Concerning the Summary of the Verse Praise and Some Disciplines of Praising and Recitation

Be aware that the theologians differ about the relation of “ba”‌ in the “bismillah”‌ ir-rahman ir-rahim. Each theologian, accordance with his own view, knowledge and Gnosticism has expressed some comment thereabout. For instance, the learned theologians connect it to the entry “Beginning”‌ or seeking help. As to some narratives it means:”‌ I seek help”‌ it conforms with the common taste, being so frequent in the traditions and the variety of a lot of traditions is clarified to this attitude and therefore that Imam Reza (A.S) expressed bismillah to convey the meaning “I put on myself a “sign”‌ of God’s1 or “Seeking help”‌ conveys too subtle conception to be comprehended by the ordinary people, including the mystery of Towhid in a more delicate contact.

Some of the knowledgeable men comment that bismillah refers to “appeared”‌ namely: existence appeared by bismillah.

Therefore “Name”‌ which means “Sign”‌ and “Mark”‌ or zenith and Altitude is God’s effusive and actual manifestation being called “effusive Emanation”‌ and brilliant annexation, for due to this conduct, the entire of house of Realization as from the abstract understanding low to the lowest degrees of existence are the phemenalizations of this emanation and the alights of this blessing. Such manner has been approved by the most noble divine verses and the holy traditions of the infallible and purified (A.S) like the extinguished tradition in al-Kafi saying: God created the things by means of “Will”‌1 by beings through Will. This holy tradition  is  interpreted  accordance  with  the  view  of  each interpreter’s belief. The most distinctive one is which conforms with the belief that mentions “Will”‌ conveys the conception”” here””the “Agent Will”‌ namely; effusive Emanation and the “Things”‌ refers to the existence’s stages being the phenomena and the descent of this blessing. Thus, the conception of the tradition is as follows:

God, the exalted created the “Agant will”‌, being the shadow of old essential “will”‌, by means of the will itself, lack of any means, and the other creatures, visible and invisible [both] would have created secondary of that.

“Sayyid Muhaqqiq Damad”‌ despite enjoying a high rank as a theologian and strict researcher has commented this holy tradition  in  an  odd  way.  The  same  state  goes  to  the commandment of late Fayd being away from the correctness.

In any care “Name”‌ is the very manifestation of act that is realized with this house of realization. Naming “Name”‌ as a term that refers to the real things is mostly observed to be used by God, His messenger and infallible saying: “We are the comely Names”‌.

Therefore, in the holy invocations one repeatedly utters “By your name in which you manifested to do so and so. There is a possibility that bismillah of the noble verse praise belongs to the verse itself. This view conforms to mystic taste and the view of the learned theologians, as it is to say that the praise of the praisers  and  the  applause  of  the  applausers  refer  to  self-subsistence of the Name God. Thus, the naming stands as a preliminary to the entire terms and action which is an ordinance religious deed, and it is for recalling that the whole deeds and utterances, all the particles of existence are the phenomena of “God’s Name”‌ and in another word, they are themselves “God’s Names”‌.  Upon  this  ground,  the  concept  of  the  bismillah accordance with the majority differs in each verse, each term, and each deed. The theologians have said: bismillah must be defined for each verse, and if for a verse a bismillah was resisted, this cannot be defined for the next verse, namely beginning with the previous bismillah. Due to this juristic aspect, there is a reason for it, in fact it goes suit with the scope of this theory. And according to the abolishing of multiplicities in the Supreme Name of God the bismillah as a whole enjoying a unique single concept.

As these two views, exist to the stages of existence and the stations of invisibility and visibility. In the multiplicity, point of view and observing the phenomena, all the multiplied beings the stage of existence and the phenomena of the realm are the different names of the beneficent, the merciful, the powerful and the Gracious.

And  both  these  views  exist  in  the  divine  names  and adjectives. Due to the first view, the state of unity is the state of multiple names and adjectives, as the whole multiplicities are from Him. Owing to the latter view there is no name and form, but the supreme name of God. These two views are discreet and erudite. But, if the opinion the doors of the hearts and through the steps of conduct and affectionate austerity, God the exalted will appear in the heart of its beholders by means of His manifestation in Deed, name and essence, sometimes in the Attribute of multiplicity and sometimes in the attribute of unity. The Holy Qur’an mentions these manifestations, both obviously and directly as His saying: “And whom His Lord manifested His illumination to the mountain, He made it crumble to dust, and Moses fell down unconscious,1 and indirectly as in the scenes observed by Ibrahim (A.S) referring repeatedly to the same issue, especially in the exalted invocation entitled “samat”‌ the deniers of which can not deny its authenticity and text, this invocation has been approved by both the Sunni and the Shi‘ah, by both learned and the common people. In this glory invocation, there are very important conceptions and teachings smelling that raptures of the knowledgeable heart, and the breeze of which blows divine fragrance into the spiritual wayfarer’s spirit, as it says:

By your Glory which appeared at the mountain of Tur Sina with which you talked to your servant and messenger, Moses son of ‘Imran (A.S) and by your rise in Sa‘ir and your appearance on the mount Faran.

Briefly, the spiritual wayfarer to God is to make his heart comprehend while reciting the bismillah that the entire outward and inward beings and the entire worlds, the visible and invisible ones, are under the teachings of the Name of God, or rather they are manifested by the manifestation of the names of God, and all his actions and stillness and all the realms are based upon the self-existence of the Supreme name of God. Therefore, his praises are for God, and his worships, obeisance, monotheism and sincerity are all for of the self-existence of the name of God. Through the restrict recalling, which is the goal of worship, that this state of this divine blessing is firmed and fixed within the heart as God, the exalted, in his proximity session and sacred assembly with his interlocutor said: “Verily I am God, there is no God but I; so worship Me and perform the prayer for My remembrance.”‌

Source:

A Commentary on the Chapter of ‘Praise’ 

Witten by: Imam Khomeini(R.A)

Translator: Bahram Afrasiabi

Other Links:

A Commentary on the Chapter of ‘Praise’ (Brief Summery): part 1

A Commentary on the Chapter of Praise (Brief Summery): part 2