This has been placed here due its relevance.

It pertains to six out of the thousands of mysteries of بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ. “In the Name of Allah, The Merciful, The Compassionate”.

This is (a part of) the fourteenth chapter of the book titled “The Flashes”. As you’ve probably noticed by now, the chapters of these books are named by the titles of these books themselves.

Remark: A glowing light of “In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate” (Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem) regarding divine mercy, appeared to my dull mind from far away. I wished to record it for myself in the form of notes. And with the twenty to thirty mysteries, I desired to hunt down and captivate the light by encircling it. But unfortunately, for now, I was unable to fully achieve my wish. From twenty to thirty it reduced to five or six.

When I say “Oh man!” I refer to myself (nafs). While this lecture is for me [personally]; with the intention that it may be a means of benefit to people spiritually related to me and those whose souls are more awake than mine, I am referring it to the approval of my meticulous brothers as the second station of the fourteenth flash. This lecture looks more to the heart than the mind; and looks more to pleasure than proofs.

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
قَالَتْ يَاۤاَيُّهَا الْمَلَؤُا اِنِّى اُلْقِىَ اِلَىَّ كِتَابٌ كَرِيمٌ ۞ اِنَّهُ مِنْ سُلَيْمٰنَ
وَاِنَّهُ بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

“She (the queen) said (to her officials after receiving the letter), O chieftains, there has been delivered to me an esteemed letter. It is from Sulaiman, and it is (in the following words: ) With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful. (An-Naml, verse 29,30)”

Several mysteries will be mentioned in this station.
First Mystery: I saw a manifestation of بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ “In the name of Allah the Merciful the Compassionate” in the following way:
The second is the great stamp of divine mercy (rahmah) appearing in the resemblance, conformity, order, harmony, grace, and mercy in the planning, nurturing, and management of plants and animals on the face of the earth; بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ “In the name of Allah, the Merciful” looks to this.
Then is the most high compassion appearing in the beauty of tenderness, the details of affection, and the rays of divine clemency (marhamah) on the face of the human being’s comprehensive nature. الرَّحِيمِ “The Compassionate” in بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ “In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate” looks to this.
This means that بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ “In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate” is a holy title and a powerful cord and a luminous script of the three stamps of Divine Unity (Al-Wahidiyyah), forming a glowing line on the page of the world. That is to say, by descending from above, the endpoint of بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ “In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate” rests on the human being, the fruit of the universe and a miniature sample of the world. It bonds the throne to the earth [and] becomes a path for ascending to the human throne.
Second Mystery: In order to avoid drowning the minds in Divine Unity (Al-Wahidiyyah), [which] appears in the boundless abundance of creatures; the Quran of miraculous exposition continuously shows the manifestation of Divine Oneness (Al-Ahadiyyah) within Divine Unity (Al-Wahidiyyah). That is to say, for instance, the sun encompasses boundless things with its light. Since to think about the entity [1] (dhat) of the sun in the totality of its light requires an immensely vast imagination and an encompassing view; so lest the entity of the sun be forgotten, it shows the entity of the sun in every shining object through reflection. And every shining object, depending on its potential, shows the manifestation of the sun’s entity along with such properties as its light and heat. And just as every shining object, with regard to its potential, shows the sun with the entirety of its attributes; so also each of such properties as the light and heat of the sun and the seven colors [contained] within light, encompasses all the objects facing it. Similarly,  وَلِلَّهِ الْمَثَلُ الْأَعْلَىٰ “And to Allah belong the most exalted attributes” – let there be no mistake in the example – just as Divine Oneness (Al-Ahadiyyah) and Sufficiency (As-Samadiyyah) have a manifestation in every object particularly in [every] living being, [and more] specifically in the mirror of the human essence with all names [of Allah ﷻ],; so too by the aspect of Singleness (Al-Wahdah) and Divine Unity (Al-Wahidiyyah), every name related to the beings encompass all of the beings [as a whole]. Thus, in order to avoid drowning the minds in Divine Unity (Al-Wahidyyah) and in order that the hearts do not forget The Most Holy One (Dhat Al-Aqdas), [the Qur’an] continuously points to the stamp of Divine Oneness (Al-Ahadiyyah) within Divine Unity (Al-Wahidiyyah), and it is بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ “In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate” which demonstrates the three essential points of that stamp.
Third Mystery: What brings pleasure to this boundless universe is visibly divine mercy. And what illuminates these somber beings is, likewise, clearly divine mercy. And what nurtures these creatures engulfed by boundless needs is [yet] again, clearly divine mercy. And what directs the whole universe to the human being just as a tree with its entirety is directed to its fruit, [and what] causes the human to be taken care of everywhere and makes everything run to his aid is clearly divine mercy. And what fills, illuminates, and brings pleasure to this boundless space and empty world is clearly divine mercy. And what makes this transient human being a candidate for eternity and [what makes him] an addressee and a friend to the Pre-Eternal and Post-Eternal One is clearly divine mercy.
Oh man! Seeing that divine mercy is such a powerful and captivating and [such] a delightful and a helpful lovable truth, say بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ “In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate” and cling to that truth and be saved from absolute loneliness and the pains of unlimited needs. And move closer to the throne of the Pre-Eternal and Post-Eternal Sovereign, and through the affection and the intercession and the rays of that mercy, become an addressee and a friend and a pal to that Sovereign.
Yes gathering, within the zone of wisdom, [various] realms of the universe around the human being; [and] urging [them] to [satisfy] all his needs with the utmost order and assistance is clearly one of two cases: either each realm of the universe, on its own, is acquainted with the human being, obeys him, [and] runs to his aid –[and] while this is a hundred times beyond reasoning [and logic], it also produces a multitude of impossibilities-; the power of a Strongest Ultimate Sovereign would need to be present in such an ultimately weak [creature] as a human. Or this aid happens due to the knowledge of an Ultimately Powerful [Being] behind the curtain of this universe. Hence, it is not that the realms of this universe are acquainted with the human being; but they are [rather] an evidence for the knowledge and acquaintance of a One (Dhat) who knows and is acquainted with the human being and expresses mercy [to him].
Oh man! Come to your senses. Is it at all possible that The One of Glory (Dhu Al-Jalal) extending the hands of help of all realms in this universe towards you and causing them to say “[we are] at your service” to your needs; [is it possible that He] does not know you, is not acquainted [with you], [or] does not see [you]?
Forasmuch as He knows you, and through mercy, reveals that He knows [you]. You too [should] know Him, and through reverence, reveal that you know [Him]. And understand with certainty that subjecting this vast universe to such an utterly weak, utterly impotent, utterly poor, transient, small creature as yourself and sending it to his aid, is certainly the truth of divine mercy which encompasses wisdom, help, knowledge, and power. Surely, such a mercy would ask from you a comprehensive and a sincere thanks and a serious and pure respect. Hence, say بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ “In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate”, which is the interpreter and symbol of that sincere thanks and that pure respect, [and] make it a means of attaining that mercy, and make it an intercessor at the door of that Merciful [One].
Yes, the existence and certainty of divine mercy is as visible as the sun. For just as a central pattern [in a woven tapestry] is a result of the order and situation of the weft and warps coming from every direction; so too the glowing wefts extending from the manifestation of a thousand and one divine names in the vast sphere of this universe, weave such a seal of compassion and a pattern of affection within a stamp of mercy, and weave such a seal of assistance (inayah) on the face of the universe that it presents itself to the minds [in a way which is] brighter than the sun.

