A Commentary on the Hamd Surah - Part 2

The aim of observing prayer is, He said; to remember Him. After severe recalling another way of knowledge will be opened to the heart of the mystic and he will be attracted to the world of unity until the tongue of his heart utters “Praise is for God by God”‌ and “You praise yourself”‌ and “I  refuge in you from This was a brief explanation of relation of the letter ba in bismillah and some details thereabout. As to the mysteries of its innermost refers to the Alawien position of guardianship, and the stage of Qur’anic collective union a vast scope is needed for clarification. But in fact the truth of the “Name”‌ enjoys a visible stage, an invisible and enjoys a mystery of the mystery a stage of manifestation and a manifestation of the manifestation. The Name is a “sign”‌ of God and it is abolished in His sacred essence. Therefore, any name which is closer to the horizon of the unity and farther from the multiplicity realm is more perfect in nomination and the most perfect name is the one that is innocent from multiplicities even the multiplicity of knowledge and that is the invisible manifestation of “God Oneness”‌ in the essence by the state of the “holiest emanation”‌ that is possible what was referred to by the holy verse“… or closer still”‌, and afterwards there is the manifestation by the “Holy Emanation”‌ then there are the manifestations by the adjectives of multiplicity in the essence, till the last stage of the house of realization. The writer [Imam Khomeini (R.A)] as explained this concise in Misbah al-Hidayah and in the exegesis of “Dua'a al-Sahar”‌. And God is the stage of appearance in the “Holy emanation”‌ if by “Name”‌ if the existential individualities, are meant in which state refers to God being as a union between the manifest and the manifestations, and the abolishing of the “Name in the named is acceptable, perchance the verses “God is the light of the heaven and the earth1 and “And he it is who in the heaven and in the earth is God”‌ referring to the foregoing state and are the obvious proving the above application. It is the stage of unity and the union of the names. On the other hand, it is the stage of the Supreme name of God if by “Name”? the stage of manifestation by the “Holy emanation”? is meant, subsequently the stages of Beneficent”? and merciful differ, accordance with these two possibilities as is obvious.

It may that “Beneficent”? the merciful are attributes for name or it is possible by attributes for God, but they are more apt to be attribute for name,, because in praising they are attributes for God, therefore it will be immune from repeating, though if they are the God’s attributes is also proper. In repeating there is a point of rhetoric. If the adjectives are taken as adjectives for “name”? this approves the idea that by “name”? the essential names are meant, for only the essential names accept the attributes of beneficent and merciful. Thus, if by name the essential name and the manifestation in the stage of collectively are meant, beneficent, and merciful will be adjectives of the essence, which in the manifestation by the stage of unity are approved for the name of merciful in act is of their reductions and appearances. And if the “name”? the collective manifestation in act is meant which is the stage of “Will”? the beneficence and mercifulness are adjectives of act.

Thus, the mercy of the beneficence is the develop of the origin of the existence, which is general and for all beings, but it is of developing the origin of the existence, God the almighty, is without any partner and the hands of other beings are out of reach of having the mercy of creating: except God there is no effecter in the existence, and except God and there is no God in the house of realization except God.

But due to the mercy of “mercifulness”‌, of whose evaluations is the conduct of the guides on the course, it is particularly for the auspicious and the high dispositions, but it is of the general attributes of which other things get their part, though about which was mentioned before, explaining that the mercy of mercifulness is of the general mercies and that the debased enjoys no share of it for their own being evils, not for of any limitation. Thus, guidance and invitation are for the whole human, as is approved by the glorious Qur’an.

Similarly another view mentions that the mercy of the mercifulness, belongs merely to God and there is no share for anybody else thereof. The holy traditions have taken into consideration the different views, impressions also are different in  expressing  the  mercy,  and  impressions  are  different  in expressing the mercy of Mercifulness. Sometimes it has been said; “The beneficent is a special name for a special adjective and in other occasion it has been mentioned; beneficent to all His creatures (he is), and merciful to the believers in particular.”‌ and it has been uttered that 1. O beneficent of this world, and merciful of the Resurrection or 2. “Beneficent and merciful of this realm and the Resurrection.”‌

Adapted from: "A Commentary on the Chapter of ‘Praise’" by: "Ayatullah Khomeini (R.A)"