The 1st Surah of the Qur’an, ‘al-Fatiha”, means “The Opening”. It is the 5th Surah in chronological order, revealed after Surah 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, Süra al-Fatiha belongs to the Meccan period. This Surah contains seven verses, 27 words, 140 letters and one segment.
Surah al-Fatiha contains the praise of Allah Almighty and it is recited numerous times during the daily prayers. It uniquely differs from other süras 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.
Surah 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 beings upon Him for guidance and assistance. Surah 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 Surah 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 attribute an exalted status to this sūra. One report transmitted by Ahmad, al-Tirmidhī, al-Nasā’ī and Ibn Khuzayma, Hadrat Abu Hurayra (Radiyallahu Anhu) relates that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) asked Ubayy b. Ka’b: ‘Would you like me to teach you a surah the like of which was neither revealed in the Torah nor the Injil, nor the Zabür, nor the Qur’an?” He replied: ‘Yes, O Messenger of Allah!” The Messenger (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 (peace be upon him) said ‘By the One in Whose Divine Power is my life! Nothing like this surah was revealed in the Torah, the Injil, the Zabür 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, Abü Dawüd, al-Nasā’ī and Ibn Majah narrate on the authority of Abü Hurayra (RA) who says: ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saying, ‘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’, Allah says: ‘My servant has praised Me.’ When the servant says: “The Most Compassionate, the All-Merciful, Allah says: ‘My servant has magnified Me.’ When the servant says: ‘Master of the Day of Judgement’, Allah says: ‘My servant has glorified Me’, and sometimes He would say: ‘My servant entrusted himself to Me.’ When the servant says: ’10 Allah!) You alone we worship, and from You alone we seek help’, 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’, Allah says: ‘This is for My servant, and My servant shall receive what he asks for.” According to other traditions, Allah says: “To Me belongs My portion, and to him belongs what remains (that consists of two parts of al-Fatiha).”