Yes, That Merciful One of Beauty Who arranges, by the rays of those one thousand and one names, the sun and the moon, elements and minerals, plants and animals like the weft threads of a grand pattern [in a woven tapestry] and makes them servants of life; and [the One] Who shows His affection through the very sweet and self-sacrificing affection of all plant and animal mothers; and [that Who] subjugates the living beings to human life and from that shows a very beautiful and sweet grand pattern of divine Godhead and [reveals] the importance of the human being, and shows the most glowing mercy; [that Merciful One of Beauty] has certainly made His mercy an acceptable intercessor to His own absolute sufficiency for the living beings and humans within absolute neediness. Oh man! If you are a human, say Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem [“In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate”] [and] find that intercessor.
Yes, [what] nurtures and administers the four hundred thousand various different species of plants and animals on the face of [this] earth, without forgetting [or] confusing any of them, with precise timing, perfect management, with wisdom and assistance and [that which] places the seal of Divine Oneness (Al-Ahadiyyah) on the face the earth is certainly, maybe visibly divine mercy (rahmah). And just as the existence of that divine mercy (rahmah) is as certain as the existence of beings on the face of this earth, [so also] there are as many evidences of [its] certitude as there are the number of those beings.

Yes, just as such a seal of divine mercy and a stamp of Divine Oneness (Al-Ahadiyyah) are present on the face of the earth, so too in the face of the spiritual nature of the human being, there is such a stamp of mercy that it is no less than the stamp of mercy on the face of the earth and the great stamp of divine mercy on the face of the universe. So much so that [the human possesses] a comprehensiveness in the form of a focal point to the manifestation of [the] thousand and one names.
Oh man! Is it at all possible that the One Who gave you this face and in that face has placed such a stamp of divine mercy and a seal of Divine Oneness (Al-Ahadiyyah), [is it possible that He] will leave you on your own, not give you value, pay no attention to your actions, make the whole universe which is directed towards you useless, and make the tree of creation a morbid, unimportant tree with rotten fruit? Also, [would he] cause the denial of His mercy which is as visible as the sun and His wisdom appearing like light that are beyond doubt in any [possible] way and not lacking in any aspect? God Forbid!

Oh man! Know that there is a ladder (mi’raj) to reach the throne of that mercy. That ladder (mi’raj) is بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ [In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate]. And if you want to understand how significant this ladder is, [then] look at the beginnings of the hundred and fourteen chapters (surahs) in the Qur’an of miraculous exposition and also the openings of all blessed books, and the starts of all blessed actions. And a most certain evidence for the noble value of the basmala[2] is this: very great scholars (mujtahids) like Imam Shafii have said “Though the basmala is only a single verse, it was sent down one hundred and fourteen times in the Qur’an”.

Fourth Mystery: The manifestation of divine unity (Al-Wahidiyyah) within a boundless abundance is not sufficient for everybody [while] uttering the address إِيَّاكَ نَعۡبُدُ “It is You we worship”. The mind drifts away. To contemplate the One of Divine Oneness (Al-Ahadiyyah) behind the unity in its entirety, saying إِيَّاكَ نَعۡبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسۡتَعِينُ “It is You we worship; It is You we ask for help” ; the presence of a heart with a breadth [equal to that of] the globe is necessary. And based on this reason, just as the stamp of divine oneness (Al-Ahadiyyah) is shown in particulars (juziyyat) in a visible manner; in order to show the stamp of Divine Oneness (Al-Ahadiyyah) and [in order] that the One of Divine Oneness (Al-Ahadiyyah) be contemplated in every type [of a thing], a stamp of divine oneness (Al-Ahadiyyah) is shown within the seal of mercy (Rahmaniyyah). So that, effortlessly, everybody in every level can say إِيَّاكَ نَعۡبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسۡتَعِينُ , “It is You we worship; It is You we ask for help” facing the One of Purity and Holiness by directly addressing [Him].
Consequently, it is to express this substantial reason that the Wise Qur’an, when discussing the great sphere of [this] universe – for instance the creation of the heavens and the earth – suddenly discusses a most miniscule sphere and a most delicate particular so as to show the seal of divine oneness (Ahadiyyah) in an apparent manner. For instance, in a discussion regarding the creation of the heavens and earth, it opens a discussion of the human creation, the human’s voice, and the delicate favors and wisdom in his face. So that the mind does not drift away, the heart does not drown, and the soul directly finds its Object of Worship.
For example, the verse وَمِنۡ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ خَلۡقُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَٱخۡتِلَـٰفُ أَلۡسِنَتِڪُمۡ وَأَلۡوَٲنِكُمۡ‌ “Another of His signs is the creation of the heavens and earth, and the diversity of your languages and colours” shows the mentioned truth in a miraculous way.
