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Tafseer -
Explanation of the Qur'aan |
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VERSE ONE
·
The saying
of the Exalted: "With the Name of Allah, The Most Beneficent, The Most
Merciful":
Revelation
- Ibn Abbaas
(radiyallahu anhu): “The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alahi wa-sallam) did
not use to know the beginning and end of a Surah until ‘Bismillah ar-Rahmaan
ar-Raheem’ was revealed.” [Saheeh - Ibn Katheer and ‘Saheeh Abu
Daawood’ [no. 707]
Composition
- The action
that the servant intends to do has been omitted in the sentence in order to
generalize the statement [known as the basmallah]. Hence, no matter what the
servant intends to do, the basmallah is applicable to it. Similarly, if one
utters Bismillaah before he gets up or sits down or does anything else,
conveys the significance of his saying, which is: ‘I stand in the Name of
Allah, I sit in the Name of Allah… etc.”
We
also understand that the action is to come at the end of the sentence for two
vital reasons:
To
seek blessings by beginning with the name of Allah.
To
express the fact that the action is only for Allah.
Three
Beautiful Names of Allah -
In this verse
Allah is described by three beautiful Names: Allah, Ar-Rahmaan (generous,
kind), Ar-Raheem (kind, compassionate).
“Both
Ar-Rahmaan (the Most Beneficent) and Ar-Raheem (the Most Merciful) are nouns
derived from the verb rahima (which means to show mercy, to be compassionate)
and they both convey the sense of ‘one who has mercy’
[Tabari]
Virtues
of Bismillah - There
are a number of texts explaining to us the virtue of the basmallah:
1.
Bismillah causes humiliation (dhame, dishonor) to shaytaan
-Narrated Abu
Tameemah (radiyallahu anhu): “ I was riding behind the Prophet (sallallahu
alahi wa-sallam) when his mount stumbled and so I said, ‘may Shaytaan
perish!’ Upon hearing this the Prophet (sallallahu alahi wa-sallam) said,
"do not say may Shaytaan perish for when you say this Shaytaan becomes
exultant and grows in stature (physique, size) and says, ‘it was by my power
that I injured him.’ But when you say, ‘with the Name of Allah’ he
becomes humiliated and grows small until he ends up the size of a
fly." [Ahmad [5/59, 365] and the wording is his. It was declared
saheeh by al-Albaanee in ‘Saheeh Abu Daawood’ [no. 4168]. Muqbil bin
Haadee said that the isnaad of Ahmad contains the narrators of the Saheeh.]
2.
Shaytaan does not harm -
Narrated Ibn
Abbaas (radiyallahu anhu) that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alahi
wa-sallam) said: “If, when one of you wishes to go to his wife (and) says,
‘With the Name of Allah, O Allah! Protect us from the Shaytaan and keep the
Shaytaan away from what You will provide us.’ Then if it is decreed that
they should have a child out of that act then the Shaytaan will never be able
to harm him. [Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1 no. 143], Muslim [Eng. Trans. 2 no.
3361]
3.
It is essential for the Wudhu to be completed -
Narrated Abu
Hurayrah: “The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alahi wa-sallam) said:
“There is no wudu for the one who does not [commence] by mentioning the Name
of Allah. “ [Saheeh Abu Daawood’ [no. 92]
Is
Bismillah a verse of the Qur’aan? -
The scholars
have differed as to whether or not this statement comprises a verse of the
Qur`aan when it is found in the beginning of each Surah and they have fallen
into four opinions.
1.
That it is a verse of every Surah except Surah at-Tawbah.
2.
That it is not a verse of any Surah of the Qur`aan at all and that it is
placed at the beginning of every Surah merely to distinguish it from another.
Narrated
ibn Abbaas (radiyallahu anhu): “Prophet (sallallahu alahi wa-sallam) did not
use to know the beginning and end of a Surah until ‘with the Name of Allah,
Most Beneficent, Most Merciful’ was revealed. [Saheeh - Ibn Katheer &
‘Saheeh Abu Daawood’ [no. 707]
3.
That it is a verse of al-Faatihah but not of any other Surah or it is part of
the first verse of every Surah. This is another opinion reported from
ash-Shaafi`ee but it is ghareeb.
4.
