Surah Fatihah (Section 1)

The Opening  : سُوْرَۃُ الْفَاتِحَةِ

1-0 In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

1-1 Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds,

1-2 The Beneficent, the Merciful,

1-3 Master of the day of Requital.

1-4 Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help.

1-5 Guide us on the right path,

1-6 The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favours,

1-7 Not those upon whom wrath is brought down, nor those who go astray.

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ (١)

 ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ (٢)

 مَـٰلِكِ يَوۡمِ ٱلدِّينِ (٣)

 إِيَّاكَ نَعۡبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسۡتَعِينُ (٤)

 ٱهۡدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٲطَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقِيمَ (٥)

 صِرَٲطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنۡعَمۡتَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ (٦)

 غَيۡرِ ٱلۡمَغۡضُوبِ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ (٧)

Name: The best-known name of this surah is الفاتحة or فاتحة الکتاب. The names of the Quranic surahs by which they are known are mentioned in many authentic hadith containing the narrations of the Holy Prophet. Since the names are traceable back to the blessed tongue of the Holy Prophet, it follows that the surahs were named under Divine guidance. This surah is mentioned in the ahadith as الفاتحة and فاتحة الکتاب from whence it gets its name. The recitation of الفاتحة is an essential part of the daily prayers as is apparent from a hadith quoted both by Abu Daud and Tirmidzi which states:لا صلوۃ اِلّابقراۃ فاتحة الکتاب (there is no prayer without the Fatiha). Another hadith narrated by Ubaidah bin Samit and reported both in Bukhari and Muslim states: قال رسول اﷲ صلم ﻻصلوة لمن لّم یقراٌ بفاتحة الکتاب (The Messenger of Allah said, “Whoever does not recite the Fatihah has not said his prayer). There are other names of the Fatihah as well. In surah Hijar of the Quran, this surah is referred to as: من المثانی سبعًا meaning the seven oft repeated verses. In an authentic hadith, it has also been referred to as اُمّالقران or اُمّ الکتاب which means that this surah is the essence and summary of the Holy Quran. It has been called by other names as well such as الدعاء- الصلوۃ- الشفاء- الکنز- الحمد-  . Imam Al-Suyuti lists twenty-five names for this surah in his book Al-Itqan fi Ulum Al-Quran (The Perfect Guide to the Science of Quran).

Summary of the subject-matter

The four greatest attributes of Allah the Most High: There are a total of seven verses in this surah out of which the first three verses mention those perfect attributes of Allah which sustain the entire systems of this world. The first verse mentions the attribute of ربوبیت which means the nurturer unto perfection of the entire creation within the ambit of their assigned objectives. The second verse contains two attributes. The first of these is رحمٰنیت , which is the attribute of providing for creatures prior to their creation all necessary resources needed by them to reach their perfection, and the second is  رحیمیتwhich is the attribute of arranging the best results when the creatures use the provided resources. The third verse contains the attribute of مالکیت which is the attribute of requital when given resources are not put to good use or for transgressing the laws that are in place so that things may progress to perfection and the established order in the universe be maintained. The fourth verse is a declaration that only the Pure Being whose praise is enunciated in the first three verses is deserving of worship and that He is the only One from whom help is sought.

The two parts of Fatiha and their mutual relationship: The last three verses are a supplication for guidance on the right path and for the avoidance of extremes. The first three verses are only for extoling the praise of Allah and the last three verses only for the supplicant that he may be the recipient of the best rewards. The middle verse gives the connection between Allah, the Most High, and His servant and thus is common between the first and second parts of the Fatihah. The opening words of this middle verse اِیَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ (Thee do we serve) really connect with the first three verses because they make the Being whose laudable qualities have been stated in the first three verses to be the only one deserving of worship. Now since He is the only one deserving to be worshipped then perforce, He is the One from whom help should be sought. This connects the second part of the verseنَسْتَعِیْنُ  اِیَّاكَ with the first part of the verse while a natural connection exists with the last three verses of this chapter which explain the nature of the help that is sought. This is the meaning of the hadith which states that صَلٰوۃُ  meaning Fatihah is half and half between Me and My servant قال اﷲ قسمت الصٰوۃ بینی و بین عبدی نصفین ولعبدی ماسال۔ Tirmizi classifies this hadith as Hassan i.e. fairly reliable.

The rationale for keeping the Fatihah at the head of the Quran is its greatness: In an authentic(Sahi)hadith, the Fatihah has been calledاعظم السور فی القران  meaning the greatest surah of the Quran. Its greatness is apparent from the fact that prayer, which has been called the ascension of the believer, requires the recitation of the Fatihah in every rakah along with recitation from any other part of the Quran. It is the essence and summary of the Quran as is apparent from its name of اُمُّ اْلکِتاب۔. The real purpose of the Quran is to expound the praise of Allah and to guide men to their ultimate perfection. Accordingly, the first part of the surah explicates the basic laudable attributes of Allah and the latter part the achievement of man’s perfection. The start of the surah with the statement اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰہِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِیْنَ  not only mentions Allah’s general attribute of nurturing but also sets the basis for the unity of mankind by the use of the word الْعَالَمِیْنَ which does away with all national differences. The purpose of religion, in summary, is to establish the lordship of God and the brotherhood of man and there can be no better rendering of this summary than the words:  اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰہِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِیْنَ  i.e. All praise is for Allah, the Lord of the worlds.

