The Opening Chapter

[Woodrow]

Thank you for your response, and for the moderation.

Your Welcome

Well, a petition, by definition, is a request, or a plea. If it is God's
word, why would he reveal a petition, without expressly indicating
that it be read as such. All the other prayers in the Koran, are
expressly prefixed with either Say..., or Read..., but not this one.

Quite an interesting perspective. I doubt if many if any of us see it as that. Perhaps you are only familiar with the common English translation.

Surah 1

1: 1. In the name of ALLAH, the Gracious, the Merciful.
1: 2. All praise is due to ALLAH alone, Lord of all the worlds.
1: 3. The Gracious, the Merciful.
1: 4. Master of the Day of Judgment.
1: 5. THEE alone do we worship and THEE alone do we implore for help.
1: 6. Guide us in the straight path,
1: 7. The path of those on whom THOU hast bestowed THY favours, those who have not incurred THY displeasure and those who have not gone astray.

That is possibly the closest it can come in English. Looking at it from your perspective, I think maybe you came to that conclusion from the last 3 Ayyats.

1: 5. THEE alone do we worship and THEE alone do we implore for help.
1: 6. Guide us in the straight path,
1: 7. The path of those on whom THOU hast bestowed THY favours, those who have not incurred THY displeasure and those who have not gone astray

Now it is true that those are things we are to ask Allah(swt) for. But they are actually written in terms of a commandment directing us as to what we should ask for.

Let us look at the Surah in Arabic;

The ayyat that seem to to be causing you trouble are these:

They do not say:

1: 5. THEE alone do we worship and THEE alone do we implore for help.
1: 6. Guide us in the straight path,
1: 7. The path of those on whom THOU hast bestowed THY favours, those who have not incurred THY displeasure and those who have not gone astray.


They say:

'Iyyaaka na'-budu wa 'iyyaaka nasta-'iin
'Ihdinas-Siraatal-Mustaqiim
Siraatal-laziina 'an-'amta 'alay him
Gayril-magzuubi 'alay him wa laz-zaaalliin.

This is not in the tone of a petition, it is more like direct commands as to what we are to do. It is not possible to get the full connotation in English.

The best explanation for what it means would be from the tasfir of a scholar who can explain it in English. Since i am not a scholar, I would not attempt to claim my words are tasfir.

And since we're on the topic, why are the other prayers, although
prefixed as such, read along with the prefixes? We aren't God,
are we? So, who are we commanding, when we say them?

We do precede the reading of the Qur'an or any part with the words:

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

"In the name of God(swt) the Beneficent, the Most Merciful"

In fact we say that prior to starting any conscious act or thought.



I am lost as to what you mean here. the Qur'an is not a book of prayers as would be considered prayer in the English concept. It is a series of revelations as to what Allah(swt) has done and what is expected of us. Surah one tells us what we are to do, the rest of the Qur'an is the instruction manual on the hows and whys.

This is a prayer:

Translation:

Oh Allah! I seek Your guidance by virtue of Your knowledge, and I seek ability by virtue of Your power, and I ask You of Your great bounty. You have power; I have none. And You know; I know not. You are the Knower of hidden things.

Oh Allah! If in Your knowledge, (this matter*) is good for my religion, my livelihood and my affairs, immediate and in the future, then ordain it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me. And if in Your knowledge, (this matter*) is bad for my religion, my livelihood and my affairs, immediate and in the future, then turn it away from me, and turn me away from it. And ordain for me the good wherever it may be, and make me content with it.

Transliteration:

Allahumma inni astakheeroka bi ilmik. Wa'astaq-diroka biqodratik. Wa'as'aloka min fadlikal-azeem. Fa'innaka taqdiru wala aqdir. Wata lamo wala-a lam. Wa'anta-allamul ghuyoob.

Allahumma in kunta ta lamu anna (hathal-amra*) khayul-lee fi deenee wama ashi wa ajila amri wa'ajilah, faqdorho lee, wayassirho lee, thomma-barik lee fih. Wa'in konta ta lamo anna (hathal-amra*) sharrul-lee fi deenee. Wama ashi. Wa ajila amri. Wa'ajilaho. Fasrifho annee. Wasrifnee anh. Waqdur leyal-khayr haytho kan. Thomma ardini bih.


* When making the du'a, the actual matter or decision should be mentioned instead of the words "hathal-amra" ("this matter").

We learn how to pray by what the early scholars have directed us in the Sunnah and the Hadith.

 

[sabachthani]

With semantics, there is very little that can be argued.

Regardless, I thank you for your answers, and your patience.

