Why Say Bismillah?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

We say بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم (BismillahirRahmanirRahim) before we start our actions. We say بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم before we eat, before we cook, before we enter the bathroom, before we put our clothes on, before we comb our hair, before we step out of the house, before we turn the car ignition, before we write, before we turn on the computer, before we take the exam, before an important job interview, before we make wudu', before we enter the masjid, before praying, before reading the Qur'an, before so many things that we do. Allah knows how many times we say Bismillah everyday. He does not miss it. May Allah accept our Bismillah as good deeds. Ameen.

But what is it that we are really saying when we say بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم ?

When you say بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم you are intending to perform the action in the Name of Allah alone, not in the name of yourself, your friends, your teacher, your boss, your spouse, your children, the person next to you or anyone or anything else.

So at the outset, it reminds us of Allah. It reminds us to make our intentions purely for Allah. Our focus now is towards Allah. We are doing this action for His sake alone and with His help alone. He is the One who gives us the tawfiq to do this. And if He does not will this to happen, even this piece of fish that I am about to chew can fall out of my mouth and be picked up by the cat, or even what I am about to write, will not happen or flow the way I want it, if Allah does not give me the tawfiq.

It is meant for us not to have this feeling of self-consequence or pride, rather to have this feeling of gratitude towards Allah, Lord of the Worlds, who nourishes and benefits us. So we will use what He gives us for the purpose He has created them for us and in the manner He wants us to use them.

Take this simple example, when you put your clothes on your body, it is not to show to people how rich or beautiful you are, but simply to cover your nakedness to please Allah. You feel grateful that He provided you with the means to have this beautiful clothes and a beautiful body to put it on, so you stay away from disobedience of Allah by showing off or looking down upon the less fortunate, for example, and do more good deeds by helping the less fortunate by giving away some of your nice clothes which you haven't worn for many years! And you can think of the many examples that apply to you and take the action. InshaAllah.

And we seek His Mercy and Compassion to give us the blessings and acceptance in what we are about to do.

This is what we should have in our minds and in our hearts when we say بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim, and we follow it with the good action and more good actions with the tawfiq from Allah.

So, pause a little bit after you say Bismillah, and reflect on the blessings. Don't rush your Bismillah (or neglect to say the Basmalah) to get to the action without a moment of reflection.

Teach and remind your children this. InshaAllah.

And Allah knows best.

May Allah brings us closer to Him and gives us tawfiq. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

Wassalaam