Quran Blogger

While it is universally accepted that the phrase “In the name of God, The Most Gracious (or The Most Compassionate), The Most Merciful” is part of the Quran and rightfully belongs at the beginning of each surah, there is a difference of opinion among Quranic scholars over whether the phrase is actually a numbered ayah of the first surah (which is called Al-Fatihah, or “The Opening”).  Most printings of the Quran include the phrase as a numbered ayah in the first surah, but as an unnumbered introductory phrase to each of the other surahs (except the ninth).  Because most scholars understand the 87^th verse of the 15^th surah of the Quran (“And we have bestowed upon thee the Seven Oft-repeated (Verses) and the Grand Qur’an”) to be a reference to the first surah of the Quran, it is generally understood that the phrase (“In the name of God…”) should be a numbered verse of the first surah and constitute the first of its seven verses (although scholars who take the opposite position argue that another ayah of the surah actually should be two distinct ayahs). 

The first surah of the Quran is repeated by Muslims more than any other surah in the Quran.  It is required to be recited in every unit of physical prayer that a Muslim performs.  A Muslim is required physically to pray a minimum of five times per day at prescribed times.  Those five prayers are divided into units totaling 17 in aggregate, and that’s just for the mandatory prayers.  Most (or all, depending on the school of thought) of those mandatory prayers are accompanied by optional (though encouraged, in some cases strongly) additional shorter physical prayers before or after the mandatory ones.  Therefore, every practicing Muslim will at a minimum recite the first surah of the Quran at least 17 times every day, and most practicing Muslims will exceed that number with just the optional traditional prayers.  The Opening is also recited by Muslims at many other times and on many other occasions, and the first verse (“In the name of God…”) is repeated by Muslims more than any other, both because it is part of The Opening and also because it is common for Muslims separately to invoke God’s name (usually quietly or silently) before most activities or actions.

A Muslim identifies God through his many names, which are all attributes God possesses.  Some names are grandiose (The Tremendous, The Great, The Powerful, The Irresistible, The All-Knowing, The Wise, The Exalted, The Majestic, etc.) and others are terrifying (The Judge, The Giver of Dishonor, The Utterly Just, The Raiser of the Dead, The Witness, The Abaser, The Strong, The Bringer of Death/ The Destroyer, The Dominant, The Avenger, etc.).  Of the 99 or so names known and used by Muslims to identify God, the two that were chosen to appear in the most often recited phrase in the most often recited surah are Al-Rahman (The Most Gracious, or The Most Compassionate) and Al-Raheem (The Most Merciful), both of which are derived from the root word Rahm, which in Arabic means “womb” (the ultimate human symbol for nurturing and protection).  Of all the ways God could have wanted us to invoke his name—of all the attributes that could have featured so prominently in the lives and traditions of Muslims—the two that were chosen relate to the mercy, grace and compassion of God rather than his power, dominance or ability.  God chose mercy over fear.

As a whole, The Opening is prelude, and it is prayer.  It precedes and creates a frame of reference for the substance of the 113 other surahs in the Quran and is unique not only because of its distinctions of appearing first and being recited more than any other, but also because it is itself a prayer meant to be recited by the worshiper to the worshipped (God).  A Muslim believes that God is omnipotent and is not in need of, and does not benefit from, prayer or praise.  Any prayer recited or performed by a person has the potential to benefit only the worshiper.  Is there any greater testament, then, to the grace, compassion and mercy of God, of his nurturing Rahmah, than the fact that the first surah of the Quran—the surah most often repeated by persons following the path to God laid out in the Quran—is not comprised of prose extolling the greatness and power of an all-mighty God, or His majesty, glory or wisdom, but rather is in the form of a prayer for the benefit of the person reciting it?  Is anything more nurturing?  Is there a more amazing grace?

Update on Saturday, May 2, 2009 at 9:23AM by The QB

An Existential Circle

When thinking about this post after it was up for a while, I remembered the Hadith Qudsy (Hadith literally means "saying" and is used to refer to sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (God's peace and blessings be upon him), and the adjective Qudsy, when modifying the word Hadith, is meant to indicate that the Hadith was said by the Prophet but actually is attributable to God) that states: 

"Allah the Exalted said: ‘I Am Al-Rahman. I created the Rahm and derived a name for it from My name. Hence, whoever keeps it, I will keep ties to him, and whoever severs it, I will sever ties with him."

Notice how God rises above the constructs and limitations of our attempts to describe Him. We use words and names to define the glory of God, names that He gave us and that mean something to us in a linguistic context, and yet we have to remember that the very context in which we try to define God was itself created by God. We may describe Him as merciful, compassionate or gracious, but in truth we should be describing mercy, compassion and grace by reference to God. Indeed, maybe the best way to define mercy, compassion and grace is simply to say that they mean, in one fashion or another, “Godly” or “having attributes that are of God.” People can be merciful, but God IS mercy. People can be compassionate, but God IS Compassion. People can be gracious, but God is grace.