Almost All You Need to Know About Surah Al-Fatihah

Outline

• Introduction
• Different Names of Surah Al-Fatihah
• Revelation of Surah Al-Fatihah
• Surah Al-Fatihah in its Arabic Text
• Transliteration of the Verses of Surah Al-Fatihah
• Translation of the Meaning of Surah Al-Fatihah
• Audio Recitation for Surah Al-Fatihah
• Want to Learn to Read Surah Al-Fatihah?
• The Uniqueness of Surah Al-Fatihah
• Virtues of Surah Al-Fatihah
• Surah Al-Fatihah in Prayers
• Fiqh Issues Related to Surah Al-Fatihah
• Conclusion

In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Beneficent

Introduction

Alhamdulillah; all the praise is due to Allah. All thanks are for Allah. All good is in the Good Hands of Allah. All affairs shall be returned to Allah. No god but Allah. We seek His forgiveness at all times, and to Him, alone, we repent. May His Peace and Blessings be upon our Master, Habibi Muhammad, his family members, his sahabah, and all those who follow their guided path.

Surah Al-Fatihah is the oft-recited Surah in the life of every Muslim, and hence, it's the most frequently recited Surah (chapter) in the Qur'an. The Surah also serves as one of the essential components of the obligatory prayers, which we carry out five times, on a daily basis.

This article aims to reintroduce Surah Al-Fatihah, from angles that are more relevant to the ordinary Muslim. It also hopes to be a humble but accepted contribution, done in serving the Qur'an, in a way or another.

It may not be a Ramadhan-related article, but I believe we recite and listen to Surah Al-Fatihah in Ramadhan more than we do in any other month. Also, it's a good opportunity to contemplate and ponder upon it; seizing the opportunity of this Blessed Month.

To begin, let's begin with the different names of the Surah.

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The Different Names of Surah Al-Fatihah

The Surah is called “Al-Fatihah” which is an Arabic term, meaning, “the Opening.” It’s indeed the Opening. Not only it’s the opening Surah in the Qur’an, but it’s the Surah a Muslim will have to recite in every single Raka'ah of his prayers, without which, his prayers are considered invalid.

Imam Al-Qurtubi, in his interpretation (Tafseer) of the meaning of Surah Al-Fatihah in his book, Al-Jami' li-Ahkamil Qur'an, he mentioned twelve different names for Surah Al-Fatihah. They are…

1. Surah Al-Ṣalāh. It means “chapter of prayer.”
2. Surah Al-Hamd. It means “chapter of praise.”
3. Surah Fatihatul-Kitab. It means “chapter of the opening of the book.”
4. Surah Ummul-Kitab. It means “chapter of the mother of the book.”
5. Surah Ummul-Qur'an. It means “chapter of the mother of the Qur'an.”
6. Surah Al-Mathaani. It means “chapter of the oft-recited.”
7. Surah Al-Shifaa. It means “chapter of cure.”
8. Surah Al-Qur'an Al-‘Azeem. It means “chapter of the Great Qur'an.”
9. Surah Al-Asaas. It means “chapter of the foundation.”
10. Surah Al-Ruqyah. It means “chapter of healing.”
11. Surah Al-Kafiah. It means “chapter of sufficiency.”
12. Surah Al-Wafiyah. It means “chapter of adequacy.”

All these names are either mentioned in the Qur'an, or in the tradition of the Prophet, ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam. There are other names which are mentioned by other scholars.

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Revelation of the Surah

The place and time, in which Surah Al-Fatihah was revealed, have been issues of disagreement among scholars. The majority of them opined that it was revealed in Makkah. Some believe it was revealed in Madinah. On another side, a few opined that it was revealed twice; once in Makkah and once in Madinah. The latter opinion emerged as a result, of the two former opinions.

But… the opinion close to accurateness is that, Surah Al-Fatihah was revealed in Makkah. This is because; all scholars agree that Surah Al-Fatihah was referred to, in Surah Al-Hijr, 17:87, when Allah said:

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَاكَ سَبْعًا مِّنَ الْمَثَانِي وَالْقُرْآنَ الْعَظِيمَ

It means, “We have given you the seven oft-recited verses and the great Quran.”

There are two things we can notice here:

• “Seven oft-recited verses” and “the great Quran” are two different names of Surah Al-Fatihah. Imam Al-Qurtubi did indicate it earlier (see Different Names of Surah Al-Fatihah above).
• Surah Al-Hijr was revealed in Makkah, and since Al-Fatihah was mentioned in a Surah revealed in Makkah, then Al-Fatihah must have been revealed before Surah Al-Hijr itself.

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Surah Al-Fatihah in its Arabic Text

بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴿١﴾ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿٢﴾ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴿٣﴾ مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ ﴿٤﴾ إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ ﴿٥﴾ اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ ﴿٦﴾ صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ ﴿٧﴾ـ

Transliteration of the Verses of Surah Al-Fatihah

1. Bismi Allāh al-raḥmān al-raḥīm
2. Al-ḥamdu lillahi rabbi al-‘ālamīn
3. Al-Raḥmān al-Raḥīm
4. Māliki yawmi al-dīn
5. Iyyāka na'budu wa iyyāka nasta'īn
6. Ihdinā al-ṣirāṭa al-mustaqīm
7. Ṣirāṭa alladhīna an'amta ‘alayhim, ghayri al-maghḍūbi ‘alayhim wala al-ḍāllīn.

*In order to learn how to pronounce and read the Surah properly (for beginners), one needs a teacher, to coach and guide him.

