SÛRA-I FATİHA -2-

THE CHAPTER OF FATIHAH (Contn’d)

Starting any action with the Basmala i.e. to say  ‘’In the name of Allah, the Beneficient, the Merciful’’, means that one is performing the said action ‘’as Hu’’.  If so, then the principles of  ‘’Uluhiyat/ Divine Power, Divinity’’ come to the fore.

The name ‘’Rahman’’ (the Beneficient) mentioned in the first verse of the Koran is being used 57 times in the whole Koran; whereas the name ‘’Rahim’’ (the Merciful) is being used for 95 times.  Both of these names come from the root ‘’Rahm’’ and they explain the fact of being the Merciful (Rahmet). In general, the being to which these names are attributed to is Allah. From time to time we can see that this name is also used to denote the Spirit and

Hz. Rasul of Allah.

In the Arabic language another meaning of Rahmet is as follows:

‘’To forgive the one who has  received the mercy, to make him have  the necessary softness of  heart and pity which was bound to reach him.’’   In spite of this fact, this word actually means to produce and based on this function of production to understand  and observe the fact that ‘’life and existence’’ are the art and observation of  Rahmet (being the Merciful).

At the sight of Allah, the concepts that are expressed with respect to the servant/individual have no value. From this aspect, we should not perceive and understand the concept of  Rahmet (being the Merciful) for the absolute creator ‘’who does not sleep nor has a doss’’, only as ‘’being the Beneficient because of  having pity.’’

These two qualities are being mentioned in the first verse and following this in the third verse. It can be seen that  because of the concept of  Oneness/Unity at the beginning of the Basmala, these qualities couldn’t be mentioned before, but  in the third verse.

This Universal way of thought is related to the quality of  Uluhiyat/ Divine Power,Divinity which belongs  to Allah. Therefore, a repetition of this in the Koran is impossible.

Rahman (being the Beneficient), puts forth countless qualities and blessings, however

while doing these gives pain to the individual. In other words, if,  in the individual the fact of being the Merciful (Rahmet) has got to be manifest through the name Rahman (the Beneficient), then the meaning of a name which is a combination of  pain&blessing, whose divine reason is being hidden in the pain has to be  lived..

A bitter medicine is the mercy that has come through the Rahman (the Beneficient).

Can you feel the pain and suffering of a mother who  has lost her child?

The mercy that can be given to a patient with a gangrenous foot is to cut it off.

This mercy has come through the way of  Rahman (the Beneficient).

In the case of  the Merciful, you cannot come across a painful event. That is all and all living and experiencing that fine taste.  While Allah is making the individual taste a certain name through a certain manifestation, Hu had already presented that servant with the necessary  basis for living the meaning of that name.  As a matter of fact, all the events which look like trouble and torment are a test, a blessing.

The corresponding word for İlah/God which is used in many places in the Koran is related with the concept of  Uluhiyat/Divinity.  Mysticisim does not accept the concept of a god.

The life in this world is present with pain and torment, in other  words with the meaning of the name Rahman (the Beneficient);  whereas the blessings, namely the heaven, is present with the meaning of  the name  ‘’the Merciful’’.

To be continued next week        

Ahmet F.YÜKSEL