BESMELLĀH, Islamic formula meaning “in the name of God,” more fully Besmellāh al-raḥmān al-raḥīm “in the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful,” that stands at the head of every sūra of the Qurʾān (except sūra 9). The formula is also known as basmala or tasmīa.

i. Origin of the formula

ii. In exegesis, jurisprudence, and cultural life