“In the Name of Allah—the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.”
The fact that this verse begins with the name of Allah, the Exalted, indicates the importance of approaching Islamic knowledge, such as the Holy Quran, with the intention to please Allah, the Exalted. Meaning, one must intend to gain and act on Islamic knowledge in order to please Allah, the Exalted. An aspect of this is accepting and acting on everything that has been revealed to mankind through the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, without cherry picking what one acts upon and ignores depending on their desires. If a muslim comes with this cherry picking attitude to Islamic knowledge, then they have no fulfilled this verse and will therefore not truly benefit from what they learn. This attitude may well encourage them to also misinterpret divine knowledge in order to suit their desires and to show off to others in order to gain worldly things, such as wealth and authority. This is a dangerous path which leads one to punishment in both worlds. This has been indicated in a Hadith found in Sunan Ibn Majah, number 253. One will only truly benefit from Islamic teachings when they strive to accept and act upon all they encounter, irrespective of if they understand the wisdoms behind the teachings or not or whether it suits their desires or not. Chapter 17 Al Isra, verse 82:
“And We send down of the Quran that which is healing and mercy for the believers, but it does not increase the wrongdoers except in loss.”
The first part of the main verse also encourages one to approach every situation and action with the intention to please Allah, the Exalted, and avoid His disobedience. This attitude will ensure one uses every blessing they have been granted by Allah, the Exalted, in ways pleasing to Him, which has been outlined in the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. A person will avoid thinking about their own desires or the opinions of society, culture and fashion and instead only care about pleasing Allah, the Exalted, as every situation they enter begins with the name of Allah, the Exalted. This prevents one from adopting aiming to please other people, which in reality is not possible, as every person has their own desires and opinions. Therefore, trying to please everyone only leads to nothing but stress in both worlds. Whereas, entering every situation with the name of Allah, the Exalted, ensures one only aims to please Allah, the Exalted. Chapter 39 Az Zumar, verse 29:
“Allah sets forth the parable of a slave owned by several quarrelsome masters, and a slave owned by only one master. Are they equal in condition? Praise be to Allah! In fact, most of them do not know.”
Pleasing only Allah, the Exalted, is easily achieved with minimal stress and effort. This has been indicated in the main verse under discussion. Chapter 1 Al Fatihah, verse 1:
“In the Name of Allah—the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.”
In addition, when one enters every situation aiming to please Allah, the Exalted, they should know they are aiming to please a Merciful and Compassionate Lord. This erases the concept of the degrading form of human slavery which has and still occurs to countless people all over the world. Instead, the slavery one binds themself into is one of mercy and compassion. This mercy is clearly evident in how Allah, the Exalted, continuously showers an uncountable amount of blessings on a person and only asks them to use them in the correct way so that they gain benefit from them in both worlds. Meaning, the commands and prohibitions from Allah, the Most Merciful, benefit none other than the servant. Allah, the Exalted, gains no benefit from the obedience of people.
The first part of the main verse also indicates the importance of learning and acting on the different divine attributes and names of Allah, the Exalted, so that one enters and reacts to each situation they encounter in a way which pleases Allah, the Exalted. For example, Allah, the Exalted, is the All Forgiving, therefore when one enters a situation where a person has wronged them, they should try to forgive that person for the sake for Allah, the Exalted, while adjusting their own behaviour so that history does not repeat itself. Allah, the Exalted, is the All Just, therefore when one enters a situation where they must make a decision, they must adhere to justice and choose what is good and fair, according to the teachings of Islam. Behaving in this manner will ensure one maintains sincere obedience to Allah, the Exalted, in every situation they enter. This is one of the reasons why the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, advised, in a Hadith found in Sahih Bukhari, number 2736, that whoever knows the ninety nine names of Allah, the Exalted, will enter Paradise.
Chapter 1 Al Fatihah, verse 1:
“In the Name of Allah…”
This part of the verse also indicates the purpose of mankind, namely, to enter every situation while maintaining their sincere obedience of Allah, the Exalted. Chapter 51 Adh Dhariyat, verse 56:
“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship [obey] Me.”
A muslim must understand that their purpose extends further then the few obligatory duties, such as the five daily obligatory prayers, which only takes less than an hour of a day, but includes every moment, breath and situation they encounter. Failing to maintain one’s sincere obedience of Allah, the Exalted, in every situation, by using the blessings one has been granted in ways pleasing to Him, is the very reason why muslims who fulfill the basic obligatory duties still do not find peace of mind in this world, as they have not fulfilled the conditions required to obtain peace of mind. Chapter 13 Ar Ra’d, verse 28:
“…Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah do hearts find peace.”
And chapter 16 An Nahl, verse 97:
“Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer – We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do.”
The one who fails to fulfil their purpose of creation, even if they fulfil the basic obligatory duties of Islam, will gain much reward yet they will live an empty life. They will be like a vase which looks beautiful on the outside yet is empty and hollow inside. Just like an invention which possesses many positive characteristics is still labelled a failure when it fails to fulfil its primary reason for creation, similarly, a muslim who fails to fulfil their purpose in the correct way will lead an empty and meaningless life, even if they possess many worldly things.