The Fatihah refutes all false beliefs: The attributes of Allah mentioned in the Fatihah i.e. ربوبیت – رحمٰنیت – رحیمیت – مالکیت (Nurturer unto Perfection, Beneficent, Merciful, and Master) are the source or root from which all the other attributes of the Divine Being are derived. Another marvel of these attributes is that they refute the false beliefs of all the religions of the world. The attribute of ربوبیت (Nurturer unto Perfection) refutes the idea that anyone can partner or associate with Allah in His person or in His attributes. He is the Nurturer of the spirit and of matter, therefore they cannot be His associate in any attribute such as being eternal. Similarly, idolatry and all forms of polytheism is refuted because only a Being that nurtures others is worthy of praise and worship and that Being is only One. The attribute of رحمٰنیت (Beneficence) which connotes mercy without extracting recompense refutes the doctrine of atonement whose basis is that God cannot forgive without recompense and hence His son is made the recompense for the sins of mankind. But the dictates of رحمٰنیت (Beneficence) require that His mercy be exercised even without recompense as can be seen in His creation in which He makes provisions for men even before they are born. The attribute of رحیمیت (Mercy) means that He rewards abundantly for actions that are obedient to His laws. This refutes those beliefs that hold that man’s actions, which are necessarily limited in amount, can correspondingly only bring limited rewards, and therefore consider salvation to be only temporary. The attribute of مالکیت signifies that although Allah requites disobedience to His laws but His treatment with His creatures is that of a master with his servants. This refutes the creed of transmigration of the soul which holds that Allah cannot forgive any sin and therefore man must pass through many cycles of rebirth for the requital of sins.

Fatihah teaches moderation: Just as the first part of the Fatihah rebuts the false beliefs of other faiths, the second part of the Fatihah rebuts their extremist practices. All religions in their present condition except for Islam put special emphasis only on one aspect of human morality. Consequently, they have erroneously veered to one extreme or the other. Thus, they have put extreme emphasis on one branch and completely ignored the other. The summary of Islam’s teaching is here given as moderation which saves one from underindulgence and safeguards against overindulgence. Thus, the Surah Fatihah has the foundational teachings of the true principles of belief and actions and a rebuttal of that which is false.

The best supplication: The prayer that has been taught in this surah is of the highest excellence, the like of which is not met in any other religion. A comparison with the Lord’s prayer in Christianity exemplifies this statement. The Christians make tall claims about their Lord’s prayer, but it is nothing compared to the Fatihah. The Lord’s prayer supplicates for the daily bread while the Fatihah beseeches for the right path i.e. for the attainment of human perfection. This manifests the difference in the objectives of the two supplications. The Lord’s prayer pleads for the forgiveness of sins while the Fatihah expresses the desire to reach the station where one becomes free from committing sins and where there is no underindulgence or overindulgence in the fulfillment of rights. Thus, it is a prayer to become sinless or innocent. There is no supplication in the Torah or the Gospels which is a match for Fatihah in terms of teaching the right principles, in refuting the wrong beliefs, in eulogizing and praising Allah and for taking man to the highest pinnacle of perfection. Similarly, the relationship that has been created between Allah and His servant in the statement: اِیَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَ اِیَّاكَ نَسْتَعِیْنُ  (Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help) is without a parallel. Those who roam around seeking incantations (وظیفہ) for their spiritual uplift will find that they will obtain their objective much faster if they were to resort to the foremost of supplications i.e. the Fatihah. There is no better incantation than the surah Fatihah and it is an incantation that Allah, the Most High, has Himself taught to men.

Period of Revelation: There is unanimity of opinion that not only is this a Makkan revelation but that it belongs to the earliest period. This surah was recited in prayers from the beginning and prayers were regularly offered in Makkah. An incident is recorded from the fourth year of prophethood in which Saad was offering prayer with a group of Muslims in an open area near Makkah when an altercation took place with the unbelievers of Makkah, after which it was decided that prayers would be held in the house of Raqam. This incident shows that congregational prayers were offered prior to the fourth year of apostleship and hence surah Fatihah was recited in the prayers at that time. Its early revelation is not merely a matter of conjecture but there is evidence that it was the first complete surah to be revealed. According to one narration the Fatihah is: اوّل شئى انزل من القران  i.e. the first thing that was revealed from the Quran. This hadith has been narrated by Bayhaqi in دلاءل النبوّۃ (Dalayal Al-Nabuwat). The criticism against this has been that there is a consensus that اقرأ باسم ربّك was the first revelation. It appears that what is meant by اوّل شئى is that Fatihah was the first complete surah of the Quran that was revealed because only the first five verses of surah Al-Alaq (ال علق) were revealed in the first revelation and the rest of the surah was revealed later.

