Mu'meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Asalamalaikum!

I want to know when we pray do we have to say BISMILAH HI RAHMAANIR RAHEEM after every surah we recite or not ... i mean before ATAYHIYAATU, Darood shrief.

I am confused please help.

Allah hafiz

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Answer:

Say Bismillah before recite anything in prayer

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

‘Bismillah ar-Rahmaan, ar-Raheem’ literally means: ‘In the name of Allah, Most Benevolent, Most Merciful’.

When a believer starts any prayer, after the ‘takbeer’ he must recite ‘Bismillah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem’ before he starts the recitation of Surah Fateha, which is obligatory for every salaah. And when one has recited ‘Bismillah ….’before Surah Fateha, there is absolutely no need to recite it again and again for the supplications of ‘tashahud’ or ‘durood’ or any other supplications in the prayer.

But when one recites a part of the Glorious Quran after the Surah Fateha, and wishes to start from the beginning of the Surah where the Surah starts with ‘Bismillah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem’, then he must recite this phrase. But for all supplications in the prayer like the tasbeeh, or the tashahud, or the durood, etc. there is absolutely no need to recite the phrase ‘Bismillah….’ Again.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan