Why did Surat al-Tawbah not begin with the Basmala like the other surahs?
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The questioner : He asks why Surat al-Tawbah did not begin with the Basmala like the other surahs. He says that when they want to read it, they say before starting: “I seek refuge in Allah from the Fire, from the evil of the disbelievers, and from the anger of the Mighty One; glory belongs to Allah and His Messenger,” and then they begin the surah. Is this prescribed or contrary to the Sunnah?
The Shaykh : This supplication you mentioned when beginning Surat al-Bara’ah is an innovation with no basis. It is not permissible for a person to begin the surah with it. I saw this, when I was young, written in the margin of some mushafs. It is obligatory for anyone who comes across it to erase it and remove it, because this is among the religious innovations that did not come from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). As for the first part of the question, which is that this surah did not begin with the Basmala, it is because it came this way. If the Basmala had been part of it, it would have been preserved and would have been present, because Allah says:[Al-Hijr 15:9] So it came this way from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). It was difficult for the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), as is narrated from Uthman, to determine whether it is an independent surah or the end of Surat al-Anfal. So they placed a separator between them without the Basmala. Placing the separator here is a ruling between two rulings: if it had been established that it is part of the remainder of al-Anfal, there would have been no separator and no Basmala; and if it had been established that it is independent, there would have been a Basmala and a separator. Since neither of these was established, they made a separator. This was an exercise of independent legal reasoning that agreed with the truth. I know with certainty that if the Basmala had been revealed before this surah, it would have remained without doubt, because Allah says: [Al-Hijr 15:9] Therefore, it is not prescribed for a person when beginning Surat al-Bara’ah to say “Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim.”
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
This listener is N.A. from the Democratic Republic of Yemen, Aden.
The Shaykh : This supplication you mentioned when beginning Surat al-Bara’ah is an innovation with no basis. It is not permissible for a person to begin the surah with it. I saw this, when I was young, written in the margin of some mushafs. It is obligatory for anyone who comes across it to erase it and remove it, because this is among the religious innovations that did not come from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). As for the first part of the question, which is that this surah did not begin with the Basmala, it is because it came this way. If the Basmala had been part of it, it would have been preserved and would have been present, because Allah says:
Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian.
إِنا نحن نزلنا الذكر وإنا له لحافظونIndeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian.
إِنا نحن نزلنا الذكر وإنا له لحافظونThe questioner : May Allah bless you.
This listener is N.A. from the Democratic Republic of Yemen, Aden.