بِسْمِﷲِالرَّحْمٰنِالرَّحِیْمِ  : It is written before all the surahs of the Quran except for surah Al-Baraat (ال براۃ ). The revelation of this verse before every surah is proven by authentic ahadith. A hadith in Abu Dawud states that the Messenger of Allah did not recognize the separation of a surah until بِسْمِ ﷲِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ  was revealed to him. This proves that بِسْمِ ﷲِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ  was revealed at the start of every surah but the verse is not included amongst the verses of any surah including the Fatihah. It is reported in Ibn Kathir that Dauwd said it is a permanent verse at the beginning of each surah and not part of the surah. This is also the narrative from Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal and this was also the right belief of Imam Abu Hanifa.

بسمﷲ (Bismillah) is the summary of every surah: بسم ﷲ الرحمٰن الرحیم is a permanent verse because just as surah Fatihah is the summary of the Quran, بسم ﷲ الرحمٰن الرحیم is the summary of surah Fatihah and thus it too is a summary of the Quran. Because every surah of the Quran is a book in itself with its standalone subject, بسم ﷲ الرحمٰن الرحیم has been kept at the beginning of each surah as a summary of the surah as well. That بسم ﷲ الرحمٰن الرحیم is a summary of surah Fatihah is apparent from the fact that out of the four attributes in the Fatihah i.e.   ربوبیت-  رحمٰنیت- رحیمیت – مالکیت , which are the root for all the other Divine attributes, two attributes – رحمٰنیت – رحیمیت – have been selected here. The reason is that the affairs of the world depend upon these two attributes. A little reflection will show that the provision of resources, and the arranging of the rewards when those resources are utilized is the basic organizational principle of the world on which all affairs depend. All the resources provided by Allah that make life possible such as water, fire, sun, etcetera, and the laws under which these operate are a manifestation of His attribute of رحمٰنیت (Beneficence), while the outcomes that result when we harness these resources is a manifestation of His رحیمیت (Mercy). The spiritual system is also based onرحمٰنیت  (Beneficence) and رحیمیت (Mercy). It is really on these two attributes that our physical well-being depends. The same is the case with our spiritual welfare. It is under His attribute of رحمٰنیت (Beneficence) that He grants us knowledge of His Divine ordinances and laws. ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنُ عَلَّمَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ (The Beneficent Taught the Quran) and when we put these ordinances and laws into practice, He organizes the outcomes. In short, both the physical and spiritual systems are established on these two attributes. It is for this reason that some consider the greatest name of Allah as: ﷲ الرَّحْمٰنِ ۔ الرَّحِیْمِ (Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful) [Zarqani]. بسم ﷲ  contains not only the summary of Allah’s attributes but the other half of Surah Fatihah pertaining to men has been encapsulated in the word با because that portion begins with إِيَّاكَ نَعۡبُدُ  and here too the با is for seeking of help. In this way, بسم ﷲ is a practical lesson of Unity for a Muslim in his life.

بسمﷲ is the compliance of Allah’s order: It is also useful to remember that بسم ﷲ الرحمٰن الرحیم is in reality the compliance of the first order that was given to the Holy Prophet. It is narrated in Bukhari that when the Holy Prophet, in accordance with his wont, was busy worshipping Allah in the Cave of Hira, the Angel came and said: اِقْرَاءُ i.e. “Read”. The Holy Prophet replied ما انا بقارئ i.e. “I am not one who can read”. The Angel again repeated the command and the Prophet repeated the same answer. This happened thrice. The fourth time, the Angel said: ٱقۡرَأۡ بِٱسۡمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ i.e. “Read in the name of thy Lord who creates” (96:1). So, Allah Himself taught man how بِٱسۡمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ is to be read. Accordingly, it appears from some narrations that the next revelation that came after this was: بِسْمِ ﷲِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ ۝ ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ  up to the end of surah Fatihah. In other words, Allah Himself gave man the knowledge on how to ask Allah for help. The Prophet is reported in a hadith to have said: کل أمر لا یُبْد ءُ فیه بسم ﷲ الرحمٰن الرحیم فھو اَجؐذم  i.e. “Every work that is not started with بسم ﷲ الرحمٰن الرحیم is without blessings”. And certainly, a person who seeks helps from Allah in his work will receive His blessings. 

1-0a The با in بسم ﷲ is a plea for help, and its fuller exposition is, I read in the name of Allah seeking His help, and this is the compliance of the command ٱقۡرَأۡ i.e Read (96:1).

اسم is from سُمُوٌّ which means highness or eminence and so اسم is that by which the eminence of the one called upon is extolled and he is recognized by it (R). It is used for both a personal name and an attribute. Allah is the proper name and الرحمٰن الرحیم (Al-Rahman and Al-Rahim) are attributive names, and the implication is that the reader seeks help from Allah’s attributes of Beneficence and Mercy. Allah, the personal name of God, is His greatest name and comprehends all His attributive names. It is not derived from اَلَهَ and its root is notاِلٰه   because اِلٰه is used for deities other than Allah. Neither in the Islamic period nor in the Pre-Islamic period was the word ﷲ ever used for any other deity. It is also not an abbreviation of اَلْاِلٰه (meaning the God) because God is not addressed as یا الاله or یَا اَلرّحْمٰن. Hence اَلْ is not an extra word. There is no language of the world other than Arabic that has the personal name of God.

