Ta'awwuz and Tasmiah before starting to recite the Quran and before starting to read Surah Taubah

Q. When should one read Ta'awwuz (A'ouzoubillahi minashaitaanir rajeem) and Tasmiah (Bismillahir rahmaanir raheem) when one recites the Qur'an-e-Karim? Why is it said that one should not read Tasmiah before starting to read Surah Taubah?

R. One should read Ta'awwuz (i) when one begins to read the Qur'an. (ii) when one resumes a recitation that one had to interrupt.

As for the Tasmiah, it must be read at the beginning of each Surah. It is optional to recite Tasmiah if one begins to read the Qur'an-e-Karim at a place other than at the beginning of a Surah, however, it is best to read it. But Ta'awwuz, in this case, must be read.

The second part of your question about reciting Tasmiah (Bismillah) before starting Surah Taubah requires a detailed explanation as follows:

A Surah is made up of several verses. And not all the verses of a Surah were necessarily revealed at once. At the end of a Surah and before the beginning of another, Allah Ta'ala reveals "Bismillah" to indicate that the previous Surah is over and a new Surah is going to be revealed.

THE CASE OF SOURAH TAUBAH

During the compilation of the Qur'an Majid, Hadhrat Usman (Radiyallahu anhu), did not find "Bismillah" at the beginning of Surah Taubah. This made him think that the Surah is not a separate Surah, but is part of another Surah. The question then was to know which other Surah, the Surah Taubah could be a part of. Upon analysis, it was found that its content is very similar to that of Surah Anfaal. In addition, Hadhrat Usman (Radiyallahu anhu) remembered that at the time of the Prophet (Sallallaahu A'laihi Wasallam) these two surahs were known as "Qareenatain" which means two things that are connected to each other. Hadhrat Usman (Radiyallahu anhu) has therefore, placed the Surah Taubah immediately after the Surah Anfaal.

In view of the possibility that the two Surahs - Anfaal and Taubah - are one Surah, Hadhrat Usman (Radiyallahu anhu) did not place "Bismillah" between the two Surahs, that is, at the beginning of the Surah Taubah. Moreover, he had not found "Bismillah" at the beginning of this Surah, which suggests that the Prophet (Sallallaahu A'laihi Wasallam) had not ordered his scribes to do so. This is the main reason why one does not read "Bismillah" if one begins to recite Surah Taubah, immediately after reciting Surah Anfaal. One can even make "Iqlaab" between the last word of the Surah Anfaal and the first word of the Surah Taubah.

However, if one begins to recite Surah Taubah without first reciting Surah Anfaal just before it, which immediately precedes Surah Taubah, one may recite "Bismillah." In this case, one must recite Ta'awwuz as well. One must do the same thing if one begins to recite in a place other than at the beginning of this Surah. In other words, with the exception of what has just been explained above, the same rules as the other Surahs apply to Surah Taubah. It should be remembered here that although Hadhrat Usman (Radiyallahu anhu) did not put "Bismillah" between the Surah Anfaal and the Surah Taubah, he did leave a blank space between them to indicate that it is also possible that the two Surahs are indeed two different and separate Surahs.

[English version of "Taa'wwouz et Tasmiah avant de réciter le Qour'aan-é-Karîm et avant de commencer à lire le Sourah Taubah" – Al Haadi – Vol. 1 No. 4]