Al-Fatiha

ASSALAMU ALAIKUM

Okay lets be honest how long did it take you to learn Al-Fatiha? Also does that what am I saying feeling ever go away? I can say BISMILLAHIR RAHMANIR RAHIM and know it means "In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful." but I still have that moment when I think what I am I saying again.

Walaikum Assalam

loool yes it will go away when you become more used to the meaning. Even born and raised muslims have this issue when reciting Quran because a lot of them are nonArabic speakers, but the more you use an islamic phrase the more it will become familiar to you. For example, bismillah should be said before you begin almost anything, and eventually you will make the connection right away without needing to translate it in your head first.

fi aman Allah
w'salaam

Do you have a recording of al-fati7a? I don't know if we are allowed to post links but it really helped me to listen to the recitation over and over while reading the English translation - I memorized the words and the interpretation of the meaning at the same time. It would also be helpful if someone could explain to you what each word means rather than trying to learn it as a phrase - that way you will get a better sense of the meaning of the Arabic words inshaAllah and it will be easier to remember.

I learnt it as a child I think it took me a while, I can't remember, yes the feeling does go with repetition.

lynn4now said:

ASSALAMU ALAIKUM

Okay lets be honest how long did it take you to learn Al-Fatiha? Also does that what am I saying feeling ever go away? I can say BISMILLAHIR RAHMANIR RAHIM and know it means "In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful." but I still have that moment when I think what I am I saying again.

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it was easier for a guy who attends the Masjid regularly because you hear the Imam recite it Salaah. saying Bismillah can seem odd at first, but if you understand what the purpose is it helps. there is a great 28 part course by Jamal Zarabozo called Al Fatihah An In-Depth Study. it will rock your world, it will blow your mind and it will give you not only a better understanding of al Fatihah, but will increase your understanding of Islam immensely, in Shaa Allah. it is a definite MUST LISTEN to ANYONE who desires a fuller understanding of Al Fatihah.

http://www.kalamullah.com/al-fatihah.html

i took a few minutes to write out what is on each cd:

01 Introduction and Place of Al-Fatihah
02 In The Name of Allah
03 Allah, Full of Mercy, Ever Merciful
04 Praise Be To Allah
05 Lord of the Worlds
06 Full of Mercy, Ever Merciful
07 Master of the Day of Judgment part 1
08 Master of the Day of Judgment part 2
09 You Alone Do We Worship part 1
10 You Alone Do We Worship part 2
11 We Worship and Seek Help In
12 In You Alone Do We Seek Help
13 Trust and Reliance part 1
14 Trust and Reliance part 2
15 You Alone Do We Worship and seek Help From
16 Guide Us part 1
17 Guide Us part 2
18 The Straight Path
19 The Straight Path and The Du’aa
20 Those Blessed part 1
21 Those Blessed part 2
22 Those Blessed part 3
23 Wrath part 1
24 Wrath part 2
25 Those Astray
26 Place of Knowledge
27 Avoiding The Errant Path
28 Final Points

that helps so you can go back to whichever section you need to.

as for reciting, there's a Haafiz of Qur'an, Haroon Baqai, who teaches recital. you can listen to his al Fatihah here:

http://www.kalamullah.com/haroon-baqai.html

he also has a set called Ahlul Qur'an Gear, where he teaches the last half of Juz 30:

http://faithpublications.org/product/teaching-cd-sets/ahlul-quran-gear/

ma Salaama

JAZAKALLAHU KHAYRAN to you all, especially for the link Yusuf and yes i do have it recorded as well as the transliteration but there for me is still that moment when my mind misfires lol but it is good to know that it goes away.

lynn It has taken me a month to learn Allahu Akbar, Bishmilla hir rahma nir raheem, allhamdu lalahi, rabbil alamen, ar rahma nir raheem,maliki yaw mid dean, eyaka nabudu wa eyaka nastaqeen ihdinas, siratal mustaqeem, siratal lathena, amanta alayhim, ghrayhil magdoobi, alayhim waladaleen, allahu akbar ( i know my spelling is horrible) I use the videos from myzikr.com It breaks it down slowly for native english speakers, it shows what postion you should be in via stick figures, and has english subtitles)

here is link 1 to get you started http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rywokB1vtOc

