The word · The Qur’an
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحيم
Basmalah
The opening line In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, found before nearly every surah.
Also written · Bismillah · Basmala · Bismilah · Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem · Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim · Basmalla · Tasmiyah · Bism Allah · in the name of Allah · Besmele
The meaning
What Basmalah means in Islam
It stands at the head of 113 surahs; at-Tawbah alone has none. It also appears inside the Qur'an as the opening of Sulayman's letter in Surah an-Naml. The schools differ over whether it is a verse of al-Fatihah and whether it is said aloud in prayer, which is why practice varies from one mosque to the next.
Evidence · Scholars differ · The scholars read this one differently
Read beside it
Words that sit beside it
- Al-FatihahThe seven verse opening surah, recited in the prayer; most schools require it in every unit.الفاتِحَة
- SurahA chapter of the Qur'an; there are 114, arranged in the mushaf rather than by date of revelation.سورَة
- Isti'adhahSaying I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaytan before beginning to recite.الاسْتِعاذَة
- TilawahReciting the Qur'an aloud, following its words closely rather than merely reading over them.التِّلاوَة
More from The Qur’an
- Al-Ahruf as-Sab'ahThe seven modes in which the Qur'an was revealed, an ease for the community; what a mode is stays disputed.الأَحْرُفُ السَّبْعَة
- HizbHalf a juz; the Qur'an is divided into sixty hizbs for steady daily reading.حِزْب
- JuzOne of the thirty roughly equal parts the Qur'an is divided into, for reading it over a month.جُزْء
- Muhkam and MutashabihThe clear verses whose meaning is decisive, and the verses that can carry more than one meaning.المُحْكَمُ وَالمُتَشابِه
- Qur'anThe speech of Allah revealed to Muhammad in Arabic over about twenty three years, preserved word for word.القُرْآن
- Tafkhim and TarqiqHeavy and light pronunciation: some letters fill the mouth, others stay thin.التَّفْخيمُ وَالتَّرْقيق