Subtleties and Allusions

Divine etiquette at the beginning of an undertaking

Sūrah al-Ḥamd, which is the first chapter (sūrah) of the Book of God, begins with the noble verse “In the Name of God, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful” (bismillāh al-raḥmān al-raḥīm), which contains the name of the Divine Essence and some of the names of the divine attributes. Thus, the basmala appears both at the beginning of the chapter and at the beginning of the divine Book, and in this way, God, the Glorified, teaches us the religious etiquette of starting work and beginning an action.

The Prophet (s.a.w.) also, in explaining this religious etiquette, said, “Every important matter that does not begin with the name of God is cut off (_Kull amr dhī bāl lam yubda_ʾ fīhi bism Allāh fa-huwa abtar).”(85)

Abtar means something that is cut off from its end and without a conclusion. Since the agent reaches his goal when his work ends with the mercy of God, a work that does not reach its goal is abtar. Therefore, intelligence and cleverness that are not used in the way of the Truth, since they have not reached their original goal, are called _fiṭna batrā_ʾ (intelligence without a conclusion).

Commencing Work in the Name of God:

Starting with the name of God (bismillāh) is a subtle and symbolic allusion to the necessity of the action being righteous and the doer being pure, meaning it combines both the goodness of the action (ḥusn fi_ʿ_lī) and the goodness of the doer (ḥusn fā_ʿ_ilī). Therefore, an action can be started with the name of God if it has both goodness of action and goodness of doer; meaning it is righteous and arises from the pure heart and sincere intention of the doer. If an action lacks both types of goodness or one of them, it cannot be started with the name of God and will not reach its goal, because a false action ends in falsehood.

So in order for an action to reach its true goal, which is truth, and to be protected from the bane of failure, which is the blight of action, one must begin the action with the name of God and in truth. For this reason, God the Glorified teaches the Noble Prophet (s.a.w.) to sincerely enter into and victoriously emerge from action, saying: “Say: ‘My Lord! Let my entry be with truth, and let my exit be with truth...’” (17:80)

A person who enters into an action with the name of God and maintains that name in its occurrence and continuance will never be left stranded: “And whoever is mindful of God, He will make a way out for them, and provide for them from where they do not expect.” (65:2-3)

God the Glorified teaches us in this chapter that even His praise and worship, if not begun with bismillāh, although it has goodness of action, is incomplete because it lacks goodness of doer.

In religious culture, being cut off and unsuccessful has been attributed both to actions, as mentioned in the ḥadīth of the Prophet (s.a.w.), and to the doer, such as: “Indeed, your enemy is the one cut off (abtar)” (108:3). The polluted person who does false deeds has both the ugliness of action and the ugliness of the doer, is cut off, and will never reach the goal.

The meaning of the doer being cut off (abtar) is not only the discontinuation of their lineage. The painful tragedy is that a person does not attain the original purpose and fundamental goal of their creation. Otherwise, becoming sterile and having one’s lineage cut off is not tragic, especially in the Hereafter where there is no talk of lineage relations: “There will be no [mention of] lineage among them that Day...” (23:101). Each person is a guest of their own beliefs, morals, and deeds.

The result is that God, the Glorified, by beginning the book of revelation in His name, teaches us religious etiquette in starting our affairs.

Reminder:

a) Beginning a work with the name of God is not only a practice of the Final Prophet (s.a.w.), but it is also evident from the opening of the letter of Prophet Solomon (a.s.) to the Queen of Sheba that other prophets also used to begin their works and writings with the blessed phrase “In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful” (bismillāh al-raḥmān al-raḥīm):

“She said, ‘O eminent ones, indeed, to me has been delivered a noble letter. Indeed, it is from Solomon, and indeed, it reads: ‘In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.’” (27:29-30)

It can be inferred from the narrations of the Ahl al-Bayt (a.s.) that all divine books began with the meaning of this noble verse: “God did not send down any book from the heavens except that its opening was bismillāh al-raḥmān al-raḥīm.”(86) This was the common practice of all divine prophets, because the most important theme governing the mission of all divine messengers was the invitation to God. In the noble letter of Prophet Solomon (a.s.) as well, after the name of God, the invitation to accept monotheism (tawḥīd) is mentioned: “Be not haughty with me but come to me in submission.” (27:31) It should not be assumed that in this monotheistic letter, Prophet Solomon gave precedence to his own name over the name of God: “Indeed it is from Solomon, and indeed it reads: ‘In the Name of God...’” This is because the phrase “Indeed it is from Solomon...” is a continuation of the words of the narrator (the Queen of Sheba), not the opening of Prophet Solomon’s letter.(87)

b) The reason for the ill fate of a work that is not begun with the name of God and does not combine both outward and inward goodness is that permanence belongs only to the Face (wajh) of God:

“Everyone upon it [that is, the earth] will perish, but the Face of your Lord will remain, Owner of Majesty and Honor.” (55:26-27)

“Everything will perish except His Face.” (28:88)

If a work is not for the sake of God’s Face, it will have no share of permanence.

