BISMILLAH-IR-RAHMAN-IR-RAHIM
THE LORD SAID TO THE PEN:
"WRITE: BISMILLAH-IR-RAHMAN-IR-RAHIM."
The Lord created
the Pen and He spoke to the Pen: "Write!" The Pen said: "O Lord,
what shall I write?" The Lord replied "Write that which was and that
which will be...."
Prophet
Mohammad (sallalaho alaihi wasallam) said:
"In the
beginning the Lord created the Pen from a jewel, the size of which can be
equated to 500 years travel in length. Its nib was split and from it issued
light just like the ink issues from the nibs of our pens. The end of the Pen
was connected to the Throne. It was given into the hands of the angels. Each
letter they wrote was as gigantic as Jebel (Mount) Qaf."
Hazrat Abbas
(radi Allahu anho) stated: "First Allah Almighty created the Pen and the
Tablets. He said to the Pen, "Write! The Pen asked, "What shall I
write?"
"Write
that which is, which was and that which will be!'; commanded the Lord.
Allah created
the Tablets from white pearl, and every day they change into 360 different colours.
The Pen asked: "What shall I write?"
The Lord
answered: "Write La ilaha illallah, Muhammad-ur-Rasul-ullah"
(There is no god but Allah, Muhammad (sallallaho alaihi wasallam) is Allah's
Messenger). Whoever is content with My Decree, patient with My Trials; thankful
for My Favours, him I shall write among the Righteous."
On the Day of
Resurrection, Allah Almighty will raise them along with the prophets in the
Station of the Righteous. And He says of those who do not suffer His trials
patiently, who give no thanks for His Favours and who are not content with His
Decrees that they "rise up from the sod, seeking equality with
Allah," and this is sacrilege.
The Pen began
to write. What did it write? It wrote:
"Intercession
is given to the prophets, miracles are given to the saints, love of Allah is
given to the pious and Paradise is given to the generous. "
The Lord said
to the Pen: "Write!"
"What
shall I write, O my Lord?" asked the Pen
"Write: Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim!”
(In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the compassionate)."
THE BLESSINGS OF BISMILLAH!
The Pen wrote
the ‘ba’ of ‘Bismillah’ and light spread from this letter, from the
Throne to the farthest comer of the Universe.
All was lit up by this light. The Pen wondered and asked the Lord: "What
is this Light?"
The Lord
answered, "This is the light which I wish to give to the Nation of
Muhammad which will read these letters, I shall bestow it upon them from My
endless Bounty. "
The Pen then
wrote the next letter, which was the ‘sin’. The letter 'sin' has three
peaks (teeth) and from each of these three peaks and from each one of these a
different kind of light issued forth. From the first peak a light which reached
up to the Throne, from the second one a light which reached the Divine Court,
and from the third which reached up to Paradise.
"What is
this Light, O my Lord?", wondered the Pen.
"There
will be three groups among the Children of Adam. Firstly there will be those
who compete with one another for the performance of good deeds; this means,
those whose hidden reality is better than that which they show outwardly. The
light of this group reaches up to the Divine Throne. Secondly, there is a group
whose inner reality is on equal footing with their outer manifestation, and
their light will reach up to the Divine Court. The third group are those who
have wronged their own souls, that is to say, those whose outer aspect
overcomes their inward reality. The light of this last group reaches up to
Paradise (after they have been purged in Hell)."
(SALLALLAHO ALAIHI WASALLAM)
Again the Lord commanded the
Pen to write. The Pen wrote `mim' (The third letter of Bismillah). The
light effusing from this letter illuminated the whole world. The Pen was so
surprised that it opened its mouth wide, as wide as it could and remained
stunned for 2000 years.
It then it asked: "What
is this light?"
"This is the light of
Muhammad Mustapha (sallallaho alaihi wasallam)," said the Lord. ‘Mim' is the first letter of the name
of Muhammad (sallallaho alaihi wasallam), My Beloved, the Prince of Messengers
and the Crown of all Creation. I have created the world for his sake
alone."
When the pen heard these
words, it said, “O Lord! Teach me to give him Salaams!”
The lord taught the Pen to
say:
"As-Salamu a'laika, Ya
Rasul-ullah" (Peace be upon you, O
Messenger of Allah!)
The Pen saluted the Prophet
(sallallaho alaihi wasallam) and waited silently, but no answer came to him.
Then it said curiously:
"O Lord! Nobody answers
me; Your Beloved, the Crown Creation, does not return my Salaams!"
The Lord said, “O Pen, he
has not yet been created; if he were present at this moment, he would certainly
return your greetings. But I will reply in his stead”:
"Wa `alaika as-Salaam, ya Qalam." (And Peace be upon you, O Pen).
Therefore, it is Sunnah
(commendable practice) to give Salaams, and it is Wajib (obligatory) to reply
them. The first being ever to give Salaams was the Pen, and the first to answer
them was the Lord of the Worlds. If one does not give Salaams, it is not a
great sin, but if one fails to return the Salaams given, it is a sin. The
responsibility falls on every one present. It is sufficient for one person in a
group to return the greetings. One person can fulfill this obligation in the
name of all present.
It is in fact a valuable
lesson for that Allah taught the Pen to say the Salam on the Holy Prophet
(sallallaho alaihi wasallam) and to call him by the word ‘Ya’ when he was not
only there but in fact not created! Then the Pen wrote:
The Pen then asked, "O
Lord, what is this mighty Name?"
The Lord answered:
"The name of Allah is for the People of Remembrance (Zikr) those pious ones who are incessantly engaged in the Remembrance of their Lord and who compete with one another in performance of good works. "
"All My servants’ sins will be forgiven by the 6lessing of that Holy Name; whenever any action is begun with that phrase (Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim), the endeavour is blessed, and I grant My servant success; and forgiveness for his failings. "
The name ‘ar-Rahman’
nourishes and sustains all who are in the world without distinction, be they Christians,
Jews, unbelievers or others - they all receive their provisions from the
manifestation of the Holy name, `ar-Rahman'. `Ar-Rahim' is reserved for the
Muslim Ummah on the Day of Judgement, as it is written:
"Peace - such is the
greeting from a Lord All-Compassionate." (Ya Sin, 59)
THE PEN TAKES
700 YEARS TO WRITE THE `BESMELA'
REWARD OF 700 YEARS WORSHIP FOR RECITING IT.
The Holy Prophet (sallallaho
alaihi wasallam) said:
"It took the Pen 700 years to write down the `Besmela' (the words `Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim'). If a Muslim recites the `Besmela' with pure intention, it will be counted as seven hundred years of worship."