Surah Fatiha

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Names

The name al-Fātiḥah ("the Opener") is due to the subject-matter of the surah. Fātiḥah is that which opens a subject or a book or any other thing. In other words, a sort of preface or essence of the whole book.

The word الفاتحة came from the root word فتح which means to open, explain, disclose, keys of treasure etc. That means surah Al-Fatiha is the summary of the whole Quran. That is why it is generally recited with another Ayat or surah during prayers. That is, surah Al-Fatiha is paired with the rest of the whole Quran.

It is also called Umm Al-Kitab ("the Mother of the Book") and Umm Al-Quran ("the Mother of the Quran");Sab'a al Mathani ("Seven repeated [verses]", an appellation taken from verse 15:87 of the Quran); Al-Hamd ("praise"), because a hadith narrates Muhammad as having said that God says: "The prayer [al-Fātiḥah] is divided into two halves between Me and My servants. When the servant says, 'All praise is due to God', the Lord of existence, God says, 'My servant has praised Me'."; Al-Shifa' ("the Cure"), because a hadith narrates Muhammad as having said: "The Opening of the Book is a cure for every poison.";[13][14][non-primary source needed], Al-Ruqyah ("remedy" or "spiritual cure")., and al-Asas, "The Foundation", referring to its serving as a foundation for the entire Quran

Background

According to Abdullah ibn Abbas and others, al-Fātiḥah is a Meccan sura; while according to others it is a Medinan sura. The former view is more widely accepted, although some believe that it was revealed in both Mekka and Medina. In the Quran, the first revelations to Muhammad were only the first few verses (ayats) of Surahs Alaq, Muzzammil, Al-Muddathir, etc. Most narrators recorded that al-Fātiḥah was the first complete Surah revealed to Muhammad.

Theme and subject matter

Al-Fātiḥah is often believed to be a synthesis of the Quran. It in itself is a prayer at the very beginning of the Quran, which acts as a preface of the Quran and implies that the book is for a person who is a seeker of truth—a reader who is asking a deity who is the only one worthy of all praise (and is the creator, owner, sustainer of the worlds etc.) to guide him to a straight path. It can be said to "encapsulate all of the metaphysical and eschatological realities of which human beings must remain conscious."

Interpretations

"Al ḥamdu lillāhi rabbi l-’ālamīn" All the praises and thanks are for Allah who is the Lord of the universe. "Hamd الْحَمْدُ" 'the prase' is also the root of the name of the prophet Muhammad مُحَمَّد‎ which means who is praised.

"Ar raḥmāni r-raḥīm" الرحمن 'the Most Merciful' and الرحيم 'the Most Benevolent' all share the same root رحم which means 'the womb'. The womb is the place where nourishment and protection are provided for the fetus with abundance.[20]

"Māliki yawmi d-dīn" مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ‎ " The owner of the judgment day or dīn day. dīn الدِّينِ means religion and also carries a meaning of debt لدِّينِ‎. Allah is the only judge that judges the dues of the people.

The Quran, chapter 1 (Al-Fatiha), verses 6–6–7:

Guide us to the straight path - The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favour, not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray.

— translated by Sahih International

Muslim commentators often believe past generations of Jews and Christians as an example of those evoking God's anger and those who went astray, respectively. Critics of Islam, such as Andrew Bostom, view this as an exclusive condemnation of all Jews and Christians from all times. However, most Islamic scholars have interpreted these verses as referring exclusively not to a specific group of people but instead interpret these in the more general sense as, "evil consequences which man brings upon himself by wilfully rejecting God's guidance and acting contrary to His injunctions."