الرحمٰن الرحیم : Grammatically, both الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ are the superlative derivations from رَحِمَ (to have mercy upon, be merciful towards). One is on the measure of فَعْلان and the other on the measure of فعیل . The superlative form of فَعْلان means repletion and overwhelm, and denotes an abundance of an attribute. The superlative of فَعیل means to repeat and implies that the attribute is repeated (AH). Some have distinguished between الرحمٰن  and  الرَّحِیْمِ by stating that الرحمٰن  is an attribute which is inherent in the Being of Allah and الرَّحِیْمِ is the attribute that denotes the relationship that develops with the person on whom mercy is shown. So رحمٰن is the Being whose beneficence is so vast that He creates all the necessities even before a person is born and this attribute encompasses both the believers and the non-believers and رحیم is the Being whose mercy is repeated again and again, and this attribute is manifested based on the action of the person (and is manifested again and again for every action) to whom mercy is shown.

رحمٰن for this world and رحیم for the Hereafter: A hadith states that Allah is رحمٰن for this world and رحیم for the Hereafter because رحمٰن created all the necessities for a person before his birth merely out of an abundance of His beneficence and رحیم is the One who grants rewards for the righteous actions of an individual which will take place fully in the Hereafter. Thus, the One who endows the initial resources is رحمٰن and when a person expends effort to utilize these resources, the One who determines the outcomes is رحیم. The creation of the earth, water, fire etcetera is the demand of the attribute of beneficence (رحمانیت); by tilling, sowing a seed and irrigating, a person converts one seed into many and this is the demand of the attribute of mercy (رحیمیت). Similarly, the revelation of Divine laws (sharia) and the grant of prophethood is the demand of beneficence (رحمانیت). The success that results by adherence to these Divine laws takes place under the attribute of mercy (رحیمیت). It is for this reason that the teaching of the Quran to the Prophet is the work of الرحمٰن  and the verses ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنُ عَلَّمَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ  evidences this fact. رحمٰن is specific to Allah and is not used for any other, but رحیم is used for others as well. Thus, the word رحیم has been used for the Holy Prophet as in the verse:بِٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬  (9:128).

1-1a ال۔حمد: The اَلْ in ٱلۡحَمۡدُ isاستغراقی  and means all laudable qualities or all kinds of praise.حَمْد  is praise that is lavished because of excellence, that is for those qualities that totally captivate a person. In Arabic as in Urdu there are two close synonyms مدح and شکر for حمد from which it needs to be distinguished. مدح also means praise but it has a wider sense because the praise might be lavished because of authority or for excellent qualities. شکر is gratitude for receiving some blessing and is therefore much more confined in meaning.

رَبّ is a verbal noun or infinitive and means to nurture a thing from one condition to another condition until it reaches its stage of perfection (R). It is used here as a name. Hence رَبّ is the Being that takes a thing by stages to its perfection. This supports the theory of evolution which also propounds that everything has reached its stage of perfection through stages. A standalone رَبّ is only used for the Creator but in an attributive form it can also be used for others, as for example رَبّ الدّار meaning the owner of the house. Joseph’s statement may also be quoted: ٱذۡڪُرۡنِى عِندَ رَبِّكَ (Remember me with thy lord) (12:42). The plural of رَبّ is ارباب as used in: ءَأَرۡبَابٌ۬ مُّتَفَرِّقُونَ خَيۡرٌ  (…are sundry lords better…) (12:39).

عَالَمِیْنَ is the plural form of عَالَمۡ (world) which is derived from علم.(to know(of), have knowledge (of)) The entire creation or existing things are called عَالَمۡ because it is the instrument which gives knowledge of the Creator. Every kind of creation is also called عَالَمۡ. According to one narration, Allah’s creation is in excess of eighteen thousand (T). The entire humanity is also one عَالَم, and so is every nation an عَالَمۡ. In fact, every generation is an عَالَمۡ (IJ). Thus, wherever there is a mention that some people or nations were granted excellence over the عَالَمِیْن, the meaning is over the people of that generation. The plural form used in the verse is to include every kind of creation present.

الحمد is a lesson in accepting the decree of Allah with pleasure: Education about Islam must necessarily begin with ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ in which there is an excellent lesson to accept the decrees of Allah with pleasure. A Muslim reads the surah Fatihah many times in his five daily prayers and whether he is joyous or distressed, the only statement that escapes his lips is one of thankfulness and praise. It also tells us about the condition of the blessed heart of the Prophet on which it was revealed. His heart was so full of the praise of Allah that not even a momentary thought of complaint could enter his mind. Praise was always on his lips, praise in the morning when he got up, praise in the early afternoon, praise in the late afternoon, praise in the evening after sunset, praise at night before sleeping, and then waking up at night to praise some more. His bosom was filled with the praise of God. On account of this praise, in which he outdid all other prophets, his name became Ahmad (احمد) (One who praises), which is a name that had not been given to any person before him. Because he praised the Creator more than anyone else, so Allah, the Most High, ensured that His creatures would praise him more than anyone else, and that is how his name became Muhammad (محمد) (One who is praised)  may the peace and blessings of Allah be with him. 

