Question: Should we recite the ta’awwudh and Basmala before a surah and ayah?
ANSWER
The ta’awwudh (the phrase A’oodhu billaahi min ash-shaitaani-r-rajeem) and Basmala (the phrase Bismillaah-ir-Rahmaan-ir-Raheem) must be recited before a surah. Only the ta’awwudh, not Basmala, must be recited before an ayah according to the majority of scholars. For example, it is not necessary to say Basmala before such aayaat as Ayat al-kursi, “Amanar-rasoolu …”, “Hawal-laa-hul-ladhee ….” Saying the ta’awwudh suffices. However, there is nothing wrong with saying Basmala in addition to the ta’awwudh before the recitation of an ayah.
Question: When a person is performing salat individually, is it sunnat for him to say the ta’awwudh and Basmala after he has recited the prayer (starting as) “Subhaanakallaahumma …”?
ANSWER
Yes, it is sunnat.
Question: Does a person performing salat individually have to say Basmala before reciting the additional surah (a surah recited after Surat al-Fatiha)?
ANSWER
No, he does not have to. According to some scholars, there is nothing wrong with him saying Basmala before it.
Question: What is the ruling on saying Basmala by joining it to Surat al-Fatiha when a person is performing salat individually?
ANSWER
It is permissible. When it is joined to Surat al-Fatiha, it should be recited “Bismillaahi-r-Rahmaani-r-Raheem-il-hamdu lillhahi ….”
Question: If one recites some surahs one after the other on completion of Surat al-Fatiha in salat, is it necessary to say Basmala for each?
ANSWER
It is not necessary.
Question: When reciting prayers such as “Subhaanakallaahumma …” “Attahiyyaatu …” and other prayers, should we say Basmala or “Allahu akbar” in between?
ANSWER
You should say neither Basmala nor “Allahu akbar.”
Question: It is written in your publications:
It is not necessary to say Basmala after Surat al-Fatiha in salat. But it is better to do so. (Se’adet-i Ebediyye)
Saying Basmala in between Surat al-Fatiha and the additional surah is either permissible or mustahab. (Se’adet-i Ebediyye)
One should not say Basmala before the additional surah. (Ey Oðul Ýlmihali, Namaz Kitabý)
Then should we say Basmala before the additional surah or not?
ANSWER
One does not have to say Basmala before the additional surah in salat. There is nothing wrong if one does not say it. However, it is better and mustahab if one does. In the Shafi’i Madhhab, one has to say Basmala before the additional surah. If a deed that must be done in one of the madhhabs has not been prohibited by another, it is mustahab to do that deed. For example, in the Shafi’i Madhhab, it breaks wudu’ to touch women while it does not in the Hanafi Madhhab. If a Hanafi man who is in a state of wudu’ has touched a marriageable woman or his wife, there is nothing wrong with him renewing his wudu’ if he has used his wudu’. As it is fard to renew wudu’ in the Shafi’i Madhhab in this case, it is better and mustahab for such a Hanafi to renew his wudu’. Similarly, in the Shafi’i Madhhab, Basmala must be said before the additional surah in salat. A Hanafi Muslim does not have to say it, but it would be better and mustahab for him to do so. This is the clarification of the matter.
Question: The 98th verse of Surat an-Nahl says that it is fard to say the ta’awwudh when one begins to read the Qur’an. For this reason, if one forgets to say the ta’awwudh and Basmala before Surat al-Fatiha in salat, will one have to perform sajda as-sahw?
ANSWER
Not all of the orders of the Qur’an al-karim fall into the category of fard deeds. Outside salat, it is wajib to say the ta’awwudh before a surah or an ayah. When one recites Surat al-Fatiha outside salat, it is wajib to say Basmala before it in addition to the ta’awwudh. It is sunnat to say Basmala before the other surahs.
One should not say the ta’awwudh or Basmala before the additional surah in salat. According to some scholars, it is mustahab and better to say Basmala.
In salat, it is sunnat to say the ta’awwudh and Basmala after the prayer “Subhaanakallaahumma ….” There is no need for sajda as-sahw if one forgets to say them. If they were fard, sajda as-sahw would not have been enough to make up for the mistake. Repetition of that salat would have been necessary.
Question: Why is Basmala not written at the beginning of Surat at-Tawbah?
ANSWER
Basmala was not prefixed to it because it was not stated clearly whether Surat at-Tawbah was a continuation of Surat al-Anfal or an entirely separate surah and because our Master the Prophet did not order that it be prefixed. (Baydawi)
If one, when reading the Qur’an al-karim, starts with Surat at-Tawbah, one should say Basmala before it. It is makruh to say Basmala if one reads it after the surah coming before it.
Question: Is it wajib to say the ta’awwudh and Basmala before Surat al-Fatiha when one recites it outside salat?
ANSWER
Yes, it is wajib. However, it will not be wajib if one recites it with the intention of making du’a. In salat, it is sunnat to say the ta’awwudh and Basmala in between the prayer “Subhaanakallaahumma …” and Surat al-Fatiha.
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