Introduction

Revealed in Makkah. It consists of seven verses. It is called Al-Fatiha, meaning "The Opening," as it is the opening chapter of the Holy Qur’an. It is also known by names such as Umm al-Kitab (The Mother / Essence of the Book) and al-Asas (The Foundation). (H. T. FEYIZLI, 1/1)

1/1-7 PRAISE AND WORSHIP

Translation

1-In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious (Rahman), the Most Merciful (Rahim).

2-All praise (every kind of praise and thanks) is due to Allah, the (sole) Lord of the worlds.

3-He is the Most Gracious (Who shows abundant mercy to all creatures in this world), the Most Merciful (Who will have mercy on and forgive only the believers in the Hereafter).

4-The Master / Sovereign of the Day of Judgment (the day of accounting and recompense).

5-(O our Lord!) You alone we worship (with devotion and obedience) and from You alone we seek help / succor (in every state and need).

6-Guide us to the Straight Path (Islam) (and let us live according to Islam).

7-The path of those upon whom You have bestowed Your favor (from Your grace); [4/69] not of those who have evoked Your anger (who rebelled against Your commands like the Jews) nor of those who have gone astray (like the Christians). (Amen...)

Commentary

The A’udhu (Isti’adhah) ‘Euzu billahi minash shaytan irrajim’. It means "I seek refuge in Allah from Satan the accursed." Reciting the isti’adhah in prayer (during the first unit/rak’ah) is mustahabb (recommended). According to the majority of scholars (jumhur al-ulama), it is not mandatory; one who omits it does not commit a sin. (S. HAWWA, 1/45)

(1).The Basmalah (Bismillah) ‘Bismillahirrahmanirrahim’. The majestic name "Allah" is used only for the true Deity. It is a proper noun, not an adjective. All scholars agree that the Basmalah is a verse in Surah an-Naml. According to the Hanafi school, the Basmalah at the beginning of Al-Fatiha is not recited aloud. (S. HAWWA, 1/44).

The fact that Almighty Allah begins His Book with the Basmalah (In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful) demonstrates the virtue of the Basmalah. It is Sunnah to start every word and action with it, as well as before Al-Fatiha in prayer and before starting to recite the Qur'an outside of prayer. It is fard (obligatory) to recite it when slaughtering an animal or hunting. (6/118-121, 5/4; I. KARAGOZ 1/25).

Allah: This is the proper name of the Supreme Creator. It encompasses all the meanings expressed by His attributes of perfection, beauty, and majesty. The proper name "Allah" has no exact equivalent in any other language. Words like "ilâh" in Arabic, "tanrı" in Turkish, "hüdâ" in Persian, "god" in English, or "gott" in German are not proper names like "Allah." These are common nouns like "deity" or "lord." The name "Allah" cannot be made dual or plural. This name refers only to the true Deity, the Creator whose existence is necessary. No other being can be given the name Allah. Thus, Allah has no namesake (Maryam 19/65). Other names can be pluralized (gods, lords, etc.). Human beings cannot know the essence (dhat) or the true nature of Allah. They can only know Him through His works and the attributes and names indicated by those works. Allah’s works point to His names, His names to His attributes, and His attributes to His Essence. His names and attributes are eternal and everlasting, just like His Essence. They are neither separate from nor external to His Essence. (Glossary of Religious Concepts, 1/20)

"Rahman, Rahim": The name Ar-Rahman carries a level of emphasis (hyperbole) not present in Ar-Rahim. No one other than Allah can be described as Rahman, but they may be described as rahim. Therefore, according to some scholars, the mercy in Ar-Rahman encompasses both the believer and the disbeliever. The mercy in Ar-Rahim, however, pertains only to the believer. (S. HAWWA, 1/41).