The Face of God is His grace which is manifest in all the worlds of existence, and without it, neither the doer has any share of permanence, nor his deed.

The Qurʾān on the Exclusivity of Permanence in the Face of God

The Noble Qurʾān, by explaining the exclusivity of permanence in the Face of God (wajh Allāh), expresses both the secret of the eternal life of good deeds and the secret of the destruction and annihilation of falsehood. The destruction and annihilation of all besides the Face of God is not only related to the future, but even now, everything except the Face of God is destroyed and annihilated.(88) Therefore, in the world of existence, only the Face of God and that which is in His name and for His sake remains, and that which is not in His name and for His sake is already destroyed and annihilated. It is not the case that besides the Face of God there are other independent realities such as the heavens, the earth, etc. Because whatever partakes of existence is the Face and Sign of God: “Wherever you turn, there is the Face of God.” (2:115) Therefore, if the quality of being a Sign of the Face of God is taken away from something, that thing no longer remains.

The Noble Qurʾān has depicted the destruction of all besides the Face of God with several illustrative examples:

“As for those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage in a desert which the thirsty supposes to be water, until, when he comes to it, he finds it to be nothing; but there he finds God, and He pays him his account in full. God is swift in reckoning.” (24:39) The thirsty traveler in the desert imagines the mirage to be water and hastens to reach it, but the more he advances, the more he fails to attain his goal. The disbelievers, who are always in pursuit of the mirage of falsehood, realize at the moment of death that their efforts have been in vain from the beginning. It is not that their deeds had a share of permanence, only to be destroyed at that moment.

“We shall attend to whatever deeds they have done and turn them into scattered dust.” (25:23)(89) The deeds of the evildoers in this noble verse are referred to as scattered dust (habāʾ manthūr), because the scattering of the particles of anything in the air is the cause of the disappearance of the form of that thing, while the particularity of everything lies in its natural form.

“O you who believe! Do not make your charity worthless by reminders of your generosity or by injury, like those who spend their wealth to be seen by people and do not believe in God and the Last Day. Their likeness is the likeness of a smooth rock on which is a little dust; on it falls heavy rain which leaves it bare. They are not able to do anything with what they have earned. And God does not guide the disbelieving people” (2:264).

The deeds of the hypocrites who deny the Origin and the Return are like a slippery rock covered with a thin layer of soil. When heavy rain falls upon it, it washes it away in an instant, leaving it as a bare rock.

One who does not see the futility of his work in this world is like an archer who shoots at a target in the darkness of night. He is delighted thinking he has hit the mark, but when day breaks, he sees that his arrow has not reached the target and his efforts have not achieved their purpose. On the Day of Judgment, which is the realm where realities are manifested, the fruitlessness of false deeds will become apparent.

The point is that whatever is not connected with the Face of God is already futile, transient, and doomed, while whatever is for God is forever protected from the ravages of death.

The Sanctity and Blessings of God’s Name

The Noble Qurʾān expounds teachings and rulings regarding the names of God the Glorified. For example, it states that God’s name, like His sacred Essence, is pure and holy, and is the source and origin of abundant blessings. On this basis, it acquaints human beings with two duties they have towards God’s name:

The first duty is to glorify the name of God: “So glorify the name of your Lord, the Magnificent” (56:74) and “Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High” (87:1). Glorification, sanctification, and exaltation of God’s name means not using it in vain matters, not neglecting it in righteous deeds, and not mentioning any other name alongside it. Just as it is necessary to negate any imperfection from the sacred realm of the Divine Essence in glorifying and sanctifying Him, and to consider that Essence as the independent origin of every effect and the ultimate end of every becoming, and not to consider any essence as independent alongside His Essence.

