This blog is part of my research and compilation of blogs about Surahs of Quran, an effort to understand these surrah. Today's effort is on Surah Al- Fatiha Chapter (01), hope going through it will be a learning journey for you, May Allah forgive any mistake, omission or error in its compilation (Aameen Summa Aameen)
Why
is it called Fatiha? This Surah is named Al-Fatiha because of
its subject-matter. Fatihah is that which opens a subject or a book or any
other thing. In other words, Al-Fatihah is a sort of preface. Reciting Surah
Al-Fatiha deepens one's understanding of monotheism (Tawheed) and strengthens
faith in Allah's power and authority. Seeking Guidance: The Surah includes the
verse "Guide us on the Straight Path" (Quran 1:6), which is a
profound supplication for seeking Allah's guidance in all aspects of life. Referred
to as Sura al-Fatiha or The Opening, this chapter contains a prayer for
guidance and mercy and an expression of the idea that God alone has the right
to be worshipped.
Most of scholars say Surah Fatiha is revealed in Mecca
and some say in Medina[1] and some say it's revealed twice: once in Mecca and
again in Medina and it was one of earlySurahs which revealed. There is no
authentic narration, on how and why Surah Fatiha revealed.
Surah al Fatihah, the first chapter of the Holy Quran,
is a seven-verse prayer to Allah for guidance and mercy. It is an essential
part of every Salah (Nemaz) offered five times a day. The Surah is full of
lessons for mankind, including seeking refuge from Satan, making du'a (prayer),
being grateful to Allah, and having a positive outlook towards Allah.
Background.
The most commonly accepted view about the origins of the surah is the view of
Ibn Abbas, among others, that Al-Fatiha is a Meccan surah, although some
believe that it is either a Medinan surah or was revealed in both Mecca and
Medina.
Importance
of Surah Fatiha?
Surah Al-Fatiha holds great importance in Islam. It is
an essential pillar of the prayer, recited in every unit of the prayer. It
represents a comprehensive supplication encompassing the core Islamic concepts
of monotheism, worship, and guidance.
The
most important message in Surah Al-Fatihah?
Al-Fatihah directs the believers to invoke Allah to
guide them to the straight path, which is the true religion, and to help them
remain on that path in this life, and to pass over the actual Sirat (bridge
over hell that everyone must pass over) on the Day of Judgment.
Important
lesson one learn from Surah Fatiha?
The Surah tells us the important lesson that we have
to worship Allah only and that only He can help us. While doing any good thing
in life, if we keep our intention to doing it for the sake of Allah only, it
will result in unlimited rewards.
The first lesson is to seek refuge from Satan and
start everything with Allah's name. The second lesson is to make du'a (prayer)
by acknowledging Allah's favors and the highest position of Allah. The third
lesson is to always be grateful to Allah, as it teaches us that only Allah is
the Master of all worlds. The fourth lesson is to always have a positive
outlook towards Allah, as it will help us succeed in this world and the next.
Surah al Fatihah teaches us to think positively about
Allah, as He is the most compassionate and merciful. This positive thinking
leads to a peaceful life and a positive mindset. The Surah also emphasizes that
Allah is the Master of the Day of Judgement, and our fate lies in His hands. It
reminds us about the Death, Grave, Resurrection, and Judgment Day, helping us
prepare for it.
Worshiping Allah alone is essential, and only He can
help us. By doing good things for the sake of Allah, we can receive unlimited
rewards. Asking for Allah's guidance for the right path is crucial, as the
Koran and Sunaah are the source of real guidance.
Focusing on good role models and avoiding bad models
is essential for success in life. It is important to avoid choosing the wrong
people as role models, especially in today's era of information overload and
social media influencers.
Lastly, Surah al Fatihah is a conversation with Allah
during Salah, as it is important to remember the importance of reciting Surah
al Fatihah during Salah. This is because the Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad
emphasizes the importance of reciting Surah al Fatihah during Salah.
Interesting
facts about Surah Fatiha?
1.It is considered the greatest chapter in the Quran: We knew that from Sahih al Bukhari, when prophet Muhammad said that he will teach the greatest chapter in the Quran, it was surah Fatiha.
2.Main basis for prayer: According to sunnah, any
prayer without reciting surah Fatiha, it will become an invalid prayer.
3.It is a cure for the disease:
4.One of the two lights from Heaven: There are 2
lights that came from Heaven, one of them is surah Fatiha, and the other is
surah Baqarah.
5. Called the mother of the Quran:
6.It is the Seven often repeated verses
7.Can also cure the heart: As it has to be recited in
every kneel, so it can protect you against misguidance.
