Nasai

914. Commentary:

➊ This is a unique characteristic of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam): even if he calls you during prayer, it is obligatory to go to him and to respond.

➋ There is a difference of opinion among the commentators regarding what is meant by "Sab‘ al-Mathani" (the Seven Oft-Recited). Ibn Mas‘ud, Ibn ‘Umar, and Ibn ‘Abbas (radi Allahu anhum) state that it refers to the seven long surahs, namely: al-Baqarah, Aal ‘Imran, al-Nisa’, al-Ma’idah, al-An‘am, al-A‘raf, and Yunus, because these surahs contain the obligations, legal limits, stories, and rulings. The second opinion is that it refers to Surah al-Fatihah, which consists of seven verses. This interpretation is transmitted from ‘Ali, ‘Umar, and, according to one narration, from Ibn Mas‘ud and Ibn ‘Abbas (radi Allahu anhum). See: [تفسیر الطبری : 14 : 72 ، 73]

Imam al-Bukhari rahimahullah narrates a hadith on this subject: Abu Hurairah (radi Allahu anhu) reports that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: «أُمُّ القرآنِ وَهيَ السَّبعُ المَثاني وَهيَ القرآنُ العظيمُ» "Umm al-Qur’an (Surah al-Fatihah) itself is the Sab‘ al-Mathani and the Magnificent Qur’an." [صحیح البخاري ، التفسیر ، حدیث : 4704]

This blessed hadith is evidence that Surah al-Fatihah itself is the Sab‘ al-Mathani, the seven verses recited repeatedly in prayer, and the Magnificent Qur’an. However, this does not preclude the seven long surahs from also being called Sab‘ al-Mathani, because they also possess this characteristic. Nor does it contradict the view that the entire Qur’an can be called Sab‘ al-Mathani, as Allah the Exalted says: «﴿اللَّهُ نزلَ أَحْسَنَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابًا مُتَشَابِهًا مَثَانِيَ﴾» [الزمر : 39 : 23]

"Allah has sent down the best statement, a Book, its verses resembling each other and repeated." That is, the verses and rulings of this Book are repeated again and again, and it is also the Magnificent Qur’an. Some say that Surah al-Fatihah is called the Qur’an because whatever is mentioned in the Noble Qur’an—regarding monotheism and messengership, the Hereafter, commands and prohibitions, glad tidings and warnings, blessings, stories and events, and the accounts of previous nations—has all been mentioned in Surah al-Fatihah in a concise and summarized manner. And Allah knows best.

➌ When the command of Allah and His Messenger comes, one should accept it immediately without hesitation, and should not present one’s own opinion or analogy, or that of any other member of the ummah, in opposition to it.

(b)
Master of the Day of Reckoning.

These two are inseparably linked because reckoning is for the purpose of recompense, and reward and punishment are not possible without reckoning.

Hadith Translation:
Musaddad bin Musarhad narrated to us, he said: Yahya bin Sa‘id al-Qattan narrated to us, from Shu‘bah, who said: Khabib bin ‘Abd al-Rahman narrated to me, from Hafs bin ‘Asim, and from Abu Sa‘id bin al-Mu‘alla radi Allahu anhu, who said: I was praying in the mosque when the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam called me in that very state, but I did not respond. (Later, when I presented myself,) I said: O Messenger of Allah! I was praying.

Upon this, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: Has not Allah the Exalted said to you:
﴿اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ ﴾
("Respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life.")

Then the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said to me: Today, before you leave the mosque, I will teach you a surah which is the greatest surah of the Qur'an.

Then he took my hand in his hand, and when he was about to leave, I reminded him that he had promised to tell me the greatest surah of the Qur'an.

He said:
﴿الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ﴾
("All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.") This is the Sab‘ al-Mathani (Seven Oft-Repeated Verses) and the Magnificent Qur'an which has been given to me.

Hadith Footnote:
Sab‘ al-Mathani are those seven verses which are recited repeatedly.

It is obligatory for both the imam and the follower to recite them in every unit (rak‘ah) of the prayer, and without their recitation, no one's prayer is valid.

This is the Magnificent Qur'an.

Allah the Blessed and Exalted has spoken the truth.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
In a narration from Abu Hurairah (radi Allahu anhu), this same incident is related concerning Ubayy ibn Ka'b (radi Allahu anhu). The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said to him:
"Shall I not inform you of a surah which has not been revealed in the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms, or the Criterion?"
(Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Fada'il al-Qur'an, Hadith: 2875)
From this hadith, the greatness and elevated status of Surah al-Fatihah becomes evident.

➋
This hadith also shows that no matter how important a task a person is engaged in, upon being called by the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), he should leave the prayer and immediately present himself.
In addition, from the hadith of Jurayj (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith: 1206), it is also understood that upon being called by either parent, a person should break his voluntary prayer (nafl salah) and present himself at once; failure to comply may result in severe consequences due to the supplication (du'a) of the parents.
Imam al-Bukhari (rahimahullah) has also established a chapter regarding this in his Sahih.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, al-'Amal fi al-Salah, Chapter: 7)

➌
It should be noted that Surah al-Fatihah is called "the Seven Oft-Repeated" (Sab' al-Mathani) for the following reasons:
* Its seven verses are recited repeatedly in prayer, or it was revealed twice: once in Makkah and a second time in Madinah al-Tayyibah.
* In it, the praise and glorification of Allah, the Exalted, is mentioned in a most comprehensive manner.
* This surah was granted to the Ummah of Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) as an exclusive and special gift.
In reality, whether "Mathani" is derived from "tathniyah" (repetition), "thana" (praise), or "istithna" (exclusivity), there is no contradiction among these interpretations.
For all these reasons, this surah is called "the Seven Oft-Repeated."
And Allah knows best.
It is called "the Great Qur'an" (al-Qur'an al-'Azim) because the fundamental subjects of the Noble Qur'an are concisely encompassed within this surah—as if the ocean has been contained within a jug.
That is: first, the knowledge of Allah and His praise and glorification; then, a comprehensive mention of reward and punishment on the Day of Judgment; after that, a declaration of complete avoidance of all forms of shirk (polytheism) and a supplication to remain steadfast upon the straight path (sirat al-mustaqim), as well as a brief explanation of the straight path. These are the very subjects that are elaborated upon in various ways later on.

