Pronounce Bismillah Loudly

Darse Quran by Maulana Muhammad Mustafa Shareef Naqshbandhi
Published in Muslim Murasu, March 2012

Surah Tauba, ninth Surah, another name to this Surah is “Baraath”. Baraath means disavowal. Some Surahs have two names. Surah Dahr is also called as Insan. Another name for Surah Lahab is Masad.
Every Surah in Quran starts with “Bismillah irrahman irraheem”, except this Surah. This Surah, at the outset, declares condemnation for Mushriq (idolators) and spells out grievous penalty for them. So the name of Allah, who is Rahman and Raheem, should not be invoked here. Surah Tauba should be started only with “Auzubillahi”.
Badr battle happened in Hijri 2. Hijri 3 saw Uhud battle. Kandhak took place in Hijri 5. Udaibiya agreement was accepted in Hijri 6. Meccah was conquered in Hijri 8. Muslims undertook their first Haj in Hijri 9. Prophet (sal) did his first and last Haj in tenth year. He delivered Hajjatul Vida Kutba there. Every Muslim should know the history of Islam. This will be helpful even in the life of graveyard and in Mahshar. This will strengthen our faith. Even remembering these facts will give us Sawab (rewards). Surah Tauba came in Hijri 9.
There are 114 Surahs in Quran. Bismillah is seal for each Surah. 113 Surahs have Bismillah in their beginning. Sulaiman (alai) wrote a letter to the queen Bilkis. There he starts with Bismillah. So the seal of Surah Tauba is placed there. Even earlier communities had the practice of saying Bismillah. Any activity started with Bismillah will be counted as Ibadath. There are 19 letters in “Bismillah irrahman irraheem”. “Alaiha thisatha ashar” – there are 19 angels on hell. If you regularly recite Bismillah, you can stay free from these 19 angels. Each letter has its Barakath.
You should have complete faith without an iota of doubt. Allah expects nothing less from you. Sahabas dared not to question in front of Prophet. They will stoop down and sit so quietly that birds will consider their heads to be nests. Surah Hujrah, 49th Surah, verse 2 came. “La tharfau aswathakum” – do not raise your voice above Prophet. After this Sahabas became even more silent. They used to direct their questions through Abubakkar and Umar (rali). Learning respect is everything. You miss that and you miss everything.
Everything has its beauty. The beauty of Quran is Bismillah. But we are not bringing it in our life. It is narrated in a Hadees that close everything with Bismillah before going to bed and start fresh in the morning with Bismillah. Women should say Bismillah while putting rice in the bowl. But TV, cellphone are making us indulgent and absent-minded. Reciting Bismillah is Taufeeq (godsend). Say it louder sometimes so that your children and relatives also will learn. It is narrated in a Riwayath that any activity started without Alhamdulillah will be damned. In another Riwayath, it is told that any activity started without Bismillah will be damned.
There are separate Dua (supplications) for everything like leaving house or entering house. But Bismillah is a general supplication. We do not start reciting Quran with “Akra bismillah”. Then blessings will be limited to reading Quran alone. It is Allah’s Grace that He has generalized Bismillah. No sentence in Arabic can start with “bi”. This is exception. When you say Bismillah, the verb will automatically get prepended. When you say Bismillah while eating, it means “akulu bismillah” – I eat with the name of Allah. This is the exceptional power of Bismillah. You won’t get nightmares if you go to bed with Bismillah. People keep cribbing that their lives are ridden with problems. If you are sleeping when God’s blessings are showered, what else do you expect. We fail to utter Bismillah. Let us take a resolution today that we will initiate every action with Bismillah. We won’t see failures. Tell Bismillah loudly to declare your faith. Allah listens. “Sami allahu liman hamidahu” – Allah has listened him who praised Allah.
Our Duas will have effect when we understand and plead. One who prays should know when to weep and when to feel happy. Our prayers are not being accepted. Otherwise Namazi won’t fail. When a person starts prayer with Allahu Akbar, a connection of Noor is established from his head to heaven. One will get enlightenment and blessings when he prays with mind and heart. But turning away from prayer altogether will bring grave losses. It is Quran’s glory that it will be rewarding even if one recites without understanding. Even seeing Quran gives Sawab.
Three Sahabas did not participate in Thabuk war. They were boycotted for 50 days. They felt deep remorse. Finally Allah accepted their repentance. That is the reason this Surah is called Tauba.
This Surah contains our oft-repeated verse, “Kunu maha sadiqeen” (verse 119). Be with the truthful. Verse 112 lists good qualities. Tauba is listed topmost. Ibadath comes later. People seeking repentance top the list of candidates who Allah is pleased with. Hadees – “All children of Adam are sinners. Best sinner is one who repents”. Memorize 40 hadees and you will receive Shafaath of Prophet. Tauba is to feel remorse for the mistakes. It is not just some physical expressions. Bani Israel were asked to cut their throats as a way to repent. But for our Prophet’s Ummath, it is enough to feel guilt in the heart and express it. But one should not continue doing sins. Do not put your fingers in fire just because you have burnol.