ALLAH (S.T.) MEANS WHO DOMINATES THE SMALL AND THE LARGE

 My father - may Allah have mercy on him - said: Sa`d b. `Abdullah narrated to us from Ahmed b. Muhammad b. `Isa, from Qasim b. Yahya, from his grandfather Hasan b. Rashid, from Abi Hasan Musa b. Ja`far [a]:

Once, a question was asked (from the Imam) about the meaning of “Allah”. He (the Imam) replied, ‘It (the word “Allah”) means one who dominates the small and the large.’

2 - Muhammad b. al Qasim al Jarjani al Mufassir - may Allah be pleased with him - narrated to us; he said: Abu Ya`qub Yusuf b. Muhammad b. Ziyad and Abul Hasan `Ali b. Muhammad b. Sayyaar narrated to us, and these two were from the Imami Shi`i, and they from their fathers, from al Hasan b. `Ali b. Muhammad (al-Askari) [a] about the saying of Allah, Mighty and Exalted,: Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem. So he [a] said:

 “Allah is He towards whom are placed the desires and distresses of all creation. And when all hopes are severed from everyone apart from Him, and all provisions are cut off from all besides Him, you say:Bismillah. That is, I seek help in all my affairs from Allah, whom no one befits worship but Him, the One who helps when His help is sought, and the One who responds when called upon. And He is what, when a man said to al-Sadiq [a]: O son of the Messenger of Allah! Guide me regarding Allah, what is He? For often those who engage in arguments argue with me and perplex me. 

So he (al-Sadiq [a]) said to him: “O `Abdullah! Have you ever sailed on a ship alone?” He said: Yes. He said: “Then has it ever broken down on you (during the joyrney) where there was no (other) ship to save you, nor was there any skilled swimmer to save you?” 

He said: Yes. 

He [a] said: “Then did it occur to you in your heart that there is a thing from the things which has the power to rescue you from your getting drowned?” 

He said: Yes. 

Al Sadiq [a] said: That very thing is Allah, the One capable of saving when there is no saviour, and of helping when there is no helper.