The Bismillah (Arabic: بسم الله; also Basmala) is the phrase “In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful”, with which 113 of the 114 Surahs of the Holy Quran begin.
Text and meaning
Transliterated Bismillāhir-Raḥmānir-Raḥīm, it means “In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful”. Its two names of Allah, Ar-Raḥmān and Ar-Raḥīm, both come from the word for mercy.
In the Quran
The Bismillah opens 113 of the 114 Surahs. The one exception is Surah At-Taubah (At-Tawbah), which begins without it. It also appears within Surah An-Naml, at 27:30, in the letter of the Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon) to the Queen of Sheba — so the full phrase occurs 114 times in the Quran.
In the count followed by the recitation of Hafs, the Bismillah of Surah Al-Fatihah is its first ayah; at the start of the other Surahs it is written above the first ayah and is not counted as one.
In daily life
Muslims say “Bismillah” before eating and drinking, before reading the Quran, and at the start of any good work. It is written at the head of letters and books, and many begin each day with it.
In Muslim Chat
When Muslim Chat recites a Surah, the Bismillah is recited first — except for Al-Fatihah, where it is the first ayah, and At-Tawbah, which has none. On the Mushaf pages it is shown above each Surah's first ayah, as in the printed Mushaf.
See also
This page was last updated on 3 October 2026.