 

[jouju]

subhaanallah
where did u get d info
its even regarded as as-sab'ul mathaani
in another hadith narrated by Abu Saeed Al-Mu'alla...d prophet asked if he shud teach him d greatest sura in the quran and he mentioned SURATUL FAATEHA

 

[جوري]

That fellow is just rude and on each of his posts.. I was almost certain members would be more unwelcoming toward him/her... Many take for granted our cordial reception.. frankly I didn't think he was worth all the effort Br.woodrow (Jazah Allah khyran) put into the posts...but as it happens, even that didn't seem to please him?.. My suspicion is he came to express his disgust and revulsion with Islam and then took off... we get many of those and then they buzz off..and to him and his ilk I say..good riddance..

 

[Nabooly]

That fellow is just rude and on each of his posts.. I was almost certain members would be more unwelcoming toward him/her... Many take for granted our cordial reception.. frankly I didn't think he was worth all the effort Br.woodrow (Jazah Allah khyran) put into the posts...but as it happens, even that didn't seem to please him?.. My suspicion is he came to express his disgust and revulsion with Islam and then took off... we get many of those and then they buzz off..and to him and his ilk I say..good riddance..

Yeah it was quite obvious from his first couple of replies :hmm:

 

[جوري]

001



The First Surah



Al-Fatihah (The Opening)

Mecca Period





THIS SURAH is also called Fatihat al-Kitdb ("The Opening of the Divine Writ"), Umm al -Kitab ("The Essence of the Divine Writ"), Sarat al -Hamd ("The Surah of Praise"), Asds al-Qur'an ("The Foundation of the Qur'an"), and is known by several other names as well. It is mentioned elsewhere in the Qur'an as As-Sab` al-Mathdnr ("The Seven Oft-Repeated [Verses]") because it is repeated several times in the course of each of the five daily prayers. According to Bukharl, the designation Umm al-Kitab was given to it by the Prophet himself, and this in view of the f act that it contains, in a condensed form, all the fundamental principles laid down in the Qur'an: the principle of God's oneness and uniqueness, of His being the originator and fosterer of the universe, the fount of all life-giving grace, the One to whom man is ultimately responsible, the only power that can really guide and help; the call to righteous action in the life of this world ("guide us the straight way"); the principle of life after death and of the organic consequences of man's actions and behaviour (expressed in the term "Day of Judgment"); the principle of guidance through God's message-bearers (evident in the reference to "those upon whom God has bestowed His blessings") and, flowing from it, the principle of the continuity of all true religions (implied in the allusion to people who have lived - and erred - in the past); and, finally, the need for voluntary self-surrender to the will of the Supreme Being and, thus, for worshipping Him alone. It is for this reason that this surah has been formulated as a prayer, to be constantly repeated and reflected upon by the believer. "The Opening" was one of the earliest revelations bestowed upon the Prophet. Some authorities (for instance, `All ibn Abl Talib) were even of the opinion that it was the very first revelation; but this view is contradicted by authentic Traditions quoted by both Bukharl and Muslim, which unmistakably show that the first five verses of surah 96 ("The Germ-Cell") constituted the beginning of revelation. It is probable, however, that whereas the earlier revelations consisted of only a few verses each, "The Opening" was the first surah revealed to the Prophet in its entirety at bne time: and this would explain the view held by `All.





1: 1

In the name of god, the most gracious, The dispenser of grace:*



*According to most of the authorities, this invocation (which occurs at the beginning of every surah with the exception of surah 9) constitutes an integral part of "The Opening" and is, therefore, numbered as verse I. In all other instances, the invocation "in the name of God" precedes the surah as such, and is not counted among its verses. - Both the divine epithets rahman and rahrm are derived from the noun rahmah, which signifies "mercy", "compassion", "loving tenderness" and, more comprehensively, "grace". From the very earliest times, Islamic scholars have endeavoured to define the exact shades of meaning which differentiate the two terms. The best and simplest of these explanations is undoubtedly the one advanced by Ibn al-Qayyim (as quoted in Mandr I, 48): the term rahman circumscribes the quality of abounding grace inherent in, and inseparable from, the concept of God's Being, whereas rahrm expresses the manifestation of that grace in, and its effect upon, His creation-in other words, an aspect of His activity.



1: 2

ALL PRAISE is due to God alone, the Sustainer of all the worlds,* (1: 3) the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace, (1: 4) Lord of the Day of Judgment!



