Al-Fatiha
| الفاتحة Al-Fatiha | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Meccan |
| Other names | Umm al-Kitab Umm al-Qur'an The Key Surah al-Hamd |
| Time of revelation | Early years of prophethood |
| No. of verses | 7 |
| No. of Rukus | 1 |
| No. of Ayats on particular subjects | Praise of Allah: 3 Relation between Creator and creatures: 1 Prayer of the humankind: 3 |
Sura Al-Fatiha (الفاتحة), "The Opening," is the first chapter of the Muslim holy book, the Qur'an. Its seven verses are a prayer for God's guidance and stress the lordship and mercy of God. This chapter has a special role in traditional daily prayers, being recited at the start of each unit of prayer, or rak'ah.
Interpretation of the Meanings of Sura Al-Fatiha
Muslims believe that the Qur'an is a revelation from God, revealed in the Arabic language. Translations into other languages are considered by many to be merely superficial "interpretations" of the meanings and not bona fide reliable versions of the Qur'an. Although some Qur'an alone and liberal Muslims use translations as part of their daily prayers, they are used mainly for personal/spiritual use by non-Arabic speakers. A translation in English (with transliteration of the original Arabic) is as follows ([Quran 1:1]).
The Opening
1:1 In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
- Bismillāhir rahmānir rahīm
1:2 Praise be to God, the Lord of the Universe.
- Al hamdu lillāhi rabbil 'ālamīn
1:3 The most gracious, the most merciful.
- Ar rahmānir rahīm
1:4 Master of the Day of Judgment.
1:5 You alone we worship. You alone we ask for help.
- Iyyāka na'budu wa iyyāka nasta'īn
1:6 Guide us on the straight path;
- Ihdinās sirāt al mustaqīm
1:7 The path of those whom You have blessed, not of those who have earned your anger, nor of those who went astray.
- Sirātal ladhīna an'amta 'alayhim ghayril maghdūbi 'alayhim walād dāālīn
When recitated during daily prayers, Sura Al-Fatiha is usually followed by the word Amin (Amen).
Notes
The first verse, transliterated as "bismillāhir rahmānir rahīm", may be familiar to non-Arabic speakers and non-Muslims because of its ubiquity in Arabic and Muslim societies. This is especially true for the fragment "bismillah," literally, "in the name of God," which appears, for example, in Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. This verse appears at the start of every sura in the Qur'an (except for surah at-Tawbah). The verse is said before reciting a sura or part of a sura during daily prayer, and also before public proclamations and indeed before many personal and everyday activities in many Arabic and Muslim societies as a way to invoke God's blessing and proclaim one's motives before an undertaking.
The two words "ar rahmān" and "ar rahīm" are often translated in English as "the benificent" and "the merciful" or "the generous" and "the merciful." They are often also translated as superlatives, for example, "the most generous" and "the most merciful." Grammatically the two words "rahmaan" and "raheem" are different linguistic forms of the triconsonantal root R-H-M, connoting "mercy." (For more information, see the section on root forms in Semitic languages.) The form "rahmaan" denotes amount or extent, i.e. "most merciful," while "raheem" denotes time permanence, i.e. "ever merciful."
The reading of the first word of the fourth verse, translated as "master/king" above, has been the subject of debate. The two main readings, or qira'at, of the Qur'an, Warsh and Hafs, differ on whether it should be "maliki" with a short "a," which means "king" (Warsh, from Nafi'; Ibn Kathir; Ibn Amir; Abu 'Amr; Hamza), or "māliki" with a long "a," which means "master" or "owner" (Hafs, from Asim, and al-Kisa'i). Both "maliki" and "māliki" derive from the same triconsonantal root in Arabic, M-L-K. Both readings are considered valid by many practitioners, since both can be seen as describing God.
In some Muslim societies, Al-Fatiha is traditionally read together by a couple to seal their engagement, however this act is not recorded in the sunnah and is seen by many to be an innovation.
Revelation
Islamic scholarly tradition is concerned, amongst other things, with when and where verses and chapters of the Qur'an were revealed to Muhammad - for example, whether a verse was revealed while the prophet was in Makkah or Madinah. According to Ibn Abbas and others, Sura Al-Fatiha is a Makkan surah; according to Abu Hurayrah and others, it is a Madinan surah. The former view is more widely accepted, although some believe that it was revealed in both Makkah and Madinah.
Alternate names
This surah is described in various Hadith as "the mother of the Book" (Umm al-Kitab) and "the mother of the Qur'an" (Umm al-Qur'an), and said to be the seven verses alluded to in Al-Hijr [Quran 15:87]:
- "We have given thee seven of the oft-repeated (verses) and the great Qur'an."
It is also sometimes known in English as the Exordium, and may even be nicknamed "The Lord's Prayer of the Muslims"
Statistics
This sura contains 7 verses, 29 words and 139 letters (or 25 and 120, not counting the first verse), although Ibn Kathir says "The scholars say that Al-Fatiha consists of 25 words, and that it contains 113 letters." It falls in the first hizb, and hence the first juz', which are sections of the Qur'an.
Translations, interpretations and commentaries on Surah Al-Fatiha
Many scholars have emphasised the importance of this chapter in their commentaries.
Surah Al-Fatiha is said 17 times a day, counting only fard (or mandatory) salat, by each and every practicing Muslim in the world. It is the essence of Islam.
External links
- Read Surah Al-Fatiha in many languages www.SearchTruth.com
- Surah Al Fatiha Learn Surah Al Fatiha with Audio at MountHira.com
- Al-Fatiha at Altafsir.com
- Sura 1, The Key (Al-Fãtehah)
- Ibn Kathir
- Tafsir Ibn Kathir
- Mawdudi
- A Raleigh khutba
- Soureh 1 in Asoon alphabet