Surah Al-Faatiha (1) — Ayah 1

In authentic ahadith, its name has come as {’’فَاتِحَةُ الْكِتَابِ، اَلصَّلَاةُ، سُوْرَةُ الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِيْنَ، سُوْرَةُ الْحَمْدِ، اَلسَّبْعُ الْمَثَانِيْ، اَلْقُرْآنُ الْعَظِيْمُ، اُمُّ الْقُرْآنِ‘‘} and {’’اُمُّ الْكِتَابِ‘‘}, as is mentioned in the ahadith about the virtues of Al-Fatihah. The abundance of names is evidence of the abundance of meanings and subjects of the surah.

Virtues of Surah Al-Fatihah: ➊ Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "Once, while Jibreel (peace be upon him) was sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he heard a sound of a door opening above him, so he raised his head and said: 'This is a door from the heavens that has been opened today, and it has never been opened before today.' Then an angel descended from it, and he said: 'This angel has descended to the earth, and he has never descended before today.' The angel greeted and said: 'Receive the glad tidings of two lights that have been given to you, which were not given to any prophet before you: Al-Fatihah of the Book and the last verses of Surah Al-Baqarah. You will not recite a single letter from them except that it will be granted to you.'" [ مسلم، صلاۃ المسافرین، باب فضل الفاتحۃ… ۸۰۶ ]

➋ Abu Sa'id bin Al-Mu'alla (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by me while I was praying. He called me, but I did not come until I had finished my prayer, then I came. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What prevented you from coming?" I said: "I was praying." He said: "Did not Allah say: O you who believe! Respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you?" Then he said: "Shall I not teach you the greatest surah in the Qur'an before you leave the mosque?" Then when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was about to leave the mosque, I reminded him, so he said: "'Alhamdulillahi Rabbil 'Alamin' is the 'Seven Oft-Repeated' (i.e., the seven verses that are recited repeatedly), and it is the Great Qur'an which has been given to me." [ بخاری، التفسیر، باب قولہ : «ولقد آتیناک سبعا… » : ۴۷۰۳ ]

➌ Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that we were on a journey, and when we stopped on the way, a girl came and said: "The chief of the tribe has been bitten by a snake and our people are not present, so is there anyone among you who can perform Ruqyah?" So, a man went with her, about whom we did not think he performed Ruqyah, he performed Ruqyah on him and he became healthy. The chief told him to take thirty sheep and gave us milk to drink. When he returned, we asked him: "Did you use to perform Ruqyah well?" He said: "No, I only performed Ruqyah with Umm al-Kitab." We said: "Do nothing until we reach the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." When we came to Madinah, we mentioned this to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said: "How did he know that this is Ruqyah? (Divide the sheep) and keep my share as well." [ بخاری، فضائل القرآن، باب فضل فاتحۃ الکتاب : ۵۰۰۷ ] In a narration of Bukhari (5736), it is mentioned that these people had refused to host Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) and his companions, and when they requested Ruqyah, the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) set the condition of thirty sheep by saying that you did not host us. In Muslim (2201), it is mentioned that the one who performed Ruqyah was Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) himself.

➍ Khārijah bin Ṣalt’s uncle (ʿAlāqah bin Ṣiḥār al-Tamīmī, may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and accepted Islam. Then he returned and passed by some people who had a madman bound in iron chains. His family said: “Your companion (i.e., the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him) has come with goodness, so do you have anything with which you can treat him?” So I performed ruqyah on him with Fātiḥat al-Kitāb and he was cured. They gave me one hundred sheep. I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and informed him (of the whole incident), so he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Did you recite anything else besides this?” I said: “No!” He said: “Take the sheep! By my life! Whoever eats with a false ruqyah (let him be), you have eaten with a true ruqyah.” [ أبوداوٗد، الطب، باب کیف الرقٰی : ۳۸۹۶ ]