As-salaamu 'alaykum,

Surah Al-Fatiha contains seven verses which comprise the whole of the Holy Qur'an. So try to learn the translation of it first, get used to it and try to know what it means, and then go and study this Surah in-depth, and never stop. Surah Fatiha is the most comprehensive Surah of the whole Qur'an. It is called the "Mother of the Book". Every verse in the Qur'an is merely referring to Surah Fatiha in some way shape or form. When you understand this, it will be the key to unlocking a whole world of meanings from the Holy Qur'an and especially Surah Fatiha. The Holy Qur'an is best at explaining itself, so Surah Fatiha is explained and elaborated on throughout the rest of the Book.

Search on youtube for videos on this Surah, read articles about it, Tafsirs of the Surah, and learn the Arabic words' meanings in great detail. It is the one Surah that you should understand fully in order to feel the love for reciting it that you should during Salat. The more knowledge you gain on it, the more you will come to love reciting it, and then you will become closer to Allah as you feel this love.

I suggest you try to learn some Arabic in order to fully appreciate this Surah also. I do not know Arabic, but I am learning. Believe me, when you are learning this language, you will find that you have been missing out on a lot of important details which only understanding this language can unlock. Translations help to understand Qur'an, but they are never perfect for understanding the original Arabic words. I learned this truth through experience.


Wassalaam.

lynn4now said:

JAZAKALLAHU KHAYRAN to you all, especially for the link Yusuf and yes i do have it recorded as well as the transliteration but there for me is still that moment when my mind misfires lol but it is good to know that it goes away.

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try not to think of Al Fatihah as "just a surah" that you are trying to learn. it isn't. in some ways it is THE most important surah in the entire Qur'an. it sa at the beginning for a reason. it encompasses the meaning of the ENTIRE Qur'an! i'll post a great Mufti Menk lecture that gives a little Tafsir, and a GREAT definition of Raabil Alamin. Mufti Menk is my 2nd favorite Hafz, Haroon is #1. seriously, listen to his recital. it is GLORIOUS!

Al Fatihah explains Islam. in fact, the 5th ayah and the 2nd are all you need to explain to ANYONE why you are Muslim. and that is for justification, explanation, proof or dawah.

the 5th is only 5 words and 1 of them is wa [and], so really 4 words (and 2 are the same)are all it takes to Explain Islam and Tawhid [Oneness of Allah]:

IYYAAKA [You Alone] Na'budu[do we worship] wa IYYAAKA [You Alone] Nesta'eem[do we seek help].
that's it! we worship none but Allah and pray to and seek guidance only as instructed by Allah.

so, how to you explain to someone Who Allah is? (this is why disc 4 might be my favorite cd EVER!) see ayah #2!
Alhamdulillahi Raabil Alamin!
Alhamdulillah is 3 words: liLLAH Al hamd. liLLAH means for Allah. hamd means true heartfelt thanks and praises. Al modifies hamd, making it ALL True and Heartfelt Thanks and Praises. if it was just "praise", it would have been "mudh'". hamd means much more than just praise. it means that these feelings must be real and that they must come from your heart.
we can further break down Allah to Al Ilah. an Ilah in Arabic is something that you worship, it is similar to god (with a little "g"). the Al modifies it significantly! putting them together Al Ilah means the ONLY ONE worthy of ALL worship.

so Alhamdulillah really means" ALL True heartfelt Thanks and Praise are due to The ONLY ONE worthy of ALL worship.

added to this we have Raabil Alamin. Raab means, but is not limited to: Creator, Provider, Sustainer, Cherisher, Nourisher and Healer. Alamin can be translated as ALL that has been created.

now, putting the 3 words together: Alhamdulillahi Raabil Alamin, we get:

ALL True heartfelt Thanks and Praises are due to THE ONLY ONE worthy of ALL worship, [who is] the Creator, Provider, Sustainer, Cherisher, Nourisher and Healer of ALL that has been created.
adding that to ayah #5, THAT Alone is Who we worship and THAT Alone is who we seek guidance from!

Allah used 8 words to tell us ALL that we need to know! you CAN'T do that with English!

you see, you don't "memorize" Al Fatihah; you learn it, live it, love it, teach it, preach it and rely on it for your salvation!

here's the Mufti Menk lecture:


and Allahu Alam

ma salaama

YusufNoor said:

try not to think of Al Fatihah as "just a surah" that you are trying to learn.

