Skip to content
Joyful Muslims
Store
Get the app
al-Fātiḥah 1:1

Bismillāh — the opening of every chapter

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

"In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful."

— al-Fātiḥah 1:1

Context

The formula that opens every sūrah of the Qurʾan except al-Tawbah. Recited before every significant act of a Muslim — from eating to entering the home to starting any work.

Virtue

The Prophet ﷺ said: 'Every matter of importance that does not begin with the name of Allah is cut off.'

Across the library

What the classical scholars said.

Passages from our audiobook library that reference this verse, its theme, or its vocabulary.

  1. "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"

  2. "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,"

  3. "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,"

  4. "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"

  5. "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."

  6. "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.""

  7. "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."

  8. "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."

  9. "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."

  10. "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Introduction of the book In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and there is no aggression except against the wrongdoers. May peace and blessings be upon our Master Muhammad, the leader of the messengers and the Imam of the righteous, and upon his family and all his companions."

  11. "This is agreed upon in both major collections. The hadith for audible recitation of "Bismillah" is recorded by al-Daraqutni and al-Hakim, who authenticated it from Ibn Abbas. The hadith leaving out the audible recitation is recorded by Muslim from Anas: "I prayed behind the Prophet, peace be upon him, Abu Bakr, and Umar, and I did not hear any of them recite 'Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim' aloud."

  12. "or the day Allah wishes to grant me honor." Khalid was once brought poison, and when asked about it, he said, "In the name of Allah," and drank it. It did not harm him, which was seen as a miracle and true bravery. When Khalid descended upon the people of Hira, they warned him about poison from the Persians. He asked for it, consumed it, saying, "In the name of Allah," and it did not harm him."

  13. "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The Book of Remembrances and Supplications In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. Praise be to Allah, whose compassion is all-encompassing and whose mercy is universal. He rewards His servants for remembering Him by remembering them, as He said, "So remember Me; I will remember you.""

  14. "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The Beginning in the Volume 3. Introduction of the Book. Imam Abu al-Fidha Ismail ibn Umar ibn Kathir. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all worlds, the sustainer of the heavens and the earth. He is the planner of all creation."

  15. "Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on him, narrated, I had a fever, and it was written for me, In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. In the name of Allah and by Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, O fire, be coolness and safety upon Abraham, and they intended for him harm, but we made them the greatest losers."

  16. "As we approached the table, the attendants, doorkeepers, and our servants performed their duties. They brought beverages for us to drink while the doorkeepers recited, in the name of Allah. We then ate and they followed with fermented drinks and betel leaves. The doorkeepers again recited, in the name of Allah, prompting us all to serve."

  17. "I ask You to save me from the Hellfire and forgive my sins, for no one forgives sins except You." If you leave your home for a need, say: "In the name of Allah, Lord, I seek refuge with You from doing wrong or being wronged, from being ignorant or being treated ignorantly. In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate."

  18. "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."

Hear every passage in context.

Word-synced with the Arabic, narrated with care, in the app.

Listen on the App Store

Other key verses

Open in App Store