Yes, stamps of unity (wahdah) in a boundless creation and endless abundance, like spheres within one another, have [various] types and levels from the biggest to the smallest stamp. Nonetheless, that oneness, however it may be, is still oneness within abundance; it cannot fully provide a true address. In consequence, it is necessary for a stamp of divine oneness (Ahadiyyah) to be present behind unity (wahdah), so that it does not bring abundance to mind, [and] opens a direct path for the heart towards the Most Pure and Holy One (Dhat Al-Aqdas).
Moreover, in order to direct the gazes to and attract the hearts towards the stamp of divine oneness (Ahadiyyah), [He] has placed the stamp of mercy and the seal of compassion – [such] a highly appealing pattern, a highly luminous light (noor), a highly sweet delightfulness, a highly lovable beauty, and a highly powerful truth – on that stamp of divine oneness (Ahadiyyah). Yes, it is the power of that mercy which attracts the gazes of conscious beings, draws them towards itself, leads them to the stamp of divine oneness (Ahadiyyah), and causes them to contemplate the One of Divine Oneness (Ahadiyyah), and from that allows them to attain the truth of the address إِيَّاكَ نَعۡبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسۡتَعِينُ “It is You we worship; it is You we ask for help”.
Therefore, with regards to بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيم “In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate” being the Index of al-Fatiha and a concise summary of the Qur’an, [it] has become the title and decoder of this mentioned grand mystery. One who takes hold of this title may wander in the levels of mercy (rahmah). And one who causes this decoder to speak will learn the secrets of mercy (rahmah) and observe the lights of compassion (raheemiyyah) and affection (shefqah).
It has been mentioned in a noble hadith that,
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَلَقَ ٱلۡإِنسَـانَ عَلَى صُورَةِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ (أو كما قال) [Indeed, Allah has created the human being in the image of the Merciful (or as he stated)[3]].
A faction of Sufis have interpreted this noble hadith in an unsual way, incompatible with the creeds of faith. In fact, a faction of them [who are] Ahl al-Ishq[4] (People of Love) have viewed the spiritual face of a human being as an image of the Merciful (Rahman). Since drunkenness is present in the majority of Sufis, and overwhelmingness and confusion [are found] in most of Ahl al-Ishq (People of Love); they may be excused from their understandings conflicting with reality. Yet those in their right senses cannot intellectually accept their meanings which run contrary to the foundations of creeds. If they do, they will be in error.
Yes, just as the Divine One (dhat) of Greatest Purity and Holiness – [Who] operates with order the whole universe as it were a palace [or] a house, and [that Who] spins and takes around the stars wisely and with ease as though they were particles, and makes use of the particles as if they were organized employees – does not have a partner, like, opposite, [or] equal; so also by a subtle truth of لَيۡسَ كَمِثۡلِهِۦ شَىۡءٌ۬‌ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلۡبَصِيرُ [There is nothing like Him: He is the All Hearing, the All Seeing.], [He] cannot have a form, equivalent, sample, [or anybody] resembling [Him]. Nonetheless, [His] qualities (shu’un), attributes (sifat), and names (asma’) [may be] looked at through a subtle truth and exemplification of وَلَهُ ٱلۡمَثَلُ ٱلۡأَعۡلَىٰ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ‌ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡحَكِيمُ [To Him belongs the loftiest similitude (we can think of) in the heavens and the earth: for He is Exalted in Might, full of wisdom.]. That is, examples and exemplification exist from the standpoint of qualities (shu’un).
One out of many purposes of this mentioned noble hadith is this: a human being is in a form [which] entirely displays the name Merciful (Rahman). Indeed, as we have explained earlier, it means that just as the name Merciful (Rahman) is seen to appear from the rays of a thousand and one names on the face of the universe, and just as the name Merciful (Rahman) is shown by the boundless manifestations of Godly absolute lordship appearing on the face of the earth; so also in the entire form of a human, on a small scale, – like the face of the earth and the face of the universe – the most perfect manifestation of, again, that name of Merciful (Rahman) is shown.
It also points that embodiments (madhar) such as living beings and humans, who are evidences and mirrors of the Merciful Compassionate One, [that their] evidence of the Necessarily Existent One is so certain, clear, and apparent that just as for a shiny mirror displaying a sample and reflection of the sun, it [may] be said “that mirror is the sun” pointing to the shininess and to the clarity of its evidence, it was said and [may] be said that “The human being has the image of the Merciful” pointing to the clarity of [their] evidence and to the perfection of its appropriateness.
And the moderate faction of the People of Wahdat al-Wujud (Unity of Existence) have said لَا مَوْجُودَ إلَّا هُوَ [“There is no existent besides Him”] based on this subtle truth, as a title for the clarity of this evidence and the perfection of this appropriateness.

