The full basmalah
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Bismillāhir-raḥmānir-raḥīm
In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
Quran 1:1, Sahih International
Bismillah hir Rahman nir Rahim, in the name of Allah.
Bismillah hir Rahman nir Rahim means "in the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful". It opens the Quran, and Muslims say it before eating, wudu and any good act.
The short form
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ
Bismillāh
In the name of Allah.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5376
If you forgot at the start of a meal
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ أَوَّلَهُ وَآخِرَهُ
Bismillāhi awwalahū wa ākhirah
In the name of Allah, at its beginning and its end.
Sunan Abi Dawud 3767; Jami at-Tirmidhi 1858
Quran 27:30In the Quran
إِنَّهُۥ مِن سُلَيْمَٰنَ وَإِنَّهُۥ بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Innahoo min Sulaimaana wa innahoo bismil laahir Rahmaanir Raheem
Indeed, it is from Solomon, and indeed, it reads: 'In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful,
Quran 27:30, Sahih International translation
Our teachers will check the Arabic and transliteration on this page before launch.
Guide
Meaning, use and source.
Bismillah hir Rahman nir Rahim (بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ) means "in the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful". It is called the basmalah. Ar-Rahman is mercy that covers all creation, and ar-Rahim is mercy given especially to the believers. Starting with it means: I begin this by Allah's name, asking His help and blessing.
Where it is in the Quran
The basmalah opens 113 of the 114 surahs. Surah At-Tawbah (9) is the only surah without it. It also appears inside Surah An-Naml, in Sulayman's letter: "Indeed, it is from Solomon, and indeed, it reads: In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful" (Quran 27:30). So it occurs 114 times in all.
When to say Bismillah
- Before eating: "O boy, say Bismillah, eat with your right hand, and eat from what is in front of you" (Sahih al-Bukhari 5376). If you forget, say bismillahi awwalahu wa akhirah when you remember (Abu Dawud 3767, Tirmidhi 1858, graded hasan sahih).
- Before wudu, before entering the bathroom (said outside), on leaving home, on getting into a car, before sleeping and before intimacy.
- Before reciting the Quran, after a'udhu billah, at the start of a surah.
- Before any good and permissible act. Say only "Bismillah" for small daily acts, and the full basmalah when beginning to recite or write.
Bismillah in salah, wudu and slaughter
Hanafi position
The basmalah is an ayah of the Quran revealed to separate the surahs, not part of Al-Fatiha. In salah it is said quietly before Al-Fatiha in every rakah. Before wudu it is a sunnah. When slaughtering an animal, saying Allah's name is required: if it is left out on purpose the meat is not halal, and if it is forgotten the meat is still halal.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- The basmalah is the first ayah of Al-Fatiha, so it must be recited, and aloud in the prayers recited aloud. Before slaughter it is a sunnah: meat is halal even if it is left out.
- Maliki
- It is not recited in the fard prayers in the well-known view. Before slaughter it is required when remembered, as with the Hanafis.
- Hanbali
- It is recited quietly before Al-Fatiha. Before wudu it is wajib when remembered, in the well-known view. Before slaughter it is required when remembered.
Spellings
Bismillah hir Rahman nir Rahim, bismillahirrahmanirrahim, bismillah ar-rahman ar-rahim and bismillah rahman rahim are all the same words. The joined sounds ("hir", "nir") are how the words link when said together: bismil-lāhir-raḥmānir-raḥīm.
- Quran 1:1 and 27:30, translation by Sahih International.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 5376.
- Sunan Abi Dawud 3767; Jami at-Tirmidhi 1858, graded hasan sahih.
- Al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah, Kitab at-Taharah, Bab Sifat as-Salah and Kitab adh-Dhaba'ih; Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Questions
Good to know.
What does Bismillah mean?
In the name of Allah. The full Bismillah hir Rahman nir Rahim means in the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
Which surah does not start with Bismillah?
Surah At-Tawbah, the ninth surah. Surah An-Naml has it twice, so the basmalah still appears 114 times.
What do I say if I forget Bismillah before eating?
Bismillahi awwalahu wa akhirah: in the name of Allah, at its beginning and its end.
Can I say Bismillah in the bathroom?
Say it before you enter, not inside. Dhikr is not said aloud inside the bathroom.
Is Bismillah part of Surah Al-Fatiha?
In the Hanafi school it is an ayah of the Quran that separates the surahs, not part of Al-Fatiha. The Shafi'i school counts it as the first ayah of Al-Fatiha.