Surah AL-FATIHA / The Opener in English | Surah 1

Surah Al-Fatiha, which can be literally translated as The Prologue or The Opening, is the first surah in position in the Quran, right before Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow). It is one of the shortest surahs of the Holy Quran with 7 verses. Despite its size, it holds a character of the highest importance since it is an invocation, an exchange between the believer and his Lord and, of course, one of the conditions for the acceptance of the Muslim’s prayer.

A special revelation for a magnificent surah

The one that is called, among its many names, The Mother of the Quran, The Prologue, or the Seven repeated verses since the believers repeat it at least five times a day and every day, was revealed in Mecca. In a prophetic saying reported by Ibn Abbas (one of the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad): the angel Jibril was with Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, when the latter heard a noise coming from above him. Jibril raised his eyes to the sky and said: « This is a gate of heaven that has opened, and it had never opened before. » An angel descended and came to the Prophet and said to him: « Rejoice at receiving two lights that no prophet before you has received. They are the Surah of The Opening and the last verses of Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow). You do not recite a single one of their letters without your request being granted. » (Reported by Muslim)

Al-Fatiha is therefore also a light and represents a complete surah which, unlike other surahs, must always be recited in full, whereas another part of the Quran may be cut or recited in selected passages. This is why it is also called Al-Wafiyah, The Complete.

During the performance of prayer, it may be recited alone, without adding any other verses of the Quran to it, whereas no other surah may be recited without Al-Fatiha during a unit of prayer. This is why it is also given the name Al-Kafiyah, which means The Sufficient. It alone suffices to pray each unit of prayer, whereas no other surah can suffice without reciting Al-Fatiha.

This makes it a surah with many particularities that the believer cannot do without.

« Whoever prays without reciting the Mother of the Quran (Umm Al-Quran), and in another version « The Opening of the Quran », his prayer is incomplete, incomplete and invalid. Reported by the two Sahih, Bukhari and Muslim.

A treasure of wisdom in seven verses

The circumstances of the revelation of this surah, as we have seen previously, are as magnificent as the wisdom it contains. This intimacy between Allah and His servant is described by Allah Himself as follows.

Indeed, Surah Al-Fatiha is an intimate conversation between the Lord of the Worlds and the faithful. He Himself, may His Name be exalted, teaches us that it is divided into two parts, as confirmed by this Hadith Qudsi:

« I have divided the prayer between My servant and Myself into two parts, and My servant shall have what he asks.

¹ Qudsi means that it is a prophetic saying in which the Messenger of Allah reports exactly a word of Allah, without adding anything to it. Whether it was revealed or inspired, the Prophet transcribes its essence.

Thus when he says: « Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds », Allah the Most High replies: ‘‘My servant has praised Me.’’

When he says: « The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful », Allah the Most High replies: ‘‘My servant has extolled Me’’

and when he says: « Master of the Day of Recompense », He says: ‘‘My servant has glorified Me’’ – or else – : ‘‘My servant has entrusted himself to Me’’.

When he says: « It is You we worship and it is You we ask for help », He affirms: ‘‘This is between My servant and Myself, and My servant shall have what he asks.’’

When he says: « Guide us to the straight path, the path of those whom You have blessed with favors, not of those who have incurred Your anger nor of those who have gone astray! », He says: ‘‘This is for My servant and My servant shall have what he asks.’’ » (reported by Muslim)

Thus, throughout seven verses, and this series of invocations, it is a dialogue in which God promises His servant that he will be answered. An exchange that takes place at each unit of prayer. Its recitation is not to be neglected because at each prayer it is a conversation with the Most High in which he engages, even if he does not hear His answer.

He begins by praising the Lord of the Worlds and acknowledging His Lordship, His Total Mercy, His Sovereignty on the Day of Reckoning, then he implores Him while acknowledging that He is the Only One Worthy of being worshipped, and asks Him for help. Finally, he makes one of the greatest and most important invocations for a believer: he asks Him to count him among the people on the Straight Path, among the well-guided whom He has showered with His Blessings, and to preserve him from His Anger.

In the first part of Al-Fatiha, the servant in prayer therefore addresses Allah while being conscious and full of hope that He hears him and answers him. He praises Him, and acknowledges Him in all His Attributes as mentioned above. Then, in the second part, the believer invokes for his guidance and his salvation.

By reciting it, the believer testifies to the oneness of his Lord by using the Names of Allah, and he acknowledges that all Praise belongs to Him Alone, without associating anything with Him. The names of Allah found in this surah are:

• Allah
• Al-Rahman
• Ar-Rahim
• Rabbi
• Malik

One notices that the last four names are attributes gathered in the first. Allah is indeed the Merciful, the Most Merciful, the Lord (of the Worlds, Worthy of all praise), and the King of the Day of the Last Judgment.

This surah is an education in servitude in which every Muslim acknowledges his submission to his Lord in the most beautiful manner.

In summary, in this surah, for each verse the faithful:

1. Acknowledges Allah by His Sublime Names.
2. Praises Him with devotion, acknowledging that until the End of Time all praise belongs to Him. In saying this, he admits that he needs Allah, while Allah needs no one.
3. He seeks Mercy from the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
4. Acknowledges that Allah is the Master of the Last Day; in this he affirms his belief in the Last Day.
5. He testifies that he worships Allah and seeks His Help from Him.
6. He asks Him for the most powerful of invocations, which is to guide him on the Straight Path.
7. And he asks Him to be among those whom Allah has showered with His Blessings and to spare him His Anger, and not to make him one among the people who have gone astray.

Complete faith is concentrated in this surah, which the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, called the Supreme surah:

Abu Said Ibn Mu’alla, may Allah be pleased with him, said: I was praying in the mosque when the Messenger of Allah called me, and I did not answer his call. Later I said to him, « O Messenger of Allah, I was in the middle of prayer ». He said: Did Allah not say « Respond to Allah and His Messenger when He calls you » Surah 8 Verse 24? Then he said: Before I leave the mosque I will teach you the Supreme surah of the Quran. He took my hand and was about to leave the mosque. I asked him: Did you not tell me that you were going to teach me the greatest surah of the Quran? He said: « Al-Hamdu lillahi Rabbi al-’alamin », these are the seven frequently repeated verses, and the Great Quran that has been given to me. Reported by Al-Bukhari

Additional information about Surah Al-Fatiha

The most widespread names of this magnificent surah, given to it by Allah Himself, Glorified be He, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, as well as his companions, may Allah be pleased with them all, are:

• Fatihatul Kitab, The Opening of the Book (of the Quran)
• Umm Al-Kitab, the Mother of the Book (Quran)
• As-Sab’a Al-Mathani, the Seven Repeated verses, because it is composed of 7 verses that the Muslim repeats in each unit of prayer, throughout the day
• Al-Hamd, because it begins with Al-Hamdu lillahi Rabbi…, Praise be to God, Lord…
• Al-Wafiyah, The Complete, because it is the only one to have been revealed all at once, and must absolutely be recited all at once without cutting it during the recitation
• Al-Kafiyah, The Sufficient, it gathers for the believer all that he needs to know and can be recited alone
• Ash-Shifa, The Healing, because it allows the believer to be protected, to heal himself
• As-Salat, The Prayer
• Al-Asas, the Foundation, The basis of the religion

Al-Fatiha is a surah whose recitation is essential at every moment of the day, but also a teaching whose meanings and wisdom the Muslim never ceases to meditate upon throughout his entire life.