Surah Al-Faatiha (1) — Ayah 7

(Ayah 7) ➊ { صِرَاطَ الَّذِيْنَ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ:} That is, those upon whom You bestowed, along with countless other favors, the special favor of granting them the ability to obey You, by them are meant four types of people who are mentioned in this verse. He said: « وَ مَنْ يُّطِعِ اللّٰهَ وَ الرَّسُوْلَ فَاُولٰٓىِٕكَ مَعَ الَّذِيْنَ اَنْعَمَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِّنَ النَّبِيّٖنَ وَ الصِّدِّيْقِيْنَ وَ الشُّهَدَآءِ وَ الصّٰلِحِيْنَ » [ النساء : ۶۹ ] “And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, then they will be with those upon whom Allah has bestowed favor, of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs, and the righteous.” All the incidents of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs, and the righteous mentioned in the Noble Qur’an are the details of this brief sentence.

➋ { غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَ لَا الضَّآلِّيْنَ:} In the Noble Qur’an, {’’ الْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَيْهِمْ ‘‘} refers to the Jews. Thus, mentioning them, He said: « وَ ضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ وَ الْمَسْكَنَةُ وَ بَآءُوْ بِغَضَبٍ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ» [ البقرۃ : ۶۱ ] “And humiliation and poverty were imposed upon them, and they returned with wrath from Allah.” And He said: «فَبَآءُوْ بِغَضَبٍ عَلٰى غَضَبٍ » [ البقرۃ : ۹۰ ] “So they returned with wrath upon wrath.” And He said: «قُلْ هَلْ اُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِشَرٍّ مِّنْ ذٰلِكَ مَثُوْبَةً عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ مَنْ لَّعَنَهُ اللّٰهُ وَ غَضِبَ عَلَيْهِ وَ جَعَلَ مِنْهُمُ الْقِرَدَةَ وَ الْخَنَازِيْرَ وَ عَبَدَ الطَّاغُوْتَ اُولٰٓىِٕكَ شَرٌّ مَّكَانًا وَّ اَضَلُّ عَنْ سَوَآءِ السَّبِيْلِ » [ المائدۃ : ۶۰ ] “Say, shall I inform you of [what is] worse than that as recompense from Allah? [It is those] whom Allah has cursed and with whom He became angry and made of them apes and swine and those who worshipped false deities. Those are worse in position and further astray from the sound way.”

And {’’ الضَّآلِّيْنَ ‘‘} refers to the Christians. Thus, He said: « وَ لَا تَتَّبِعُوْۤا اَهْوَآءَ قَوْمٍ قَدْ ضَلُّوْا مِنْ قَبْلُ وَ اَضَلُّوْا كَثِيْرًا وَّ ضَلُّوْا عَنْ سَوَآءِ السَّبِيْلِ» [ المائدۃ : ۷۷ ] “And do not follow the desires of a people who had gone astray before and led many astray and strayed from the right way.” Before this verse, the mention of the Christians is continuous. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ also explained {’’ الْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَيْهِمْ ‘‘} and {’’ الضَّآلِّيْنَ ‘‘} in this way. Thus, ‘Adi bin Hatim (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [اَلْيَهُوْدُ مَغْضُوْبٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَ النَّصَارٰی ضُلَّالٌ ] “The Jews are {’’ مَغْضُوْبٌ عَلَيْهِمْ ‘‘} and the Christians are astray.” [ ترمذی، تفسیر القرآن، باب ومن سورۃ فاتحۃ الکتاب : ۲۹۵۴، و صححہ الألبانی ]

➌ It has been established from the exegesis of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that {’’ الْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَيْهِمْ ‘‘} refers to the Jews and {’’ الضَّآلِّيْنَ ‘‘} to the Christians, but due to the generality of the wording, it includes all those people who possess those habits and characteristics which caused the Jews to become {’’ الْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَيْهِمْ ‘‘}, or due to which the Christians became {’’ الضَّآلِّيْنَ ‘‘} (misguided). For example, the reasons for the wrath descending upon the Jews, which Allah Almighty has enumerated, are briefly as follows: distortion of the Book of Allah, concealing the verses of Allah, suspending the limits of Allah such as stoning and cutting of the hand, fabricating lies against Allah, stating issues from themselves and declaring them as Allah’s command, not believing in the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) due to jealousy, and dividing into seventy-two sects due to mutual stubbornness.

