Source: Fatāwā al-Dīn al-Khāliṣ, Vol 1, Page 213
❖ Question:
Is it permissible to recite Bismillah while counting money? And in which scenarios does the command to recite Bismillah appear in the Hadith?
✔ Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
Wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh
◈ Ruling on Reciting Bismillah While Counting Money:
Reciting Bismillah while counting money—or while counting anything—is not only permissible but is actually a recommended (mustaḥabb) practice.
✿ Statement of Imām Ibn Kathīr رحمه الله:
Imām Ibn Kathīr رحمه الله states in Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr (Vol. 1, Page 18):
“It is recommended to say Bismillah when one’s foot slips. As Imām Aḥmad رحمه الله has narrated, one should not say, ‘Shayṭān made me slip.’ Because when you say:
نَعِسَ الشَّيْطَانُ,
the Shayṭān becomes arrogant and says: ‘I made him fall with my strength.’
But when you say Bismillah, he becomes humiliated like a fly.
Then he said: ‘This is due to the blessing of Bismillah.’”
✿ Recommended Instances for Saying Bismillah (In Light of Hadith):
① Before every statement or action, reciting Bismillah is mustaḥabb (recommended).
② At the beginning of a sermon (khuṭbah), saying Bismillah is recommended, based on the Hadith:
“Any action that is not begun with Bismillah is devoid of blessings.”
③ Upon entering the toilet, saying Bismillah is mustaḥabb and is proven from Hadith.
④ At the beginning of ablution (wuḍū’), saying Bismillah is obligatory, as per the Hadith:
“The ablution of one who does not mention the name of Allah is invalid.”
⑤ Before slaughtering an animal, saying Bismillah is recommended.
⑥ Before eating, reciting Bismillah is recommended and according to some opinions obligatory, and this is the more correct view.
⑦ During marital relations, reciting Bismillah is also recommended.
⑧ There are many other occasions where saying Bismillah is recommended.
✅ Conclusion:
Reciting Bismillah while counting money is entirely permissible and a source of blessing, because there is general encouragement in Hadith to begin every statement and action with Bismillah. Multiple narrations emphasize this recommendation.
ھذا ما عندي واللہ أعلم بالصواب