اَللّٰهُمَّ يَا رَحْمٰنُ يَا رَحِيمُ بِحَقِّ بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ اِرْحَمْناَ كَمَا يَلِيقُ بِرَحِيمِيَّتِكَ وَفَهِّمْنَاۤ اَسْرَارَ بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ كَمَا يَلِيقُ بِرَحْمَانِيَّتِكَ اٰمِينَ

O Allah, O Merciful, O Compassionate [One], for the sake of “In the name of Allah the Merciful the Compassionate” have mercy on us as befits Your mercy, and allow us to comprehend the mysteries of “In the name of Allah the Merciful the Compassionate” as befits Your mercy. Amen.

 

[1] The “entity of the sun” is the sun itself (i.e. it is not the rays of the sun or the heat of the sun, but the sun in its totality). So, for instance, we do not see the entity of the sun by looking around us during the day and observing the sun’s light and feeling its heat; but we do see it by looking up directly at the sun. –TN

[2] The phrase “In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate” is called the basmala. –TN

[3] The phrase “or as he [i.e. the Prophet ﷺ] stated” is used whenever the narrator of a hadith is unsure of the exact wording of a hadith.

[4] There are many different paths taking us to God. Ahl al-Ishq are those that take the path of love as the path to our Lord. Love, here, refers to the love of God. These people may become so overwhelmed by their emotions of loving God that they may lose their rationality and thus be excused from their mistakes. –TN