Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: "In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy."
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The Shaykh : As for what we intend to discuss, in what we ask Allah to grant us regarding what we have heard, we have all listened to the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He: In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy [Taha 20:1-2] So let us begin first with the Basmala:
The Basmala is a verse from the Book of Allah; there is no doubt in this. It was revealed to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) just as the other verses were revealed. It is not a verse attached to every surah; even in al-Fatihah, the Basmala is not part of it. For this reason, if a person limits himself in al-Fatihah to "All praise is to Allah, Lord of the worlds" until the end of the surah, that suffices for him, and he has fulfilled the pillar. The Basmala is not a verse, neither of al-Fatihah nor of any other surah, but rather it is an independent verse with every surah.
As for its meaning, the meaning is that a person says "In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy," meaning I begin with every name of Allah in what I am beginning. For example, if he wants to read, how do you estimate the verb that the prepositional phrase "In the name of Allah" relates to? What do I read? If he wants to perform ablution, we say the estimation is "In the name of Allah, I perform ablution." If he wants to eat, the estimation is "In the name of Allah, I eat." If he wants to drink, the estimation is "I drink." For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:Sahih al-Bukhari 7400 So estimate the related verb with a verb that suits what the person wants to do. As for Allah, it is a proper name for the Lord, Mighty and Majestic, and no other is named by it. Its meaning is the one truly worshipped, for there is no one truly worshipped except Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Al-Rahman is the One with vast mercy, and al-Rahim is the One with reaching mercy, meaning that by His mercy He shows mercy to whom He wills of His servants.
(1) Ta, Ha. (2) We have not sent down to you the Qur'an that you be distressed
طه ما أنزلنا عليك القرآن لتشقىThe Basmala is a verse from the Book of Allah; there is no doubt in this. It was revealed to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) just as the other verses were revealed. It is not a verse attached to every surah; even in al-Fatihah, the Basmala is not part of it. For this reason, if a person limits himself in al-Fatihah to "All praise is to Allah, Lord of the worlds" until the end of the surah, that suffices for him, and he has fulfilled the pillar. The Basmala is not a verse, neither of al-Fatihah nor of any other surah, but rather it is an independent verse with every surah.
As for its meaning, the meaning is that a person says "In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy," meaning I begin with every name of Allah in what I am beginning. For example, if he wants to read, how do you estimate the verb that the prepositional phrase "In the name of Allah" relates to? What do I read? If he wants to perform ablution, we say the estimation is "In the name of Allah, I perform ablution." If he wants to eat, the estimation is "In the name of Allah, I eat." If he wants to drink, the estimation is "I drink." For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: