BENEFIT:

Key: الاستعاذة: أعوذ بالله من الشيطان. البسملة: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم. Question: Should the استعاذة and بسملة be read audibly or quietly when reciting Qur'ān, and does the same apply inside and outside of Salah? Sheikh Albani rahimahullah said: "Yes, we previously mentioned something about the استعاذة and the بسملة before recitation outside of prayer. We said: If the recitation outside of prayer is audible, then both the استعاذة and the بسملة should also be audible. But if the recitation is silent, then both the استعاذة and the بسملة should also be silent. This applies outside of prayer. As for during prayer, then both are read silently at all times, whether the prayer is silent or audible, as confirmed by authentic Sunnah (1)." Source: https://www.al-albany.com/audios/content/143179/%D9%87%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%B0%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%B3%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D9%8A%D9%86-%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A1%D8%A9-%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AC-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D9%83%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%A3%D9%85-%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7 __ (1) عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رضي الله عنه قَالَ: صَلَّيْتُ خَلْفَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَأَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ فَكَانُوا يَسْتَفْتِحُونَ بِـ ﴿الْحَمْدُ للهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ‏﴾ لاَ يَذْكُرُونَ ﴿بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ فِي أَوَّلِ قِرَاءَةٍ وَلاَ فِي آخِرِهَا .‏ Narrated Anas ibn Mālik may Allāh be pleased with him: "I observed prayer behind the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthman. They started (loud recitation) with: ﴿الْحَمْدُ للهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ‏﴾ [All Praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds] and did not recite ﴿بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾ (loudly) at the beginning of the recitation or at the end of it." [Sahih Muslim, 399 c]