Short answer
Surah al-Tawbah (Bara'ah), the 9th surah, is the only one of the 114 that does not begin with Bismillah. To balance this, Bismillah appears twice in Surah al-Naml (27): at the start and inside ayah 30, in the letter of Sulayman, so it still occurs 114 times in the Quran.
When starting recitation from the beginning of Surah al-Tawbah you do not recite Bismillah before it, but you still seek refuge (a'udhu billah). If you continue from al-Anfal into al-Tawbah, you pass straight on. Bismillah between other surahs is part of the Quran as a separator, and is not counted as an ayah of each surah in the Hanafi school.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Bismillah is an ayah of al-Fatiha and of every surah except al-Tawbah.
- Maliki
- The basmala at the head of the surahs is not counted as an ayah of the Quran; only the one inside al-Naml (27:30) is.
Explanation
Every surah in the mushaf opens with Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim, "In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful", except Surah al-Tawbah. It opens instead with a declaration of disassociation from those who broke their treaties (9:1).
Why? The Companions copied the mushaf exactly as they received it, and Bismillah was not placed there. The scholars give two explanations. Uthman is reported to have said that the Prophet ﷺ died without telling them whether al-Tawbah was a separate surah or part of al-Anfal, whose themes it shares, so they placed it next to it with no Bismillah between; this report is in Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi, though its chain is weak. The second, from Ali, is that Bismillah is a phrase of safety and mercy, and the surah opens with a warning to those at war.
Bismillah in al-Naml. In 27:30 the Queen of Sheba reads out a letter from Sulayman that begins "In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful". So the phrase occurs 114 times in all, matching the number of surahs.
For what Bismillah means and when to say it, see Bismillah. You can read the surah at Surah al-Tawbah.
The evidence
Quran, Surah At-Tawba 9:1
بَرَآءَةٌۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦٓ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ عَٰهَدتُّم مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ ﴿١﴾
[This is a declaration of] disassociation, from Allah and His Messenger, to those with whom you had made a treaty among the polytheists.
Surah al-Tawbah opens with this declaration rather than Bismillah.
Quran, Surah An-Naml 27:30
إِنَّهُۥ مِن سُلَيْمَٰنَ وَإِنَّهُۥ بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ﴿٣٠﴾
Indeed, it is from Solomon, and indeed, it reads: 'In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful,
Bismillah appears a second time inside Surah al-Naml.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Salah, discussion of the basmala. The basmala is an ayah of the Quran revealed to separate the surahs, not part of each surah; it is not recited at the start of al-Tawbah.
- al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Kitab al-Salah, the discussion of the basmala. The Shafi'i view that it is an ayah of every surah except al-Tawbah.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.