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I don't think of it that way nor was I suggesting it should be. My question was more along the lines for a non-Arabic speaker how long does it take for ones mind to grasp and comprehend what they are saying. The essence of a sentence or phrase can often be diluted in the translation process and lose some of its beauty and vehemence.

YusufNoor said:

ALL True heartfelt Thanks and Praises are due to THE ONLY ONE worthy of ALL worship, [who is] the Creator, Provider, Sustainer, Cherisher, Nourisher and Healer of ALL that has been created.

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<---exactly what I mean. the etymology is forged in translation to "All praises to Allah" same meaning but different understanding now...

lynn4now said:

I don't think of it that way nor was I suggesting it should be.

i wasn't implying that you were. there's a hadeeth about Al Fatihah where Rasoolullah, pbuh, says that no nation was ever given anything like it. i really didn't understand that until i listened to the Zarabozo set. i remember the first time that i saw it and i thought, "27 hours on 7 lines? really?" the price held me back and i bought 3 Mufti Menk sets instead. i have been a huge fan of the Mufti ever since. he changed my life, especially with the Reasons of Revelation set.

My question was more along the lines for a non-Arabic speaker how long does it take for ones mind to grasp and comprehend what they are saying. The essence of a sentence or phrase can often be diluted in the translation process and lose some of its beauty and vehemence.

i think that most translations are simply lifeless compared to the full understanding and real impact of Al Fatihah. it was my Imam's recitation that helped me learn how "say it", but the impact of the words changed dramatically after listening to Al Fatihah An In-Depth Study.

<---exactly what I mean. the etymology is forged in translation to "All praises to Allah" same meaning but different understanding now...

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the beautiful thing about Sh Zarabozo is that he IS a revert. trying to understand Arabic can be difficult when an Arabic first speaker has to search for words that work in English to explain what they know and feel in their brain. for example, the phrase "don't associate partners with Allah" drives me nuts. someone found English words to convey a meaning, but i find it a difficult, and clumsy, concept to understand, let alone explain to a non-Muslim because you pretty much need to be one in order to understand it. it actually means polytheism. "don't be a polytheist or have polytheistic concepts or behavior" is how i have "currently" chosen to relay that idea. that, i can explain.

in the same manner, TRULY understanding Al Fatihah embeds in your heart and mind. i can't read or write Arabic, but i could talk about Al Fatihah all day long. many people memorize huge parts of the Qur'an, but they don't understand it. the Sahabah use to learn 8 ayats at a time. they didn't move on until they knew, understood and implemented those 8 ayats.

i had a Somali wife. she would read i juz a day, but she really didn't grasp it's meaning. we were deciding what new lectures to download and i mentioned the Al Fatihah series. what struck me was the 27 hours. if it had been 5 or 10, i might have thought that the guy just likes to talk. BUT 27!? he MUST have something to say. i only had to mention it once! she couldn't believe 27 hours either. "find it. i want to hear it."

well, she was blown away. she didn't listen to it once. she listened to it over and over and over. it changed her life.

me? i'm a bit simpler. i think of the "PTL Club", and i think, "praise the Lord?" HA! we have Alhamdulillahi Raabil Alamin! which phrase actually means something, eh? which one can ONLY mean worshiping the One True God?

i wrote them in English, but cd #2 is BismiAllah and #4 is Alhamdulillah. #4 is my fav, but you might want to investigate Bismillah as well.

ma salaama

JAZAKALLAHU KHAYRAN again to you Yusuf I just watched the Mufti Menk lecture....WOW....mind blowin

wa iyyak.

it's a great video for a revert. i really, really like the way he defines Raab. it's simple, it's sweet AND it makes sense. on top of that, it is easy to convey to others.
his defining dua verses salaat is also cool, because you now have 2 key ideas that are very easy to understand and express to others.

i love the "i'm taking no chances" approach to our Din. "the One Who created me, the One that i will face on Judgment Day, THAT'S Who i worship!" i hear so many, many Muslims say they can't make dawah. really? dawah is explaining Islam to someone, Al Fatihah does that in spades. now you can understand why it is smack dab in the beginning of the Qur'an and why we recite it in every rakaah of salaah.