Just as God, glory be to Him, is free from any fault or imperfection in His Essence and must be exalted, He must also be sanctified and exalted in His name, which is a sign of His sacred Essence. One of the levels of exalting God’s name is that no name should be mentioned alongside His name or in succession to it. Therefore, what some deviants used to say, “In the name of God and in the name of the creation...” is improper, and so is what the ignorant say, “First in the name of God, then in the name of...” Such a mention of God’s name is an insult, not an exaltation.

After the revelation of the noble verse, “So glorify the name of your Lord, the Magnificent,” the Prophet (s.a.w.) said, “Place it in your rukūʿ (bowing) of the prayer.” And after the revelation of the noble verse, “Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High,” he said, “Place it in your sujūd (prostration) of the prayer.”(90) For this reason, saying “Subḥāna Rabbī al-Aʿlā wa bi-ḥamdih” (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High, and praise be to Him) was legislated as a remembrance and glorification in the sujūd of prayer, and this is also a sign of the importance of sanctifying the name of God, the Glorified.

The second duty of human beings towards the name of God is to consider it blessed and to seek blessings through it: “Blessed is the name of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor” (55:78).(91) The Holy Qurʾān considers the name of God to be the source of blessings and a sign of pure existence, as all existential blessings come from Him. One who reaches the reality of God’s name and pronounces it, does with the name of Allah what God Himself, glory be to Him, does with “Be” (kun). Therefore, the people of gnosis have said: “Bismillāh al-Raḥmān al-Raḥīm” from the servant is like “kun” from his Master. When God, glory be to Him, wills something and wants it to be realized with the command “Be”, that thing comes into existence: “His command is only when He intends a thing that He says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is” (36:82). Just as Prophet Noah (a.s.), by the name of God, gained mastery over that terrible flood and mountain-like waves of water, moving and calming his well-known ark with the name of God: “In the name of Allah is its course and its anchorage” (11:41).(92)

The secret behind a perfect servant creating a rose garden from waves of fire or giving movement and stillness to a great ship in a terrible storm and upon mountain-like waves with “Bismillāh” is that his desires and will have been annihilated in the wise will of God. The sign of this annihilation is that he has no desire except the desire of the Wise God. Of course, such a feat is possible for the special servants and friends of God, not every utterer of “Bismillāh”.

These types of effects have also been mentioned in narrations for the Greatest Name (ism a_ʿ_ẓam). One should not think that the Greatest Name is of the type of utterance or concept such that one can influence creation through utterance and concept, for example, to bring a dead person back to life or to create a lush garden from a blazing fire. This is because creative influence is secured through human spiritual rank, not through utterance and concept. Therefore, searching for the Greatest Name among utterances or concepts to influence the external world is a mythical endeavor and will not succeed, because the world of existence is managed by truth, not by myth.

If bismillāh originates from the heart of a perfect monotheist, by the permission of the Creator of existence, it can also influence the external world. That is why Imām al-Riḍā (a.s.) says: “Bismillāh al-Raḥmān al-Raḥīm is closer to the Greatest Name of God than the blackness of the eye is to its whiteness.”(93)

If someone, like the prophets and Imāms (a.s.), attains the lofty station of divine guardianship (wilāyah) and utters the name of God in good deeds, and while observing the system of cause and effect, never relies on his own power and other ordinary causes and factors, but rather sees God, the Glorified, as the only absolute influencer in the world, then the effects of the Greatest Name appear alongside his bismillāh. Just as the staff was effective with the hand of Moses and the ring with the finger of Solomon:

“You took this staff in your right hand yourself, From where does the hand have the hands of Moses?”(94)

“If there is no Solomonic finger, What special property can the carved gem give?”(95)

When Abū Dharr (may God be pleased with him) was exiled to Rabadha, even though the government of the time had forbidden anyone from accompanying him, Ḥaḍrat the Commander of the Faithful, Ḥasanayn (a.s.), and some of the special companions such as ʿAqīl and ʿAmmār were present. Ḥaḍrat the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.), in advising Abūdhar in that gathering, said: “I swear by God, if the doors of the heavens and earth were closed upon a servant and he adopted God-consciousness (taqwā), God Almighty would open a way out for him. So do not be comforted by anything but truth and do not be troubled by anything but falsehood: ‘By God, if the heavens and earth were closed upon a servant and then he was God-conscious, God Almighty would make a way out from them. So let nothing comfort you but the truth and let nothing trouble you but falsehood.’”(96)

Therefore, one must never pay attention to or rely upon ordinary means and causes, which are the channels of divine grace. This kind of trust in the sustenance (razzāqīyat) of God, glory be to Him, is a sign of complete attention to and reliance (tawakkul) upon God. Whoever reaches this stage of human status will taste the sweetness of the Greatest Name (ism-i a_ʿ_ẓam) to the extent of his capacity.

