There is something puzzling me: If the Qur'an is a communication from Allah to humanity, why in the first Surah is the point of view in the opposite direction — speaking from a human to Allah? (I have not found any other examples of this in the Qur'an.)
Thank you in advance for your answers!
Greetings,
Al Fatiha means “the opening.” Surah Fatiha is the opening chapter and introduction to the Quran. It was the first complete Surah revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in Mecca, during the early period of prophethood. The main content of Surah Fatiha is the establishment of the fundamental principles of Islam. An angel asked Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) about Surah Fatiha, to which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, “There are two lights from heaven, one is surah Fatiha and the other is surah Baqarah.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari).
Surah Fatiha has many names that reflect its significance such as Umul-Kitab (mother of the book) because it includes the foundation of the entire religion. It is also called Al-Hamd (praise) as it begins with the praise of Allah. In Surah Al-Hijr, it is referred to as Sabah-Mathani (seven often repeated). “And We have certainly given you, [O Muhammad], seven of the often repeated [verses] and the great Qur’an." (Quran 15:87). Fatiha is the only Surah recited at every salah, repeated more than 20 times a day. Prayer is incomplete without it. Thus, it is also known as Al-Kafiyah (sufficient). Surah Fatiha is also called Al-Shafiya (healer) because it acts as a cure for the heart and body. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called it ruqya (incantation) (Sahih Al-Bukhari).
The first verse of Surah Fatiha praises Allah. “All praise is for Allah-Lord of all worlds.” Through this verse, Allah introduces Himself as master of everything in the universe, including prophets, angels, jinn, and humans. In the next verse, “The Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,” Allah informs that He is incredibly merciful to all human beings. In the following verse, “Master of the Day of Judgment,” Allah states that he is the master of the day of judgment when every person will face Allah’s justice. Good deeds will be rewarded as only He can reward, and evil will be punished as only He can punish.
In the middle of Surah Fatiha, we declare, “You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help.” A believer makes this pledge multiple times every day. The last part of the Surah is a dua (supplication) focused on seeking guidance from Allah. We ask Him to guide us to the straight path and keep us away from the path of those who have gained His anger.
The messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “Allah has not revealed the likes of Umm Al-Kitab in the Tawrah, nor the Injil. It is the seven most repeated ayah (Sabah Mathani), and (Allah said), it is divided between myself and my slave, and my slave shall have what he asks for.” (Jamiat at-Tirmidhi). This means that Allah personally responds to us with every ayah of Surah Fatiha that we recite. “When the servant says, ‘praise be to Allah, the lord of the universe,’ Allah then says, ‘My servant has praised me.’ For the verse, ‘The most compassionate, the merciful,’ Allah responds, ‘My servant has lauded Me.’ For the verse, ‘Master of the day of judgment,’ Allah responds, ‘My servant has glorified Me.’ And for the final few verses, Allah responds, ‘This is between Me and My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks for.'” (Sahih Muslim) Surah Fatiha is a conversation between the reciter and Allah as well as a prayer for guidance. The rest of the Quran is the answer to this prayer.
The entire Qur’an, according to Muslim beliefs, is a revelation from Allah and hence is given to us, for us to recite. The first word revealed chronologically was iqra’ (Read!), and so the rest of revelation follows as a recital for Muslims.
Surah Fatiha is a summation of the entire Qur’an, and the verses of addressing Allah (”You alone do we worship…”) are sent by Allah to us, to teach us the most proper way of turning to Him and calling on Him in supplication.
One of the secrets of the Qur’an is in its change of “person” with respect to pronouns, a rhetorical device in Arabic called iltifat. As an example, the Fatiha begins by Allah addressing Himself in the third person, “In the name of Allah, All-merciful, All-compassionate. All praise be unto Allah, Lord of all the worlds. The All-merciful, All-compassionate. Master of the Day of Judgment.”
Then Allah switches from the third person to second person and states, “You alone do we worship, and You alone do we seek help from.”
In His own revelation, directed towards us so that we may recite it back to Him, Allah is teaching us a very powerful lesson through a mere change of person. As Imam Baydawi explains, this switch reflects the spiritual ascent of the believer, who begins by knowing his Lord through His names and attributes, yet progressively draws nearer to his Lord to the extent that his knowledge of Allah goes from “talking about” to “talking to.” The believer now directly addresses his Lord, as if “He Who was merely known has become seen, and He Who was merely comprehended has become directly experienced, and He Who was [seemingly] absent is now present.” [Baydawi, Anwar al-Tanzil wa Asrar al-Ta’wil]
Sources:
https://www.alim.org/news-and-views/recent-lectures/31/
https://islamqa.org/hanafi/seekersg...s-who-say-surah-al-fatiha-cant-be-revelation/
I hope that clarifies things for you. If you need anything else then please do not hesitate to ask us.
