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The question

Is it valid to say "Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Rahim" before eating instead of "Bismillah"?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

The prescribed wording for naming (invoking God's name) when eating is "Bismillah" (In the name of Allah), as narrated by Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Scholars have differed on whether one says "Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim" (In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful). Most of them hold that there is no harm in this addition, while others believe that it is better to stick to "Bismillah" only, as there is no specific evidence indicating the superiority of the addition.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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