The Repository of Bismillah

By: Seyyed Ali Shahbaz
"Bismillah-hir-Rahman-nir-Rahim (In the Name of Allah the All-Merciful the All Compassionate) is as near to the Most Exalted Name (of God) as the iris to the white of the eye."
These are the words of the person whose birth anniversary we are celebrating today. It is a birthday that has remained remarkably fresh and joyous as the day he was born exactly 1,200 years ago in the Prophet's city Medina to the Prophet's 10th Infallible Successor, Imam Ali ibn Muhammad al-Hadi (AS).
He was named Hasan (AS) in honour of Prophet Muhammad's (SAWA) elder grandson, Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba (AS). He was destined to be the 11th Infallible Heir of the Prophet and the father of the Saviour of mankind who as the Prophet has promised will rise in the end times as Qa'em al-Mahdi (AS) to cleanse the Planet of all vestiges of corruption and oppression, and to fill it with the global government of peace, prosperity, and justice.
He is the person, according to whom recitation of the ziyarah of the Day of the Arba'een for the Prophet's younger grandson, Imam Husain (AS) the martyr of Karbala, is among the five signs of a true believer – the other four being prostration on soil, praying 51 rak'at (17 obligatory and 34 recommended) daily, wearing the ring in the finger of the right hand, and of course, expressing the wonderful phrase Bismillah-hir-Rahman-nir-Rahim in a raised voice while reciting the surahs during the prayers.
The 11th Imam thus made it clear that everything begins with the Exalted Name of the Almighty Creator and His Holy Attributes of Mercy and Compassion.
For the information of our readers "Bismillah-hir- Rahman-nir-Raheem” is not an ordinary phrase but the Words of God Himself. It is the opening ayah or verse of the heavenly scripture and occurs 114 times in the Qur'an – at the beginning of all 113 surahs, except for Surah at-Tawba, and once in the middle of a surah.
Besides being a form of proper consciousness of Allah, it is a phrase that is common in the Muslim community and frequently recited throughout the day.
According to Prophet Muhammad (SAWA): “Whoever says ‘Bismillah-hir-Rahman-nir Raheem’ will have 4000 good deeds written for him, 4000 evil deeds erased, and will be raised 4000 degrees (in the sight of God).” – Bihar al-Anwar
According to al-Qunduzi, the famous Sunni religious scholar of Afghanistan in his book Yanabi’ al-Mawadda (Springs of Divine Love), the Commander of the Faithful and the Leader of the Pious, Imam Ali ibn Taleb (AS), has been quoted as saying: “Know that all the secrets in the divine books are in the Qur’an. All that is in the Qur’an is in (Surah) al-Fatiha. All that is in al-Fatiha is in the Bismillah. All that is in the Bismillah is in the ‘Baa’ [of ‘Bism’]. All that is in the ‘Baa’ is in the dot under the ‘Baa’. And I am the dot under the ‘Baa’.”
It should thus be clear that Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS), whose birthday we are celebrating today on the 8th of Rabi ath-Thani, was no ordinary person, but was the repository of Divine Knowledge. As the Heir of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) and Imam Ali (AS),he was the holder of the keys to the power of the phrase of ‘Bismillah-hir-Rahman-nir Raheem’.
For this reason, he was under the microscopic watch of the usurpers of his times, the Abbasid caliphs, who hated to the see the Ahl al-Bayt guiding the Ummah. They did not allow him to remain in peace in Medina. When they forced his father, Imam Hadi (AS), to come to Samarra, he also had to shift from the Hijaz to Iraq.
At the age of 22 years, following the martyrdom of his father, the divine mantle of imamate came to rest on his young shoulders. Despite being under constant harassment of the regime, the 11th Imam did not spare any efforts to enlighten people with the genuine teachings of Islam.
For six years he was at the helm of affairs of the Ummah, unraveling the keys to salvation, including proper explanation of the words and commandments of God Almighty in the holy Qur'an. If it was not for Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS), the philosopher al-Kindi would have perished because of his inability to understand the Revealed Word of the Lord Most High.
The regime tried different ways to get rid of the 11th Imam before he could become father, but to no avail. The Abbasid caliph once forced him to saddle and to mount an unruly mule that did not allow anyone to approach it. To the utter amazement of the caliph and the courtiers, the animal submissively yielded to the Prophet's rightful successor, who not only saddled it, but mounted it and rode it in front of the whole audience.
On another occasion, the Abbasid caliph ordered that Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS) be cast into the enclosure that housed lions and other wild beasts. Here also to the bewilderment of all, the ferocious animals behaved like domesticated cats before him.
By the power of the immortal phrase Bismillah-hir-Rahman-nir Raheem, let's pray for the reappearance of the 11th Imam's son and successor, Imam Mahdi (AS) – Amen