That it is an independent verse of the Qur`aan heading every Surah but not
actually part of that Surah. [5]
Agreement
of the scholars that Bismillah is part of the verse of Soorah an-Nahl -
However it is
an agreement of the scholars the basmAllah comprises part of the verse of
Surah an-Nahl wherein Allah says:
“She
said: O chiefs! Here is delivered to me a noble letter. Indeed it is from
Sulaymaan and it [reads], ‘In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the
Most Merciful.’" [Soorah An-Naml (27): 29-30]
Ruling
of Bismillah in the Prayer
- As regard to
whether one should recite it loudly in prayer then the fiqh of this branch is
unlike from the difference mentioned above:
1.
Those who follow the second and fourth opinions are not of the view that one
recites it loudly. Indeed Imaam Maalik was of this opinion, depending upon the
literal sense of the following hadeeth and its likes: “The Messenger of
Allah (sallallahu alahi wa-sallam) used to commence his prayer by saying the
takbeer and reciting, ‘all praise and thanks are due to Allah.’
[Saheeh Muslim Eng. trans. 1 no. 1005] from Aa`ishah (radiyallahu
anhu)]
2.
As for those who follow the first opinion then they differ falling into two
opinions:
(a)
That one recites it loudly as it is a part of al-Faatihah and therefore it
should be recited in the same way as the rest of the Soorah. This is the view
of a group of the Sahaabah, and a number of the scholars after them, from
amongst them ash-Shaafi`ee. They base their view upon the following Ahadeeth.
Narrated
ibn Abbaas (radiyallahu anhu): “The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alahi
wa-sallam) recited, ‘with the Name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most
Merciful’ loudly.” [Al-Haakim, [Mustadrak [1/326 no. 750], wherein he said
that it was saheeh. However az-Zayla`i said in ‘Nasb ar-Raayah’ [1/345]
that its isnaad contains Abdullaah bin `Amr bin Hisaan about who Alee bin
al-Madeenee said that he used to fabricate ahaadeeth. Adh-Dhahabee mentioned
the same in his ‘Talkhees.’]
Narrated
Anas bin Maalik (radiyallahu anhu) that he said in reply to one who asked him
about the recitation of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alahi wa-sallam):
“His recitation would be elongated, then he recited ‘with the Name of
Allah, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful’ elongating bismillaah, elongating
ar-Rahmaan and elongating ar-Raheem.” [Saheeh Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 6/513
no. 566]
Narrated
Umm Salamah (radiyallahu anhu): “The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alahi
wa-sallam) used to cut his recitation at each verse [pausing before going on
to the next. He would recite], ‘with the Name of Allah, Most Beneficent,
Most Merciful’ [then] ‘all praise and thanks are due to Allah the Lord of
the Universe,’ [then], ‘the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful’ [then],
‘Master of the Day of Judgement.” [Sunan Abu Daawood [Eng. Trans. 3/1120
no. 3990]. Ad-Daaraqutnee said that it has a saheeh isnaad and it is in
‘Saheeh Abu Daawood’ [no. 3379]
(b)
That it is not to be recited loudly.
This
is reported from the Prophet (sallallahu alahi wa-sallam) by Bukhaaree and
Muslim, it is the view of a number of the Sahaabah, and it is established from
the Four Khaleefs. It is also the view of a group of the scholars after them
from amongst them Abu Haneefah, ath-Thawree and Ahmad.
So
this is a summary of the views of the scholars with regards it recitation and
they are all close to each other, and all praise is due to Allah, for they are
agreed that the prayer of the one who recites loudly or silently is valid.
[Ibn Katheer]
The baa (with) is known as the baa of isti`aanah or seeking help and
support, meaning that the servant is seeking the aid of Allah in the
action he is about to perform. "With
the Name of Allah" meaning I start with every name that belongs to
Allah, the Exalted.
This was
the opinion of Abdullaah bin Abbaas, ibn Umar, ibn Zubair, Abu Hurayrah,
`Ataa, Taawoos, Sa`eed bin Jubair, Makhool, az-Zuhree, Abdullaah bin
Mubaarak, ash-Shaafi`ee, Ahmad – in one of the reports from him, Ishaaq
bin Rahwayyah and Abu Ubayd al-Qaasim bin Salaam.
[4]
This was the opinion of Maalik, Abu Haneefah and their companions.
This is the opinion of Daawood and Ahmad in the second of the two reports
from him. Abu Bakr ar-Raazee also relates this from Abu al-Hasan
al-Karkhee and these two are from the greatest of the Hanafi scholars.
