Taberî defends the view that the Basmala is not a verse of Surat al-Fatiha; for if it were, the same verse would need to be repeated in two nearby places with the same wording and meaning, which is a situation that has no precedent in the Qur'an. He also transmits the view narrated from Ibn Abbas regarding the difference in meaning between the names al-Rahman and al-Rahim (al-Rahman: one who is merciful to those who show mercy to him, al-Rahim: one who is gentle to those toward whom he shows gentleness), but he considers the view transmitted from the Prophet and from al-Urzami to be closer (preferable) to this. As a third view, he transmits that al-Rahman encompasses all creatures while al-Rahim encompasses only believers; in another narration, al-Rahman refers to mercy in this world and the next, while al-Rahim refers only to mercy in the afterlife.

وغير موجود في شيء من كتاب الله آيتان متجاورتان : الرقيق الرفيق بمن أحب أن يرحمه، والبعيد الشديد على من أحب أن يعنف عليه

According to Zemahsheri, the phrase 'bismillahi majaraha wa mursaha' comes as a circumstantial clause (hal) from the verb 'irkab' (embark); meaning that those boarding the ship are meant to do so while reciting God's name or the Basmala as the ship moves and stops. According to him, the words 'majra' and 'mursa' are either temporal nouns (time) or they are verbal nouns (masdar) in the accusative as an annexed noun (muzaf ileyh) with time elided, just as in the phrases 'hufuqu'n-najm' and 'muqdamu'l-hajj'. Additionally, the possibility of these words having a locational meaning is mentioned, in which case it is noted that from a grammatical perspective, an element carrying the meaning of verb or speech (qaul) governs their accusative case.

باركبوا حالا من الواو ، بمعنى : اركبوا فيها مسمين الله أو قائلين بسم الله وقت إجرائها ووقت إرسائها

In this text, al-Razi transmits various hermeneutical and transmission-based subtle points in the context of the Basmala: he points out that the mentioning of God's names al-Rahman and al-Rahim after the names of might and power indicates that mercy is more comprehensive than wrath. He also transmits that when the servant begins an act with the Basmala, it is like a 'seal/stamp' placed upon it to protect it from the devil, and that the servant's drawing close to the remembrance of God is necessary so as not to remain distant from Him in this world and the next. The stories of Pharaoh and the beggar, along with the narration of Abu Bakr's ring, are presented as examples supporting these ideas.

السابعة : الله إشارة إلى القهر والقدرة والعلو ثم ذكر عقيبه الرحمن الرحيم وذلك يدل على أن رحمته أكثر وأكمل من قهره . الثامنة : كثيرا ما يتفق لبعض عبيد الملك أنهم إذا اشتروا شيئا من الخيل والبغال والحمير وضعوا عليها سمة الملك لئلا يطمع فيها الأعداء فكأنه تعالى يقول : إن لطاعتك عدوا وهو الشيطان فإذا شرعت في عمل فاجعل عليه سمتي وقل : بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم حتى لا يطمع العدو فيها .

In this section, Ibn Kathir addresses the etiquette of recitation (qiraat adab) related to the recitation of Surat al-Fatiha in prayer; he transmits that the Prophet recited by pausing between verses and that it is recommended (mustahabb) to recite the Qur'an in a measured way (tartil) with a beautiful voice. He also transmits the views of the predecessors (salaf) regarding whether the names al-Rahman and al-Rahim are derived from mercy (rahmah) and that the name al-Rahman cannot be given to anyone other than God.

أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يقطع قراءته حرفا حرفا فقرأ بعضهم كذلك وهم طائفة ومنهم من وصلها بقوله

According to Baydawi, the Basmala is a part of Surat al-Fatiha and every surah; this view is that of the Meccan and Kufan schools of recitation (qiraat) and jurisprudence (fiqh), of Ibn al-Mubarak, and of al-Shafi'i. In contrast, the Medinan, Basran, and Damascene schools of recitation and jurisprudence, as well as Malik and al-Awza'i, oppose this view; Abu Hanifa left no clear text on the matter. Baydawi prefers the view that the Basmala is counted as part of the surah by mentioning the hadiths that support it (the narrations of Abu Hurairah and Umm Salamah).

ولنا أحاديث كثيرة: منها ما روى أبو هريرة رضي الله تعالى عنه، أنه عليه الصلاة والسلام قال: «فاتحة الكتاب سبع آيات، أولاهن بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم»