After Ta’awwudh, we always recite “بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم”. In Arabic, the short form of it, when we refer to reciting “بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم”, we refer to it as “Basmala”. “بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم” Is a kalimah that Jibreel (AS) used to bring with the surahs. And so, when the prophet (SAW) would recite the surah, he would recite it with Basmala. Before we get into the meaning of it, the significance of Nasmala lies first in the fact that Allah (SWT) commanded the prophet (SAW) to recite in the name of his lord. This is not a reading that is compiled by human beings, nor is it in human capacity to recite this in the way it is supposed to be recited, but Allah (SWT) will make it easy, so take his name before reciting it. Specifically, in the context of the Qur’an, we are told, “Recite in the name of Allah (SWT)”, so we say “بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم” and we start. The other thing is that we are reminding ourselves through Basmala. Recitation of Basmala is not only for tilawah of the Qur’an, but it is also before doing anything good. In fact, when we start our day and evening, we were taught kalimah and du’as that have Basmala in it. When we eat, we are taught to say Basmala before we eat. When we commence anything and enter into the Masjid, we say Basmala. Anything good that we do starts with Basmala. One of the reasons for this is to remind ourselves while doing that act, whether it is a religious act or fulfilling a physical need, that this was only possible by Allah (SWT)’s command and permission. When a person eats, the Muslim will remind himself where the food is coming from. Allah (SWT) has put a huge system of rizq behind this that is coming together to put the food in front of them. If it were not for that, they would not have that food. Someone planted something, there were rains, the lands were cared for with so much effort put in, then it was harvested, then put into another form, processed, someone made it and brought it to us – there is a huge system behind every single morsel. Every sip of water that we drink comes from a massive water cycle that we study about. Look at how many things came into movement before the water came to us. Sometimes Allah (SWT) sends the water down on mountains and keeps it there in cold storage, and gradually, it melts and comes down through streams and rivers and eventually reaches civilization.
“بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم” is a way of reminding ourselves of the ever-present bounties of Allah (SWT) that are right in front of us all the time. Yes, we will talk about Basmala in the context of the Qur’an, but most importantly, Basmala needs to become a part of our daily life. We must make a conscious effort to recite Basmala before everything. Anything that is good, do it with Basmala. As mentioned before, the narration of the maid of the wife of Fir’Awn, when the comb fell, she said “بسم الله” before picking it up. This is what got the wife of Fir’Awn interested. It is a daily part of the Muslim’s life to say Bismillah. Sometimes there are longer du’as that we should recite, but if we do not, at least say Bismillah. This is something very easy to do. May Allah (SWT) give us tawfiq.
