5a] The difference of scholarly opinion as to whether the Basmalah counts as a verse of al-Faatihah does not come under the heading of distortions of the Qur’aan

5a]
The scholars differed concerning the Basmalah: is it a verse at the beginning of each soorah, or only at the beginning of al-Faatihah, or is it not a verse at all? As for the words of Allah in Soorat an-Naml, “Verily! It is from Sulaiman (Solomon),and verily! It (reads): In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful” [an-Naml 27:30],this is a verse of the Qur’aan according to scholarly consensus.
With regard to Soorah Baraa’ah (at-Tawbah), the Basmalah is not a verse thereof, according to scholarly consensus. But there is a difference of scholarly opinion concerning other cases. Some of these scholars of Usool stated that the Basmalah is not part of the Qur’aan, and some said that it is part of it in al-Faatihah only. And it was said that it is a verse at the beginning of every soorah. This is the view ofash-Shaafa‘i (may Allah have mercy on him).
One of the best things that have been said concerning this matter, to reconcile between all the opinions, is that in some recitations, such as the recitation of Ibn Katheer, the Basmalah is a verse ofthe Qur’aan, and in some other recitations it is not averse, and there is nothing strange about that.
In the verse in Soorat al-Hadeed, “Fa inna Allahahuwa al-Ghaniy ul-Hameed (then Allah is Rich (Free of all wants), Worthy of all praise)” [al-Hadeed 57:24], the word “huwa” is part of the Qur’aan according to the recitations of Ibn Katheer, Abu ‘Amr, ‘Aasim, Hamzah, and al-Kasaa’i, and it is not part of the Qur’aan according to the recitations of Naafi‘ and Ibn ‘Aamir, because they recited it “Fa inna Allaha al-Ghaniy al-Hameed”. And in some Mushafs the word “huwa” is present and in others it is not present.
In the passage “so wherever you turn yourselves or your faces there is the Face of Allah (and He is High above, over His Throne). Surely! Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures needs, All-Knowing. And they (Jews, Christians and pagans) say: Allah has begotten a son (children or offspring)” [al-Baqarah 2:115-116], the waw (in the phrase wa qaalu attakhadha Allahu waladan/and they say: Allah has begotten a son) is present in the recitationof the seven, except for Ibn ‘Aamir; according to the recitation of Ibn ‘Aamir it is not part of the Qur’aan, because he recited it as “Qaalu attakhadha Allahu waladan (They say Allah has begotten a son)”, without the waw. So it is omitted in the Mushaf of the people of ash-Shaam (greater Syria), and there are other exaples.
Thus it is known that it does not matter whether the Basmalah is regarded as a verse in some recitations and not others.The scholars are agreed on this point.
End quote from al-Madhkarah fi Usool al-Fiqh, p. 66, 67.
And Allah knows best.

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