Basmala or Bismillah

Basmala calligraphy

Basmala (Arabic بسملة) is an Arabic language noun which is used as the collective name of the whole of the recurring Islamic phrase bismi-llāhi ar-raḥmāni ar-raḥīmi. This phrase constitutes the first verse of every "sura" (or chapter) of the Qur'an (but one), and is used in a number of contexts by Muslims. It is recited several times as part of Muslim daily prayers, and it is usually the first phrase in the preamble of the constitutions of Islamic countries. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Basmala. ... Image File history File links Basmala. ... The stylized signature (tughra) of Sultan Mahmud II of the Ottoman Empire was written in an expressive calligraphy. ... Arabic redirects here. ... Islam (Arabic: ; ( â–¶ (help· info)), the submission to God) is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions and the worlds second-largest religion. ... The Qur’ān [1] (Arabic: , literally the recitation; also sometimes transliterated as Quran, Koran, or Al-Quran) is the central religious text of Islam. ... Look up Preamble in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

bismi-llāhi ar-raḥmāni ar-raḥīmi

"In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful"

The Basmala is encoded as a ligature at Unicode codepoint U+FDFD ﷽ A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman, born January 6, 1967 as A.S. Dileep Kumar in Chennai, India, is a popular Indian film music composer. ... [[[[ == == #REDIRECT [[#REDIRECT [[#REDIRECT [[]]]]]] == ==]]]] ... In writing and typography, a ligature occurs where two or more letterforms are written or printed as a unit. ... The Unicode Standard, Version 5. ...

Name

The Basmala artistically rendered in the shape of a pear

The word "bismillah" itself was derived by a slightly-unusual procedure in which the first four pronounced consonants of the phrase bismi-llāhi... were taken as a quadriliteral consonantal root b-s-m-l (ب س م ل). This abstract consonantal root was used to derive the noun basmala, as well as related verb forms which mean "to recite the basmala". The practice of giving often-repeated phrases special names is paralleled by the phrase Allahu Akbar, which is referred to as the "Takbir" (also Ta'awwudh etc.); and the method of coining a quadriliteral name from the consonants of such a phrase is paralleled by the name "Hamdala" for Alhamdulillah. Image File history File links Bismillah. ... Image File history File links Bismillah. ... In the terminology used to discuss the grammar of the Semitic languages, a quadriliteral is a consonantal root containing a sequence of four consonants (instead of three consonants, as is more often the case). ... This article is about Islamic religious phrase God is most great. For other usages, see Allahu Akbar (disambiguation). ... Ta`awwudh (Arabic تعوذ) is an Arabic term used as the name for the phrase A`udhu billahi min ash-shaitani r-rajim (أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم). This is an Arabic sentence meaning I seek refuge in Allah from Shaitan, the Damned. ... ć Alhamdulillah (الحمد لله) (Turkish: Elhamdülillah) means Praise to God in Arabic, similar to the Hebrew Halelu Yah. ...

Occurrence

In the Qur'an, the phrase is usually numbered as the first verse of the first sura, but according to the view adopted by Al-Tabari, it precedes the first verse. It occurs at the beginning of each subsequent sura of the Qur'an, except for the ninth sura (see, however, the discussion of the 8th and 9th chapters of the Qur'an at eighth sura), but is not numbered as a verse except, in the currently most common system, in the first sura (chapter). Surat Al-Fatiha (The Opening or The Exordium) is the opening chapter of the Quran; it consists of a short 7-verse prayer which Muslims repeat at the beginning of every rakah of salat. ... Balamis 14th century Persian version of Universal History by al-Tabari Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Jarir at-Tabari 838–923 (father of Jafar, named Muhammad, son of Jarir from the province of Tabaristan, Arabic الطبري), was an author from Persia, one of the earliest, most prominent and famous Persian... Surat at-Tawba (Arabic: سورة التوبة ) (the Repentance) is the 9th sura of the Quran, with 129 ayat according to mainstream Islam and 127 ayat according to Quran Alone Muslims. ... Sura (sometimes spelt Surah , plural Suwar ) is an Arabic term literally meaning something enclosed or surrounded by a fence or wall. ... The Qur’ān [1] (Arabic: , literally the recitation; also sometimes transliterated as Quran, Koran, or Al-Quran) is the central religious text of Islam. ... Surat al-Anfal (Arabic: سورة الأنفال ) (the Spoils of War)[1] is the eighth chapter of the Quran, with 85 verses. ... Sura (sometimes spelt Surah , plural Suwar ) is an Arabic term literally meaning something enclosed or surrounded by a fence or wall. ...

The Basmala occurs twice in the twenty-seventh sura, at the beginning and in verse 30 (where it prefaces a letter from Sulayman to the Queen of Sheba, Bilqis). Surat An-Naml (The Ant, The Ants) is the 27th sura of the Quran with 93 ayat. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into King Solomon. ... The Queen of Sheba, (Hebrew מלכת שבא , Arabic ملكة سبأ , Geez: ንግሥተ ሳባ Nigista Saba), referred to in the Hebrew scriputures (Old Testament), Bible books of 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles, the New Testament, the Quran, and Ethiopian history, was the ruler of Sheba, an ancient kingdom mentioned in the Jewish scriptures (Old Testament). ... Bilqis is the name given to the Queen of Sheba in the Quran. ...