The inclusiveness of Islamic teachings: The inclusiveness of Islamic teachings is evidenced by the fact that it begins with the nurturing unto perfection of the entire humanity and not of any one nation. This sentence: ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ  (Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds) not only extols the praise of Allah, but it also expresses the oneness of humanity. There is also an indication in the use of the word رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ that whereas the spiritual nurturing of the nations in the past had been done separately, now the nurturing of all nations would be done through only one Prophet. Hence words like ربکم (your Lord) or رب المسلمین (Lord of the Muslims) or any other such term has not been used to avoid any disagreement. There is also a clear indication in رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ for the need for Divine revelation because it is the demand of the name رب that every creature should be nurtured to perfection. A person’s real perfection is not only physical perfection but more importantly moral perfection. Just as رب has created the requisites in the physical world for a man’s perfection, it is necessary that there should be present external resource in the spiritual world to achieve moral perfection – this external resource is Divine revelation. This small phrase also teaches us the great lesson that merit is born from the worship of the Lord. Another great lesson is that only that person will be praiseworthy who serves other people, not just members of his household or family, or his nation but the whole of humanity, and even beyond that serves the whole creation.  

It is worthwhile remembering that whereas in other religions God is invoked by addressing Him as اَبْ or Father, the Quran has opted to use the word رَبّ in supplications because the relationship of رَبّ with His creation is far stronger than that of a father with his son. Most Quranic prayers begin withرَبَّنَا  (Our Lord) indicating thereby that the purpose of every prayer is to take a person to his perfection because رَبّ is the Being that guides everything to its perfection. But اَبْ does not take man to his perfection. Hence calling God as اَبْ is to grant Him a much lower status.

1-1b It is important to note the difference between مالك (Master) and مَلِك (King). The difference is that مَلِك (King) has control over only certain matters, the مالك has full control over his possessions. The increase of one alphabet between مَلِك and مالك creates a much greater strength in the meaning. Secondly, the word مَلِك is special to politics and means a person who can order the masses to do or not do certain things. The control in this case is limited and the person would be called مَلِكِ النَّاس or king of men. For the control of inanimate things and for یوم الدّین (Hereafter) the terminology would be مالك and not مَلِك.

یَوْم is generally taken to mean the time between sunrise and sunset, but frequently it is used to denote a period of time which could be very short or very long (R). Accordingly, in the verse كُلَّ يَوۡمٍ هُوَ فِى شَأۡنٍ۬ (55:29) یوم means ‘moment’, while in فِى يَوۡمٍ۬ كَانَ مِقۡدَارُهُ ۥ خَمۡسِينَ أَلۡفَ سَنَةٍ۬ (70:4), the یوم is stated to be five thousand years.

دِین The real meaning of دِین is requital (R). A narration in Bukhari states: الدین الجزاء فی الخیر و الشر and the meaning of دِین here is the recompense for doing good and evil. By way of metaphor, it is used for shariah because, so to speak, دِین is the name of obedience to shariah. 

So, the meaning of مَـٰلِكِ يَوۡمِ ٱلدِّينِ is Master of the day of Requital. One great time of requital is that which is construed as the day of Resurrection or Doomsday, but in a sense, requital is an ongoing process in this world as well. It appears from a reading of the Quran that the requital on the day of Resurrection will be an open manifestation of the results which in reality are born concomitantly with each action taken here but generally remain hidden to the human eye. Sometimes, by way of an example, they become manifest here as well. 

There is an indication in the use of the termمالکیت  (Master) that sins can be forgiven. The use of the word مالك (Master) instead of مَلِك (King) is adopted because مَلِك has only a limited authority commissioned for the purpose of doing justice between parties. He cannot pardon a criminal, but the مالك has the authority to forgive whoever He pleases. This concept rejects the principle of atonement and transmigration of soul because their essence is that God cannot forgive sins and is constrained to punish the guilty. This belief is totally contrary to reality. An employer, who is not really a master, can forgive an employee’s trespass but God who is the repository of all perfect attributes cannot forgive! If the desire for forgiveness is inherent in a person then why is it not present in the Creator? An attribute that is not in the Creator cannot be present in the created.

