Ep. 06: Basmala 2 (The “Ba” in “Bismillah”) | The Quran of Fajr

We have started the discussion on “بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم.” The first thing that arises is the “ba” of “bismillah.” The ba is what we call a preposition in the Arabic language – it is a word that is used with nouns to talk about the relationship of that noun to something else. When we say, “بسم الله,” it means, “With the name of Allah (SWT).” There are other examples that show the relationship of that noun to something else. When we say “bismillah,” the word “ba” itself has over a dozen uses in the Arabic language. In the primary books of the Arabic language, twelve uses are given, and in the advanced books, there are many, many more. When we say, “with the name of Allah (SWT),” or, as some people say, “in the name of Allah (SWT),” what exactly are we saying? What does this mean? What we are saying through this “ba” is that whatever we are about to do, we wish to begin it with the name of Allah (SWT), and we want the blessings of the name of Allah (SWT) to remain with us as we do that act. There are two things – one is to begin taking the name of Allah (SWT) with us, and we want the blessings of the name of Allah (SWT) to help us in what we are doing. This is a very crude and simple explanation of what is mentioned in many, many books. This is “ba.” Then, the next word we have is “ism.” “Ism” means the word that is used to represent something or someone in this context. In the purely grammatical context, “ism” refers to any word which gives a meaning by itself, and it does not refer to any tense. This is the literal definition of it. Here, when we say, “the name of Allah (SWT),” we are referring to that name of Allah which is representative of himself. The origin of the word “ism” is a very interesting discussion in the Arabic literature because there were two major schools of Arabic grammar – the school out of Basra and the school out of Kufa. These became two madhabs in the language. There was the Kufan approach and the Basran approach. According to the scholars of Basra, the origin of “ism” is from the verb of “samaa, and “samaa” means for something to rise. This is why “as-samaa” is used for the sky. They say that an “ism” is always higher than the other types of words in the Arabic language. It is higher than words used for linking and higher than verbs. “Ism” is the main thing. This is one approach. The other school said no, and that it was derived from “wasama yasimu,” an indication or a sign for something. They said that the word “ism” was actually “wism.” This is a century-old debate, but both lend some insight into what we are saying when we say the word “ism.” We are using a word that is going to describe Allah (SWT). We do not say “billah,” starting with Allah (SWT), because you can’t really start with Allah (SWT), as Allah (SWT) is not someone you can include along with you whenever you want; rather, you can appeal to Allah (SWT). When you start with the name of Allah (SWT), you call him for help in your matter. Otherwise, if you were to say “billah,” that “ba” could not mean the “ba” of taking help from Allah (SWT), but rather, it would be more like “I swear by Allah.” It would be an oath.

The word “ism” here is playing a very major role, and when we say that we are starting with the name of Allah (SWT), we are invoking his name. “O Allah, I am asking you to include your mercy and assistance along with this act.” This is why the prophet (SAW) himself used to use this very, very frequently. In the hadith of Nasa’i, he (AS) says, “If you are traveling and the animal you are riding on stumbles, do not curse Shaytan at that time. When you do this, it makes him happy. He becomes bigger, larger and more powerful until he becomes the size of a mansion. Instead, say ‘بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم’. When Shaytan hears the name of Allah (SWT), he becomes smaller until he becomes the size of a fly.”

Shaytan will use every opportunity in our life to make us negligent and forgetful of Allah (SWT). We are going to counter that by taking the name of Allah (SWT). Remembering the name of Allah (SWT) is going to give us access to all of the treasures of Allah (SWT). May Allah (SWT) give us tawfiq and enable us to take refuge in his name.