Shah Waliullah (may Allah have mercy on him) writes: {’’ وَ بِالْجُمْلَةِ فَاِنْ شِئْتَ أَنْ تَرَي نَمُوْذَجَ الْيَهُوْدِ فَانْظُرْ اِلٰي عُلَمَاءِ السُّوْءِ مِنَ الَّذِيْنَ يَطْلُبُوْنَ الدُّنْيَا وَ قَدِ اعْتَادُوْا تَقْلِيْدَ السَّلَفِ وَ اَعْرَضُوْا عَنْ نُّصُوْصِ الْكِتَابِ وَالسُّنَّةِ وَ تَمَسَّكُوْا بِتَعَمُّقِ عَالِمٍ وَ تَشَدُّدِهِ وَ اسْتِحْسَانِهِ فَاَعْرَضُوْا عَنْ كَلَامِ الشَّارِعِ الْمَعْصُوْمِ وَ تَمَسَّكُوْا بِأَحَادِيْثَ مَوْضُوْعَةٍ وَ تَأْوِيْلَاتٍ فَاسِدَةٍ كَانَتْ سَبَبَ هَلَاكِهِمْ ‘‘} “In short, if you wish to see the example of the Jews, then look at those evil scholars who are seeking the world and have become accustomed to imitating the people of the past, who have turned away from the clear verses and hadiths of the Book and Sunnah, and have firmly held onto the affectation, severity, and approval of a scholar. Thus, they have turned away from the words of the infallible Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and have clung to fabricated hadiths and corrupt interpretations, which became the cause of their destruction.” (Al-Fawz Al-Kabir)

And the reasons for the misguidance of the Christians were these: exaggeration regarding the Messiah (peace be upon him), calling him the very God or one of three gods, calling Mary (peace be upon her) one of three gods, worshipping the Messiah (peace be upon him), Mary (peace be upon her), and the cross, making graves into mosques, taking scholars and monks as lords, etc. Shah Waliullah (may Allah have mercy on him) says: {’’وَاِنْ شِئْتَ أَنْ تَرَي نَمُوْذَجًا لِهٰذَا الْفَرِيْقِ فَانْظُرِ الْيَوْمَ اِلٰي أَوْلَادِ الْمَشَائِخِ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ مَاذَا يَظُنُّوْنَ بِآبَائِهِمْ؟ فَتَجِدُهُمْ قَدْ أَفْرَطُوْا فِيْ اِجْلَالِهِمْ كُلَّ الْاِفْرَاطِ وَ سَيَعْلَمُ الَّذِيْنَ ظَلَمُوْا أَيَّ مُنْقَلَبٍ يَّنْقَلِبُوْنَ ‘‘} "If you wish to see an example of this group, then look at the present-day descendants of the great saints and see what beliefs they hold about their forefathers. You will find that they describe their greatness, exaggerate as much as possible, and soon those who did wrong will know to what place they will return." (Al-Fawz Al-Kabir)

➍ The translation of {’’ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَ لَا الضَّآلِّيْنَ ‘‘} is generally done as: "Not the path of those who incurred wrath, nor of those who went astray," but in reality, in {’’ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَيْهِمْ ‘‘}, the word {’’ غَيْرِ ‘‘} is a substitute for or an attribute of {’’ الَّذِيْنَ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ ‘‘} in the previous verse, meaning {’’ الَّذِيْنَ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ ‘‘} and {’’ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَ لَا الضَّآلِّيْنَ ‘‘} are the same people, so the translation will be: "Guide us to the straight path, the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, who have not incurred wrath, nor are they astray."

➎ Here is a question: Was {’’ صِرَاطَ الَّذِيْنَ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ ‘‘} not sufficient, so what is the wisdom in bringing {’’ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَ لَا الضَّآلِّيْنَ ‘‘} after it? The answer is that Allah's favor is countless upon every creature, at the very least creating them and fulfilling every need of their life is a great blessing, so it was taught to pray to walk the path of those upon whom Allah has bestowed favor, but who have not become targets of wrath, nor are they astray. Such people are those four groups mentioned above.