The essential point is that although the system of existence is run based on the system of cause and effect, not merely the flow of God’s custom (ʿādat Allāh), the known causes for specific effects are never the exclusive causes such that the realization of the effect would be impossible in the absence of some of their conditions. This is because it is possible for it to be realized by relying on unusual conditions and circumstances. That is, a miracle (karāmat) is a break in custom, not a break in causality, and the difference between this issue and what is narrated from the Ashʿarīs will be explained in its proper place.

The Identity or Difference of the Name and the Named

The disagreement between early kalām theologians regarding whether the name was identical with the entity it named or distinct from it refers to the real and existential names of the Divine Essence, not His verbal names. This is because no monotheist considers the words or concepts of God’s names to be identical to the essence they name.

To explain, as discussed in the exegetical section, “name” has various meanings. In common usage and language, it refers to the word signifying the named. In the terminology of the people of spiritual knowledge, it means the essence along with determination (ta_ʿ_ayyun). Based on this specific terminology, the verbal names of the essence and attributes of God are the name of the name of the Name (ism al-ism al-ism), such as the names mentioned in the Noble Qurʾān, narrations, and supplications like the Du__ʿāʾ Jawshan Kabīr. The concepts of the verbal names are the name of the Name (ism al-ism).

The effects and blessings mentioned in some narrations and supplications, such as Du__ʿāʾ al-Simāt, for the divine names—like the spreading of the earth, the raising of the mountains, or the creation of the Throne, Footstool, and spirits—are not the result of verbal names. As mentioned earlier, one can never influence the real world with words or concepts. Rather, what is meant by those names is the very essence of God with a specific determination through which these things are created:

“By every name through which You raised Your heavens, spread out Your earth, fixed the mountains, made the water flow, subjugated the clouds, the sun, the moon, the stars, the night and the day, and created all creatures.”(97)

“By Your name through which You created Your Throne...”(98)

Note: In some narrations, enumerating the names of God, the Glorious, has been introduced as a means of entering Paradise: “Indeed, God has ninety-nine names; whoever enumerates them will enter Paradise.”(99) The meaning of enumerating the names is not counting and extracting the number and figure of the names, but rather, it means becoming characterized by their realities. Otherwise, counting and pronouncing these sacred names is a verbal worship, and what leads to finding the way to Paradise is becoming characterized by the realities of these names and attributes.

Allah is the Greatest Name of God

Among the verbal names of God, the Glorious, the blessed name “Allah” is the all-encompassing and greatest name, and the other divine names are, directly or indirectly, under the cover of this sacred name. For example, the name “Healer” (Shāfī), which is one of the partial names, is under the cover of “Sustainer” (Rāziq), and “Sustainer” is under the cover of “Creator” (Khāliq), and “Creator” is under the cover of “Powerful” (Qādir), and “Powerful” is under the cover of the all-encompassing and greatest name “Allah”.

Therefore, the name “Allah” is the greatest name in relation to the other names of God (which are under its cover), and if a verse contains the greatest name of the Real, it is considered the master of the verses. For this reason, in some narrations, the noble verse “In the Name of God, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful” (bismillāh al-raḥmān al-raḥīm) has been described as the most honorable and greatest verse of the Qurʾān: “They stole the most honorable verse in the Book of God: ‘In the Name of God, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful.’”(100) “They turned to the greatest verse in the Book of God... and it is ‘In the Name of God, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful.’”(101)

Reminder: The noble name “Allah” has been mentioned in many verses of the Noble Qurʾān, and the reason why the verse “In the Name of God, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful” is considered the master of the verses is the spiritual and exegetical difference of the word “Allah” in bismillāh and other verses.(102)

The Message of God’s Names in Sūrah al-Ḥamd

Three names from the Beautiful Names of God Almighty are mentioned in the noble verse “In the Name of God, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful” (bismillāh al-raḥmān al-raḥīm). These same names are also mentioned in the next two verses (God [Allāh] in the second verse, and the All-Beneficent (al-Raḥmān) and the All-Merciful (al-Raḥīm) in the third verse). It should not be thought that this is repetition, because sometimes the Divine Names are mentioned within a limited framework and confined space, and their mission is to clarify that demarcated domain. For example, if they are mentioned as proof, they prove their own specific meaning. But sometimes they do not have such limitations and are free from these constraints.

