Reciting the Basmala aloud or reciting it silently

The questioner:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, what is better, reciting the Basmala aloud or reciting it silently?

The Shaykh:
Yes.

The questioner:
He says: What is better, to recite the Basmala aloud?

The Shaykh:
The imam, I mean. Huh?

The questioner:
This is Allah.

The Shaykh:
The imam, I mean, does he mean in the daytime or at night? The Basmala, yes, the Basmala. The Basmala is not part of al-Fatihah, so it is not recited aloud. In the hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) they begin the prayer with "All praise is to Allah, Lord of the worlds." They only say the Basmala silently. The Basmala is a recommended practice (sunnah) and not obligatory, and it is not recited aloud because it is not part of al-Fatihah. However, some scholars, such as al-Shafi'i, hold that it is a verse of al-Fatihah. If it is a verse of al-Fatihah, then it is obligatory to recite it aloud. Therefore, the Malikis and the Shafi'is recite it aloud because they hold that it is part of al-Fatihah. The majority hold that it is not part of al-Fatihah, but rather an independent verse that came to separate the surahs. So it is not part of al-Fatihah or any other surah; it is an independent verse. Yes.