1-3a. نَعۡبُدُ :عَبُوْدِیَّة  is the manifestation of great humility and عِبادة is a much more eloquent form of it i.e. extreme humility and meekness. The only one having a right to such servitude must be a being whose excellence is of the highest order i.e. Allah, the Most High, besides whom, it is not permissible to worship anybody (R). Or عِبادة is the obedience with which there is خضوع i.e. humility (T). Thus, the essence of real worship is complete obedience to Allah, the Most High, with full humility. The objective of life is worship. It has been called the purpose of life: وَمَا خَلَقۡتُ ٱلۡجِنَّ وَٱلۡإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعۡبُدُونِ  (And I have not created the Jinn and the men except that they should serve me) (51:56) because a person cannot reach his full potential unless he ensures all of his faculties are employed in complete obedience to Allah. Worship is for a person’s own betterment; Allah is self-sufficient. He neither benefits from anyone’s worship, nor does He sustain any loss if He is not worshipped.   

نَسۡتَعِينُ : استعانة is to seek aid i.e. to ask for help.

عبادت (veneration) is precursor to asking for help: When the perfect attributes of Allah are invoked, a person compulsively expresses that he puts all his faculties in obedience to such a Being and that he cannot accept humble obedience to any other. Along with this, a person’s soul admits its helplessness and beseeches: O Allah your help is needed to reach the desired goal; rectify our weaknesses and by holding our hand take us to our desired destination. Because the ability to worship is innate in the human soul, we say: إِيَّاكَ نَعۡبُدُ (Thee do we serve) and because practically we stand in need of help, we cry out وَإِيَّاكَ نَسۡتَعِينُ (and Thee do we ask for help). As long as a person does not worship and does not put his full faculties into use, he does not become deserving of help.

1-5a ٱهۡدِنَا : The meaning of ھدایة  (guidance) is: الرشاد والدلالة بلُطف الٰی مایُوصل الی المطلوب (To gracefully take and guide towards what is desired i.e. to take to the desired destination). Imam Raghib explains that guidance is of four types. The first type is instinctive guidance which is common, and Allah has given it to all creatures at the time of their creation أَعۡطَىٰ كُلَّ شَىۡءٍ خَلۡقَهُ ۥ ثُمَّ هَدَىٰ (…gives to everything its creation, then guides (it)) (20:50). Allah stated: وَٱلَّذِى قَدَّرَ فَهَدَىٰ (And Who measures, then guides) (87:3). This guidance is present in the nature of everything. The second type of guidance is the one that people get through prophets i.e. the calling by the prophets to truth: جَعَلۡنَا مِنۡہُمۡ أَٮِٕمَّةً۬ يَہۡدُونَ بِأَمۡرِنَا (And We made from among them leaders to guide by Our command…) (32:24). The prophets show a way: إِنَّا هَدَيۡنَـٰهُ ٱلسَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِرً۬ا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا (We have truly shown him the way; he may be thankful or unthankful) (76:3). The third guidance is the divine help given specifically to a person who heeds the prophet’s guidance. This is available to all persons provided they heed the guidance and it is for this reason that the Quran is called: هُدً۬ى لِّلنَّاسِ)) (…a guidance to men…) (2:185). The Quran states: وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱهۡتَدَوۡاْ زَادَهُمۡ هُدً۬ى (And those who follow guidance, He increases them in guidance…) (47:17) and وَمَن يُؤۡمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ يَہۡدِ قَلۡبَهُ (…And whoever believes in Allah, He guides his heart…) (64:11). The fourth type of guidance is paradise i.e. the taking to the desired destination as is stated in: سَيَہۡدِيہِمۡ وَيُصۡلِحُ بَالَهُمۡ (He will guide them and improve their condition) (47:5) or as in ھدی للمتقین (guidance for the believers) as referenced from the Taj al-Arus in the beginning.

ٱلۡمُسۡتَقِيمَ is the path that is straight and even. It is an analogy for the path of righteousness (G).

 The purpose of the Fatihah prayer: A critic may state that the Fatihah supplication shows that the supplicant has been misguided up to that time. Such a critic has obviously not considered the prior words. The supplicant is a person who has recognized the perfect attributes of Allah, the Most High, and by saying إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ  is already using his faculties in full obedience to the commands of Allah and through إِيَّاكَ نَسۡتَعِينُ is asking Allah to help him remove his weaknesses. And as the verse: وَأَنِ ٱعۡبُدُونِى‌ۚ هَـٰذَا صِرَٲطٌ۬ مُّسۡتَقِيمٌ۬ (And that you serve Me. This is the right way) (36:61), shows, the person who professes:إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ  is on the straight path. The prayer, therefore, is to remain steadfast on this path i.e. that Allah should always keep him on this path, never let him waver after he has found the right path, and that he should not slacken until he has reached his intended destination; this is what is meant by ھدایت (guidance). The real purpose of this supplication is to take a person to that lofty goal which is elucidated in what follows and which has been hinted at in رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِين (Lord of the worlds) and ٱهۡدِنَا (guide us) i.e. the accession of man to perfection. Thus, the real purpose of the supplication is to say: O God keep us walking on the straight path until we achieve the perfection which is the real desired destination of man’s progress.

The attainment of human perfection lies beyond the status of chastity: This supplication sets before man the highest status that he can reach. Most other religions confine their supplications just to the forgiveness of sins. Islam teaches not only to supplicate for the forgiveness of sins and protection from going astray, which is the status of chastity, but also to pray, as taught in this prayer, to reach beyond that to the status of perfection. There is no supplication comparable to surah Fatihah in any other heavenly book, and even among the supplications of the Quran, this prayer is unparalleled in excellence.

