• If you were to ask: Show me these four aims in "Bismillâh - In the Name of Allâh" and "al-hamdulillâh - all praise be to Allâh."

You would be told: Since "Bismillâh" was revealed in order to instruct [the Most High's] servants, 'Say!' (Qul) is implicit in it and essentially it is implied by [all] the words of the Qur'an. So according to this, there is in 'Say!' (Qul) an indication to prophethood; and in "Bismillâh" a sign to the Godhead; and in the prefixing of [the preposition] "bi-" of "Bismillâh" a sign to divine unity;¹ and in "the Most Merciful (al-Rahmân)" an allusion

to the order [of the universe, and therefore to] justice and beneficence; and in "the Most Compassionate (al-Rahîm)" a hint to the resurrection of the dead. Likewise, in "all praise be to Allâh (al-hamdulillâh)" is an indication to the Godhead; and in the lâm of specification (the "li-" of "li-llah") a sign to divine unity. And in "Lord and Sustainer of all the worlds (Rabb al-'âlamîn)" is a hint to justice, and also to prophethood, for the education of mankind is given by the prophets. And in "Master of the Day of Judgement (Malik yawm al-dîn)" is an explicit statement of resurrection. Likewise, the shell of Innâ a'taynaka'l-kawthar² contains these pearls [of the Qur'an's four main aims]. This is an example, so carry on in the same way.

' In the name of Allâh (Bismillâh)" is like the sun, which illumines itself as well as others and is self-sufficient. Thus, the "In (bi-)" is related to the verb that is implicit in its meaning; that is, "I seek help from it;" or the meaning usually associated with it; that is, "I swear by it." Or it is related to the implicit 'Say!'(Qul), which necessitates a subsequent 'recite!' or 'read!' (iqrâ') to denote sincerity and divine unity.³

As for "name (al-ism)" know that Allâh has names pertaining to His essence, and names pertaining to various sorts of action, such as Forgiving, Provider, Giver of Life, and Dealer of Death, and so on. They are various and numerous because of the multiplicity of the relations of His pre-eternal power with the different kinds of beings. Therefore, "Bismillâh" is an invocation, seeking the agency and connection of divine power, that its connection might be a spirit for man and a help for him in his actions.

"Allâh." the proper name of Allah is a comprehensive summary of all the attributes of perfection, for it implies the Essence, unlike other proper nouns, in which there is no necessary implication of attributes.



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¹The genitive construction here (Jârr wa majrûr) expresses restriction. See, Nursi. Ishârât al-I'jâz [Abdûlmecid], 23.
² Sura 108, Sûrat al-Kawthar, one of the shortest of the Qur'an's suras.
³Related to and following the genitive construction, these implied verbs denote restriction, which in turn denotes sincerity and divine unity. See, Nursi, lsârâtû'1-l'caz [Abdûlmecid], 24.

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