He—may Allah Most High have mercy on him—was also asked:

“Is ‘In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful’ a verse at the beginning of every surah? Please give us your ruling; may you be rewarded.”

He replied:

Praise be to Allah.

Muslims agree that it is part of the Quran in His words:

“It is from Solomon, and it is”

However, they differ concerning its occurrence at the beginnings of the surahs where it is written, holding three views:

The first is that it is not part of the Quran, but was written only to seek blessing through it. This is the view of Mālik and a group of Hanafi scholars. It is also reported as a position transmitted from Ahmad, but this attribution to him is not authentic, although it is a view held within his school.

The second is that it is part of every surah, either as a complete verse or as part of a verse. This is the view of al-Shāfiʿī—may Allah be pleased with him.

The third is that it is part of the Quran wherever it is written—a verse from the Book of Allah at the beginning of each surah—but is not part of the surah itself. This is the view of Ibn al-Mubārak and Ahmad