668 ISLAMIC MYSTICAL LITERATURE
BISMILLAH ALSO MEANS GOD'S
THRONE AND GREATNESS"Jabir,^16 Bismillah al-rahman al-rahim
is greater than people say. A mere heart
cannot imagine god's name and his throne
and the godhead. Here we have the high king's
complete magnificence. And so his seven
and twelve attributes appear in the letters
and they are also concealed inside them.
"The twenty-eight lights of the Najib angels
and light of four angels give life to heaven
and earth, and also slip it away from them.
They hide in the clothing of the twelve letters
that make up al-rahman al-rahim,
and Bismillah is the throne of god."^17
The revealer of knowledge^18 said, "This word
and image is written on a silver tablet:
Bismillah al-rahman al-rahim"BISMILLAH'S NINETEEN LETTERS
Jabir said, "Be visible to your weak servant, lord.
Let thousands of lives and their possessions
be sacrificed, all for the life of the lord."
The revealer of knowledge answered him,
"I must save your life. Be careful, Jabir.^19
Bismillah stands for the most remote realm,
and al-rahman al-rahim is the white sphere.
Bismillah has nineteen letters: ba two,16. Or "Jafar," another student.- This description is reminiscent of the pleroma or fullness of holy glory in gnostic texts. On
god's throne, compare the merkavah (god's chariot) in Jewish mystical literature. The use of
letters to signify virtues is characteristic of Kabbalah. - The gnostic revealer plays a prominent role in numerous texts.
- The dangers of mystical inquiry are fully documented.