Special Virtues of Surah al-Fātiḥah and the Last Verses of Surah al-Baqarah in Light of Hadith
Source: Fatāwā Amanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri
❖ Question:
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin ‘Abbās (RA) narrated:
جبريل عليه السلام قاعد عند النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم سمع صوتا نقيضا من فوقه فقال: هذا باب من السماء فتح اليوم، لم يفتح قط إلا اليوم، فنزل منه ملك فقال: هذا ملك نزل إلى الأرض لم ينزل قط إلا اليوم، فسلم وقال: أبشر بنورين أوتيتهما لم يؤتهما نبي قبلك، فاتحة الكتاب، وخواتيم سورة البقرة، لم تقرأ بحرف منها إلا أعطيته.
Jibrīl (AS) was sitting with the Prophet ﷺ when he heard a creaking sound from above. He said: “This is a gate of heaven opened today; it has never been opened before.” From it descended an angel who had never come down before. He greeted and said: “Rejoice with two lights given to you, which no prophet before you was given: al-Fātiḥah and the concluding verses of al-Baqarah. You will not recite a single letter of them except that you will be granted it.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 806)
The question: Does this mean no prophet before was given Surah al-Fātiḥah and the last verses of Surah al-Baqarah, while they also were not given other sūrahs? What is the meaning here?
❖ Answer:
The intent here is not the words of the surahs, since indeed no prophet was given the exact words of the Qur’an. Rather, the hadith means that the themes and virtues contained within Surah al-Fātiḥah and the last verses of Surah al-Baqarah were not granted to any prophet before.
These are special characteristics gifted exclusively to the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ, not to any previous community.
✿ Virtues of Surah al-Fātiḥah
Surah al-Fātiḥah is a unique dialogue between the servant and his Lord. When the servant recites it, Allah responds to him—this excellence was never granted to any prophet or their nations before.
- Narration of Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (RA):
كل صلاة لا يقرأ فيها بأم القرآن فهي خداج، فهي خداج، فهي خداج، قال: يا أبا هريرة، إني أحيانا أكون وراء الإمام، قال: يا فارسي، اقرأ بها فى نفسك، فإني سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: قال الله عز وجل: قسمت الصلاة بيني وبين عبدي ولعبدي ما سأل، قال العبد: الحمد لله رب العالمين، قال الله: حمدني عبدي، فإذا قال: الرحمن الرحيم، قال الله: أثنى على عبدي، فإذا قال: مالك يوم الدين، قال الله: مجدني عبدي، أو قال: فوض إلى عبدي، فإذا قال: إياك نعبد وإياك نستعين، قال: هذه بيني وبين عبدي ولعبدي ما سأل.
“Every prayer in which al-Fātiḥah is not recited is incomplete, incomplete, incomplete.” They said: O Abu Hurairah, sometimes I am behind the imam. He said: “Recite it quietly to yourself, for I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: Allah said: I have divided the prayer between Myself and My servant, and My servant shall have what he asks. When the servant says: al-ḥamdu lillāhi rabbil-‘ālamīn, Allah says: My servant has praised Me. When he says: al-raḥmāni al-raḥīm, Allah says: My servant has extolled Me. When he says: māliki yawmid-dīn, Allah says: My servant has glorified Me—or has entrusted himself to Me. When he says: iyyāka na‘budu wa iyyāka nasta‘īn, Allah says: This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he asks.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 395)
✿ Virtues of the Last Verses of Surah al-Baqarah
In these verses, the believers’ state of faith is described:
- They believe in all prophets and revealed scriptures.
- They make no distinction between Allah’s messengers.
- They submit to every command of Allah.
- They acknowledge their weaknesses and shortcomings, seeking Allah’s forgiveness for errors and mistakes.
This combination of complete submission, universal belief, and divine mercy granted through these verses was not given to any previous nation.
Conclusion:The hadith does not mean earlier prophets were deprived of Qur’anic words; rather, it highlights the exclusive themes, virtues, and special relationship expressed in Surah al-Fātiḥah and the last verses of Surah al-Baqarah, which were uniquely granted to the Prophet ﷺ and his Ummah.