BENEFITS
& BLESSINGS OF SURAH FATIHAH (THE OPENING) in light of Hadees:
Ø
MOTHER OF THE QURAN;
In the beginning of the Book of Tafsir, in his Sahih,
Al-Bukhari said; "It is called Umm Al-Kitab, because the Qur'an starts
with it and because the prayer is started by reciting it." It was also
said that it is called Umm Al-Kitab, because it contains the meanings of the
entire Qur'an.
The Prophet said, ‘The mother of the Qur’an are the seven oft repeated verses’ [Bukhari 4704]
It is narrated from Jabir (May Allah be pleased with
him) that Rasulullah (peace be upon him) said: “O Jabir, shall I inform you
about the best Surah revealed in the Qur’an?” Jabir said: “O Messenger of
Allah, please inform me.” Rasulullah (peace be upon him) said: “It is Fatiha
tul Kitab.” Jabir adds: “And I think that Rasulullah (peace be upon him) said
that Al-Fatiha is a cure for every diseases.” Jabir is also reported to have
said: “Fatiha tul Kitab is a medicine for every disease except death.”
[Recorded by Al-Khal’i in his Fawa’id, Tafseer Mazhari
1:30]
Ø
EQUIVALENT TO 2/3rd OF THE QURAN;
Surah Al-Fatihah is equivalent to two thirds of the Qur’an
[Al-Bayhaqi and Al-Haakim, Tafseer Mazhari 1:31]
Ø
A CURE FOR ALL DISEASES;
A man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him), embraced Islam then returned to his people. On his way there were a group of men who had with them a mad man in iron manacles. The group said, that they heard that the travelers friend (i.e. Prophet Muhammad) had something good with him and so he exorcised the mad man with Surah al Fatiha, and he was cured. As reward they gave the traveler 100 sheep. He then returned to the Prophet and narrated the story. The Prophet asked if he did anything other than recite al-Fatiha, he said no. So the Prophet said that while these people make their livelihoods out of false incantations (i.e. worshipping false idols) the traveler earned the 100 sheep through something lawful; so he could keep the sheep. [Abu Dawud 3398/a]
Abu Saeed al-Khudr’i narrates that while on a journey we halted at a place. A girl came to us and said: “The chief of this tribe has been stung by a scorpion and our men are not present, is there anybody amongst you who can recite something upon him to treat him?” Then, one of our men went along with her although we did not think that he knew any such treatment. However, our friend went to the chief and recited something upon him and the chief was cured. Thereupon, the chief gave him thirty sheep and gave us all milk to drink. When he returned, we asked our friend: “Did you know anything to recite upon him to cure him?” He said: “No, I only recited Umm al-Kitab (i.e. Surah al-Fatihah) upon him.” We said that do not do anything until we reach Madinah and ask the Prophet regarding this (practice and reward-whether the sheep were lawful or not for us). Upon reaching Madinah, we narrated this to the Prophet (peace be upon him), whereupon he remarked: “How did he come to know that Al-Fatihah can be used as a cure? (Rasulullah said this in astonishment) Distribute your reward amongst yourselves and allot a share for me as well. [Sahih al-Bukhari]
Abu Sulaiman says that once a group of Companions were
in an expedition (ghazwa) when they happened to come across an epileptic person,
who was unconscious. One of the Companions recited Surah Al-Fatiha and blew in
his ear. The epileptic person immediately cured. When Sayyidana Muhammad (peace
be upon him) was informed of this, he said: “It (Surah Al-Fatiha) is “The
Mother of the Qur’an” (Umm al-Qur’an) and is a cure for every disease.”
