Should I Recite the Basmala When Starting Sura al-Tawba Midway?

Question: Assalamu alaykum, We do not start Surah al-Tawba with Bismillah. However, if we recite partial in one day and rest the next day, do we start with Bismillah then or not?

Answer:

Wa ‘alaykum assalam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.

I pray you are well.

The sunna is that you do not recite the basmala when you start sura al Tawba at the beginning. However, if you stop and then restart at any point, or if you start anywhere else in the sura, you can recite or omit the basmala for that recitation. The choice is yours. [Al-Munir fi Ahkam al-Tajwid]

Perhaps you should study tajwid with a qualified reciter. Spending time with someone who loves the Qur’an is a very effective way of developing an affinity for it too. May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital and he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.