Shafaqna English- Commentary on the Holy Quran by Dr. Mohammad Sobhanie.
1.1 In the Name of Allah
بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴿١﴾
1:1 In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful.
Commentary: The first verse of the chapter begins with “In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful” (بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ).
The preposition “Bi” in “Bismi Allah” means “I begin with the name of Allah,[1]” which implies “I begin with beseeching Allah’s help and seeking satisfaction in Him”. Any action that does not start with the name of Allah (SWT), according to the Prophet (SAWA), will be fruitless[2]:
کُلُّ أَمْر ذِي بال لَمْ يُذْکَرْ فِيهِ اسْمُ اللّهِ فَهُوَ أَبْتَر
Prophet Sulayman (AS) began his letter to the Queen of Saba (Sheba) in the name of Allah (SWT)[3]:
إِنَّهُ مِن سُلَيْمَانَ وَإِنَّهُ بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴿٣٠﴾
27:30 Verily, it is from Sulayman, and it (reads): “In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful.”
Prophet Noah (AS) was not a sailor, but “in the name of Allah (SWT)” he sailed the ark through a severe storm that caused waves as tall as a mountain[4]:
وَقَالَ ارْكَبُوا فِيهَا بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ مَجْرَاهَا وَمُرْسَاهَا إِنَّ رَبِّي لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٤١﴾
11:41 And he said: “Embark therein: in the Name of Allah will be its (moving) course and its (resting) anchorage. Surely, my Lord is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
Allah (اللَّـهِ) The Particular Name of God: Allah is the unique name of the omnipotent God, which encompasses all His infinite attributes. Other divine names, such as the Most Gracious (الرَّحْمَـنِ), the Ever Merciful (الرَّحِيمِ), Oft-Forgiving (غَفُورٌ), and the All-Provider (الرَّزَّاقُ), describe specific aspects of His characteristics.
The name “Allah” was commonly used long before the rise of Islam[5]. It was initially “al-A-lah” (اَلْ اِلَه), in which the middle letter (اِ) was omitted due to its frequent use. The word “al-A-lah” (اَلْ اِلَه) is either derived from the root word “a-la-ha” (اَلَهَ) which means “worship” or from the root word “va-la-ha” (وَلَهَ) which means “perplexity”, because the human mind becomes perplexed when it tries to reflect on the essence of Allah (SWT)[6].
Imam Ali (AS) said, “Allah is the one who is worshipped; people are amazed at His majesty and submit to Him. Allah is veiled from the grasp of sights and hidden from imagination and contemplation.”
قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ)ع( اللَّهُ مَعْنَاهُ الْمَعْبُودُ الَّذِي يَأْلَهُ فِيهِ الْخَلْقُ وَ يُؤْلَهُ إِلَيْهِ وَ اللَّهُ هُوَ الْمَسْتُورُ عَنْ دَرْكِ الْأَبْصَارِ الْمَحْجُوبُ عَنِ الْأَوْهَامِ وَ الْخَطَرَاتِ.
)التوحيد للصدوق) / 89 / 4 باب تفسير قل هو الله أحد إلى آخرها
“Arrahman” (الرَّحْمَـنِ) and “Arraheem” (الرَّحِيمِ) are two attributes of Allah (SWT), which translate to the “Most Gracious” and the “Most Merciful”, respectively. Nevertheless, various alternative translations are used, such as the Beneficent, the Benevolent, the Compassionate, the Entirely Merciful, and the Especially Merciful.
“Arrahman” (الرَّحْمَـنِ) and “Arraheem” (الرَّحِيمِ) are both derived from the word “Arrahmah” (اَلْرَحْمَةٌ), which means mercy. Each of the terms refers to a different kind of mercy from God, including love, compassion, kindness, forgiveness, bestowing bounties and favors, fulfilling hopes and desires, protecting from calamity and afflictions, helping in times of distress, guidance to a final intended destiny, etc. In general, the entire universe and its existence are manifestations of Allah’s mercy.
“Arrahman” (الرَّحْمَـنِ) is the unmerited, unconditional, and unrestricted mercy of Allah (SWT) that encompasses the universe. It is a type of divine mercy that has “no strings attached.” For instance, believers and unbelievers alike benefit from Allah’s various bounties, gifts, and favors in this world. Perhaps, “grace” is the best equivalent to “Arrahman”. Since “Arrahman” intensifies (صيغه مبالغه) the attribute of having mercy, hence, “Arrahman” (الرَّحْمَـنِ) is translated to the Most Gracious.
“Arraheem” (الرَّحِيمِ) is perpetual and inexhaustible mercy, which remains forever. Hence, this is merit-based mercy of Allah (SWT) that has been preserved for believers, as He says, “He is the Ever Merciful to the believers[7]”.
هُوَ الَّذِي يُصَلِّي عَلَيْكُمْ وَمَلَائِكَتُهُ لِيُخْرِجَكُم مِّنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ وَكَانَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَحِيمًا ﴿٤٣﴾
33:43 He it is Who sends His blessings on you, and (so do) His angels, that He may bring you out from darkness into light. And He is the Ever Merciful to the believers.
In conclusion, “Arrahman” (الرَّحْمَـنِ) “Arraheem” (الرَّحِيمِ) are two attributes of Allah (SWT), which translates to the Most Gracious and the Ever Merciful, respectively. The former is the unmerited, unconditional, and unrestricted mercy of Allah (SWT) that encompasses the universe, and believers and nonbelievers alike benefit from divine grace. The latter attribute is perpetual, merit-based mercy of Allah (SWT) preserved only for believers.
Word-for-Word Translation:
1:1 [بِسْمِ] in the name [اللَّـهِ] of Allah [الرَّحْمَـنِ] the Most Gracious [الرَّحِيمِ] the Ever Merciful.
Note:
[1]. Al-Mizan, Vol.1, P.27, L.16.
[2]. Tafseer-e-Namoona, Vol.1, P.14.
[3]. An-Naml 27:30.
[4]. Hud 11:41-42.
[5]. Az-Zukhurf 43:87 (وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُم مَّنْ خَلَقَهُمْ لَيَقُولُنَّ اللَّـهُ).
[6]. Al-Mizan, Vol.1, P.28, L.23.
[7]. Al-Ahzab 33:43.
- Part of a Series: Commentary on the Quran (Chapter 1) by Mohammad Sobhanie