Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Does one recite the basmala before reciting a sura (or three short aayaat) after the Fatiha in prayer?
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate.
Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,
It is not a specific sunna in prayer to recite the basmala (saying bismillah ) before the recitation of a sura after having recited the Fatiha.
However, it is good (hasan) to do so when starting to recite a sura from the beginning. [Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
Wassalam,
Faraz Rabbani