The Mysteries of Bismillah

THE FIRST WORD

Bismillāh is the beginning of all goodness. We too shall begin with it. Know, O my nafs! Just as this blessed phrase is a sign of Islam, it is also a constant dhikr uttered by the whole of creation. If you wish to understand what an inexhaustible source of power and an infinite treasury of blessing Bismillāh is, then look at and listen to the following parable:

Someone travelling through the dangerous deserts of Arabia was compelled to travel in the name of a tribal chief and under his protection, so that he might be safeguarded from the dangers of bandits and be able to provide for his needs. Otherwise, he would be left in misery before his endless needs and countless enemies.

Once, two men set out on such a journey and entered the desert. One of them was humble, while the other was arrogant. The humble man began his journey in the name of a tribal chief, but the arrogant man did not. The traveller who journeyed in the name of a tribal chief experienced peace and security wherever he went. Whenever he encountered a bandit, he would say that he travelled in the name of a certain chief, whereupon the bandit would leave him alone and he could continue on his way. Whichever tent he entered, he was treated with honour because of that name. The arrogant traveller, however, endured such misery throughout his journey that it cannot be described in words. He trembled before everything and was forced continually to beg. He was both despised and humiliated.

Now then, O my arrogant nafs! You are that traveller, and this world is a desert. Your impotence and neediness are boundless. Your enemies and needs are countless. Since this is so, then travel in the name of the Mālik-i Abadī and Hākim-i Azalī of this desert, so that you may be freed from begging before the whole of creation and be protected from fear before every event.

Indeed, the word Bismillāh is such a blessed treasure that it connects your boundless impotence and neediness to the infinite power and mercy of Qadīr-i Rahīm, and makes them the most effective means of intercession. Truly, one who acts according to this word resembles a person who enlists in the army, acts on behalf of the state, and fears no one. Since he acts in the name of the law and the state, he is able to carry out every task and withstand every difficulty.

At the beginning we said that the whole of creation expresses the word Bismillāh. Is that really so?

Yes indeed. If you were to see a single man directing the entire population of a city somewhere by command and making them work there, you would certainly know that he was not acting on his own behalf or through his own power. Rather, he would be a soldier acting on behalf of the state and relying upon the authority of a ruler.

Likewise, everything acts in the name of Allah. For example, tiny seeds and kernels say Bismillāh, contain mighty trees within themselves, and carry out tasks as heavy as mountains. Every tree says Bismillāh, fills its hands with fruits from the treasury of the Most Merciful, and offers those fruits to us like a servant. Every garden says Bismillāh and becomes a cooking pot from the kitchen of Allah, in which countless varieties of delicious foods are prepared simultaneously. All blessed animals such as cows, camels, sheep, and goats say Bismillāh, causing their udders to become fountains from which milk flows through the blessing and mercy of Allah. In the name of ar-Razzāq, they offer us the most pleasant and pure nourishment, like the water of life.