*In this instance, the term "worlds" denotes all categories of existence both in the physical and the spiritual sense. The Arabic expression rabb - rendered by me as ',`Sustainer" - embraces a wide complex of meanings not easily expressed by a single term in another language. It comprises the ideas of having a just claim to the possession of anything and, consequently, authority over it, as well as of rearing, sustaining and fostering anything from its inception to its final completion. Thus, the head of a family is called rabb ad-ddr ("master of the house") because he has authority over it and is responsible for its maintenance; similarly, his wife is called rabbat ad-ddr ("mistress of the house"). Preceded by the definite article al, the designation rabb is applied, in the Qur'aff, exclusively to God as the sole fosterer and sustainer of all creation - objective as well as conceptual - and therefore the ultimate source of all authority.



1: 5

Thee alone do we worship; and unto Thee alone do we turn for aid.



1: 6

Guide us the straight way – (1: 7) the way of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings,* not of those who have been condemned [by Thee], nor of those who go astray!**



*i.e., by vouchsafing to them prophetic guidance and enabling them to avail themselves thereof.



**According to almost all the commentators, God's "condemnation" (ghadab, lit., "wrath") is synonymous with the evil consequences which man brings upon himself by wilfully rejecting God's guidance and acting contrary to His injunctions. Some commentators (e.g., Zamakhshari) interpret this passage as follows: ". . . the way of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings - those who have not been condemned [by Thee], and who do not go astray": in other words, they regard the last two expressions as defining "those upon whom Thdu hast bestowed Thy blessings". Other commentators (e.g., Baghawi and Ibn Kathir) do not subscribe to this interpretation - which would imply the use of negative definitions-and understand the last verse of the surah in the manner rendered by me above. As regards the two categories of people following a wrong course, some of the greatest Islamic thinkers (e.g., Al-Ghazali or, in recent times, Muhammad `Abduh) held the view that the people described as having incurred "God's condemnation" - that is, having deprived themselves of His grace - are those who have become fully cognizant of God's message and, having understood it, have rejected it; while by "those who go astray" are meant people whom the truth has either not reached at all, or to whom it has come in so garbled and corrupted a form as to make it difficult for them to recognize it as the truth (see `Abduh in Mandr 1, 68

 

[Z-Blade]

Is it true, that the opening chapter of the Koran, entitled
Al Fateha, is not considered a divine revelation?

Off course it's a divine revelation, who told you it isn't?

 

[Mazhara]

Thank you for your response, and for the moderation.
Well, a petition, by definition, is a request, or a plea. If it is God's
word, why would he reveal a petition, without expressly indicating
that it be read as such. All the other prayers in the Koran, are
expressly prefixed with either Say..., or Read..., but not this one.
And since we're on the topic, why are the other prayers, although
prefixed as such, read along with the prefixes? We aren't God,
are we? So, who are we commanding, when we say them?
Thus, my question.{Sabachtani}

Incidentally I came on this forum and clicked on your thread. I found your question and reasoning quite logical and sound. I understand that you are not satisfied with the traditional answers since you already know all these. And from your question I find that you have considerably read Grand Quran.

You seem to be in search of The Truth. If you study yourself to find a plausible answer to your question, I feel that you will reach The Truth, InshaAllah, and you will find that Grand Quran is La Raib, void of any wishful, conjectural assertions and is the only infinitely reliable Book in time and space. For this you will have to restrict and listen only to the original words of Quran and not what people have been saying or perceiving with the help of the “knowledge” they had at a given point of time. And I assure you that you will notice very delicate niceties from all angles while trying to find answer to your question.

For finding answer to your question, you will have to critically read verse 87 of Surat AlHijr

وَلَقَدۡ ءَاتَيۡنَـٰكَ سَبۡعً۬ا مِّنَ ٱلۡمَثَانِى وَٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ ٱلۡعَظِيمَ (٨٧)
And indeed We have given you {addressee is one male, i.e. the Messenger}seven {here seven is feminine}from ٱلۡمَثَانِى
And Grand Quran”

And then see what ٱلۡمَثَانِى is?

ٱللَّهُ نَزَّلَ أَحۡسَنَ ٱلۡحَدِيثِ كِتَـٰبً۬ا مُّتَشَـٰبِهً۬ا مَّثَانِىَ
{Refer 39:87}
We will try to understand the meanings and perception infolded in the words of this verse later; here we are trying to understand from where those سَبۡعً۬ا have been given.

Now see some facts which you may or may not have noticed:
Quran is always referred in Masculine.
Ayat are always referred in Feminine.
Surat is/are always referred in Feminine.