Allah Almighty bestows His mercy upon whom He wills (2/105). However, in the Qur'an, He declares that He will have mercy on the righteous/god-fearing (57/28), the doers of good (45/30), those who hold fast to the Qur’an (4/175), the obedient (3/132), those who establish prayer (24/56), those who give zakat (7/156), the muhsinun (7/56), those who spend in the way of Allah (9/99), those who are patient in the face of calamities (2/155-157), those who enjoin good and forbid evil (9/71), those who strive in the way of Allah (2/218), those who protect themselves from evil (40/7-9), those who listen to the Qur'an when it is recited (7/204), and those who fear the Hereafter (39/9). (I. KARAGOZ, 1/23).

(2). "Praise be to Allah" (Alhamdulillah): Hamd means to praise in a superior and beautiful manner. It is a part of gratitude (shukr). While gratitude is performed with the heart, tongue, and limbs, it is called hamd when performed only with the tongue. The opposite of hamd is kufran (ingratitude).

A person who says "Alhamdulillah" mentions and praises Allah—the Creator, the Sustainer, and the Originator of all blessings—acknowledges His favors, feels gratitude, and prays to Him. (I. KARAGOZ, 1/26).

Hadith: "The most virtuous dhikr is 'La ilaha illallah,' and the most virtuous supplication is 'Alhamdulillah'." (Tirmidhi; S. HAWWA, 1/45, 46).

"Lord of the Worlds": Rabb means master and owner. It is used in an absolute sense only for Allah. ‘Alam (World) refers to everything other than Allah Almighty. Lordship (Rububiyyah) involves claiming authority over a person, a society, or a thing. A Lord is also the one who nourishes, raises, and has the power to sustain existence. Ultimately, the source of all authority in the universe and the one whose rule over life is valid is Allah alone. Disliking or excluding His command is to fail to recognize Him as Lord [see 6/102; 33/36; 41/30; 46/13]. (H. T. FEYIZLI, 1/1).

(4). "Master of the Day of Judgment": The Day of Judgment means the day of accounting. Allah Almighty is the absolute owner of all command both on the Day of Judgment and at all other times. The specific mention of the "Day of Judgment" is because, on that day, the command will be absolutely and solely in His hand: "To whom belongs the kingdom today? To Allah, the One, the Irresistible." (Ghafir 40/16; S. HAWWA, 1/42).

(5). "You alone we worship and from You alone we seek help": Allah is the only being to be worshipped and asked for help. This is because only Allah has the power and strength to accept a servant's worship and fulfill their requests. Worship (ibadah) means to submit with sincere intention, obedience, and humility. (O. CELIK, 1/47).

"You alone we worship" means: We worship only You and obey all Your commands unconditionally. We take only divine criteria as our guide in determining good and evil, beauty and ugliness, right and wrong. We accept no authority other than Yours to give direction to our lives or set rules. We never bow down to any power—whoever it may be—that gives rulings contrary to Your commands. (M. KISA, 1/17).

‘And You alone we ask for help.’ We know that every kind of goodness and beauty is in Your hand. We believe from the heart that no wish can be realized without Your permission and approval. We seek the cure for our woes, the healing for our illnesses, and the remedy for our troubles only from You. While taking the necessary precautions (doing our part), we do not pin our hopes on anyone or any being other than You. We supplicate only to You and seek refuge solely in Your power and mercy. (M. KISA, 1/17)

We are the ones who ask; Allah is the One who helps and gives. We are the ones who work and earn; Allah is the One who creates. The authority to ask belongs to us; the help and strength belong to Allah. We are helpless and weak, in need of help; Allah is Powerful, Rich, and has no need for help whatsoever. For this reason, every human being is always in need of Almighty Allah and His assistance. (I. KARAGOZ, 1/30-31)

This verse is a commitment given by believers to Allah. We must know that servitude to Allah is realized not only by worshipping Him alone but also by obeying His commands and prohibitions. For Allah is not only the God of ritual worship. This is why Islam begins with "La ilaha illallah" (There is no god but Allah) and comes into effect with "Iyyaka na’budu" (You alone we worship).

