Which Surah of the Quran Contains the Basmala Twice?
ما هي السورة التي فيها بسملتان (بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم)؟
In Surah An-Naml: at the beginning of the surah, and in the following ayah: (It is from Solomon, and it reads: “In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.”) [An-Naml 27:30]
في سورة النمل: في بداية السورة، وفي الآية التالية: (إِنَّهُ مِن سُلَيْمَانَ وَإِنَّهُ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ) [النمل 27: 30]
1. Two Basmalas in One Surah | بسملتان في سورة واحدة
Surah An-Naml opens with the Basmala like the other surahs, and the Basmala occurs again within it, in verse 30, at the head of Sulaiman's letter to the Queen of Sheba. Of the 114 surahs, 113 open with the Basmala; Surah At-Tawbah does not, as explained in which surah does not start with the Basmala. The Basmala therefore appears 114 times in the Quran.
إِنَّهُ مِن سُلَيْمَانَ وَإِنَّهُ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ (سورة النمل: 30)
تفتتح سورة النمل بالبسملة كسائر السور، ثم ترد البسملة في أثنائها في الآية 30 في صدر كتاب سليمان عليه السلام إلى ملكة سبأ. ومن سور القرآن المائة والأربع عشرة تفتتح مائة وثلاث عشرة سورة بالبسملة، ولم تفتتح بها سورة التوبة، فيكون عدد البسملات في القرآن مائة وأربع عشرة.
2. Sulaiman's Letter to the Queen of Sheba | كتاب سليمان إلى ملكة سبأ
The queen told her chiefs that a noble letter had been delivered to her: it is from Sulaiman, and it reads: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful; do not exalt yourselves against me, but come to me in submission (27:29-31). The letter followed the hoopoe's report, told in how Sulaiman learned about the Queen of Sheba; the hoopoe's mentions in the Quran are counted in how many times the hoopoe is mentioned.
أَلَّا تَعْلُوا عَلَيَّ وَأْتُونِي مُسْلِمِينَ (سورة النمل: 31)
قالت الملكة لقومها: (يا أيها الملأ إني ألقي إلي كتاب كريم * إنه من سليمان وإنه بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم * ألا تعلوا علي وأتوني مسلمين) (النمل 27: 29-31)، وكان ذلك بعد أن جاء الهدهد بخبرها.
3. Letters Opened With the Name of Allah | افتتاح الكتب باسم الله
The Prophet's letter to Heraclius opened: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. From Muhammad, the servant of Allah and His Messenger, to Heraclius, the ruler of the Romans (Sahih al-Bukhari 2941). The question of who first wrote these words is answered in who was the first to write In the Name of Allah.
وكان كتاب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم إلى هرقل: "بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم، من محمد عبد الله ورسوله إلى هرقل عظيم الروم" (صحيح البخاري 2941).
4. The Name of Allah in Other Verses | ذكر اسم الله في مواضع أخرى
The Name of Allah is invoked at the start of actions elsewhere in the Quran too: Nuh told those with him: Embark in it; in the name of Allah is its course and its anchorage (Hud 11:41). What a Muslim says when riding is explained in the supplication when riding any means of transport. The Quran itself opens with the Basmala and Al-Fatihah; read more in the tafsir of Surah Al-Fatihah. Al-Fatihah is one of three surahs whose name never occurs in their own verses, as explained in which three surahs do not mention their own names.
وَقَالَ ارْكَبُوا فِيهَا بِسْمِ اللَّهِ مَجْرَاهَا وَمُرْسَاهَا ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّي لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ (سورة هود: 41)
وجاء ذكر اسم الله عند ابتداء الأعمال في مواضع أخرى من القرآن، كقول نوح عليه السلام: (اركبوا فيها بسم الله مجراها ومرساها) (هود 11: 41).
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Which surah contains the Basmala twice?
Surah An-Naml (27): at its opening and in verse 30.
Where is the second Basmala in Surah An-Naml?
In verse 30, at the head of Sulaiman’s letter to the Queen of Sheba.
What did Sulaiman’s letter say?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful; do not exalt yourselves against me, but come to me in submission (An-Naml 27:30-31).
How many times does the Basmala appear in the Quran?
114 times: at the opening of 113 surahs, every surah except At-Tawbah, and once within An-Naml 27:30.