Al-Fatihah 1:1
The Opener · Meccan · Juz 1 · Page 1
Beginning
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ١
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
Translation: Marmaduke Pickthall
Meaning
To begin every task in the name of Allah is to connect what you do to Him. The verse names Allah with two names of mercy: ar-Rahman and ar-Rahim.
Insight
According to Elmalılı, ar-Rahman expresses the will for good that is in Allah’s very being, and ar-Rahim the outward flow of that mercy as blessing and kindness. One is the source, the other its stream.
Reflect
Try consciously beginning something today with ‘Bismillah’.
This short note is based on Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır’s Turkish commentary and has not yet been reviewed by a scholar.
Elmalılı’s commentary
An English translation of Elmalılı’s full commentary is coming soon. Read the original Turkish ›