watch the vid a couple of times and listen to the 1st cd of Sh Zarabozo. you'll understand our Din a whole lot more in one giant leap. then the discs on Alhamdulillah and Bismillah will give you such a great picture that your whole mindset can change. everything is so clear.

another advantage is then being able to explain Islam to others. takes 5 minutes. they may not like it, but the WHOLE LOGIC of it simply undeniable. instead of arguing with anyone, you can just say, "hold on a sec, let me explain something to you." Al Fatihah is a mountain of Tawheed (Oneness of Allah), THAT is what you explain to people. not hijab or plygyny, or cutting someones hand for stealing. none of that makes sense until you understand WHO is the One you need to obey. IYYAKA NA'BUDU wa IYYAKA NESTA'EEM. 5 words, our Din. WHO do we worship? explain ALHAMDULILLAHI RAABIL ALAMIN. 3 more words.

8 words, 1 is wa, 2 are the same, IYYAKA. explaining those 6 words is actually pretty fun. even if someone acts like they think you are crazy, once they are left to their thoughts they'll be flummoxed. there is NOTHING they can argue with. you get to walk away with a smile on your face because: a) you did your job, b) it was easy and c) it gets easier each time.

i think back to those poor Christians that have to explain the trinity. i feel sorry for them, it isn't really possible. all i need are 6 words to explain Islam. Alhamdulillah!

dawah isn't converting people, it is just explaining the Message. if you understand the Message, it is simple. and understanding the Message clearly has even more benefit for yourself. it gives you surety and focus. and, at least 17 times a day, you get to think about it! it's brilliant really, when you think about it.

ma salaama

lynn4now said:

ASSALAMU ALAIKUM

Okay lets be honest how long did it take you to learn Al-Fatiha? Also does that what am I saying feeling ever go away? I can say BISMILLAHIR RAHMANIR RAHIM and know it means "In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful." but I still have that moment when I think what I am I saying again.

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I am a non-Arabic speaking Muslim and recently wanted to learn meanings for several surahs that I had memorized. Every night after Isha, I would read the surah in Arabic while looking at the English meaning, 11 times each surah. Within 15 nights I was able to remember the meanings line for line for several surahs. Repetition was the key. This worked for me. Try it. Peace.

It would take days. I would have to recite it often in reps of 2 or 3 times at least on 5 different occassion a day. Even then I can forget lines, miss a word here and there, so I carry a sheet or type it in a note in my phone for easy reference in the event I forget or become unsure. Of course with a translation to understand what it is I am saying. It is a struggle, but a real sense of accomplishment when I finally get it.

greenhill said:

It would take days. I would have to recite it often in reps of 2 or 3 times at least on 5 different occassion a day. Even then I can forget lines, miss a word here and there, so I carry a sheet or type it in a note in my phone for easy reference in the event I forget or become unsure. Of course with a translation to understand what it is I am saying. It is a struggle, but a real sense of accomplishment when I finally get it.

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actually, you can just recite SubhanAllah, wa Alhamdulillah, wa La Ilallaha IllAllah wa Allahu Akbar in each position until you know the Arabic. you should try a search on the topic.

ma Salaama

Thanks Yusuf.

It is no longer an issue now. Just giving feedback to the question.

But will advise new converts on it should the need arise in the future. :statisfie
I still struggle when I learn new passages, though, I wish I could just repeat subhanallah, walhamdulillah....

Peace

Took me less than a week. the toughest part was the last part "Sirat al ladina an amta alaihim, gairil magdubi alaihim waladaleen" Good luck though.

Memorizing Surahs is difficult. I find it easy to learn it one day. Leave it for some time, like a few days trying to remember what I read, then go back to reading it again from the Qur'an later. When I go back to it later, I am able to memorize it much better because of trying to learn it previously. Afterwards, when you have got it, you have to try and recite it during Salat as much as possible. Otherwise, you find yourself forgetting it often.

With Surah Fatiha, repetition is key. When you learn this Surah, recite it often as a du'a. It is the best prayer since it comprehends the whole Qur'an. I don't speak Arabic, but I learned it as a child. Maybe reciting it with someone else will work better for you. Perhaps an Imam who sits with you for some time and recites it again and again with you would help.