The First Word

Bismillah, "In the Name of God," is the start of all things good.
We too shall start with it.
Know, O my soul!
Just as this blessed phrase is a mark of Islam, so too it is constantly recited by all beings through their tongues of disposition.
If you want to know what an inexhaustible strength, what an unending source of bounty is Bismillah, listen to the following story which is in the form of a comparison.
It goes like this:
Someone who makes a journey through the deserts of Arabia has to travel in the name of a tribal chief and enter under his protection, for in this way he may be saved from the assaults of bandits and secure his needs.
On his own he will perish in the face of innumerable enemies and needs.
And so, two men went on such a journey and entered the desert.
One of them was modest and humble, the other proud and conceited.
The humble man assumed the name of a tribal chief, while the proud man did not.