What does Bismillah mean?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Bismillah explained
The basmalah opens every surah but one, and every act a Muslim begins: eating, entering the home, starting a journey. Bismillah before eating keeps Shaytan from sharing the meal.
Related terms
Questions about Bismillah
What does Bismillah mean?
Bismillah (بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ, Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim) means: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
How is Bismillah written and pronounced in Arabic?
It is written بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ and pronounced Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim. It is also spelled Basmalah.
Where does Bismillah come from in the Quran or hadith?
The basmalah opens every surah but one, and every act a Muslim begins: eating, entering the home, starting a journey. Bismillah before eating keeps Shaytan from sharing the meal. Source: Sahih Muslim 2017.
Practice with the full Quran, word by word, in the Barakah Life app
Every term here is something Barakah does: prayer times to the minute, a qibla you can trust, du'as with audio, the Quran word by word, tasbih, zakat, and a guide for Jumu'ah itself.
Get the Barakah app