Significance

The Basmala has a special significance for Muslims, who are to begin each task after reciting the verse. Often, Bismillah is preceded by Ta'awwudh. In Arabic calligraphy, it is the most prevalent motif, more so even than the Shahadah. The three definite nouns of the Basmala, Allah, ar-Rahman and ar-Rahim correspond to the first three of the traditional 99 names of God in Islam. Both ar-Rahman and ar-Rahim are from the same triliteral root, R-Ḥ-M "to feel sympathy or pity". According to Lane, ar-raḥmān is more intensive, including in its objects the believer and the unbeliever, and may be rendered as "The Compassionate", while ar-raḥīm has for its peculiar object the believer, considered as expressive of a constant attribute, and may be rendered as "The Merciful". Ta`awwudh (Arabic تعوذ) is an Arabic term used as the name for the phrase A`udhu billahi min ash-shaitani r-rajim (أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم). This is an Arabic sentence meaning I seek refuge in Allah from Shaitan, the Damned. ... The stylized signature of Sultan Abdul Hamid I of the Ottoman Empire was written in an expressive calligraphy. ... White flag featuring the Shahada text as used by the Taliban. ... Allah is the Arabic language word for God. ... A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman, born January 6, 1967 as A.S. Dileep Kumar in Chennai, India, is a popular Indian film music composer. ... The 99 Names of God, also known as The 99 Attributes of God (Arabic: transliteration: ), are the names of God revealed in the Quran;[1] even though the names (as adjectives, word constructs, or otherwise) exceed ninety-nine in the Quran. ... // The 99 Names of God, also known as The 99 attributes of Allah (Arabic: ‎ translit: ), are the names of God revealed to man in the Quran;[1] even though His names (as adjectives, word constructs, or otherwise) exceed ninety-nine in the Quran. ... In the terminology used to discuss the grammar of the Semitic and some other Afro-Asiatic languages, a triliteral (Arabic: جذر ثلاثي, ǧaḏr thalathi) is a root containing a sequence of three consonants (so also known as a triconsonantal root). ... (ر Ø­ Ù…) is the triconsonantal root of many Arabic words, and many of those words are used as names. ... Title page of the first volume The Arabic English Lexicon of 1893 by Edward William Lane in eight volumes is the monumental standard work of reference for Classical Arabic in western scholarship. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ...

Alternative Christian meaning

Arabic-speaking Christians sometimes use the word Basmala (Arabic: بسملة‎) to refer to the Christian liturgical formula "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit" (باسم الآب والابن والروح القدس, bismi-l-’abi wa-l-ibni wa-r-rūḥi l-qudusi), from Matthew 28:19. Arabic redirects here. ... The trinitarian formula is the phrase in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (original Greek εις το ονομα του πατρος και του υιου και του αγίου πνεύματος, eis to onoma tou patros kai tou huiou kai tou hagiou pneumatos), or words to that form and effect referring to the persons of the Holy Trinity. ... Ab means father in most Semitic languages, affectionately extended to Abba or Aba in Northwest Semitic. ...

Numerology

The total value of the letters of "Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim" according to one Arabic system of numerology is 786. There are two methods of arranging the letters of the Arabic alphabet. One method is the most common alphabetical order (used for most ordinary purposes), beginning with the letters Alif ا, ba ب, ta ت, tha ث etc. The other method is known as the Abjad numerals' method or ordinal method. In this method the letters are arranged in the following order: Abjad, Hawwaz, Hutti, Kalaman, Sa'fas, Qarshat, Sakhaz, Zazagh; and each letter has an arithmetic value assigned to it from one to one thousand. (This arrangement was done, most probably in the 3rd century of Hijrah during the 'Abbasid period, following the practices of speakers of other Semitic languages such as Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, Chaldean etc.) Isopsephy (iso meaning equal and psephos meaning pebble) is the Greek language word for the practice of adding up the number values of the letters in a word to form a single number. ... The Abjad numerals are a decimal numeral system which was used in the Arabic-speaking world prior to the use of the Hindu-Arabic numerals from the 8th century, and in parallel with the latter until Modern times. ... The Arabic alphabet is the script used for writing languages such as Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and others. ...

If you take the numeric values of all the letters of the Basmala, according to the Abjad order, the total will be 786. In the Indian subcontinent the Abjad numerals have become quite popular. Some people, mostly in India and Pakistan, use 786 as a substitute for Bismillah ("In the name of Allah" or "In the name of God"). They write this number to avoid writing the name of God, or Qur'anic verses on ordinary papers, which can be subject to dirt or come in contact with 'unclean' materials. This practice does not date from the time of Muhammad and is not universally accepted by Muslims. The Abjad numerals are a decimal numeral system which was used in the Arabic-speaking world prior to the use of the Hindu-Arabic numerals from the 8th century, and in parallel with the latter until Modern times. ... 786 is the integer coming after 785 and before 787. ...

Cultural references

The Iranian authorities permitted an album of songs by the popular music band Queen to be released in Iran in August 2004, partly because the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" contains several exclamations of the word "Bismillah".^[1] Queen are an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Brian May, lead vocalist Freddie Mercury, and drummer Roger Taylor, with bassist John Deacon joining the following year. ...   is a song written by Freddie Mercury and originally recorded by the band Queen for their 1975 album A Night at the Opera. ...

See also

• Kalima
• Shahada
• List of Islamic terms in Arabic
• List of Christian terms in Arabic

Kalima does not render you a Muslim- it is a bunch of words meaning nothing. ... , // Shāhāda is a town in the northwest corner of Maharashtra state in India, now in Nandurbār District (formerly in Dhule District). ... The following list consists of concepts that are derived from both Islamic and Arab tradition, which are expressed as words in the Arabic language. ... The following list consists of concepts that are derived from both Christianity and Arab tradition, which are expressed as words in the Arabic language. ...

External links

• Saying Bismillah - Virtues and Ocassions - Collection of Sayings from Authentic Hadiths
• Bismallah as in Tadabbur-i-Qur'an

Tadabbur-i-Qur’an is a tafsir (exegeses) of the Quran by Amin Ahsan Islahi based on the concept of thematic and structural coherence, which was originally inspired by Allama Hamiduddin Farahi. ...

References