Which Surah of the Quran Does Not Begin With the Basmala?
ما السورة الوحيدة في القرآن الكريم التي لا تبدأ بالبسملة؟
Surah At-Taubah (9).
هي سورة التوبة (9).
1. The Only Surah Without the Basmala | السورة الوحيدة بلا بسملة
Of the 114 surahs of the Quran, 113 open with the Basmala: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Surah At-Tawbah, the ninth surah, opens directly with a declaration of disassociation from Allah and His Messenger (9:1). The Basmala still occurs 114 times in the Quran, because Surah An-Naml contains it twice, as explained in which surah contains the Basmala twice. That second Basmala comes in Sulaiman's letter to the Queen of Sheba, explained in who was the first to write Bismillah.
بَرَاءَةٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ إِلَى الَّذِينَ عَاهَدتُّم مِّنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ (سورة التوبة: 1)
من سور القرآن المائة والأربع عشرة تفتتح مائة وثلاث عشرة سورة بالبسملة، أما سورة التوبة، وهي السورة التاسعة، فتبدأ مباشرة بقوله تعالى: (براءة من الله ورسوله إلى الذين عاهدتم من المشركين) (التوبة 9: 1). ويبقى عدد البسملات في القرآن مائة وأربع عشرة، لأن سورة النمل فيها بسملتان.
2. Why the Basmala Is Not Recited at Its Start | سبب ترك البسملة في أولها
Ibn Kathir explains that the Basmala is not recited at the start of At-Tawbah because the Companions did not write it at its head in the master copy of the Mushaf, following Uthman ibn Affan. When Ibn Abbas asked him about it, Uthman said that the Prophet passed away without making clear whether this surah was part of Al-Anfal, so he placed them together without the line of the Basmala (Jami at-Tirmidhi 3086). At-Tirmidhi graded the report hasan and al-Hakim called its chain sound, while some later scholars, among them al-Albani, judged it weak. The scholars' reasons are set out in why Surah At-Tawbah does not start with the Basmala.
بين ابن كثير أنه لا يبسمل في أول سورة التوبة لأن الصحابة لم يكتبوا البسملة في أولها في المصحف الإمام، والاقتداء في ذلك بأمير المؤمنين عثمان بن عفان رضي الله عنه. ولما سأله ابن عباس عن ذلك قال: قبض رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ولم يبين لنا أنها منها، فمن أجل ذلك قرنت بينهما ولم أكتب بينهما سطر بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم (جامع الترمذي 3086). وحسنه الترمذي، وصحح الحاكم إسناده، وضعفه بعض المتأخرين ومنهم الألباني.
3. Among the Last Surahs Revealed | من أواخر ما نزل
Al-Bara' ibn Azib said that the last surah revealed was Bara'ah (Sahih al-Bukhari 4654), and in another narration, the last surah revealed in full (Sahih al-Bukhari 4364). Bara'ah is one of the surah's names, as explained in what other name Surah At-Tawbah has. Ibn Kathir notes that its opening was revealed when the Prophet returned from the expedition of Tabuk. The surah also sets out the four sacred months and condemns the pagan practice of postponing them (9:36-37), explained in what An-Nasi means in At-Tawbah 9:37.
إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُورِ عِندَ اللَّهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ مِنْهَا أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ (سورة التوبة: 36)
قال البراء بن عازب رضي الله عنه: آخر سورة نزلت براءة (صحيح البخاري 4654)، وفي رواية: آخر سورة نزلت كاملة براءة (صحيح البخاري 4364). وذكر ابن كثير أن أول هذه السورة نزل لما رجع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم من غزوة تبوك. وفي السورة بيان الأشهر الحرم الأربعة وإنكار النسيء الذي كان يفعله أهل الجاهلية (التوبة 9: 36-37).
4. Seeking Refuge Before Reciting | الاستعاذة قبل التلاوة
A reader who starts At-Tawbah from its beginning goes straight into its first verse without the Basmala, since it was not written there. Seeking refuge with Allah from Satan before reciting still applies, as Allah says: when you recite the Quran, seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the accursed (An-Nahl 16:98). Ibn Kathir explains that this command is a recommendation, and that most scholars place the seeking of refuge before the recitation. The words said before reading are explained in what we say before reading the Quran.
فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ (سورة النحل: 98)
من ابتدأ القراءة من أول سورة التوبة قرأ الآية الأولى بلا بسملة، لأنها لم تكتب في أولها، ويستعيذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم قبل القراءة، كما قال تعالى: (فإذا قرأت القرآن فاستعذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم) (النحل 16: 98). وبين ابن كثير أن هذا الأمر أمر ندب، وأن الجمهور على أن الاستعاذة تكون قبل التلاوة.
Scholarly Insight: Ibn Kathir notes that the opening of the surah came down when the Prophet returned from Tabuk and intended Hajj. He sent Abu Bakr as leader of the pilgrimage that year, to lead the people in their rites, to tell the polytheists that they would not perform Hajj after that year, and to proclaim Bara'ah among the people, and then he sent Ali after him to convey it on his behalf. Read more in the tafsir of Surah At-Tawbah.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Which surah of the Quran does not start with the Basmala?
Surah At-Tawbah, the ninth surah, also called Surah Bara'ah.
How does Surah At-Tawbah begin?
With a declaration of disassociation from Allah and His Messenger to the polytheists with whom the Muslims had made treaties (9:1).
Why is the Basmala not recited at its start?
Ibn Kathir explains that the Companions did not write it at the head of the surah in the master copy of the Mushaf, following Uthman ibn Affan.
Does the reader still seek refuge with Allah before reciting it?
Yes. Allah says: when you recite the Quran, seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the accursed (16:98), and the reader then begins directly with the first verse.
Prepared by Eng. Ghada Homad, founder of IslamFAQ, researched and written in consultation with qualified scholars, reviewed by Professor Khaled Jassem Al-Houli, Associate Professor of Comparative Jurisprudence and Islamic Politics, Faculty of Sharia and Islamic Studies, University of Kuwait. Read more about the authors and this project →