➎ Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “Whoever performed a prayer in which he did not recite Umm al-Qur’ān, it is incomplete.” He said this three times. So it was said to Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): “We are behind the imam.” He said: “Recite it to yourself, for I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: ‘Allah, the Exalted, said: I have divided the prayer (ṣalāh) between Myself and My servant into two halves, and for My servant is what he asks. So when the servant says «اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعٰلَمِيْنَ», Allah, the Exalted, says: “My servant has praised Me.” And when he says « الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ », Allah, the Exalted, says: “My servant has extolled Me.” And when he says « مٰلِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّيْنِ », He says: “My servant has glorified Me (declared My greatness),” and sometimes He says: “My servant has submitted himself to Me.” Then when he says « اِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَ اِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِيْنُ », He says: “This is between Me and My servant, and for My servant is what he asks.” Then when he says « اِهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيْمَ (5) صِرَاطَ الَّذِيْنَ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَ لَا الضَّآلِّيْنَ », He says: “This is for My servant, and for My servant is what he asks.”’” [ مسلم، الصلاۃ، باب وجوب قراء ۃ الفاتحۃ فی … : ۳۹۵ ]

Some Benefits:

➊ Just as there are differences in ranks among the messengers of Allah, and some of them are superior to others, our Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is the leader of the entire progeny of Adam. In the same way, Surah Al-Fatihah is greater than every surah of the Torah, the Gospel, and the Quran. Although many surahs are longer than it in terms of verses, in greatness it surpasses all, just as among the verses, Ayat al-Kursi is the greatest verse, even though there are many verses longer than it.

➋ The name of this surah is "Fatihah" because the Book of Allah begins with it. The recitation in prayer also begins with it. In Qamus it is stated: {’’ فَاتِحَةُ كُلِّ شَيْ ءٍ اَوَّلُهُ ‘‘} "The Fatihah of everything is called its beginning."

➌ The name of this surah is {’’ اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعٰلَمِيْنَ ‘‘} or {’’سُوْرَةُ الْحَمْدِ‘‘} because comprehensive praise of Allah Almighty is mentioned in it.

➍ Its name is {’’اَلسَّبْعُ الْمَثَانِيْ‘‘} because it consists of seven verses that are repeated in every rak'ah of every prayer (whether obligatory or voluntary), and are recited abundantly outside of prayer as well. See Surah Al-Hijr (87).

➎ Its names "Umm al-Quran, Umm al-Kitab, Al-Quran al-Azim" are because all the fundamental subjects of the Noble Quran are briefly mentioned in it, and the rest of the Quran is their detail. Thus, in the initial verses, all the attributes of perfection of Allah Almighty, His praise, glorification, and exaltation are mentioned, as has been mentioned above in the hadith of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) and will be explained further in the commentary of the verses. In {’’ يَوْمِ الدِّيْنِ ‘‘} the Hereafter, reward and punishment, and promises and warnings are mentioned. In {’’ اِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ ‘‘} the servants are taught to ask only from Allah, to humble themselves before Him, to dedicate all their acts of worship—whether verbal, physical, or financial—exclusively to Him, and to declare Him free from every partner. This is called "Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah," and all the prophets came with this message. In {’’ وَ اِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِيْنُ ‘‘} the teaching is to completely submit oneself to Allah Almighty, to rely only on Him, and to seek help from Him alone in worship and all other matters, for if His help is not there, nothing can be accomplished. This is called "Isti'anah." In {’’ الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيْمَ ‘‘} all the rulings of Shariah, the entire Islam, and the whole Quran are included. In {’’ اِهْدِنَا ‘‘} the teaching is to pray for steadfastness on the straight path at every moment of life, until the last breath, and even until reaching Paradise. In {’’ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ ‘‘} there is a reference to the history and events of the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous, and encouragement to adopt righteous deeds like theirs, so that one may enter Paradise with them. In {’’ الْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَيْهِمْ ‘‘} the history of the Jews and all those nations is mentioned who, despite knowing the truth, persisted in opposing it, and in {’’ الضَّآلِّيْنَ ‘‘} there is a reference to the Christians and all those who went astray from the right path, and there is an exhortation to avoid the evil deeds of both these groups, so that one may be saved from entering Hell with them. (Al-Qasimi) The mention of further subjects of the Noble Quran in these seven verses will also come in the separate commentary of each verse. (Insha Allah al-Aziz)

