In his first question, he asks whether seeking refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaytan is sufficient when reciting al-Fatihah in prayer, or whether it is necessary to recite the Basmalah.

The questioner : In his first question, he asks whether seeking refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaytan is sufficient when reciting al-Fatihah in prayer, or whether it is necessary to recite the Basmalah. And if one seeks refuge and recites the Basmalah for al-Fatihah, does one recite the Basmalah for the surah or surahs that follow in the prayer, or is it necessary to recite the Basmalah when reading every surah after al-Fatihah in the prayer, even if multiple surahs are recited in the prayer?

The Shaykh : Seeking refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaytan is prescribed for every recitation. .
As for the Basmalah, if you intend to begin a surah from its start, you should recite the Basmalah, because the Basmalah is a verse that separates the surahs and is recited at the beginning of every surah, except for Surat al-Bara'ah, as Surat al-Bara'ah does not have a Basmalah at its beginning.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : Accordingly, if you intend to recite al-Fatihah in prayer, first seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaytan, then recite "In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate." The scholars have differed regarding the Basmalah in al-Fatihah: is it part of al-Fatihah or not? Some scholars held that it is part of al-Fatihah, but the correct view is that it is not part of it, and that the first verse of al-Fatihah is: , based on the authentic hadith of Abu Hurayrah found in the Sahih: إن الله تعالى قال: قسمت الصلاة بيني وبين عبدي نصفين، فإذا قال: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ، قال الله تعالى: حمدني عبدي، وإذا قال: الْرَّحمَانِ الْرَّحَيمِ قال الله: أثنى علي عبدي، وإذا قال: مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ قال الله تعالى: مجدني عبدي، وإذا قال: إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ قال الله هذا بيني وبين عبدي نصفين ولعبدي ما سأل، وإذا قال: اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ قال الله: هذا لعبدي ولعبدي ما سأل Indeed, Allah the Exalted said: "I have divided the prayer between Me and My servant into two halves. When he says: 'All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds,' Allah the Exalted says: 'My servant has praised Me.' When he says: 'The Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate,' Allah says: 'My servant has extolled Me.' When he says: 'Master of the Day of Judgment,' Allah the Exalted says: 'My servant has glorified Me.' When he says: 'You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help,' Allah says: 'This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for.' When he says: 'Guide us to the straight path,' Allah says: 'This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for.'". Accordingly, the first verse of al-Fatihah is , and it consists of seven verses: the first is , the second is , the third is , the fourth is , the fifth is , the sixth is: , and the seventh is .

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : As for the view that the Basmalah is part of al-Fatihah, then the first verse is the Basmalah, the second is , the third is: , the fourth is , the fifth is: , the sixth is , and the seventh is . However, the stronger view is that the Basmalah is not part of al-Fatihah, just as it is not part of the other surahs.