The 365 · Sunnah · Day 261 · Quran
Beginning Qur'an Recitation with Istiʿādhah and Basmalah
The hadith
فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ فَٱسْتَعِذْ بِٱللَّهِ مِنَ ٱلشَّيْطَّٰنِ ٱلرَّجِيمِ
Allah said: When you recite the Qur'an, seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shayṭān. (Qur'an 16:98)
Svenska: Gud sa: När du reciterar Koranen, sök tillflykt hos Gud från den förkastade Shayṭān. (Koranen 16:98)
Qur'an 16:98, the explicit command. The Sunnah is to begin every recitation session with aʿūdhu bi-llāhi min al-shayṭāni al-rajīm, then bismi-llāhi al-Raḥmāni al-Raḥīm (except when starting from Sūrat al-Tawbah, which has no bismillāh).
The story
The Prophet ﷺ would not begin recitation without these two openings. ʿAʾishah radiya Allāhu ʿanhā reported that when he rose at night to pray tahajjud, he would begin with istiʿādhah, then basmalah, then Fātiḥah, then his other recitation. The pattern was preserved as the entry-protocol for every sitting with the Speech of Allah.
Why it's here
Allah named the entry. Before the verses, the believer protects himself from the one who will try to distract him from receiving them. Then he opens with Allah's name, the door of every blessed thing. The two are paired: refuge first, opening second. The recitation begins with this two-step entry, the Prophet's ﷺ daily pattern.
Try it today
1) Before every Qur'an reading session, say both openings slowly with meaning. 2) Remember the meanings: 'I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shayṭān' (protection) and 'In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful' (opening). 3) Do not begin recitation absent-mindedly.
In your day
Before opening the muṣḥaf, say aʿūdhu bi-llāhi min al-shayṭāni al-rajīm, then bismi-llāhi al-Raḥmāni al-Raḥīm. Slow these two. Do not rush past them. The protection is real; the opening is real. They are not throat-clearing; they are the keys.
A reflection to carry
Notice the order. Refuge first, then opening. The Sunnah is to protect yourself BEFORE opening, not after. Most of us open the Qur'an at the moment we feel inspired and dive in; the Sunnah is to take ten seconds first to push Shayṭān away from the session. Without that step, the distractions are stronger; with it, the angels surround the recitation. The two phrases are short and seemingly small; their effect is structural.
Read the longer reflection
Ibn al-Qayyim writes that the istiʿādhah is not a formality; it is an actual protection. When the believer says aʿūdhu bi-llāhi min al-shayṭāni al-rajīm sincerely, Shayṭān is repelled from the recitation. The basmalah then opens. Without the istiʿādhah, the recitation can be sabotaged by waswasah (whispering distractions); with it, the recitation is clear. We have all experienced both. The recitations we entered without the two openings often felt heavy, distracted, the heart wandering, the mind chasing thoughts. The recitations we entered with the two openings often felt different: heart present, eyes wet, mind clear. The difference is the entry. Tonight, when you sit with the muṣḥaf, take ten seconds first. Say both phrases slowly. Mean them. Then begin. Watch what changes. The Sunnah's smallest gestures often produce the largest spiritual differences. Yā Allāh, accept our recitation. Send away the distractor. Open the door with Your name. Let our Qur'an sessions be sessions the angels gather around. Āmīn.
Sources: Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi. The Qur'an and its translation are verified; the scholarship is retold faithfully in our own words and credited to its sources, never reproduced verbatim.
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