basmalah (بسملة)

(Language: Arabic)

Alternate Spellings: basmala

Short Description: Formula of blessing, found at the beginning of all but one of the sūrahs of the Koran

Long Description: traditional Muslim formula of blessing, found at the beginning of all but one of the sūrahs of the Koran, the full form being Bismi ’Llāhi ’r-Rahmāni ’r-Rahîm (Arabic: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم), “In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful”.

Sources: Prayer Fashions Man: Frithjof Schuon on the Spiritual Life