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Fatwa CenterBasmalah before writing or talking
Question
Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuhu. Is it recommended to write the Basmalah ("In the name of Allah") on top of every page of my notebook? When talking to someone, should we say "Bismillah, how are you my friend?" I need a detailed answer about these manners.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
Some scholars are of the view that it is a Sunnah to begin with the Basmalah at the beginning of every important matter.
The Fiqh Encyclopedia reads:
Some scholars are of the view that it is a Sunnah to begin every matter that is Islamically significant, that is not forbidden in itself, nor disliked in itself, nor idle talk or trivial matter, with the Basmalah (i.e. saying Bismillah [In the Name of Allah]) or Hamdalah (i.e. saying Al-Hamdulillah [Praise be to Allah]); each in its proper context as a way of seeking blessing. When the scholars start their talk, their speeches, their books, and all their important works, they begin with the Basmalah as a way of acting according to the saying of the Prophet : "Every important matter that does not start with Bismillah (in the Name of Allah) is devoid of blessings." Another narration reads, "Every important matter that does not start with Al-Hamdulillah (praise be to Allah) is devoid of blessings."
Based on the above, it is a Sunnah – according to some scholars – to write the Basmalah at the beginning of writing in your notebook. As regards writing it at the top of each and every page, then we have not come across any scholar who said that this is recommended, and it was not reported from the scholars – as far as we know – that they wrote the Basmalah at the top of each page of their books.
As for the Basmalah at the beginning of talking to someone, then, again, we have not come across any scholar who said that this is prescribed. Rather, what is confirmed in the Sunnah is that anyone who meets his fellow Muslim should greet him with the Salaam greeting. Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet said, "When one of you meets his brother, he should greet him with the Salaam, then if he meets him again after a tree, wall, or stone comes between them, he should also greet him." [Abu Daawood and others; Al-Albaani graded it as authentic]
Allah knows best.
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