سُوْرَةُ الْفَاتِحَةِ
Surah Al-Faatiha (1) — Ayah 2
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ ﴿2﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
All the praises and thanks be to Allâh, the Lord of the ‘Âlamîn (mankind, jinn and all that exists).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
ٱلْحَمْدُ
al-ḥamdu
All praises and thanks
لِلَّهِ
lillahi
(be) to Allah
رَبِّ
rabbi
the Lord
ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
l-ʿālamīna
of the universe
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
2. All praise [4] is for Allah alone [5], the Lord of all the worlds [6].
Linguistic Difference Between Hamd and Shukr:
The meaning of «حمد» can be both praise and gratitude. Praise («حمد») is general, while gratitude is specific. «حمد» is related to praiseworthy deeds. For example, Allah Almighty has created such a well-coordinated and organized system of the earth and heavens, the sun and moon, and the movement of the stars—in short, the entire universe—that the mind is left astonished upon seeing it. No matter how much He is praised for this, it is not enough. Gratitude, on the other hand, is related to those special favors that pertain to a particular individual. For example, Allah Almighty creating man in the best form, bestowing someone with abundant health and sustenance—acknowledging such blessings is called gratitude. Therefore, Allah Almighty alone is worthy of all praise and gratitude. Furthermore, if any person among the creation performs a praiseworthy deed and is praised for it, in reality, that praise also belongs to Allah Almighty, because the ability and opportunity to do praiseworthy deeds are also granted by Allah Almighty alone. Thus, Allah Almighty alone is deserving of all kinds of praise.
[5] Allah is actually "Al-Ilah," the True Deity. By omitting the hamzah of "Ilah" and adding the definite article "Al," the word "Allah" is formed, and this is the best explanation. This means that in reality, only Allah is the owner of all kinds of benefit and harm, and because He is the Creator, Sustainer, and possesses unlimited power and authority over the universe, only He is worthy of worship. That is, all the attributes that should be found in the concept of "Ilah" are found only in Allah. Therefore, all other deities are false and unreliable, and this has already been explained in detail.
The Word "Rabb" Comes in Three Meanings:
(1) The one who, by nurturing and caring for something step by step, brings it to the height of perfection—that is, the true Sustainer is Allah Almighty alone.
(2) Sometimes this word is used only in the sense of a nurturing (caretaking) owner, as in Surah Yusuf: ﴿أَمَّا أَحَدُكُمَا فَيَسْقِي رَبَّهُ خَمْرًا﴾ [12: 41]
(3) And sometimes only in the sense of owner, as in the hadith where a companion said at the time of his martyrdom: «فُزْتُ بِرَبِّ الْكَعْبَةِ» (By the Lord of the Ka'bah! I have succeeded)
[6]
The Meaning of "Alamin" and the Reason for Allah's Praise:
«العالمين» Linguistically, "Alam" is everything that can be known through the five senses. In this sense, all creatures are a world, but in this verse, "Alam" means category (the unseen world, the seen world, the world of humans, the world of jinn, the world of angels, etc.). There are countless worlds. Then, in terms of time, the people of every era are a world; when the era changes, the world also changes. In this way, there are hundreds and thousands of types of worlds, and the only one who nurtures and sustains all these worlds is the exalted and superior Being of Allah alone. In the first part of this verse, it is mentioned that all kinds of praise are only worthy for Allah, and in this part, the reason is given: Allah Almighty is worthy of all praise because He is the Sustainer of all the worlds.
Also, this verse is the first etiquette among the etiquettes of asking from Allah Almighty. The demand of proper request is that when one wants to ask something from someone, one should begin by mentioning his virtues.
Linguistic Difference Between Hamd and Shukr:
The meaning of «حمد» can be both praise and gratitude. Praise («حمد») is general, while gratitude is specific. «حمد» is related to praiseworthy deeds. For example, Allah Almighty has created such a well-coordinated and organized system of the earth and heavens, the sun and moon, and the movement of the stars—in short, the entire universe—that the mind is left astonished upon seeing it. No matter how much He is praised for this, it is not enough. Gratitude, on the other hand, is related to those special favors that pertain to a particular individual. For example, Allah Almighty creating man in the best form, bestowing someone with abundant health and sustenance—acknowledging such blessings is called gratitude. Therefore, Allah Almighty alone is worthy of all praise and gratitude. Furthermore, if any person among the creation performs a praiseworthy deed and is praised for it, in reality, that praise also belongs to Allah Almighty, because the ability and opportunity to do praiseworthy deeds are also granted by Allah Almighty alone. Thus, Allah Almighty alone is deserving of all kinds of praise.
[5] Allah is actually "Al-Ilah," the True Deity. By omitting the hamzah of "Ilah" and adding the definite article "Al," the word "Allah" is formed, and this is the best explanation. This means that in reality, only Allah is the owner of all kinds of benefit and harm, and because He is the Creator, Sustainer, and possesses unlimited power and authority over the universe, only He is worthy of worship. That is, all the attributes that should be found in the concept of "Ilah" are found only in Allah. Therefore, all other deities are false and unreliable, and this has already been explained in detail.
The Word "Rabb" Comes in Three Meanings:
(1) The one who, by nurturing and caring for something step by step, brings it to the height of perfection—that is, the true Sustainer is Allah Almighty alone.
(2) Sometimes this word is used only in the sense of a nurturing (caretaking) owner, as in Surah Yusuf: ﴿أَمَّا أَحَدُكُمَا فَيَسْقِي رَبَّهُ خَمْرًا﴾ [12: 41]
(3) And sometimes only in the sense of owner, as in the hadith where a companion said at the time of his martyrdom: «فُزْتُ بِرَبِّ الْكَعْبَةِ» (By the Lord of the Ka'bah! I have succeeded)
[6]
The Meaning of "Alamin" and the Reason for Allah's Praise:
«العالمين» Linguistically, "Alam" is everything that can be known through the five senses. In this sense, all creatures are a world, but in this verse, "Alam" means category (the unseen world, the seen world, the world of humans, the world of jinn, the world of angels, etc.). There are countless worlds. Then, in terms of time, the people of every era are a world; when the era changes, the world also changes. In this way, there are hundreds and thousands of types of worlds, and the only one who nurtures and sustains all these worlds is the exalted and superior Being of Allah alone. In the first part of this verse, it is mentioned that all kinds of praise are only worthy for Allah, and in this part, the reason is given: Allah Almighty is worthy of all praise because He is the Sustainer of all the worlds.
Also, this verse is the first etiquette among the etiquettes of asking from Allah Almighty. The demand of proper request is that when one wants to ask something from someone, one should begin by mentioning his virtues.
