Bismillah translates to “with the name of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala)”.

Ikhlaas

When we begin anything with Bismillah, we are showing sincerity (ikhlaas) towards Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala). We are dedicating our action to Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) and we are also starting it with him in mind.

Barakah

We are seeking the help of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) to perform our action/deed. Without the help of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) we cannot perform any action. So by saying Bismillah we are making a dua to Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) to help us complete that action. We are seeking his blessings (barakah).

Qabool

By saying Bismillah, we want Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) to accept our deeds (mainly the religious ones).

In the earlier generations the letter “ب” (ba) of the bismillah was written with a long rope(the first vertical line in the letter of ba) to indicate the power of bismillah. According to early scholars, this was because when we said Bismillah our acts were attached to the name of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) and there was barakah in it.

The “ism” in Bismillah arguably comes from the word “sumu” which means height. So when we call on Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) by saying Bismillah we are acknowledging that the standard/grandeur of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) is high. Among the people that came before us, like banu-israel, they would argue in their tradition that the name of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) shouldn’t be said since it’s too sacred. They would instead have code names to address Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala). So Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) begins his Quran by asking us to call on his name and use his name and attach everything we do with his name and that’s Bismillah.

Difference of opinions with Basmala:

Status of Bismillah-ir-rahman-ir-rahim in Surah Al-Fatiha: According to some scholars (from Mecca and Kufa), it is part of Surah Al-Fatiha and according to other scholars (from Madina, Basara etc) it is not a part of Surah Al-Fatiha. But all scholars agree that it is part of the Quran (in Surah Naml). The Shafi and Hambali school of law agree that Bismillah-ir-rahman-ir-rahim is part of Surah Al-Fatiha whereas the other schools (Hanafi and Maliki) agree that the verse is not part of Surah Al-Fatiha. But all groups agree that Surah Al-Fatiha is 7 verses (because Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) called it Saba ’al-masani). According to the Hanafi and Maliki schools, the last verse is split into two i.e. siraatal-lazeena an’amta ‘alaihim, and ghayril-maghdoobi ‘alaihim wa lad-daaalleen are two separate verses.

Silent recitation or loud recitation: According to Shafi school of Law, during Salah, the verse Bismillah-ir-rahman-ir-rahim must be recited out loud. The other schools disagree and say that the verse must be recited silently because of the following hadith.