1-6a اِنعام means to grant favor to a person. It is not used for non-humans. For example, it cannot be said that I showed a favor (اِنعام) to my horse.(R).

Who are theأَنۡعَمۡتَعَلَيۡهِم )ones on whom favors were bestowed(? The Quran itself explains these people to be: ٱلَّذِينَ أَنۡعَمَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيۡہِم مِّنَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ وَٱلصِّدِّيقِينَ وَٱلشُّہَدَآءِ وَٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ‌ (…those upon whom Allah has bestowed favors from among the prophets and the truthful and the faithful and the righteous) (4:69). This explanation has been adopted by Ibn Abbas and accepted by all commentators. This shows that the supplicant who supplicates for ٱهۡدِنَا (guidance) is desiring to ascend to the highest spiritual stage – the stage achieved by prophets, the truthful, the faithful and the righteous; it is this burning desire that every Muslim keeps within himself. In the famous Lord’s prayer of the Christians, there is a plea for forgiveness. But the Islamic prayer takes the votary to a whole new level because the Islamic prayer is not just to achieve the status where no sins are committed, but to reach the stage achieved by the great pious people of God. This is the superior status of those who rendered great services and achieved the most excellent perfection or, in other words, the highest stage that man can reach. It becomes obvious, therefore, that this is not a prayer for money, goods or worldly position but for spiritual perfection, wisdom and love.

أَنۡعَمۡتَعَلَيۡهِمۡ  is not a prayer for prophethood: Because the word prophets appears in the elucidation of who is included in أَنۡعَمۡتَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ (those on whom favors were bestowed), some people have mistakenly concluded that prophethood itself can be achieved through this prayer and that every Muslim prays throughout the day to achieve it. This is a fundamental mistake because prophethood is merely a munificence and a person’s effort or striving has nothing to do with it. There are things that one gets as a munificence and things that one gets through striving. Prophethood belongs to the former as is also obvious from ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنُ عَلَّمَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ (The Beneficent taught the Quran). No person has ever become or will ever become a prophet by striving and supplicating to God, but Allah, the Most High, appoints whenever He wants and whoever He wants as a prophet in accordance with: ٱللَّهُ أَعۡلَمُ حَيۡثُ يَجۡعَلُ رِسَالَتَهُ   (Allah best knows where to place His message)(6:124). Finally, Allah made known His perfect guidance to the Holy Prophet and for all times to come made the stage of prophethood and apostleship peculiar with the name of this holy person. And by calling him by the name of النبی (the Prophet) and الرسول (the Messenger) made it clear that there would not be another prophet or messenger because if another prophet was to come then these words would become ambiguous. It is meaningless therefore to pray for prophethood and the idea can only be postulated by someone who is ignorant of the fundamentals of religion.

What kind of perfection is desired in this prayer: There are some people who think that this prayer is for attaining kingship because Allah has called kingship a favor from Him as in surah Al-Maidah (5:20). Others have widened the meanings further and called it a prayer for the ٱلصِّرَٲطَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقِيمَ  (straight path) in all worldly affairs. A little deliberation will show that such interpretations are far removed from the real purpose of the prayer. There is no doubt that kingship is a favor, and so is wealth and other assets but these are the favors that are shared both by good and evil persons. Kingship is a favor, but kingship is not an unmixed blessing for every king. Similarly, wealth is a favor, but wealth is not an unmixed blessing for every wealthy person. But here the mention is of the paths of those on whom blessings were bestowed and not of the demand for certain specific favors. Then against those on whom favors were bestowed are those on whom wrath was brought down, and those who go astray are not bereft of kingship or from accomplishing worldly affairs but are bereft of piety and high morals. The prayer is only for Divine help to walk in the ways that the pious people treaded; or in other words to walk in the footsteps of prophets, martyrs and virtuous persons. In comparison with this prayer, the desire for guidance in worldly affairs is a very inferior wish. 

If the prayer is to achieve prophethood then it must be admitted that the Muslim nation has been deprived of acceptance: If this prayer was to achieve prophethood then, at the very least, it should have been taught to Prophet Muhammad before he received the mantle of prophethood. The presence of this prayer in the Quran shows that it was taught to the Holy Prophet after he was awarded prophethood. The fact that this prayer was revealed after prophethood clearly shows that this prayer is not for achieving prophethood. If it is accepted that the prayer is for gaining prophethood, then it must be admitted that in the centuries since the birth of Islam, there has not been a single Muslim whose prayer was accepted even though there have been thousands of people who were close and beloved of God. It cannot be that God Himself teaches the prayer with the objective that the supplicant be granted prophethood, and the supplicating nation is one that is called خیر اُمة (the best of nations) and then for centuries all of them remain deprived of its objective including those who were given the certificate: رَّضِىَ ٱللَّهُ عَنۡہُمۡ وَرَضُواْ عَنۡه (Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Him) (9:100). This cannot be so.

