Du`a – Essence of `Ibadat Part One - `Alamin (Worlds)
`Alamin (Worlds)
The first verse of the Fatihah ends with al-`alamin (the worlds) and the whole verse al-hamdu li'llahi rabbi'l-`alamin means that all praise is due to Allah, for He alone nourishes all the worlds. Those who make people aware of this praise of God, are the holy Prophet Muhammad and his progeny, who are the real meaning of the alif-lam of al-hamd and the path that leads to the realities of praise and recognition is the `ibadat, which is performed according to their guidance. For, in the order of the words, Allah is the fourth word, the One Who necessitates `ibadat, for it means the True Worshipped. The fruit of `ibadat should be received in the form of knowledge and recognition, for the fifth word of the verse is “rabb”, whose special meaning is 'the one who nourishes the intellect and the soul'. Further, the Prophet has indicated that knowledge and recognition mean the search in which one sees how the rabb or Lord nourishes the human intellect and soul. The famous Hadith in which the Prophet has mentioned this is: “Man `arafa nafsahu fa-qad `arafa rabbahu, i.e. the one who has seen the reality of his/her essence, namely, the intellect and soul and their nourishment, has seen his/her rabb or Nourisher at the end of the chain of this search”.
It is evident here that His attributive name “rabb” is referred to in order to attain God's recognition. This means that the recognition and knowledge of the human self or soul are attained in the form of intellectual and spiritual nourishment. In this state, the `arif sees the examples of all these attributes of God one by one with his inner eye. These examples are extremely luminous, attractive, lovely, wondrous and unforgettable, and therefore, the `arif never forgets the examples of this knowledge and recognition after recognizing his self and his rabb (Nourisher). Divine nourishment is applied first and foremost to human beings, for it is the human being who is the most deserving and needy of intellectual, spiritual and physical nourishment. Moreover, the reason for the praise of God that is mentioned here is the nourishment of the universe and existents. That is, it is the nourishment of the worlds, which is His greatest attribute, in which are included His other attributes also. For, in all the names of God are found the meanings of the unstinting benevolence of Divine mercy and the needs of humankind.
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