➍
In some narrations of Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith: 4647), the addition of "the Great Qur'an" (al-Qur'an al-'Azim) is not present.
In those narrations where these words are found, the hadith scholars have explained that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) mentioned this in consideration of the wording of the Qur'anic verse (al-Hijr: 87), stating that, in addition to Surah al-Fatihah, the Great Qur'an was also given to me.
(Fath al-Bari: 8/199)

Hadith Commentary:
The complete verse of the Noble Qur’an is as follows: ﴿وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَاكَ سَبْعًا مِنَ الْمَثَانِي وَالْقُرْآنَ الْعَظِيمَ﴾ (al-Hijr: 87)
O Prophet! We have given you in the Noble Qur’an seven verses which are recited repeatedly, and which are verses of the Noble Qur’an possessing great magnificence, as if these verses are deserving to be called the “Great Qur’an” (Qur’an al-‘Azim).

The exegetes are unanimous that the verses mentioned in this verse refer to Surah al-Fatihah.

In the hadith, it is called Umm al-Kitab, meaning the root and foundation of the Noble Qur’an.

This is the very surah which every worshipper recites repeatedly in his prayer.

Whether the prayer is supererogatory (nafl), Sunnah, or obligatory (fard), this surah is recited in every single rak‘ah.

There is no other surah in the entire Qur’an which can serve as its substitute.

This surah has many names; it has also been referred to as “Salat” (prayer), as is narrated in the hadith qudsi from Abu Hurayrah radi Allahu anhu.

That Allah Ta‘ala said: “Qasamtu al-salata bayni wa bayna ‘abdi nisfayn” — I have divided the ‘Salat’ between Myself and My servant into two halves.

Thus, half of Surah al-Fatihah consists of praise, glorification, and sanctification of Allah, and the remainder contains supplications and the mention of their etiquettes and rules.

For this reason, it is explicitly stated in the hadith that (la salata liman lam yaqra’ bi-Fatihati al-Kitab)
— meaning, whoever does not recite Surah al-Fatihah in prayer, his prayer is nothing.

Therefore, most of the noble Companions, the Followers (Tabi‘in), and the Imams who are mujtahids, are of the opinion that reciting Surah al-Fatihah in every prayer is obligatory, and they have declared this to be the preferred and strongest position.

Imam Abu Hanifah rahimahullah and most of his companions rahimahumullah are of the opinion that reciting Surah al-Fatihah is recommended (mustahabb) in the audible (jahar) prayers.

In any case, Surah al-Fatihah is a surah of great rank and magnificence.

Every single verse of it is a great compendium of knowledge and the oneness of Allah (ma‘rifah wa tawhid ilahi).

It is a treasury of beliefs and deeds.

It is obligatory upon every fair-minded worshipper, whether he is an imam or a follower (muqtadi), to certainly recite this noble surah, so that no deficiency remains in the prayer.

There are many evidences for the obligation of reciting Surah al-Fatihah in every prayer, which have already been explained in detail previously in the Book of Prayer (Kitab al-Salat); it is necessary to study them there.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
The exegetes are unanimous that "al-sab‘ al-mathani" refers to Surah al-Fatihah, which is called Umm al-Kitab in another hadith.
This is the very surah that every worshipper recites in his prayer.
There is no other surah in the entire Qur’an that can substitute for it.
It has many names, and it has also been referred to as "Salat" because reciting this surah is obligatory in every prayer—whether it is supererogatory (nafl), Sunnah, or obligatory (fard), whether one is praying alone, as a follower (muqtadi), or as an imam.
Without it, the prayer is not valid.

➋
In any case, Surah al-Fatihah possesses great eminence and grandeur; every single verse of it is a vast register of knowledge, monotheism (tawhid), and divinity, and a treasury of beliefs and deeds.
It should be noted that during prayer, all speech is absolutely forbidden, but during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), if he called you, it was obligatory to respond.
The scholars of hadith have derived from the hadith of Jurayj that if either of one’s parents calls, one should break a supererogatory prayer (nafl) and immediately present oneself in service.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, al-‘Amal fi al-Salat, Chapter: 7)

1458. English Commentary: The status of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is such that it was obligatory to respond to his call immediately, even if a person was in prayer. And now, it is incumbent upon a believer that upon hearing the commands of the Book and the Sunnah, he should act upon them without resorting to excuses or arguments, and refrain from hesitation and procrastination, for in this lies life and salvation.

➋ The meaning of "aʿẓam" is not only being greater in quantity, but also refers to being greater in status and rank. From this, the meaning of the well-known narration among the masses—(fa idha ra'aytumu al-ikhtilafa fa ʿalaykum bi al-sawad al-aʿẓam) [سنن ابن ماجة۔ الفتن۔ حدیث:3950]—is also determined. Follow the "sawad aʿẓam," meaning the group that is superior. Although this narration is extremely weak, even if it is accepted to some degree, then here "aʿẓam" does not mean "the majority," but rather "the most virtuous." And virtue lies in following the Qur'an and Sunnah, not in the mere gathering of a crowd.