➏ In {’’ صِرَاطَ الَّذِيْنَ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ ‘‘}, the attribution of favor is made to Allah Almighty, whereas the attribution of wrath and misguidance is not made to Allah Almighty. In this, there is a lesson in etiquette from Allah Almighty that although He is the Creator of both good and evil, evil is not attributed to Him, because every act of His is pure good. Hudhayfah bin Yaman (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates from the explanation of « عَسٰۤى اَنْ يَّبْعَثَكَ رَبُّكَ مَقَامًا مَّحْمُوْدًا » that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: On the Day of Resurrection, when all people will be standing in one field, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) will call upon Allah Almighty: [ لَبَّيْكَ وَ سَعْدَيْكَ وَالْخَيْرُ فِيْ يَدَيْكَ وَالشَّرُّ لَيْسَ اِلَيْكَ ] [ مستدرک حاکم، تفسیر سورۃ بنی إسرائیل : 363/2، ح : ۳۳۸۴ ] "Again and again I am present, and again and again I am present, good is in Your hands and evil is not attributed to You." Al-Hakim declared it Sahih according to the conditions of the two Shaykhs, and Dhahabi agreed with him. In Surah Al-Kahf, when Khidr (peace be upon him) explained to Musa (peace be upon him) the real truth behind the breaking of the boat and the other two incidents, he especially observed this etiquette towards Allah Almighty; see the explanation of Surah Al-Kahf (79 to 82).

➐ After reciting Surah Al-Fatihah, one should say "Ameen," which means "O Allah! Accept (it)," or "Let it be so." This word is not part of the Noble Qur'an; the evidence for this is that it is not written with the Noble Qur'an. When the Imam says {’’ وَ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَ لَا الضَّآلِّيْنَ ‘‘}, both the Imam and the follower should say Ameen. The follower should say Ameen along with the Imam's Ameen. A few hadiths regarding this are mentioned: Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When the Imam says «غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَ لَا الضَّآلِّيْنَ», you should say Ameen, for whoever's saying Ameen coincides with the angels' saying Ameen, his previous sins will be forgiven." [ بخاری، الأذان، باب جھر المأموم بالتأمین : ۷۸۲ ] Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) also narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When the Imam says Ameen, you should say Ameen, for whoever's saying Ameen coincides with the angels' saying Ameen, his previous sins will be forgiven." [ بخاری، الأذان، باب جھر الإمام بالتأمین : ۷۸۰۔ مسلم : ۴۱۰ ]

Abu Musa Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "When the Imam says {’’ وَ لَا الضَّآلِّيْنَ ‘‘}, you should say Ameen, Allah Almighty will accept your supplication." [ مسلم، الصلاۃ، باب التشھد فی الصلاۃ : ۴۰۴ ] Wa'il bin Hujr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he performed prayer behind the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he said Ameen aloud and turned to the right and left in Salam, until I saw the whiteness of his cheeks. [ أبوداوٗد، الصلٰوۃ، باب التأمین وراء الإمام : ۹۳۴، وقال الألبانی حسن صحیح ] Wa'il bin Hujr (may Allah be pleased with him) also narrates that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited {’’ وَ لَا الضَّآلِّيْنَ ‘‘}, he would say "Ameen" and raise his voice with it. [ أبوداوٗد، باب التأمین وراء الإمام : ۹۳۳، وقال الألبانی صحیح ]

Wa'il bin Hujr (may Allah be pleased with him) also narrates that I heard the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم recite « غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَ لَا الضَّآلِّيْنَ» and he prolonged his voice with it. [ ترمذی، الصلاۃ، باب ما جاء فی التأمین : ۲۴۸، وقال الألبانی صحیح ] 'Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "The Jews have not envied you for anything as much as they have envied you for saying Ameen and for Salam." [ ابن ماجہ، إقامۃ الصلوات، باب الجھر بآمین : ۸۵۶۔ مسند أحمد : 134/6، ۱۳۵، ح : ۲۵۰۸۲، و قال الألبانی صحیح ]