Al-Fatiha () is the first chapter () of the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

. It consists of seven verses (') which consist of a

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for guidance and mercy. Al-Fatiha is recited in Muslim obligatory and voluntary

s, known as ''

salah ''Salah'' (, also spelled ''salat'') is the practice of formal worship in Islam, consisting of a series of ritual prayers performed at prescribed times daily. These prayers, which consist of units known as ''rak'ah'', include a specific s ...

''. The primary literal meaning of the expression "Al-Fatiha" is "The Opener/The Key".

Background

The most commonly accepted view about the origins of the ''surah'' is the view of

Ibn Abbas ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās (; c. 619 – 687 CE), also known as Ibn ʿAbbās, was one of the cousins of the Prophets and messengers in Islam, prophet Muhammad. He is considered to be the greatest Tafsir#Conditions, mufassir of the Quran, Qur'an. ...

, among others, that Al-Fatiha is a Meccan ''surah'', although some believe that it is either a

Medinan surah A Medinan surah () of the Quran is one that was revealed at Medina after Muhammad's hijrah from Mecca. They are the latest 28 Suwar. The community was larger and more developed, in contrast to its minority position in Mecca. The Medinan Surahs oc ...

or was revealed in both

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

and

Medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

. Most narrators recorded that al-Fātiḥah was the first complete Surah revealed to

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

. The name Al-Fatiha ("the Opener") could refer to the ''surah'' being the first in the

Mus'haf ''Mushaf'' (, ; plural ) is an Arabic word for a codex or collection of sheets, but also refers to a written copy of the Quran. The chapters of the Quran, which Muslims believe was revealed during a 23-year period in Muhammad's lifetime, were wr ...

s, the first to be recited in each ''

rakat A Rak'a ( ', lit. "bow"; plural: ') is a single iteration of prescribed movements and supplications performed by Muslims as part of the prescribed obligatory prayer known as salah. Each of the five daily prayers observed by Muslims consists ...

'' of ''

'', or to the manner of its usage in many Islamic traditions as an opening prayer. The word itself comes from the

root In vascular plants, the roots are the plant organ, organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often bel ...

(ف ت ح), which means "to open, explain, disclose, conquer", etc. Al-Fatiha is also known by several other names, such as Al-Hamd (The Praise), As-Salah (The Prayer), Umm al-Kitab (Mother of the Book), Umm al-Quran (Mother of the Quran), Sab'a min al-Mathani (Seven Repeated Ones, from Quran ), and Ash-Shifa' (The Cure).

Summary

Surah Al-Fatiha is narrated in the Hadith to have been divided into two halves between

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

and his servant (the person reciting), the first three verses being God's half and last three being the servant's. There is disagreement as to whether the ''

Bismillah The (; also known by its opening words ; , "In the name of God") is the titular name of the Islamic phrase “In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful” (, ). It is one of the most important phrases in Islam and frequent ...

'' is the first verse of the ''surah,'' or even a verse in the first place. The chapter begins by praising God with the phrase and stating that it is God who is the lord of the worlds (verse 1/2), that He is the Most Gracious and Most Merciful (verse 2/3), and that He is and will be the true owner of everything and everyone on the

Day of Judgement The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...

(verse 3/4). "If you tried to count Allah's blessings, you would never be able to number them. Indeed, humankind is truly unfair, ˹totally˺ ungrateful" (). The final three verses, which comprise the servant's half, begin with the servant stating that they worship and seek only God's help (verse 4/5), asking Him to guide them to the ''

Sirat al-Mustaqim Sirat al-Mustaqim () is an Arabic term that means 'the straight path'. It is commonly understood as the path that leads to God. In Islamic thought, the straight path is variously used as a reference to the Quran or Muhammad, or Islam as a whole. ...

'' (the Straight Path) of those who God has been bountiful to, and not of those who have earned his anger (verses 5-6/6-7). Some

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

commentators have interpreted these verses in a more general sense and not referring exclusively to any specific group of people. However, some Muslim commentators believe

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

and

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

are examples of those evoking God's anger and those who went astray, respectively.

Verses and meaning

'bi-smi-llahi-r-raḥmāni-r-raḥīm(i)''
In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.
'al-ḥamdu li-llāhi rabbi-l-ʿālamīn(a)''
All praise is for Allah—Lord of all worlds,
'ar-raḥmāni-r-raḥīm(i)''
the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
'māliki yawmi-d-dīn(i)''
Master of the Day of Judgment.
'iyyāka naʿbudu wa-iyyāka nastaʿīn(u)''
Thee

lone Lone may refer to: People *Destroy Lonely, a nickname for the artist * Lone (given name), a given name (including a list of people with this name) * Lone (musician), Matt Cutler, an electronic musician from Nottingham, United Kingdom * Lone (surn ...

we worship and Thee

we ask for help.
'ihdina-ṣ-ṣirāṭa-l-mustaqīm(a)''
Guide us along the Straight Path,
'ṣirāṭa-llaḏīna anʿamta ʿalayhim ghayri-l-maḡḍūbi ʿalayhim wa-la-ḍ-ḍāllīn(a)''
the Path of those Thou hast blessed—not those Thou art displeased with, or those who are astray.

Benefits and virtues

Muslims attribute special significance to some ''surahs'' for their virtues and benefits () described in the

hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

. Acceptance of the different hadith varies between Sunni and Shia Muslims, and there is a variety of terms to classify the different levels of confirmed authenticity of a hadith. However, both Sunnis and Shia believe Al-Fatiha to be one of the greatest ''surahs'' in the Quran, and a cure for several diseases and poisons, both spiritual and mental.

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

Text of ''Surah'' al-Fatiha with multiple available translations
{{Authority control Salah

Fatiha Al-Fatiha () is the first chapter () of the Quran. It consists of seven verses (') which consist of a prayer for guidance and mercy. Al-Fatiha is recited in Muslim obligatory and voluntary prayers, known as ''salah''. The primary literal mea ...