The Beautiful Names of God, the All-Beneficent, and the All-Merciful in the noble verse “In the Name of God...” are of the second type, while those mentioned in the subsequent verses are of the first type. This is because the name of God (Allāh) in the second verse, with its allusions to the Essence that encompasses all attributes of perfection, and the All-Beneficent and the All-Merciful in the third verse, with their indications of God’s absolute and specific mercy, each serve as the middle term of a proof for the exclusivity of praise belonging to God Almighty. They aim to clarify and establish that God is praiseworthy, not that He is to be feared. For example, although that Sacred Essence is also feared by the God-fearing, as in “And fear Me alone” (2:40), these names in the verse “In the Name of God...” do not have such a framework and limitation, but are open and boundless.

God is Perplexing, Enrapturing, and Praised

As mentioned earlier, the sacred name Allāh was originally ilāh, and ilāh means ma_ʾ_lūh, that is, the worshipped or the object of perplexity (mutaḥayyar fīh). God Almighty is the object of perplexity because all intellects and hearts are perplexed and bewildered regarding that Sacred Essence.

Imām Sajjad (a.s.) addresses God Almighty in the Ziyārat Amīn Allāh, saying: “O God, the hearts of the humble and God-fearing are enraptured (wāliha) and bewildered (ḥayrān) by You.”(103) Bewilderment (taḥayyur) in the Divine Essence is a praiseworthy and beautiful bewilderment. Bewilderment and perplexity are painful for the person who has not traversed the path, but sweet and pleasurable for the wayfarer who has reached the destination.

The bewilderment of the person who has not reached the destination is like the bewilderment of a thirsty traveler who is lost in the foothills of a mountain and has no access to the mountain springs. But the bewilderment of the wayfarer and the one who has reached the origin is like the bewilderment of a traveler who, with the guidance of a knowledgeable guide, has found the mountain springs, and upon seeing the many springs, is now bewildered as to which spring to drink from and to which spring to entrust his feverish, thirsty body.

This exciting bewilderment is unique to those who have found the way and reached the destination. That is why the Prophet (s.a.w.) would plead in his intimate supplications with God Almighty: “My Lord, increase my bewilderment (taḥayyur) in You.” This is the same bewilderment of those who have found the way and reached the destination, who are bewildered as to which name of God Almighty to seek blessings from and from which spring of divine grace to drink.

The Transcendence of Divine Attributes above all Limitations

The attributes ascribed to God, the Glorified, are free from the limitations of deficiency. Therefore, the necessary implications of contingency that accompany human attributes have no place in His pure domain, and only the essence of these perfections is established for God, without the deficient implications and limitations that they are bound up with in created entities. For example, mercy in humans is accompanied by an emotional impact and an inner reaction to pitiful matters. Following such a reaction and impact, a person rushes to help the suffering and the deprived. However, what is a source of human perfection is attending to the helpless, while the emotional impact and inner reaction stem from the existential deficiencies of the human being, which should not be considered perfection.

Helping the deprived in human relationships has another deficiency, which is that most helpers seek to alleviate their own emotional impact rather than fulfilling a religious duty. In other words, their assistance is based on pity for the helpless, not on respect for fellow human beings. Removing the emotional impact by helping the deprived is also not part of the reality and essence of mercy, but rather stems from human deficiency. The meaning of divine mercy being free from deficient implications is that God, without passivity, impact, or change, fulfills the needs of the needy.

The knowledge of God, the Glorified, is also the same in terms of purity. This is because human knowledge has a history of ignorance: “God brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers while you knew nothing” (16:78), and it has the subsequent possibility of forgetfulness, “so that he may not know anything after having known” (16:70). Ignorance and forgetfulness are among the deficiencies of human knowledge, and divine knowledge is free from them. However, the essence of the perfection of knowledge, which is the manifestation, presence, unveiling, and witnessing of the known, is attributed to God, the Glorified.

