Sura al-Fatiha

The 1st sura of the Qur’an, ‘al-Fatiha’, means ‘The Opening’. It is the 5th sura in chronological order, revealed after Sura al-Muddaththir. There are three positions concerning its revelation: 1- it is Meccan; 2- it is Medinan; 3- it was revealed twice—once in Mecca and once in Medina. According to the majority opinion, Sura al-Fatiha belongs to the Meccan period. This sura contains seven verses, 27 words, 140 letters and one segment.

Sura al-Fatiha contains the praise of Allah Almighty and it is recited numerous times during the daily prayers. It uniquely differs from other suras of the Holy Qur’an in having various names. Among its various names are: 1-The Opener; 2-The Discoverer of the Truth; 3-The Opener of the Book; 4-The Mother of the Book; 5-The Fountain of the Qur’an; 6-The Treasure; 7-The Light; 8-The Seven Oft-Recited Verses; 9-The Praise; 10-The Secret Invocation; 11-The Gratitude; 12-The Chapter of the Ritual Prayer; 13-The Chapter of Entrusting; 14-The Supplication; 15-The Asking; 16-The Teaching; 17-The Sufficient; 18-The Abundant; 19-The Healer; 20-The Cure; 21-The Spiritual Treatment; 22-The Protector; and 23-The Foundation.

Sura al-Fatiha encapsulates all the fundamental themes and realities of faith that humans must be aware of. These include the relationship between the Creator and creation, Allah’s absolute authority in this world and the Hereafter and the constant dependence of human being upon Him for guidance and assistance. Sura al-Fatiha identifies Allah as the Lord and Sustainer of all creatures, the Most Compassionate, the All-Merciful and the Ultimate Sovereign of the Day of Resurrection and the Final Judgement.

This sura further teaches Allah’s servants the manners of worshipping Him with the highest degree of sincerity, servitude, obedience, devotion and humility. It urges humans to acknowledge that Allah Almighty is the One and Only God worthy of worship. It further educates Allah’s servants on supplicating and seeking guidance towards the straight path, defining it as the path of the blessed people, not of those who incur His wrath or gone astray. It all culminates with the word ‘Amin (O Allah, accept this)’ as it is a request for the supplication to be received and for mercy to descend.

Many traditions of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) attribute an exalted status to this sura. In one report transmitted by Ahmad, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa’i and Ibn Khuzayma, Abu Hurayra (may God be pleased with him) relates that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) asked Ubayy b. Ka‘b (may God be pleased with him): ‘Would you like me to teach you a sura the like of which was neither revealed in the Torah, nor the Injil, nor the Zabur, nor the Qur’an?’ He replied: ‘Yes, O Messenger of Allah!’ The Messenger (blessings and peace be upon him) asked him: ‘What do you recite in every ritual prayer?’ He replied: ‘He recites the Mother of the Qur’an (al-Fatiha).’ The Messenger (blessings and peace be upon him) said: ‘By the One in Whose Divine Power is my life! Nothing like this sura was revealed in the Torah, the Injil, the Zabur or the Final Criterion (al-Qur’an). It is the Seven Oft-repeated Verses (al-Sab‘ al-Mathani) and the Glorious Qur’an that I was given.’

Imams Muslim, Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al-Nasa’i and Ibn Majah narrate on the authority of Abu Hurayra (may God be pleased with him) who says: ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) saying, ‘Almighty Allah has said, ‘I have divided the ritual prayer between Myself and My servant in two halves, and My servant shall receive what he prays for. When the servant says: ‘All praise be to Allah the Lord of the worlds’, Almighty Allah says: ‘My servant has praised Me.’ When the servant says: ‘The Most Compassionate, the All-Merciful’, Almighty Allah says: ‘My servant has magnified Me.’ When the servant says: ‘Master of the Day of Judgement’, Almighty Allah says: ‘My servant has glorified Me’, and sometimes He would say: ‘My servant entrusted himself to Me.’ When the servant says: ‘(O Allah!) You alone we worship, and from You alone we seek help’, Almighty Allah says: ‘This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall receive what he asks for.’ Then, when the servant says: ‘Guide us upon the straight path, the path of those whom You have blessed, not of those who have incurred Your wrath, nor of those who have gone astray’, Almighty Allah says: ‘This is for My servant, and My servant shall receive what he asks for.’’’ According to other traditions, Almighty Allah says: ‘To Me belongs My portion, and to him belongs what remains (that consists of two parts of al-Fatiha).’