Allah, the All-Merciful, the Especially Merciful,” when beginning the prayer. (1)

Sa‘id ibn Jubayr related from Ibn Abbas that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, 4/b would not know that a sura had concluded until “In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Especially Merciful” was revealed. (2)

Ibn Mas‘ud said: “We did not know where one sura was separated from another until ‘In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Especially Merciful’ was revealed.” (3) Al-Sha‘bi said: At first, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would write according to the custom of Quraysh, “In Your name, O Allah,” until the revelation came down: “And he said, ‘Embark upon it. In the name of Allah is its course’” (Hud 41). He then wrote, “In the name of Allah,” until the revelation came down: “Say, ‘Call upon Allah or call upon the All-Merciful’” (al-Isra’ 110). He then wrote, “In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful,” until the revelation came down: “Indeed, it is from Solomon, and indeed, it is: ‘In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Especially Merciful’” (al-Naml 30). Thereafter, he wrote it in that form.

Concerning His words, “Praise be to Allah”: the expression is a predicate, as though it declares that Allah, Most High, is the One deserving of praise. It also teaches creation; its implied meaning is: Say, “Praise be to Allah.” Praise may mean gratitude for a blessing, and it may mean extolling Him for the praiseworthy qualities that He possesses. Thus, one says, “I praised so-and-so for the favor he bestowed upon me,” and, “I praised him for his knowledge and courage.” Gratitude, however, is only for a blessing. Therefore, praise is broader than gratitude, for one does not say, “I thanked so-and-so for his knowledge.” Thus, everyone who offers praise gives thanks, but not everyone who gives thanks offers praise. It has also been said that praise is expressed verbally, whereas gratitude is expressed through one’s faculties in action. Allah Most High says: “Say, ‘Praise be to Allah, who has not taken a son’” (al-Isra’ 111). And He says: “Work, O family of David, in gratitude” (Saba’ 13).

Concerning His words, “to Allah”: the letter lām here denotes rightful possession, as when one says, “The house belongs to Zayd.”

Concerning His words, “Lord of all worlds, the All-Merciful, the Especially Merciful”: rabb may mean owner, as the owner of a house is called its rabb. It may also mean nurturing and setting aright. One says that a man rabba an estate when he brings it to completion and restores it; in that case, he is called a rabb, just as one says ṭabba and barra. Thus, Allah Most High is the Owner of the worlds and the One who nurtures them. A created being is not called “the Lord” with the definite article; rather, he is called “lord of such-and-such” in a possessive construction, because the definite article denotes universality, whereas he does not possess everything.

“Worlds” is the plural of “world,” and it has no singular of the same form. They differed over the meaning of “the worlds.” Ibn Abbas said: They are the jinn and humankind, because they are those morally accountable for the address. Allah Most High says: “So that he may be a warner to the worlds” (al-Furqan 1). Qatadah, Mujahid, and al-Hasan said: They are all created beings. Allah Most High says: “Pharaoh said, ‘And what is the Lord of the worlds?’ He said, ‘The Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them.’” Its derivation is from knowledge and sign; they were so named because the evidence of their creation is manifest in them. Abu ‘Ubaydah said: They are four communities: the angels, humankind, the jinn, and the devils. It is derived from knowledge, and beasts are not called a world because they do not possess reason. They also differed over their number. Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib said: Allah has one thousand worlds: six hundred in the sea and four hundred on land. Muqatil ibn Hayyan said: Allah has eighty thousand worlds: forty thousand in the sea and forty thousand on land. Wahb said: Allah has eighteen thousand worlds; this world is one of them, and there is no