Bismillah

In the name of Allah,

the Most Gracious,

the Most Merciful.

Surah al-Fatihah 1:1

It is this verse which Allah utilises to introduce Himself to us. He first and foremost tells us about His mercy. This is further explained when Allah said, "Verily, My mercy surpasses My wrath." (al-Bukhari & Muslim)

This is why Allah forgives all sins, all one needs to do is to sincerely repent to Allah and a person's sins are wiped away. So much so that on the Day of Judgement Allah will not question you about it, it is as if it never happened.

Every person alive has had moments of joy, good times and great days - aren't these all from the mercy of our Lord?

What about all the things we take for granted: air we breathe, being born, good health, great friends, caring family, ability to work and enjoy leisure.

It is due to Allah's mercy that so many misfortunes and calamities are averted on a daily basis, that we are given chance after chance to repent and turn to Allah so that He may forgive us. That He shows His signs to us everyday, from within our own bodies to the vast expanse of the universe. His mercy is ever present and always surrounding us.

This is of course not to say that we will not be tested and that there will not be bad times and evil days and unfortunate circumstances. But we must hold firm to Allah's promise that His mercy will prevail.

Furthermore, it was the practice of our Master, Muhammad ibn Abdullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) to say the basmalahat the start of every good action. This little act has tremendous implications because this is what it means to make Allah the priority in one's life. To start with His awesome name. To remind ourselves as to why we are doing good deeds - to seek His pleasure. So that even mundane things can become acts of worship.

Making Allah the focus and centre of one's life is the road out of every difficulty and the purpose of our creation. These simple, yet powerful words gives us hope and resilience to face any challenge and every hardship which we might encounter in life's journey.

We should start saying the basmalah for everyday things as suggested by the Sunnah of our Master, Abul Qasim Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) like: before we start eating and drinking, before we enter our homes, before entering the toilet, at the start of performing wudu and even at the start of sexual relations with one's spouse.

With Allah's name on your lips and the knowledge of His mercy surrounding us everywhere, we can overcome whatever obstacles and negative thoughts that may come our way.