The first part of the main verse also indicates the importance of always connecting to Allah, the Exalted, through His sincere obedience when encountering every situation so that they gain the strength and guidance they need to journey through it safely. Chapter 65 At Talaq, verse 3:
“…And whoever relies upon Allah – then He is sufficient for him…”
When one forgets or disobeys Allah, the Exalted, when entering situations, they will inevitably rely on worldly things and people, who are weak by nature, even if they appear strong. This will only cause confusion and encourage one to make the wrong choices in life. This only leads to stress in both worlds. Chapter 22 Al Hajj, verse 73:
“…Weak are the pursuer and pursued.”
Chapter 1 Al Fatihah, verse 1:
“In the Name of Allah…”
This part of the verse also indicates the importance of fulfilling the different aspects of the remembrance of Allah, the Exalted. The first aspect is correcting one’s intention so that they only speak and act in order to please Allah, the Exalted. This is proven when one does not desire nor demand gratitude from people. The second aspect is speaking in ways pleasing to Allah, the Exalted, or remaining silent. The last and highest aspect is remembering Allah, the Exalted, by using every blessing one has been granted, such as one’s time, in ways pleasing to Him. Only when one fulfills these aspects of remembering Allah, the Exalted, will they fulfil the conditions of obtaining peace of mind in both worlds. Chapter 13 Ar Ra’d, verse 28:
“…Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured.”
Chapter 1 Al Fatihah, verse 1:
“In the Name of Allah—the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.”
This verse also eliminates the concept of wishful thinking whereby a muslim may avoid sincerely obeying Allah, the Exalted, and still expects to receive His mercy and forgiveness in both worlds. The arrangement of the verse indicates that when one enters every situation with the intention and practical struggle to sincerely obey Allah, the Exalted, then they will receive the blessings of the Most Merciful.
One must always remember that if they desire to receive mercy from the Most Merciful, then they must show mercy to others. This has been advised in a Hadith found in Sahih Bukhari, number 7376. This must be shown through actions by supporting and aiding others in things which are pleasing to Allah, the Exalted, according to their means, such as emotional, physical and financial support. This is best achieved when one treats others in a way they desire to be treated by people.
The main verse also indicates the importance of dealing with matters, which one enters upon with the name of Allah, the Exalted, with mercy and gentleness. In a Hadith found in Jami At Tirmidhi, number 2701, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, advised that Allah, the Exalted, loves gentleness in all matters. Therefore, one must adopt gentleness and mercy as their general conduct without letting others take advantage of them, as Islam teaches humility without weakness. One must treat others with mercy and compassion by overlooking their mistakes and faults with the hope their faults and mistakes are overlooked by Allah, the Exalted, while preventing others from taking advantage of them. The one who adopts gentleness as their way will find that people are always ready to support them in both worldly and religious matters, such as work colleagues, and it will lead to obtaining divine mercy in both worlds.
Every situation a person enters without their choice is something decreed by none other than Allah, the Exalted. But as indicated by the main verse, when they enter a situation in the name of Allah, the Exalted, they are reminded that the Most Merciful decreed that situation for them. This aids one in facing difficulties with patience, knowing the Most Merciful would only decree something which was beneficial for a person, even if this is not obvious to them. One must therefore maintain patience from the onset of the difficulty, by avoiding complaining through their speech and actions and maintain their sincere obedience to Allah, the Exalted. If the situation they enter is good, a person must enter it with the name of Allah, the Exalted, acknowledging that this was something granted to them by the Most Merciful. This acknowledgement involves showing gratitude to Allah, the Exalted, by using the blessings He has granted them in ways pleasing to Him. This leads to an increase of blessings and mercy. Chapter 14 Ibrahim, verse 7:
“And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]…”
The main verse also indicates that the main aim of Allah, the Exalted, in respect to the creation is to show them mercy. Unlike other religions which depict God as vengeful, Islam describes the relationship between Allah, the Exalted, and the creation as a merciful one. This indicates the soft and easy-going nature of the code of conduct chosen for mankind by Allah, the Exalted, the Most Merciful, namely, Islam. Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 185:
“…Allāh intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship…”
The obligations and prohibitions given by Allah, the Exalted, are only a few and all aim to benefit the life of a muslim. The one who understands this truth and therefore adheres to the teachings of Islam will obtain a life of mercy and ease in both worlds, even if they face a few hardships along the way. Chapter 16 An Nahl, verse 97:
“Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer – We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do.”
In fact, when one strives in this way and enters every situation with the name of Allah, the Exalted, they will find that the Most Merciful makes things easier for them. Chapter 92 Al Layl, verses 5-7:
“As for he who gives [offers obedience] and fears Allah. And believes in the best [reward]. We will ease him toward ease.”
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