A041
Surah: 011 - Ayah: 041
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11:41
In Hazrat Nuh’s time, when the deluge started, the prayer which he uttered before letting the obedient mu’mins embark on the Ark, was in the form of Bismi’llah, as the Qur’an says: “And He said: Embark therein! Its course and its mooring is by the name of God” (11:41). Here, it is important to note that certain meanings and realities are hidden in a du`a (prayer) or kalimah (word) or ism (name) prescribed to recite as dhikr-i ilahi (Divine remembrance), which in comparison to other realities, are as necessary to understand as it is to recite dhikr-i ilahi in comparison to other [forms of] `ibadat.
The preceding discussion reveals the necessity and importance of understanding the meaning and reality of Bismi’llah. Thus, Bismi’llahi’r-rahmani’r-rahim means ‘In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful’. This however, is its superficial meaning. Therefore in order to ascertain its real teaching and ultimate meaning, we have to look with insight into the important verses related to Bismi’llah. It is well-known to many people that when Jibra’il first brought the message from Allah, the kalimah of Bismi’llah was not in its beginning as a part of it. Had it been so, it would not have been said: “Take the name of your Lord and read”, rather it would have simply been said: “Read it”. Further, suppose that Bismi’llah was a part of the surah then there was no need of mentioning it separately. Thus, it is evident that the kalimah of Bismi’llah was not in the beginning of any surah, but is only a verse of the text of the Qur’an (27:30), just as the verse of a`udhubi’llah (16:98) is. However, it is recited as a token of respect and is written in the beginning of every surah of the Qur’an (with the exception of Tawbah). The first reason for this is that the Prophet was told to take the name of the Lord and recite the Qur’an, the second reason is its esoteric importance.
Now let us discuss what was said to the Prophet regarding the recitation of the first revelation taking the name of the Lord. God says: “Iqra’ bismi rabbbika’lladhi khalaqa (O Prophet!) Read the Qur’an (which has started to reveal to you) taking the name of your Lord, Who created” (96:1). That is, understand the reality of the revelation in the light of the “Supreme Name” of the Lord, through Whose nurturing your spiritual creation has become completed. “He created man from a clot” (96:2), that is, He created the Perfect Man from a chain of dhikr, whose words were linked with each other as the drops of blood congeal with each other and become a clot from which human beings are created. “Read (this Qur’an) and your Lord is the Most Bounteous, Who taught by means of the pen” (96:3-4). That is, read again the reality of the revelation in the light of the same dhikr, for your Lord is the Most Bounteous Who, by means of the pen, namely the Pearl of Intellect (gawhar-I caql), taught you some signs, which require deep reflection. “He taught man that which he knew not” (96:5), that is, He taught the Perfect Man all those things that he did not know, through these special ways of spirituality.
This verse has been referred 1 times.