The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page 5
سُورَةُ الْفَاتِحَةِ مَكِّيَّةٌ 1 لله 2 ركوعها (AL-FĀTIḤAH) 1. "In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. 1 CH. 1 بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ "Placed before every chapter except ch. 9; also in 27:31. See also 96:2. 1. Important Words: بسم in (in) occurring here combination with is a particle used to convey a number of meanings, the one more applicable here being that of 'with'. The compound word therefore would mean 'with the name of. " According to the Arab usage, the words iqra' or aqra'u or naqra'u or ishra' or ashra'u or nashra'u would be taken to be understood before The expression would thus mean 'begin with the name of Allah' or 'recite with the name of Allah,' or 'I or we begin with the name of Allah. ' or 'I or we recite with the name of Allah. ' In the translation the words have been rendered as "in the name of Allah", which is a more familiar form (Lane). بسم from (name), which is derived either وسم (a mark) or 5 (height), means a name or attribute (Aqrab). Here it is used in both senses; for, firstly, it refers to 'Allah' which is the personal name of God; and, secondly, it refers to Ar-Raḥmān (Gracious) and Ar-Rahim (Merciful) which are His attributive names. a (Allah) is the name of the Supreme Being, Who is the sole possessor of all perfect attributes and is free from all defects. In the Arabic 5 language, the word Allah is never used for any other thing or being. No other language has a distinctive name for the Supreme Being. The names found in other languages are all attributive or descriptive and are often used in the plural, but the word "Allah" is never used in the plural number. It is a simple substantive, not derived. It is never used as a qualifying word. Hence, in the absence of a parallel word in the English language, the original name "Allah" has been retained throughout the translation. This view is corroborated by eminent authorities of the Arabic language. Lane says: "(Allah) according to the most correct of the opinions respecting it is a proper name, applied to the Being, Who exists necessarily by Himself, comprising all the attributes of perfection, the J (al) being in- separable from it" (Arabic-English Lexicon). For a fuller discussion of the word 'Allah,' the reader is referred to Tafsir-e-Kabīr by Ḥaḍrat Mirzā Bashir-ud-Din Maḥmūd Aḥmad, Head of the Aḥmadiyya Community. الرحمن رحیم (Gracious) and (Merciful) are both derived from the same root meaning, he showed mercy; he was kind and good; he