It is only and only the سَبۡعً۬ا مِّنَ ٱلۡمَثَانِى which begins with
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ and it carries a number (1).
And 113 chapters of Grand Quran do not have
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ in the beginning.
You might find it written in the beginning of 112 chapters {excepting chapter 9} in the copy of the Quran in your possession but you will notice nowhere it is numbered since it is not the part of the Quran.
We {traditionally} write it in the written/printed texts for the convenience of general public since those who have already become believers are advised/commanded in the Book to begin recitation with the name of Allah.

And study the meanings of the word ٱلۡمَثَانِى which is derived from the Root “ث ن ي”۔ the basic perception infolded in the Root ثني you may find in Lane’s lexicon like this:
He doubled it, or folded it;
he turned one part of it upon another; he bent it; he drew, or contracted, one of its two extremities to [or to-wards} the other, or joined, or adjoined, one of them to the other; thus bending it; namely, a stick, or branch, or twig, or a thing of any kind.
Signifies He took the half of their property: or he drew, or ad-joined,
to him what became with him two:

also signifies He made eleven to be twelve.
He made it two;
He dualized it,
He set it aside as excluded;
or he set it aide, or apart.

سَبۡعً۬ا مِّنَ ٱلۡمَثَانِى+113 chapters of Grand Quran = 114 Surat
7 verses + 6229 verses of Grand Quran = 6236 Ayat

سَبۡعً۬ا مِّنَ ٱلۡمَثَانِى is only for a Muslim and could only have been given to a Muslim for the first time. My Lord the Messenger {peace, salam, respects and praise is always upon him without interruption} is a Muslim before being given سَبۡعً۬ا مِّنَ ٱلۡمَثَانِى.

سَبۡعً۬ا مِّنَ ٱلۡمَثَانِى are extracted/set aside from the Grand Quran and phrased for Muslims to say it as petition/prayer; a communication between the created and The Creator.

I have hurriedly framed these points for your study. I wish I could quickly translate a 48 page Article on سَبۡعً۬ا مِّنَ ٱلۡمَثَانِى which is in Urdu. However I will post it for the study of those Members/visitors who understand Urdu. May be someone quickly translates it.

Urdu article is here:
http://haqeeqat.org.pk/book_6/30/slides/1.html
In addition I am posting an article in English “Introduction of Quran: The only Infinitely Reliable Book”.
Introduction of Quran: The only Infinitely Reliable Book
بِسمِ ٱلله الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيـمِ
Beginning is with the Personal Name of Allah, الرَّحْمٰنِ {Ar Rehman} Who is Most Merciful.
السلام عليكم
"This is the Book, within this is no suspicious matter/statement; this is guide for righteous people" {Refer 2:02}
رَيْبَ Root: رىب
The basic concept infolded in this Root is the suspicious state of mind about something. It reflects a state of perception when one is double minded about the exact nature, probability or likelihood of a thing; it refers when someone doubts the truth or validity of something/statement/ fact. It refers to a confused/perplexed state which causes disquiet, disturbance and agitation of mind.
رَيْبَ is not the synonym {مرادف} of "شَكٍّ" which means doubt reflecting uncertain or unconvinced feeling/state of mind about something or to suspect that somebody is not sincere or trustworthy. It only reflects uncertainty or mistrust but it may or may not be coupled with disquiet, disturbance and agitation of mind. But in the state of رَيْبَ there is a feeling of uneasiness and disquiet since the man is double minded/confused about a thing. In the case of شَكٍّ one is tending not to believe or accept but to question about things, i.e. one is skeptical. رَيْبَ could be the consequence of شَكٍّ but شَكٍّ is not the consequence of رَيْبَ.
رَيْبَ could be present in a statement, information, news or a book or someone may feel suspicious even without there being any cause or substance which could create doubt. For in-depth study and to comprehensively conceive the concept infolded in the Root " رىب ", let us find the prominent " رَيْبَ" {suspicions; misconceptions} of people as highlighted in the Grand Quran:
Grand Quran has been introduced as a Book. A Book contains written material; giving information, data, physical facts, narration of facts, events and conduct of the past/generations; knowledge; injunctions/ instructions; procedural code, prescription of lawful and unlawful matter or conduct; segregates or demarcates one thing from another, describes the relationship of things and elaborates the cause and effect of events/rise and fall; and it serves as a Guide giving permanent values and the road map for those seeking the destination. .....MORE
http://haqeeqat.org.pk/English%20Tafsir%20e%20Haqeeqat/06.%20Book-6%20Quran%20Described%20by%20Quran/01.%20Introduction%20Infinitely%20reliable%20book/01.%20Introduction%20La%20Raib.htm