Divine Mercy and the Attributes of Essence and Action

In the raḥmānīyyah (divine mercy) and raḥīmīyyah (divine compassion), the essence of the perfection of mercy is established for God, without the imperfect necessities such as sympathy, passivity, and being affected by external influences. These imperfections are not included in the essence of mercy and its meaning, so that the application of the term raḥīm (merciful) to God Almighty, the angels, and perfect human beings, whose mercy is also free from these imperfections, would be metaphorical or in the sense of verbal partnership.

The perfect human being whose heart is enamored with love and filled with the love of God, in helping the poor, speaks of “We feed you only for the sake of God. We desire from you neither reward nor thanks.” (76:9) His assistance is neither due to pity and being affected, nor for reward and gratitude. Such a heart does not allow anything other than God to enter it, and doing good to the poor, the orphan, and the captive is only for the sake of obeying God’s command, not out of sympathy for them. He himself remains hungry, but he feeds the poor, and his work is only for the sake of God, not to satisfy the instinct of pity.

The Criterion for Distinguishing the Attributes of Essence and Action:

Some of the attributes of God Almighty are essential and some are active. The essential attributes are the same as the essence and, like the essence, are unlimited, and there is no attribute of perfection against them, such as knowledge, life, and power. Since the opposites of these attributes (ignorance, death, weakness) are impossible for God, God Almighty is not described by them.

But the attributes of action are attributes that are abstracted from the position of God’s action and in some cases have opposites, and by having opposites, God is also described by their opposites, such as will, pleasure, giving life, and expansion, whose opposites (aversion, wrath, causing death, contraction) are also attributes of God’s action.

Based on this difference between the attributes of the essence and the attributes of action, Imām Riḍā (a.s.) said to a person who said in his presence: “I praise God to the extent of His knowledge” (alḥamdu lillāhi muntahā ʿ_ilmihi_), “Do not express it in this way, because God’s knowledge, which is identical to His unlimited essence, has no limit.” The person asked, “How should I praise God?” The Imām said, “Say: alḥamdu lillāhi muntahā riḍāhu,(104) because God’s pleasure is limited. He is pleased with faith and the believer, but displeased with disbelief and the disbeliever: ‘He is not pleased with disbelief for His servants.’ (39:7). In the Hereafter, Paradise and its blessings are the extent of God’s pleasure, while Hell and its punishments are the extent of His wrath.”(105)

Note: The actions of God will only be characterized by the perfect attributes of action and will never be characterized by the imperfect attributes. For example, if an action emanates from God, it will certainly be just and faithful, and will never be oppressive or unfaithful. Therefore, being characterized by two opposite attributes does not mean that the divine essence is characterized by the imperfect attributes.

Jurisprudential Rulings on the Name of God

The sanctity and blessing of the name of God have been the basis for considering certain jurisprudential rulings for the verbal names of God, the Glorified. Some of these rulings are:

a) The prohibition of defiling and polluting it.

b) The obligation to purify it if it becomes polluted.

c) The prohibition of desecrating it in any way.

d) The prohibition of touching it without ritual purity.

e) The prohibition of swearing by it (swearing in the form of lā wallāh, balā wallāh) while in the state of iḥrām for ʿ_umra_ or Ḥajj.

f) The necessity of mentioning and glorifying it in the _rukū_ʿ and sujūd of prayer.

g) The requirement of mentioning it when slaughtering and purifying an animal.

h) The permissibility of hunting being conditional on mentioning it.

i) The rulings of oaths.

j) The recommendation to begin work by mentioning it.

Some of these rulings are derived from the tradition of the infallible Imāms (a.s.) and some from the Noble Qurʾān. For example, the Noble Qurʾān both recommends mentioning God’s name at the time of slaughtering an animal: “So mention the name of God upon it” (5:4), and prohibits eating the meat of an animal that has been hunted or slaughtered without mentioning God’s name: “And do not eat of that upon which the name of God has not been mentioned” (6:121). The effect of the verbal names of God, the Glorified, is to such an extent that if a pure and lawful animal is killed without mentioning His name, it becomes carrion, forbidden and impure. So God’s name is not the same as other names such that mentioning it or not would make no difference, or that merely intending it or having it cross one’s mind would be sufficient and effective.

Reminder: Some have mentioned the point of seeking blessings through God’s name to distinguish between an oath (yamīn) which is only realized by invoking God Himself (Allāh), and seeking blessings (taymun) which is realized by invoking the name of God (ism Allāh). That is, according to the ruling of jurisprudence, an oath is realized by invoking God Himself, not the name of God, while seeking blessings is realized by invoking the name of God, let alone the Essence of God.(106)