By “ Maliki yawmi’d-din ” {Master of the Day of Retribution}...

By “ Maliki yawmi’d-din ” {Master of the Day of Retribution}, his negligence of the Day of Resurrection will be erased. By “ Iyyaka na‘bud ” {You {alone} do we worship}, he abandons his selfishness and desire for fame. By “ Iyyaka nasta‘in ” {to You {alone} do we turn for help}, he removes from his mind the idea of seeking help from other than God.

By “ An‘amta ‘alayhim ” {You have blessed}, he understands that the distribution of favors lies in His hand and envy must be abandoned because the envious one in reality is not satisfied with God’s manner of deciding on and allocating sustenance. By “ Ihdina’s-sirata’l-mustaqim ” {Guide us on the straight path}, he wants to ask for firmness in treading the path of truth.

By “ Sirat alladhina an‘amta ‘alayhim ” {the path of those whom You have blessed}, he declares his solidarity with those who have traversed the way of God. And finally, by “ Ghayri’l-maghdubi ‘alayhim wa la’d-dallin ” {such as have not incurred Your wrath, nor are astray, he declares disavowal of falsehood and the people of falsehood.

Bismillahi’r-rahmani’r-rahim {In the Name of Allah, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful} Among various peoples and communities, there is a custom of beginning an important work with the name of one of the leading figures of that community who is respected and admired, so that the task would be started and pursued with blessing and auspiciousness. Of course, each person acts according to his or her correct or corrupt ideas and beliefs.

Some people commence their tasks with the name of idols and taghut s while others do the same with the name and assistance of God and the saints of God. Nowadays, it has become the custom that in constructing important buildings, distinguished figures are the first to strike the pickaxe on the ground. Prior to the Battle of the Trench, the Holy Prophet (S) was also the first to break the ground in digging the trenches. Bismillah {In the Name of Allah} is the beginning of the book of revelation.

Bismillah is not only the beginning of the Qur’an but rather the beginning of all heavenly scriptures. Bismillah has been the epigraph of the work of all the prophets ( ‘a ).