for Allah and His Messenger, his emigration is [truly] for Allah and His Messenger. And whoever emigration is for any worldly gain or a woman to wed, then his emigration is for what he emigrated" (Bukhari and Muslim)

This hadith addresses one of the most important aspects of Islam- sincere intention in one's worship. The general meaning of the hadith is that a person should set aright his intention at the beginning of every action. The entitlement of reward for an action depends on a person's intention for performing that action. If an action is carried out with sincerity, it is rewarded by Allah, otherwise it is done in vain. Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal said that the fundamentals of Islam are based on three hadiths: this hadith, the hadith of Aisha (May Allah be well pleased with her), "Whoever innovates something reprehensive in this religion of ours which does not belong to it, it is rejected", and the hadith of Nu'man ibn Bashir (May Allah be well pleased with him) transmitted by Imam Muslim in his Sahih, 'The lawful is clear and the unlawful is clear...'

[Excerpt from Provisions of the Seekers©. Commentary by Abdur-Rahman Ibn Yusuf]