البسملة — Al-Basmala
Al-Basmala (البسملة) is the name for the phrase بِسمِ اللهِ الرَّحمٰنِ الرَّحِيم and also for the act of reciting it. It is one of the rare Arabic words derived from a phrase rather than from a root verb.
Etymology — A Noun That Became a Verb
Normally in Arabic, the sequence is: root letters → verb → maṣdar → nouns. The Basmala reversed this: the phrase بِسمِ اللهِ was abbreviated into a noun بَسمَلَة, and then a verb بَسمَلَ was coined from it on the rubāʿī pattern (فَعلَلَ, like زَلزَلَ).
This belongs to the category the grammarians called النَّحت (naḥt — chiselling/carving), where seven verbs were carved out of their noun/phrase forms:
| Phrase | Naḥt Form | Verb |
|---|---|---|
| بِسمِ اللهِ | بَسمَلَة | بَسمَلَ |
| سُبحانَ اللهِ | سَبحَلَة | سَبحَلَ |
| الحَمدُ لله | حَولَة | حَولَ |
| حَيَّ عَلَى... | حَيعَلَة | حَيعَلَ |
A pre-Islamic/early Islamic poet from Quraysh used بَسمَلَ as a verb:
بَسمَلَت لَيلى يَومَ لَقيتُها "Layla was reciting Bismillāh the day I met her."
Is Basmala Part of Sūrat al-Fātiḥah?
Scholarly positions differ:
| Position | Basis |
|---|---|
| Not part of any sūrah | Words taken from Sūrat al-Naml; used only as a separator |
| Part of every sūrah | Written at the head of each |
| Part of Sūrat al-Fātiḥah only | Specific to the opening Sūrah |
A hadith qudsī about Sūrat al-Fātiḥah begins the divine speech with الحمدُ للهِ (not Bismillāh), which scholars who hold the third position cite as evidence.
Why Sūrat al-Tawbah Has No Basmala
The Ṣaḥābah were uncertain whether Sūrat al-Tawbah is a continuation of Sūrat al-Anfāl or a separate sūrah, since the Prophet ﷺ often recited both together without stopping. Lacking certainty, they omitted the Basmala at its start. However, if one begins recitation from within al-Tawbah (not continuing from al-Anfāl), one says Bismillāh.
The Omitted Verb
بِسمِ اللهِ is a prepositional phrase (jār + majrūr) that requires a verb or noun to attach to (mutaʿalliq). The verb "I begin/I start" is omitted (maḥdhūf). This omission is intentional: by not naming the specific act, the Bismillāh encompasses every act one performs.
أَبدَأُ بِسمِ اللهِ — I begin with the name of Allāh (the implied full form)
Hamzatul Waṣl in Bismillāh
The word اِسم (ism) starts with Hamzatul Waṣl, which is normally omitted in pronunciation (but retained in writing) when preceded by another word. In Bismillāh specifically, the Hamza is also omitted in writing — a convention established through the extreme frequency of the phrase's use, preserved in the Uthmānic muṣḥaf.
Session References
- Selections from the Glorious Quran Session 1: Full etymology of Basmala; naḥt and the seven carved verbs; scholarly positions on Basmala as part of al-Fātiḥah; the omitted verb; Hamzatul Waṣl in Bismillāh.