1-7a. ٱلۡمَغۡضُوبِ عَلَيۡهِم : The real meaning of غضب is: the boiling of blood at the idea of retribution (R). The Hadith lay stress on avoiding غضب (anger) and has called it an ember in the heart of the son of Adam. But God is not corporeal. The part of the definition that pertains to the bodily function, such as the boiling of blood or breathing, is not meant when such a word is spoken about Allah, but only the real purpose remains i.e. the intention to punish. This is the case with all the words when used with reference to Allah; the part of the word definition that has to do with the body is dropped when the word is being used for Allah. For details see 2:15a. So, ٱلۡمَغۡضُوبِ عَلَيۡهِم are those people that God intends to punish.

1-7b. ٱلضَّآلِّينَ : ضالّ is the subject form of ضلال and its common meaning is to stray from the straight path intentionally or inadvertently (R). It is the opposite of ھدی (to guide) and so its meaning has also been expressed asسلوك طریق لا یوصل الی المطلوب  (T) i.e. treading a path that does not take to the desired destination. So ضالّین are people who have strayed from the straight path or who are walking on a path that will not take them to their desired destination. The other meanings of ضلال and اضلال will be discussed at the relevant parts of the text.

Who are the مَغۡضُوبِ عَلَيۡهِم and ضَّآلِّين ? Who are the people mentioned in this verse? It is narrated from Ibn Abbas that مَغۡضُوبِ عَلَيۡهِم are the Jews and ضَّآلِّين are the Christians. And in a hadith that Tirmizi has classed as حسن غریب the same meaning has been attributed to the Holy Prophet. The main characteristics of the Jews that have been mentioned in the Quran are that they disputed the veracity of the prophets i.e. they falsified the prophets and planned to kill them, and they disobeyed the Divine commandments (shariah) i.e. they did not act according to it. Accordingly, at the very outset of the mention of the Children of Israel in the Quran, it is stated: وَبَآءُو بِغَضَبٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ‌ۗ ذَٲلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمۡ كَانُواْ يَكۡفُرُونَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَيَقۡتُلُونَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ بِغَيۡرِ ٱلۡحَقِّ‌ۗ ذَٲلِكَ بِمَا عَصَواْ وَّڪَانُواْ يَعۡتَدُونَ (…and they incurred Allah’s wrath. That was so because they disbelieved in the messages of Allah and would kill the prophets unjustly. That was so because they disobeyed and exceeded the limits) (2:61). So, the Jews followed the path of dissention by rejecting and falsifying their prophets and disobeying the commands of Allah and this brought the wrath of Allah on them, even though they were previously a nation on whom Allah had bestowed favors. When the Muslims are taught to pray for not treading the path of مَغۡضُوبِ عَلَيۡهِم (those with whom Allah was wroth), its meaning is that they should shun the path of discord. The predominant attributes of the Christians as a result of which they turned away from the straight path are described as undue exaggeration and excesses i.e. elevating a prophet to godhood as stated in: قُلۡ يَـٰٓأَهۡلَ ٱلۡڪِتَـٰبِ لَا تَغۡلُواْ فِى دِينِڪُمۡ غَيۡرَ ٱلۡحَقِّ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوٓاْ أَهۡوَآءَ قَوۡمٍ۬ قَدۡ ضَلُّواْ مِن قَبۡلُ وَأَضَلُّواْ ڪَثِيرً۬ا وَضَلُّواْ عَن سَوَآءِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ   (Say: O People of the Book, exaggerate not in the matter of your religion unjustly, and follow not the low desires of People who went astray before and led many astray, and went astray from the right path) (5:77). In other words, the prayer of a Muslim is: O Allah! Show us the right path, the path of those on whom you bestowed favors and save us from following the path of those who because of dissension came under your wrath and of those who because of excessive exaggeration went astray. In other words, make us walk on the straight path that is free from all excesses and deficiencies, falsifications and exaggerations. These meanings are in accordance with the Quran and Hadith. It should be remembered that there can be excesses and deficiencies in the discharge of all kinds of rights. If the rejection of a prophet is a deficiency in granting him his right and his elevation to godhood is granting him a right in excess of his due, then the rejection of any right or not discharging it appropriately is a deficiency, and exaggerating a right and emphasizing it so much as to cause the neglect of another right is an excess.

It is also correct that the Jews became disobedient in a practical sense i.e. they accepted the Divine law (shariah) but did not act on it and the Christians went astray in their knowledge and accepted a man as a god. The meaning of this prayer can also be: O God save us from the practical errors of the Jews and the errors of knowledge of the Christians. A man does not achieve real perfection unless both his actions and his knowledge are correct.

آمین: Saying آیمن after Surah Fatihah is evidenced from authentic hadith. Abu Hurairah narrated that the Holy Prophet said that when the Imam says: غَيۡرِ ٱلۡمَغۡضُوبِ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ then you should say آمین (Bukhari). آمین is a subject and its meaning is اِستَجِبْ i.e. O Allah! Accept our prayer.