Basmala

//ˈbæsˌmɑlə// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The prepositional phrase بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم (bismi llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīm, “In the name of Allah, the merciful, the compassionate”). countable

    "The basmala, also known as the tasmiya, is an Arabic word for the phrase bi- smillah ir-rahman ir-rahim, “In the name of God most compassionate, most merciful.” This is the first verse of the Quran; it begins all of its chapters but one (Q9)..."

  2. 2
    Alternative form of basmala. alt-of, alternative, countable, uncountable

    "It is sunnat to say the Basmala when beginning to perform an ablution, to eat, to drink and to do any useful work."

  3. 3
    The act of uttering Bismillah. uncountable

Example

More examples

"Sami never starts eating without reciting the Basmala."

Etymology

From Arabic بَسْمَلَة (basmala)

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.