➏ The name of this Surah is "Salat" because Allah Almighty said, "I have divided Salat between Myself and My servant into two halves," and He explained this with Surah Al-Fatihah. It is understood that the "Salat" (prayer) without this "Salat" (Fatihah) is not "Salat" (prayer) at all, as Ubadah bin Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): [ لَا صَلَاةَ لِمَنْ لَّمْ يَقْرَأْ بِفَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ ] "There is no prayer for the one who does not recite Surah Al-Fatihah." [ بخاری، الأذان، باب وجوب القراء ۃ للإمام… : ۷۵۶۔ مسلم : ۳۹۴ ]

➐ Some people have said that the secrets of the entire Quran are in Surah Al-Fatihah, the secrets of Al-Fatihah are in {’’ بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ ‘‘}, the secrets of {’’ بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ ‘‘ } are in its "Ba", and the secrets of the "Ba" are in its dot. However, this interpretation of all the subjects of the Quran being contained in Surah Al-Fatihah is not correct; in fact, this is the way of those who neither want to understand the Quran nor act upon it, but rather, by giving their invented ways the name of the Quran, are misleading Muslims. (Al-Manar)

➑ The relationship of Surah Al-Fatihah with other Surahs: (1) The creation, nurturing, and protection of all things in the universe are under {’’ رَبِّ الْعٰلَمِيْنَ ‘‘} and {’’ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ ‘‘}. (2) All Quranic verses regarding Tawhid are under {’’ اِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَ اِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِيْنُ ‘‘}. (3) The mention of justice and fairness in the story of Dawud (peace be upon him) and in all other places is under {’’ مٰلِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّيْنِ ‘‘}. (4) The sacrifice of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) is under {’’ اِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ ‘‘}, and his and all the prophets' supplications are under {’’ اِهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيْمَ ‘‘}. (5) The healing of Ayyub (peace be upon him), the salvation of Yunus (peace be upon him), the safety of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) in the fire, Zakariya (peace be upon him) receiving offspring in old age, etc., all are under {’’ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ ‘‘}. (6) The conditions and events of the believers and the righteous, and their good end, are under the last verse. Similarly, the conditions and events of the wicked and rebellious, and their evil end, are also under this verse. In the same way, understand all other verses and events accordingly. (7) The rejection of Satan due to arrogance is an example of {’’ الْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَيْهِمْ ‘‘}. (Badee' al-Tafaseer)

➒ Although this Surah is the word of Allah, it was revealed to teach the servants how they should say. The proof of this is the previous hadith that when the servant says this, Allah says such and such. In this, the servant is taught the way to ask from Allah: first, His praise and glorification should be done, then the relationship of being His servant should be mentioned and servitude should be presented as a means, after that, while seeking help from Allah, the real objective should be asked for, which is the request for guidance to the straight path, and there is no request more important than this. That is why some scholars have named it "Ta'leem al-Mas'alah," meaning the Surah that teaches the way of asking.

➓ Some people make supplications by means of the names of living or deceased people, saying, "O Allah! For the sake of so-and-so, or by the means of so-and-so, or by the honor of so-and-so, accept my supplication." This is a Bid'ah (innovation) and is not established from the Qur'an and Sunnah. And if one holds the belief that by mentioning the names of these elders, they can compel Allah to accept, then this is shirk, which the polytheists of Arabia were involved in. See Surah Yunus (18) and Surah Zumar (3). The correct means that is established is to supplicate by means of Allah's essence and attributes, or by means of one's own righteous deed, as is in {’’ اِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ ‘‘}, and as in Al-Imran (193) where supplication was made by means of faith, and the three companions of the cave supplicated by means of their own sincere deeds. [ بخاری، أحادیث الأنبیاء، باب حدیث الغار : ۳۴۶۵، عن ابن عمر رضی اللہ عنھما ] Or to ask a living person to supplicate, as the Companions (Sahabah) (may Allah be pleased with them) used to ask the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to supplicate, and Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to ask Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) to supplicate for rain. [ بخاری، فضائل أصحاب النبی صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ، باب ذکر العباس بن عبد المطلب رضی اللہ عنہ : ۳۷۱۰، عن أنس رضی اللہ عنہ ] Other than these three forms, all other forms of means are either Bid'ah (innovations) or fall under the category of shirk, so it is necessary to avoid them.

