It is related that 'Ali ibn Abi Talib RA said, "Bismillah is healing from every illness and protection against every disease. Ar-Rahman is a help for everyone who believes in Him. It is a name not used for anyone else. Ar-Rahim is for those who repent, believe and perform righteous actions."
Some of them explained the meaning according to the letters. It is related that 'Uthman ibn 'Affan asked the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, about the interpretation of "In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, Most Merciful." He said, "The ba' is the trial (bala') of Allah, His relief, brilliance and radiance (baha'). The sin is the splendour (sana') of Allah. The mim is the kingdom (mulk) of Allah. As for Allah, there is no god but Him. The Rahman is kind to both the pious and impious of His creatures. The Rahim is kind only to the believers." It is reported that Ka'b al-Ahbar said, "The ba' is His radiance (baha'), the sin is His splendour (sana'), and there is nothing higher than it. The mim is His kingdom, and He has power over all things and nothing is hard for Him."
It is said that every letter is the opening of one of His Names. The ba' is the key to His Name Basir (All-Seeing). The sin is the key to His Name, Sami' (All-Hearing). The mim is the key to His Name, Malik (Master). The alif is the key to His Name, Allah. The lam is the key to His Name, Latif (Kind). The ha' is the key to His Name, Hadi (Guide). The ra' is the key to His Name, Raziq (Provider). The ha' is the key to His Name, Halim (Forbearing). The nun is the key of His Name, Nur (Light). The meaning of all this is supplication of Allah at the beginning of everything.
There is disagreement how 'ar-Rahim' is connected in recitation to 'al-hamdu lillah'. Umm Salama related that the Prophet recited 'ar-Rahim' with a sukun on the mim, and stopping there and then beginning with a fresh alif. Some of the Kufans recited it in that way. Most people recite, 'ar-Rahimi'l-hamdu', with a kasra on the mim and connecting it to the alif in al-hamd. Al-Kisa'i reported that some Arabs read it 'ar-Rahima'l-hamdu', with fatha on the mim and connected to the alif, as if the mim was in fact silent, but with an elision into the alif. Ibn 'Atiyya said, "This recitation is not reported from anyone I know."
- Tafsir Al-Qurtubi.
Attributes of the Prophet Muhammad SAW Praise be to Allah, the Lord of Creations, and Peace and blessings be upon our prophet Muhammad, the faithful and the honest. Oh, Allah, we know nothing but what You teach us. You are the All- Knower, the Wise. Oh Allah, teach us what is good for us, and benefit us from what You taught us, and increase our knowledge. Show us the righteous things as righteous and help us to do them, and show us the bad things as bad and help us to keep away from them. O Allah our Lord, lead us out from the depths of darkness and illusion, unto the lights of erudition and knowledge, and from the muddy shallows of lusts unto the heavens of Your Vicinity. Dear brothers, this is the first part of the introduction to our new series: “Ways of access and signs of acceptance”, inspired by Allah’s Words: "I am only a man like you. It has been inspired to me." [Al Kahf, 110] It is as if in this ayah Allah the ...
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