Bismillāh
اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ
Read in the name of your Lord who created.
Sūrat al-‘Alaq, No. 96, Āyat 1
The first word revealed from the Qur’ān was a command: iqra’ — read! To appreciate the meaning of this opening instruction, it is helpful to examine what qirā’ah means from a linguistic perspective. The term qirā’ah refers to the act of assembling letters into a word, or words into a sentence. This act of gathering can occur silently, within the mind, or it can be articulated aloud. ‘Allamah Tabātabā’ī, in his Tafsīr al-Mīzān, observes that the intended meaning in this verse is the former: the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa ālih is being instructed to receive the Qur’ān and to gather its verses within his heart and mind, even though the object of this reading, “the Qur’ān,” is not explicitly mentioned in the verse.
It is worth noting that this very verse is itself part of the Qur’ān that he is being commanded to read! Consider a letter that opens with the words, “Read this letter carefully.” That instruction is already part of the letter it is describing. In a similar manner, this opening verse, which commands recitation, is itself a component of the revelation that the Prophet (s) is required to recite.
The Arabic preposition bi in the verse has been translated above as “in”: “Read in the name of your Lord.” ‘Allamah Tabātabā’i explains that the intended meaning here is that bi indicates the state of beginning the recitation. Thus, the verse commands the Prophet to read the Qur’ān while commencing with the name of Allah.
Furthermore, the description of Allah as al-Rabb is significant. The pagan Arabs of the Hijaz were not atheists; as other verses of the Qur’ān clarify (see for example Q 10:18 and 10:31), they acknowledged Allah as al-Khāliq, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. What they denied, however, was His exclusive status as al-Rabb, the Sustainer, Nurturer, and Lord who governs all affairs. By commanding the Prophet (s) to read in the name of his Rabb who created, the verse corrects this erroneous belief.
Just as the Prophet (s) was commanded to begin the recitation of the Qur’ān with the name of Allah, every task we undertake, however small, should be done with the name and remembrance of Allah. Imam al-Sādiq (a) said:
It may sometimes happen that Bismillāh al-Rahmān al-Rahīm is omitted at the beginning of some matter undertaken by one of our followers. Allah then tests him with something unpleasant, in order to alert him to the gratitude and praise due to Allah (exalted is He), and to wipe away from him the stain of his negligence in leaving out the saying of Bismillāh al-Rahmān al-Rahīm.
We ask Allah to grant us hearts that truly embody the meanings of the Qur’ān, to increase us in understanding of His Book, and to make us among those who begin every affair with His remembrance.
Sources: ‘Allāmah Muhammad Husayn Tabātabā’ī, Tafsīr al-Mīzān.