What is the meaning of Bismillāh?
Bismillāh al-Raḥmān al-Raḥīm — in the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful. It opens every surah but one. The classical scholars said it is the summary of the Qurʾan in a single sentence.
10 passages from 7 books in the library
Bismillāh al-Raḥmān al-Raḥīm means "in the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate," and the classical scholars taught that it sanctifies whatever it begins. As the passages relate, "Every significant matter that does not begin with 'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' is bereft" — left cut off from blessing. It is the opening invoked in supplication ("O Allah, I ask You by Your name…"), in healing, and even by Nūḥ as he boarded the ark: "in the name of Allah is its course and its mooring."
Drawn from the classical sources below — in the scholars' own words.
The classical approach.
These passages are drawn from 7 books by Ibn Kathir, Ibn Battuta, Imam al-Ghazali, and Ibn al-Qayyim — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.
14th century · Bosra, Syria
Monumental history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, the world's most widely read Qurʾanic commentary, and the classical Stories of the Prophets.
More on Ibn Kathir →
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"and we have certainly made the Quran easy to remember, so is there any who will remember? And he the exalted began with Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim. Indeed we sent Noah to his people saying, Warn your people before there comes to them a painful punishment. He said, O my people, indeed I am to you a clear warner, that you should worship Allah, fear him, and obey me. He will forgive you of your sins and delay you for a specified term. Indeed the time set by Allah when it comes will not be delayed if you only knew. He said, My Lord, indeed I invited my people night and day, but my invitation increased them not except in flight. The people placed their"
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"Noah, peace be upon him, fulfilled this command by saying, Embark therein, in the name of Allah, is its course and its anchorage. Indeed, my Lord is forgiving and merciful. This means that in the name of Allah, its journey begins and ends. Indeed, my Lord is forgiving and merciful, meaning He is both forgiving and merciful. Yet His might is not to be deflected from the criminal people as He inflicted upon those who disbelieved in him and worshipped others besides him. Allah Almighty said, And it sailed with them through waves like mountains. This is from Surah Hud."
14th century · Tangier, Morocco
The Riḥlah — a 30-year, 75,000-mile journey across three continents, and the most important travel account of the pre-modern world.
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"She sat me close to her. Being skilled in Arabic writing, she ordered one of her servants, Dawat Wabutak Qatur, which means the ink and the paper. These were brought to her, and I wrote, Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim. She inquired, What is this? I explained, Tanudhir unam means, the name of God. She replied, Koshin, indicating approval."
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"no overcrowding. Upon seating, the cupbearers come with gold, silver, copper, and glass vessels filled with infused drinks for refreshment. Before eating, they would say, In the name of Allah, then begin their meal. Each person would have in front of him a portion of all the dishes on the table to eat alone, without sharing from the same plate with anyone else. Once they finished eating, they would bring out fkwa, a type of drink, in tin cups. When they took it, they would again say, In the name of Allah. Next, plates of betel leaves and areca nuts were brought, and each person was given a bundle of 15 betel leaves, tied"
14th century · Bosra, Syria
Monumental history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, the world's most widely read Qurʾanic commentary, and the classical Stories of the Prophets.
More on Ibn Kathir →
· Provenance →
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"he returned to me and said, I knew that you had contradicted my words. I replied, Indeed, and I will not return. He said, When you see us united, say, My companion has triumphed in the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful. I said, Indeed. When I saw them united, I said, My companion has triumphed in the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful. The elder leaned on him and struck him with his sword, cutting open his belly, and from it he extracted something resembling a black lantern. He then said, O Amr, this is his deceit and treachery. He then asked, Do you know who that maiden is? I replied, No. He said,"
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"enslave him, so I was with him, serving him for a time. Then he said, O Amr, I want you to ride with me into the wilderness, and I have no fear of you, for I am, in the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful, confident. So we traveled until we came to a vast, terrifying valley. He called out loudly, In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful. Not a bird remained in its nest. Then he repeated the call, and not a beast remained in its lair, except that it fled. He called out again, and suddenly we saw a man from the Abyssinians, emerging from the valley like a towering palm tree. He said to me,"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
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"When a person complained of a sore or wound, he would place his index finger on the ground, then lift it and say: "In the name of Allah, dust of our land with the saliva of some of us heals our sick by the permission of our Lord." If you experience pain in your body, place your hand on the part of your body that is in pain and say, "In the name of Allah" three times, and then say seven times: "I seek refuge in the might and power of Allah from the evil of what I find and fear.""
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The Book of the Manners of Living and the Morals of Prophethood. The Book of Explanation of the Wonders of the Heart. Praise be to Allah who created all things and perfected their creation. He disciplined His Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and enhanced his discipline, purified his qualities and morals, and chose him as his close friend and beloved."
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"then eat" is agreed upon from the narration of Adi ibn Hatim and Abu Tha'labah al-Khushani. The hadith about mentioning Bismillah during slaughter is agreed upon from the narration of Rafi' ibn Khadij: "Whatever causes the blood to flow and the name of God is mentioned upon it, eat, but not the tooth or the nail." The hadith regarding a believer slaughtering in the name of Allah, whether he mentions Allah's name or not, is authenticated by the compiler."
14th century · Damascus, Syria
Madārij al-Sālikīn — the classical map of the spiritual journey — and a vast body of work on the soul, love, the traps of the ego, and the nature of the heart.
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"The Prophet, peace be upon him, also said, When a man enters his home, let him say, O Allah, I ask you for the best of entrances and the best of exits. In the name of Allah we enter, and in the name of Allah we exit, and upon Allah our Lord we place our trust. Then let him greet his family. The Prophet, peace be upon him, advised, O my son, when you enter upon your family, greet them with peace, and it will be a blessing for you and your household."
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