What is Al Fatihah to you? (survey)

[glo]

Very beautiful and powerful at the same time. It sounds like a prayer to me. Kind of reminds me of the Lord's Prayer.

 

[Ali Mujahidin]

Besides being an integral part of every solat and a, more or less, mandatory, for me, introduction to any talk about Islam, the Al-Fatihah is also a dua. The structure of the surah is that of a dua. The first 4 verses are praises to Allah. The last 4 verses are pleas to Allah.

 

[Taabuu]

Surah Fathiha is termed as mother of Quran. It is the cream of the contents of all chapters of Quran. It is the first chapter of Quran and gate way to the remaining chapters. Allah (SWT) revealed Surah Fathiha to teach the ummah how to start anything. We should recite the words "Bismillahi Rahmani Raheem (In the name of the most Compassionate and most Merciful" before starting any thing auspicious. We are going to start reading/reciting the remaining chapters of Quran in which there is Divine Guidance to mankind. The next verse in Surah Fathiha is "Alhamdu Lillahi Rabbil Alameen (All praises are to Allah, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe)". It is natural that we must praise the glory of any body before asking for any favour from that person. This verse teaches us how to praise Allah for His innumerable Blessings before asking the greatest blessing i.e.to show the right path. The verse "Arrahmani Raheem (most Compassionate and most Merciful] is again repeated to remind us as to the greatness of Allah. Allah is not only most Compassionate and most Merciful, but also the Master of the Day of Judgment when our good and bad deeds will be weighed. The divine Guidance of Allah will be bestowed only on those who worship He alone and those who seek His Divine aid/help alone. The next verse "Iyyaka Na'budu wa Iyyaka nasta'een (To thee only we worship and to thee only we ask for help) qualifies us to ask for Guidance to the right path (hidayath). The next three verses (the following verses) clarifies as to who were those rightly guided, who were those to whom Allah's wrath occurred and those who went astray.

The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray. Those on whom Allah's wrath occurred was the Jews and those who went astray were the Christians.

After reading the prayer in Surah Fathiha, we are ready to get the Divine Blessing of Allah (SWT). Therefore, Allah has revealed the first Chapter Surah Fathiha in supplication (Dua) form.

: The Surah Fathiha is recited in all prayers (salats).

 

[Insaanah]

With the Faatihah at the beginning, the Qur'an does not begin chronologically like the Old Testament, nor geneologically like the New Testament. If you look at the the first words in the arrangement of the Qur'an, they begin, "In the name of Allah.." This is followed by praise of God, acknowledgement of His Mercy and Lordship, affirmation that only He is worthy of being worshipped and asked for help, and a prayer to ask for guidance to the right path. The rest of the book contains the guidance asked for, as in the second sentence of the very next Surah:

"This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah," (2:2)

Apart from Surah al-Faatiha's relationship with the rest of the Qur'an as mentioned above, the beginning of the Qur'an also has a relationship with the end.

In the beginning (in Surah al-Faatihah), after praising and glorifying Allah, Who is Lord of the worlds, the servants submits: "Lord, You alone I worship and to You alone I turn for help, thus guide me to the Straight Way." In answer to this prayer, he is given by Allah the whole Qur'an to show him the Straight Way, as mentioned in the very beginning of the very next Surah. The guidance is concluded with the Mu'awwidhatayn (the two Surahs in which refuge with Allah has been sought), each Surah being a prayer in itself, to the Lord of the daybreak, the Lord of mankind, the King of mankind, the God of mankind, saying: "I seek refuge only with You for protection from every evil and mischief of every creature, and in particular, from the evil whisperings of devils, be they from among men or jinn", for they are the greatest obstacle in following the Straight Way that has been shown.

(Adapted and excerpted from the Surah introduction to the Mu'awwidhatayn in The Meaning of the Qur'an by S.A. Maududi)

May Allah guide us, and protect us from all evil and harm, ameen.