Does the division of the prayer (Salat) into halves between Allah and the servant include 'Bismillahi r-rahmani r-rahim'?
Chapter on the Description of Prayer
Al-Mughni
Book of Prayer
Primary text
The division of the prayer between Allah and His servant into halves is verified by the Hadith Qudsi narrated by Abu Hurairah, where Allah responds to the servant's recitation of Al-Fatiha verse by verse, stopping at the end of 'wa la aḍ-ḍāllīn'. If 'Bismillahi r-rahmani r-rahim' were counted as a verse, it would disrupt this established division, resulting in four and a half verses for praise and two and a half for supplication. The confirmed division means 'Bismillahi r-rahmani r-rahim' is not counted within this specific allocation for Al-Fatiha.
Supporting text
There is a narration suggesting the servant begins prayer with 'Bismillahi r-rahmani r-rahim', but this narration by 'Abdullah ibn Ziyad ibn Sam'an is rejected because Ibn Sam'an is considered a *matruk* (one whose traditions are abandoned), according to Al-Daraqutni. The consensus of the narrators against this narration takes precedence.