I say, and with God's help: The question of whether the Basmala (the phrase "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful") is an ayah (verse) from Al-Fatiha (the Opening) is a controversial issue among readers and jurists. The Hanafi school holds that it is not a verse from Al-Fatiha, but rather a unique verse brought to begin the surahs (chapters). Our position is that we do not recite it aloud, neither in silent prayers nor in audible ones, and Allah knows best.