Serving the One vs. Serving the Thousand: He who does not become a servant to the One becomes a servant to a thousand. There is greatness and freedom in servitude to Allah, whereas there is slavery and degradation in servitude to humans.

The Danger of Hidden Shirk: Sayyid KUTUB states in his commentary: "A time may come when people might not deny Allah in words, nor abandon worship. However, they either perform that worship to show off to someone, or they willingly obey the Islamically-contrary commands of others regarding what is lawful or forbidden. Or they seek refuge in someone and hope for a status from them (4/139), in which case they have accepted them as lords, worshipped them, and served them (9/31). Thus, while claiming to be 'Muslim,' they fall into shirk (associating partners with Allah)—may Allah protect us."

The Arab pagans before Islam did not deny Allah ideologically, but they did not accept Him as the Lord (Rab) whose rulings were valid in their lives. Not believing in Allah as the Lord, the Sovereign (Malik), and the Only God is shirk. (H. T. FEYIZLI, 1/1)

(6). "Guide us to the Straight Path": ‘Sirat’ means path. What is meant is the true path, which is the path of Islam. ‘Mustaqim’ means that which has no crookedness. Allah’s guidance (hidayah) to humanity occurs in four ways: (a) By giving every accountable human being reason, ability, and necessary knowledge (20/50), (b) Through the prophets and books He sent (21/73), (c) By granting success to those who wish to be guided (47/17, 64/11), (d) By admitting them into Paradise in the Hereafter (47/5-6, 7/43).

(7). "The path of those upon whom You have bestowed Your favor". This refers to the path of the Muslims. Those whom Allah has favored are mentioned in Surah an-Nisa 4/69: The prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth (siddiqun), the martyrs (shuhada), and the righteous (salihun).‘Not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray.’ Those who have been granted blessings are those who have been saved from falling into misguidance (dalalah). According to a garib (rare) hadith narrated by Hasan, "those who evoked anger" refers to the Jews, and "those who are astray" refers to the Christians. Wrath (ghadab) is a specific attribute mentioned for the Jews (see 5:60), while being astray is a more specific attribute mentioned for the Christians (see 5:77). (S. HAWWA, 1/43)

The Jews turned their religion into mere rituals, belittled their prophets, sidelined them, insulted them, and even killed some of them. The Christians, on the other hand, deified their prophet. They imprisoned religion within the conscience, saying, "Religion is a matter of the heart," and thereby secularized it. However, restricting faith only to the internal world of the individual and preventing it from being lived out is wrong and invalid. Whatever is in the conscience manifests everywhere. Suppressing this through hegemonic and oppressive methods is an attitude that wounds human dignity. (H. T. FEYIZLI, 1/1)

Amin: By consensus (ijma), this word is not part of the Qur'an. It means "Accept [our prayer]." It is mustahabb (recommended) for someone who finishes reciting Surah Al-Fatiha to say "Amin." (S. HAWWA, 1/46)

The Practice of Amin: "Amin" means "Let it be so, accept it," and saying it is a Sunnah. In prayers recited aloud:

Hanafi: Both the imam and the congregation say it silently.

Maliki: Only the congregation says it aloud.

Shafi'i and Hanbali: It is recommended (mandub) for both the imam and the congregation to say it aloud. According to Imam Shafi'i, the Basmalah is part of the surah and is recited aloud in loud prayers. According to Imam Abu Hanifa and Malik, the seventh verse begins with "Ghayri'l-maghdubi..." (H. T. FEYIZLI, 1/1)

Reciting Fatiha in Prayer: According to the view of Abu Hanifa, it is wajib (obligatory) to recite the Fatiha along with three short verses (or their equivalent) in every rak'ah of nafile (extra) prayers and in the first two rak'ahs of fard (mandatory) prayers. (S. HAWWA, 1/48)