that the meaning is: “with every one of Allah’s most beautiful names.” That is why, when a person says Bi-smi llāh (“In the name of Allah”), no single name—such as the All-Merciful, the Compassionate, the Forgiving, the Loving, the Appreciative, and the like—comes specifically to mind; rather, he intends them all. A proof that a singular noun annexed (mudāf) to another conveys universality is the Almighty’s statement: “If you were to count the blessing of Allah, you could never reckon it; truly the human being is a persistent wrong-doer, a stubborn ingrate” ⦗Ibrāhīm 14:34⦘. Had only one blessing been meant, He would not have said, “you could never reckon it.” Hence the sense is: “I begin with every name among the beautiful names of Allah.”

Now, regarding the preposition bāʾ in the phrase Bi-smi llāh—does it serve the function of istiʿāna (seeking assistance) or of muṣāḥaba (accompaniment)?

Some scholars say it denotes seeking assistance; others maintain that it indicates accompaniment. Among the latter is al-Zamakhsharī, author of al-Kashshāf. He was a Muʿtazilite, and his commentary contains numerous Muʿtazilite doctrines that not everyone can spot. Indeed, al-Bulqīnī said, “I had to extract the Muʿtazilite notions from al-Kashshāf with pickaxes,” a remark that shows how subtly they are woven in.

Al-Zamakhsharī preferred the meaning of accompaniment, even though the obvious reading is that it signifies seeking assistance; he did so because the Muʿtazila hold that a person is independent in his actions, and one who is independent has no need to seek help.

Beyond doubt, however, the intended sense of the bāʾ here is seeking assistance—assistance that accompanies the deed from its very beginning to its end. Essentially the preposition denotes seeking help, and it remains with the servant throughout the act. It can also convey an additional nuance, that of tabarruk (seeking blessing), provided we do not subsume blessing under assistance. In fact, everyone who seeks another’s help is, by that very act, drawing blessing from him.

Allah: this divine name is a proper noun for the exalted Essence; none but He is called by it. It is derived from ulūhiyya (divinity). The original form is ilāh, but the hamza was dropped and replaced with the definite article al-, producing Allāh.