Reciting the Opening Formula Aloud (al-Jahr bi'l-Basmala)

With a single exception,^[1164] all suras of the Qur'an open with the phrase "In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful.” There was a dispute among Muslims about whether this opening formula was an integral part of the suras.

The dispute can be traced back to the early days of Islam. 'Ah is known to have considered the opening formula as an integral part of each and every sura in which it appeared and recited it aloud in his prayers.^[1168] By contrast, the Umayyads, who habitually disparaged and discouraged anything closely associated with 'All's name,^[1169] banned the practice.^[1170] The Shia^[1171] and the Ibadis^[1172] subsequently disagreed with the Sunnis on this point. They contin­ued to regard the opening formula as part and parcel of each sura in which it appears and to recite it in their prayers. The members of both schools recite the phrase aloud in those prayers that are required to be performed audibly, but the Imami Shi'a recite it aloud even when the rest of the prayer is to be performed quietly,^[1173] a practice interpreted as a symbol of defiance and a mark of their opposition to the Umayyads.^[1174] The anti-Umayyad sig­nificance of the practice persuaded the Shia to identify it as one of the five indicators of the faith—the five symbolic actions that draw a line between a Shi and a non-Shi in the Muslim community.^[1175] This in turn prompted some Sunni scholars to react by advising against the practice as a matter of creed, because of its symbolic significance.^[1176]

Here are a few reports on the matter from Ja'far al-Sadiq that demon­strate his position on the opening formula and his uniform adherence to the practice of reciting it aloud:

مخمد بن مسلم قال: سألت أبا عبد الله عن»الابح المثاني والقرآن العظيم«، أه الفاتحة؟ قال: نعم؛ قلت: بسم لله الرحمن الرحيم من الابح؟ قال: نعم! ه أفضلهن.^[1177]

[Muhammad b.

مسمح البرصي قال: صلت مح أني عبد الله فقرأ»سم الله الرحمن الرحيم الحمد لله وبل الحالمين«.^[1179]

[Misma' al-Basri:] I prayed with Abu 'Abd Allah, and he recited “In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Praise be to God, Lord of the Universe" [the opening of the first sura].

صفوان الحمال قال: صلت خلف أني عبد الله أجاهتا، فكان إذاكانت صلاة لا;بهرفيها جهرببسم لله الرجن الرحيم [وأخش ما سوى ذلك]. وكان تحهرى المعورين حميئا.^[1180]

[Safwan al-Jammal:] I prayed behind Abu 'Abd Allah for several days. When the prayer was one in which recitation was done qui­etly, he would recite "In the name of God the Beneficent, the Merci­ful” aloud [and recited everything else quietly].

حنان بن سدير قال: صلت خلف أبي عبد الله فتعؤذ إخفاء^[1182] ثم جهر ببسم الله الرحمنالرحيم.^[1183]٠⁶

[Hanan b. Sadir:] I prayed behind Abu 'Abd Allah. He recited the ta'aw- wudh/isti‘adha [that is, the declaration seeking refuge in God from the accursed devil, which precedes recitations of the Qur'an] quietly, and then he recited "In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful” aloud.

أبوحفص الصالخ قال: صلت خلف جعفرين محئئدفجهرببسم لله الرحمن الرحيم.^[1184]

[Abu Hafs al-Sigh:] I prayed behind Ja'far b. Muhammad and he recited "In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful” aloud.

عبد الله بن يحتى الكاهلي قال: صلى بنا أبوعبد الله في مسجد بيكاهل، فجهرمرتين ببسم لله الرحمن الرحيم.^[1185]

['Abd Allah b. Yahya al-Kahili:] Abu 'Abd Allah led us in prayer in the mosque of the Banu Kahil^[1186] and he twice recited "In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful” aloud.

عبد الرحمن ين محتد قال: صلت خلف جعفر بن مخمد المغرب فجهر ببسم الله الرحمن الرحيم.^[1187]

['Abd al-Rahman b. Muhammad:] I prayed the maghrib prayer behind Ja'far b. Muhammad and he recited "In the name of God, the Benefi­cent, the Merciful” aloud.

VIII.