Note 33 — THE THREE CALENDERS, SONS OF KINGS, AND THE FIVE LADIES OF BAGDAD (continued 2)
Reading edition
Bismillah. All the chapters of the Koran, except nine, begin with this word. Its meaning is, "In the name of the merciful God." It is said to be frequently used in conversation by the Arabs.—Sale's Preliminary Dissertation, p. 153.