[Machine] Qatadah asked Anas ibn Malik, "With what did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ initiate the recitation?" Anas replied, "Verily, you are asking me about something that no one has asked me about before."
قَتَادَةُ سَأَلْتُ أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ بِأَيِّ شَيْءٍ كَانَ يَسْتَفْتِحُ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ الْقِرَاءَةَ؟ قَالَ إِنَّكَ لَتَسْأَلُنِي عَنْ شَيْءٍ مَا سَأَلَنِي عَنْهُ أَحَدٌ
I observed prayer along with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and with Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman (may Allah be pleased with all of them), but I never heard any one of them reciting Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim loudly. (Using translation from Muslim 399a)
صَلَّيْتُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ وَأَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ فَلَمْ أَسْمَعْ أَحَدًا مِنْهُمْ يَقْرَأُ {بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ} [الفاتحة 1] قَالَ حَجَّاجٌ قَالَ شُعْبَةُ قَالَ قَتَادَةُ سَأَلْتُ أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ بِأَيِّ شَيْءٍ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَسْتَفْتِحُ الْقِرَاءَةَ؟ فَقَالَ إِنَّكَ لَتَسْأَلُنِي عَنْ شَيْءٍ مَا سَأَلَنِي عَنْهُ أَحَدٌ