بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيم
The Basmala (Arabic: بَسْمَلَة, Lit: “In the name of Allah “) is the Islamic phrase bi-smi llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīm (بِسْمِ ٱللَّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ), “In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.” It is one of the most important phrases in Islam and is used by Muslims in various contexts, mostly before starting “good deeds” (for instance, during daily prayer) and most daily actions.
It is used in over half of countries’ constitutions where Islam is the official religion, or more than half of the population follows Islam. It is usually the first phrase in the preamble, including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Pakistan, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates.
The phrase recited before each chapter (surah) of the Al-Quran – except for the ninth surah. In Arabic calligraphy, the Basmala is one of the most prevalent motifs.