Analytical-Critical Review of the Narration of Silent Recitation of the Basmalah in the Quranic Chapters by Imam Ali (AS)

The dispersion of opinions on the issue of reciting the Basmalah aloud or in silence has become one of the areas of divergence of Islamic schools of thought, and the main reason for this dispute doubts the revelatory nature of the Basmalah and its being a part of every chapter of the Qur an. According to some definitive narratives that agree with rational axioms, the Basmalah is an essential part of the Qur’anic chapters. The Sirah of the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions, especially Imam Ali (AS) was based on reciting the Basmalah out loud, and any doubt about this issue paves the way for distortion of the Qur’an. However, in some Sunni sources, there is a hadith that contradicts what was mentioned above, as it indicates that Imam Ali (AS) recited the Basmalah in silence.