Imam Suyuti says that there exists a hadith meaning “Basmala is the key to every book.” (Fayzu’l-Qadir, III, 191). However, as Suyuti states, that hadith is weak.

‘Basmala’ is the name of, ‘Bismillahirrahmanirrahim’ (In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful). ‘To say Basmala’ means ‘to recite Basmala’. In Arabic, there is a tradition of shortening some widely used sentences comprised of a few words. Expressing words like that is based on a necessity. The need to repeat words that have detailed meanings led men to find ways of expressing them shortly. There are other examples like that. For instance; Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah) is shortened as ‘hamdala’, salawat sharifa (prayers for the Prophet) as ‘salwala’, la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (there is no change or power except through Allah) as ‘havqala’, hasbunallah (Allah is enough for us) as ‘hasbiya’.

The widely used phrase ‘Auzu Basmala’ means to say; ‘Auzu billahi mina’sh-shaytanirrajim’ (I take refuge in Allah from the accursed Devil) and ‘Bismillahirrahmanirrahim’.

In the Arab community before Islam, there were some words to meet that need in accordance with their own understanding and belief like the expression (bismi’l-Lat wa’l-Uzza: in the name of Lat and Uzza). The expression ‘Bismika’llahumma’ (in the name of you, O Allah) was used by Arabs before Islam, too. That word was used for some time after Islam but after the basmala verse, "Innahu min sulaymana wa innahu bismillahirrahmanirrahim" ("It is from Solomon, and is (as follows): `In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful) (an-Neml, 30) was revealed, our Prophet and all of the Muslims always used ‘Bismillahirrahmanirrahim’. In addition, Hazrat Prophet (pbuh) ordered nothing else to be written in the first line where basmala was written (See DİA Basmala item. Qurtubi, I,92; Qalqashandi, VI, 211-215).

Basmala is a word that was especially made peculiar to this umma (community) after Sulaiman (pbuh) (Solomon). (See Qurtubi, Ahkam, Beirut, 1993, I, 88) Hazrat Prophet says the following regarding the issue: “A verse was revealed to me that was not revealed to any other prophet except Sulaiman, son of Dawud (David) and me. That verse is 'Bismillahi'r-rahmanirrahim." ( Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, İstanbul, 1984, I, 33.)

The hadith “Every important task that is not started with basmala becomes fruitless.” (Fayzu’l-Qadir, V, 13.) explains in a nice way the importance of basmala and how a Muslim should start his tasks.

Islamic culture makes it necessary for a person to start every task with the name of Allah. If it is done consciously and sincerely, it will yield the following three good results:

Firstly, it will keep a person away from evil deeds because the name of Allah will keep the person away from a bad intention or behavior and make him think about it.

Secondly, if a person mentions the name of Allah when starting a legitimate task, his each action will naturally be in compliance with the consent of Allah.

Thirdly, that person will receive the help and bounties of Allah and be protected from the seduction of the devil because Allah turns towards the person who turns towards Him. (Mawdudi, Tafhim, trns. Committee, İstanbul, 1996, I, 40.)

The most important element in Basmala is to recite the name of Allah and to mention it before starting to do something. Mentioning it before is to indicate that the help will be asked from Allah and to make the meaning peculiar to Allah. Leaving the thing to be done after basmala and mentioning the name of Allah first is to assign everything to the name of Allah. Basmala means “I start, I am starting this task with neither my name nor another’s name nor any name that can come to mind but with the name of Allah.”(Elmalılı, I, 39-40)

When a Muslim says “I start this task” with Basmala, he actually says “I am doing this task not for me but for Allah and with His order and for the sake of Him. A believer starts to eat, drink, read, speak, sit, stand up, lie down, sleep and all of his acts with Basmala. Basmala is a divine key granted to the believer. The believer opens all of the doors of his worldly and spiritual tasks with that key. All of the codes of the material and spiritual tasks that will make a person reach eternal happiness are deciphered by that key. The doors of belief, knowledge, wisdom, ethics, virtue, in short, all of the values that take a man to perfection are opened by it.