[This narration has been recorded by Ath-Thua’lbi from
Abu Sulaiman, who narrated it from Muawiya bin Saleh (radhi Allah anhu),
Tafseer Mazhari 1:31]
The Prophet said, ‘In the Fatiha of the Qur’an, there
is a cure for all maladies(illnesses)’
[Darimi 3236, also narrated by Ad-Darmi in his
Al-Masnad and Al-Bayhaqi in Shu’bul Imaan, Tafseer Mazhari 1:30]
Ø
THE GREATEST SURAH IN QURAN;
Abu Sa’id Ar-Rafi’ bin Al-Mu`alla (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Shall I teach you the greatest Surah in the Qur’an before you leave the mosque?” Then he (peace be upon him), took me by the hand, and when we were about to step out, I reminded him of his promise to teach me the greatest Surah in the Qur’an. He (peace be upon him) said, “It is `Alhamdu lillahi Rabbil Alamin (i.e., Surat Al-Fatihah) which is As-Sab` Al-Mathani (i.e., the seven oft-repeated Ayat) and the Great Qur’an which is given to me.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari]
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported
that when Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) asked Ubayy ibn Ka’ab (May
Allah be pleased with him), “Do you want me to teach you a Surah the like of
which has not been revealed in the Torah, the Injeel, the Zabur, nor the
Qur’an?”, and also asked what he recited in his prayers. He replied Umm-ul
Qur’an (Surah Fatihah) the Prophet (peace be upon him) proclaimed, ‘By Him in
whose dominion my soul is, nothing like it has been revealed in the Torah, the
Gospel, the Psalms, or the Qur’an and it is seven of the oft-repeated verses in
the Mighty Qur’an which I have been given’
[at-Tirmidhi, Al-Hakim says that this hadith is Sahih
on the conditions established by Imam Muslim (Tafseer Mazhari 1:30)]
Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said ‘Rejoice in the two lights brought to you which have not been brought to any prophet before you’: al-Fatihah and the last verses of Surah al-Baqarah (2: 2854), (said an angel to the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him) [Muslim].
Ambari in his ‘Kitabur-Rad’ through his own chain of
narrators has mentioned from Mujahid ibn Jabr (rahmatullahi alaih) that Iblees
the accursed of Allah Ta’ala lamented on four occasions: first when he was
cursed; secondly when he was cast out of Heaven to the Earth; thirdly when
Muhammad (peace be upon him) was given the Prophethood; fourthly when Surah
Fatihah was revealed and it was revealed in Madinah.
Once the Prophet (peace be upon him) was traveling when he disembarked and began walking alongside a companion. He asked him, ‘Shouldn’t I tell you the best part of the Qur’an?’ then he recited ‘Alhamdu lilahi rabil alameen’ (Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds). [Hakim 1/560; Dhahabi]
Ø
YOU WILL GET WHAT YOU ASK FOR;
Ibn ‘Abbas said, “While Jibril (upon him be peace) was sitting with the Prophet, he heard a sound above him and raised his head. He said, ‘This is a door of heaven which has been opened today and which has never been opened before today. An angel descended from it.’ He said, ‘This is an angel who has descended to earth who has never descended before today.’ He gave the greeting and said, ‘Give the good news of two lights which you have been given and which no Prophet before you was given: the Fatiha of the Book and the end of Surah al-Baqarah (2). You will not recite a letter of them without being given it.’” [Muslim, Riyad as-Salihin by Imam an-Nawawi]
Muslim recorded that Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah (blessing and peace upon him) said “Allah, the Exalted, said,
`I have divided the prayer into two halves between Myself and My servant, and My Servant shall have what he asks for.’ If he says, `Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds’ Allah says, `My servant has praised Me.’ When the servant says, `Most Gracious, Most Merciful’. Allah says, `My servant has glorified Me.’ When he says, `Master of the Day of Judgment.’ Allah says, `My servant has related all matters to Me.’ When he says, `Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek.’ Allah says, `This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall acquire what he sought.’ When he says, `Show us the straight way. The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray.’ Allah says, `This is for My servant, and My servant shall acquire what he asked for.’” (Muslim 1:296, and An-Nasai in Al-Kubra 5:11, 12).
Ø
SAFEGUARDS FROM ALL CALAMITIES;
Sa’ib (May Allah be pleased with him) bin Yazeed says
that Rasulullah (peace be upon him) recited Surah Al-Fatihah and blew it on me.
To safeguard me against calamities, Rasulullah (peace be upon him) recited this
Surah and put his blessed saliva in my mouth.
[At-Tabraani narrated this tradition in ‘Al-Awsat’,
Tafseer Mazhari 1:31]
Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) said: “When you recite Surah Al-Fatihah and Surah Al-Ikhlas upon lying on your bed, you will be safeguarded and should become fearless of every thing except death.” [Narrated by Baraa’, Tafseer Mazhari 1:31]
The Prophet said, ‘Whoever mastered the first seven
(chapters or verses) from the Qur’an is a pontiff’.
[Hakim 1/564; Dhahabi]
In
Short Surrah Al-Fathiha:
v This
surah is labeled as As-Shifa, because it has a cure to the disease.
v If
you’re in debt or facing poverty this surah is perfect for you, you must recite
it.
v It
also secures us from the fears of the Enemy, jealousy and evil eye.
v It is the dua that Allah taught himself to the people.
Research &Compilation Efforts by:
o Ovais Asad Khan
