On the Meaning of the Term "Bismillahir-ramanir-raheem"
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On the Meaning of the Term
"Bismillahir-ramanir-raheem"

What Is this Arabic Bismillahir-ramanir-raheem ?

The meaning and transliteration of the symbols you have just seen are given below :

Meaning
In the Name of Allah (lit. The God), the Most Merciful, the Most Kind.

Transliteration
Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Raheem

Many people ask why the term "Allah" is used instead of "God" and assume it's use implies that Muslims worship a separate God. There is only ONE GOD - a belief held by followers of each of the three main world religions : Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

The Arabic term for "God"

The Arabic word for God is "illah". "Allah" is infact a conjunction of two words (i.e. Al-Ilah):
  • "Al" which means "The"
  • "Illah" which means "God"
The reasons for using the term "Allah" in favour of "God" are threefold:
  1. "Allah" has no gender. God can be male/female i.e. God/Goddess
  2. "Allah" is ONE and literally means THE GOD . God may be singular and plural
    i.e. God/Gods and Goddess/Goddesses
  3. "Allah" is the personal name of God as used in the Holy Qur'an