A Muslim should recite basmala when he enters the mosque, his house, office, shop, factory, school, barracks, when he opens his shop, when he starts his speech and his class, when he works in his vineyard, garden, office and at work; he should make it his lifestyle.

In the word Basmala, Allah is exalted and respect and honor are shown to Him. On the other hand, the devil, which Allah dismissed and excluded from His mercy, is damned, scorned and humiliated with it. Abu Mulayh reported that a man narrated the following: “I was riding on a mount behind the Prophet (pbuh). It stumbled. Thereupon I said: May the devil perish! He said: Do not say: May the devil perish! for if you say that , he will swell so much so that he will be like a house, and say: By my power. But say: In the name of Allah; for when you say that, he will diminish so much so that he will be like a fly.. (Abu Dawud, Adab, 85; Ahmad b. Hanbal, V, 59- 71, 365)

Does everything say bismillah?

Yes, everything says ‘bismillah’. There is no being that does not glorify Allah, that does not mention His name in its own language and that does not move in His name. The following is stated in a verse: “The seven heavens and the earth, and all beings therein, declare His glory: there not a thing but celebrates His praise; and yet ye understand not how they declare His glory! Verily He is Oft- Forbearing, Most Forgiving!.” (Chapter al-Isra,17/44)

A lot has been written about the word ‘thing’ that is mentioned in the verse. A lot has been said about what the word ‘thing’ includes and what it expresses. Eventually, the following was concluded in general: ‘It includes everything except Allah’. There were even some people who said even Allah is included in the word ‘thing’.

Therefore, it was stated that the things that glorified Allah included every being from atoms to galaxies in the verse. However, since this glorification is done in the special language of those beings, their language of state, creation, standing and the tasks they do, not everybody can understand it. However, those looking at things with the eye of knowledge, can even hear their glorification. When it is looked like that, the purring of a cat turns to “O Rahim, O Rahim, O Rahim”.

All things say this glorification beginning from atoms, alone and in units, to groups and congregations that they form. They say this glorification and basmala when they enter the world of being or life, in every period of their lives; for instance when they start a new day or a new task, they say: "In the Name of God" with the tongue of disposition, and they are in motion. That is, "I am moving in the name of God, for His sake, with His permission, and through His power." It is like our saying “Bismillahirrahmanirrahim”. Then, at the end of their motion, that is, when they leave the world or when they finish a task or when the day ends, each being or groups of being say with the tongue of disposition: "Alhamdu lillahi rabbil alamin. “ That is, by saying “All praise be to Allah, Sustainer of All the Worlds”, we finished this task with His permission and with success, each being recites a kind of ode. That ode shows itself to be like the tip of a tiny pen of power tracing the embroideries of the skillfully-worked creatures. Maybe, each of them shows itself to be like the point of a needle turning on creatures, each of which is like the record of a mighty, immaterial, Dominical gramophone with innumerable arms; they cause those creatures to recite odes glorifying their Sustainer and to hymn praises to Allah. (See Nursi, Sözler, (Words) The end of Thirtieth Word)

Each good deed should be started with Basmala

There are orders and advices of our beloved Prophet that every good deed should be started with basmala. He also said in the hadith above that, something that was not started with basmala would not end well.

Sheikh Muhammad Abduh says the following regarding the issue:

"As it is known, in each nation, and also in Arab nation, when someone wants to do something on behalf of a chief or a great personality, he says, without mentioning his own name, “in the name of such and such person”. Then, mentions that person’s name, which means, “I would not have done it if it had not been for him and his order”. We see the most obvious example of it in state courts. Before their oral judgments or decrees, the judges say, “in the name of such and such king or chief”.

Similarly, when a Muslim recites Basmala, he says "I am doing this task not for myself but in the name of Allah, with His order and permission and only for His sake."

Basmala cannot be translated

Basmala is, of course, a word that expresses a meaning. However, it is a symbol whose representative aspect outweighs its meaning. It represents the whole of our spiritual world. What it represents is more important than what its meaning is. What Basmala represents is in the forefront like a flag.