The First Word

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

وَ بِهِ نَسْتَعِينُ

اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَ الصَّلاَةُ وَ السَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلَى آلِهِ وَ صَحْبِهِ اَجْمَعِينَ

O, Brother! You wanted some advice from me. Since you are a soldier, listen together with my nafs to a few haqiqahs with eight short stories, in the form of comparisons pertaining to the military. Because I consider my nafs in need of advice more than anyone else. Once, I had somewhat lengthily said to my nafs the Eight Words that I had benefited from eight âyahs. Now, I shall briefly say to my nafs in the language of ‘awâm. Whoever wishes may listen together.

The First Word

Bismillah is the head of all khayr. We, too, shall start to it at the beginning. Know, O my nafs! Just as this blessed word is a mark of Islam, so is it a constant wird of all beings through the language of their being.

If you want to understand what a great, inexhaustible strength and what an abundant, unending barakah Bismillah is, look to this short story, which is in the form of a comparison, and listen to it. It is as follows:

It is necessary for a man, who travels in the deserts of Bedouin Arabia, to take the name of a tribal chief and enter under his protection so that he can be saved from the evil of outlaws and procure his needs. Otherwise, he will be ruined alone in the face of his infinite enemies and needs.

Thus, for such a journey, two men go to a desert. One of them was humble, the other proud. The humble one took the name of a chief. The proud one did not. The one who took the name of the chief travelled everywhere with salâmât. If he comes across a highway robber, he says, "I am travelling with the name of such-and-such chief." The outlaw goes away; he cannot harm him. If he enters a tent, he is shown respect for that name. The other proud one suffered such calamities throughout his journey that cannot be described. He always trembled and always begged. He was both degraded and held in contempt.

Thus, O my proud nafs! You are the traveller. As for this world, it is a desert. Your impotence and poverty are boundless. Your enemies and needs are infinite. Since it is thus, take the name of the Eternal Mâlik and Azalî Hâkim of this desert so that you can be saved from begging the whole universe and trembling before every event.

Yes, this word is such a blessed treasury that your infinite impotence and poverty bind you to the infinite Qoudrah and Rahmah, and it makes the impotence and poverty a most acceptable intercessor (Shafî’) at the court of Qadîr, Who is Rahîm. Yes, one who acts with this word resembles a man, who enrols in the military; he acts in the name of the government and becomes free from the apprehension of anyone. He says, “In the name of the law, in the name of the government,” performs every kind of service and withstands against everything.

In the beginning, we said, all beings say "Bismillah" through the language of their being. Is that so?

Yes, just as if you see that a single man came, drove all the inhabitants of a town to a place by compulsion and compelled them to work, you would certainly know that he does not act with his own name and his own power, but rather he is a soldier. He acts in the name of the government and relies on the power of a sultân. In the same way, everything acts in the name of Janâb-i Haqq; the seeds and grains, like tiny particles, bear huge trees on their heads; they raise loads like mountains. It means that each tree says, "Bismillah." It fills its hands from the fruits of the treasury of Rahmah and becomes a tray-bearer for us. Each garden says, "Bismillah" and becomes a cauldron from the kitchens of Qoudrah where plenty of various kinds of different delicious foods are cooked in it together. Each blessed animal, like the cow, the camel, the sheep and the goat, says, "Bismillah" and becomes a fountain of milk from the faydh of Rahmah. In the name of Ar-Razzâq, they present to us the most subtle and clean sustenance, like the water of life. The roots and veins of each plant, tree and grass as soft as silk say, "Bismillah"; they pierce and go right through hard rock and earth. They say, “In the name of Allah, in the name of Rahmân”; everything becomes subject to it. Yes, the roots being spread in that hard rock and earth with perfect ease and bearing fruits below the ground as the branches being spread through the air and bearing fruits, and also the delicate green leaves retaining their moisture for months in the face of the severity of heat deal a slap severely in the mouths of naturalists, poke a finger in their eye – may it be blind – and say, "Even hardness and heat, in which you most trust, act under the command that each of those rootlets as soft as silk splits the rocks like the Staff of Mûsâ (as) by conforming to the command of فَقُلْنَا اضْرِبْ بِعَصَاكَ الْحَجَرَ1. And like the members of Ibrâhîm (as), against the face of the heat scattering fire, each of those delicate leaves as fine as cigarette paper recites the âyah يَا نَارُ كُونِى بَرْدًا وَ سَلاَمًا2.

Since everything says, "Bismillah," in a ma’nawî manner. They bring the ni’mahs of Allah in the name of Allah and give them to us. We too should say, "Bismillah." We should give in the name of Allah and take in the name of Allah. Since this is so, we should not take from ghâfil people who do not give in the name of Allah.

Question: We give a price to people who are tray-bearers. I wonder, what price does Allah, Who is the true owner of the goods, want?

The Answer: Yes, the price the True Mun’im wants in return for those valuable ni’mahs and goods is three things.

One is dhikr, another is shukr and the other is tafakkur. "Bismillah" at the beginning is dhikr. "Alhamdulillah" at the end is shukr. In the middle, thinking and understanding that those precious ni’mahs, which are wonders of art, are the miracles of qoudrah and the gifts of rahmah of Al-Ahad, Who is Samad, is tafakkur. How foolish it is to kiss the foot of a poor man, who conveys a precious gift of a sultân to you, and not recognise the owner of the gift; so praising and loving the things that outwardly give the ni’mah and forgetting the True Mun’im is a thousand times more foolish than that.

O nafs! If you do not want to be such a fool, give in the name of Allah, take in the name of Allah, begin in the name of Allah and act in the name of Allah. Wassalâm!