Seeking Refuge, Saying the Basmala, and Saying Ameen During Recitation of the Qur’an

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Question: Assalam ‘alaikum,
1) Does every chapter begin with the seeking refuge from ​Satan? Does every chapter end with “Ameen”? Is it part of the Qur’an?
2) When reciting the Fatiha outside of prayer, does one seek refuge from Satan before reciting it and then says Ameen after? Is it part of the Fatiha itself?

Answer: walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,
1. The seeking refuge (ta`awwudh) from ​Satan​–which is a turning to Allah, and seeking His protection and presence–is only done at the beginning of one’s recitation. ​ Allah Most High says, “When you recite the Qur’an, seek refuge from the Satan the Outcast.” [Qur’an, 16.98]
2. The basmala (bismi’l Llahi’r Rahmani’r Rahim, ‘In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate’) is sunna to recite before each sura, except Surat al-Tawba (Qur’an, 9).
3. Ameen is only said, during recitation of the Qur’an, after the Fatiha. (One can choose to say it to oneself after supplications that occur in the Qur’an, if one wishes.)
[ref: Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah; Ala’ al-Din Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-`Ala’iyya; Itr, Ulum al-Qur’an]
And Allah is the giver of success and facilitation.
Walaikum assalam,
Faraz Rabbani