⓫ This Surah is an excellent Ruqyah; the removal of dangerous illnesses like snake venom and difficult-to-cure diseases like insanity is proof of its immense healing effect. My sister was disabled in one leg and used to walk with the help of a crutch; her healthy leg also became useless, and the whole family was caught in severe distress. My father was advised by a scholar to perform Ruqyah with Surah Al-Fatihah. On the thirteenth day, my sister stood on her leg with the support of a wall, and then her leg became completely healthy. It has been almost forty years, and to this day she walks on that leg with a crutch. I myself faced two or three extremely severe illnesses in my life; along with treatment, the family continued to perform Ruqyah with Surah Al-Fatihah. Although it took some time, Allah Almighty granted healing. (Alhamdulillah)

⓬ These hadiths prove the permissibility of taking payment for Ruqyah with the Qur'an. The words of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him: [ اِنَّ اَحَقَّ مَا اَخَذْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ اَجْرًا كِتَابُ اللّٰهِ ] (The thing most deserving for which you take payment is the Book of Allah) [ بخاری، الطب، باب الشروط فی الرقیۃ بفاتحۃ الکتاب : ۵۷۳۷ ] are evidence of this. Payment for writing, printing, binding, buying and selling, and teaching the Book of Allah is a most pure payment. The People of the Book were reproached for taking a small price in exchange for Allah's verses because they concealed the truth and gave false verdicts for worldly gain. For details, see Surah Al-Baqarah (41, 79, 174) and Aal-e-Imran (187).

(Ayah 1){ بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ:} Shaykh al-Mufassireen Tabari (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "Allah Almighty taught His Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) etiquette, that before all his tasks and important occasions, he should mention the Most Beautiful Names of Allah and His Exalted Attributes. And through him (peace be upon him), He taught all His creation the method that they should begin their speech, their letters, books, and all necessary tasks with this. To the extent that {’’ بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ ‘‘} (with the name of Allah), it is not even necessary to state what is to be done with the name of Allah; the omitted word is itself clear, whether I read with the name of Allah, or eat, or do such-and-such task. Here, {’’ اسم‘‘} (name) is in the meaning of {’’تَسْمِيَةٌ‘‘} (to mention the name), just as {’’كَلَامٌ‘‘ ’’تَكْلِيْمٌ‘‘} (to speak) is in the meaning of and {’’عَطَاءٌ‘‘ ’’اِعْطَاءٌ‘‘} (to give) is in the meaning of. The meaning is that I read (or do any task) with mentioning and remembering the name of Allah, and I begin the recitation (or any task) with mentioning His Most Beautiful Names and Exalted Attributes." In short, the word {’’ اللّٰه ‘‘} is the proper noun of that Being who is the Most High and Supreme, and the Creator and Owner of all. The root of this word is {’’اِلَاهٌ‘‘}. When "al" was added, it became {’’اَلْاِلَاهٌ‘‘}. Due to frequent usage, for ease, the hamzah of {’’ اِلاَهٌ ‘‘} was omitted, and the "lam" of "al" was assimilated into the "lam" of {’’اِلَاهٌ‘‘}, and after the "lam" of {’’اِلَاهٌ‘‘}, the following "alif" was also omitted in writing due to frequent usage, so the word became {’’ اللّٰه ‘‘}. This is {’’فِعَالٌ‘‘} in the meaning of "maf'ool," that is, {’’اِلَاهٌ‘‘} in the meaning of {’’مَأْلُوْهٌ‘‘}, meaning the One who is worshipped. The explanation of {’’الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ ‘‘} is coming in the next verse.

In Surah An-Naml, by unanimous agreement, it is a part of the verse. It has been written at the beginning of Surah Al-Fatihah and other surahs with the consensus of the Companions, which proves that it is a part of every surah except Surah At-Tawbah. Its revelation with every surah is also established by Sahih hadith. Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) says that the Prophet (peace be upon him) would not know the separation of one surah from another until {’’ بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ ‘‘} was revealed to him. [ أبوداوٗد، الصلاۃ، باب من جھر بھا : ۷۸۸ ]