Discussion regarding the Basmala.

The Shaykh : Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. This Basmala is placed at the beginning of every surah, from the first, which is Surat al-Fatihah, to the last, which is Surat al-Nas. It is placed at the beginning of every surah except Surat al-Bara'ah, for there is no Basmala in it because it was not revealed to serve as a separator between it and Surat al-Anfal. For this reason, it was difficult for the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) to distinguish between them, so they placed a separator between them without inserting the Basmala. This indicates the extreme care the Companions took with the Noble Qur'an, and that they sought only what was confirmed in it, not what was not confirmed. This Basmala is placed in every surah, but it is not part of the surah that follows it; that is, it is not part of al-Fatihah, nor al-Baqarah, nor Aal 'Imran, nor al-Nas, nor the surahs in between. Rather, it is an independent verse. This is the stronger opinion. Some scholars held that it is a verse of al-Fatihah and not a verse of any other surah, but the correct view is that it is not a verse of al-Fatihah nor of any other surah, but rather an independent verse. Accordingly, the verses of al-Fatihah are as follows: The first verse The second verse The third verse The fourth verse The fifth verse The sixth verse The seventh verse And this division is what makes the surah two halves: the first three verses are for Allah, the last three are for the servant, and the fourth is between Allah and the servant. Thus, it becomes clear that the middle verse is His saying, the Exalted: And before it are three verses, and after it are three verses.