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Translation of the Meaning of the Surah

The meaning of the verses of Surah Al-Fatihah, can be translated into English as:

1. In the name of Allah (God), the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
2. All the praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds (universe).
3. The Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
4. Lord of the Day of Judgment.
5. You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help.
6. Guide us to the Straight Path.
7. The path of those You have blessed, not (the path) of those who earned Your Anger, nor of those who went astray.

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Audio Recitation for the Surah

This audio serves as a temporal sample on how to recite Surah Al-Fatihah. To best recite it, do it in your own voice. Meaning, we learn how it's pronounced; we don't necessarily imitate the voice.

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Want to Learn to Read Surah Al-Fatihah?

The video below is dedicated to helping you refresh your reading techniques of Surah Al-Fatihah or learn to read it from scratch.

The Uniqueness of the Surah

There are many indications of the great importance of the Surah in Islam, and in the life of Muslims, at individual level. It's the first a newly convert Muslim has to learn after Shahadah. It's also the only one every ordinary Muslim repeats every other day.

On the uniqueness of the chapter, the companion of the Prophet, Abu Saeed Ar-Rafi' Bin Al-Mu`alla, radhiya Allahu ‘anhu, said in a Hadeeth authenticated by Imam Al-Bukhari, that Rasulullah, ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said to him:

لأُعَلِّمَنَّكَ سُورَةً هِيَ أَعْظَمُ السُّوَرِ فِي القُرْآنِ، قَبْلَ أَنْ تَخْرُجَ مِنَ المَسْجِدِ. ثُمَّ أَخَذَ بِيَدِي، فَلَمَّا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ قُلْتُ لَهُ: أَلَمْ تَقُلْ لأُعَلِّمَنَّكَ سُورَةً هِيَ أَعْظَمُ سُورَةٍ فِي القُرْآنِ؟ قَالَ: الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ العَالَمِينَ، هِيَ السَّبْعُ المَثَانِي وَالقُرْآنُ العَظِيمُ الَّذِي أُوتِيتُهُ

It means, “I shall teach you the greatest Surah in the Qur'an before you leave the mosque?” Then he, salla Allahu ‘alaihi wasalam, took me by the hand, and when we were about to step out, I reminded him of his promise to teach me the greatest Surah in the Qur'an. He, ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said, “It is “Alhamdu lillahi rabbil-‘aalameena”, which is the seven oft-recited and the Great Qur'an which is given to me.”

To emphasize on the uniqueness of the chapter, the Prophet, ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said to Sayyidina Ubay Ibn Ka'b, radhiya Allahu ‘anhu, in a Hadeeth reported by Al-Haakim:

أَلَا أُعَلِّمُكَ سُورَةً مَا أُنْزِلَتْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَلَا فِي الْإِنْجِيلِ وَلَا فِي الزَّبُورِ وَلَا فِي الْقُرْآنِ مِثْلُهَ؟ “قُلْتُ: بَلَى قَالَ: “إِنِّي لَأَرْجُو أَنْ لَا تَخْرُجَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ الْبَابِ حَتَّى تَعْلَمَهَا” فَقَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَقُمْتُ مَعَهُ، فَجَعَلَ يُحَدِّثُنِي وَيَدِي فِي يَدِهِ فَجَعَلْتُ أَتَبَاطَأُ كَرَاهِيَةَ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُخْبِرَنِي بِهَا، فَلَمَّا دَنَوْتُ مِنَ الْبَابِ قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ السُّورَةُ الَّتِي وَعَدْتَنِي، فَقَالَ: “كَيْفَ تَقْرَأُ إِذَا قُمْتَ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ؟ “فَقَرَأْتُ فَاتِحَةَ الْكِتَابِ، فَقَالَ: “هِيَ، هِيَ، وَهِيَ السَّبْعُ الْمَثَانِي الَّتِي قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: (وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَاكَ سَبْعًا مِنَ الْمَثَانِي وَالْقُرْآنَ الْعَظِيمَ) الَّذِي أُعْطِيتُ

It means, “Do you want me to teach you a Surah the like of which has not been revealed in the Torah (Taurat), the Gospel (Injeel), the Psalms (Zabur), nor the Qur'an?” He said: Yes; Yaa Rasulallah! The Prophet said: I hope you will not go out of that door until you learn it. He (the Prophet) stoop up, and I stood up with him. He continued to talk to me, while my hand is by his hand. I started to slow down, so he wouldn't go out without telling me. When we came close to the door, I said: Yaa Rasulallah! What about the Surah you promised me? He said: What do you read when you stand for Ṣalāh? I read Surah Al-Fatihah, and he said: Yes.. That's it.. That's it.. It's the seven oft-recited in which Allah said, “We have given you the seven oft-recited verses and the great Quran.” which I have been given.”

To seal on the uniqueness of our Surah here, Imam Ahmad reported, that Rasulullah, ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said to Jabir, radhiya Allahu ‘anhu:

أَلَا أُخْبِرُكَ بِأَخْيَرِ سُورَةٍ فِي الْقُرْآنِ؟ قُلْتُ: بَلَى يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، قَالَ: اقْرَأِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ حَتَّى تَخْتِمَهَا

It means, “Shall I inform you about the best Surah in the Qur'an?” Jabir said: “Yaa Rasulallah! Please inform me.” Rasulullah, ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Read “Alhamdu lillahi rabbi alAAalameena” until you complete the Surah.”

That's how unique and great the Surah is. And as usual, Allah descends great chapters upon great nations, one of which is the nation of the Prophet Muhammad. So we should treasure the opportunity of belonging to a great nation, to which great chapters are revealed.

That was the uniqueness of the Surah. What are the effects of that uniqueness on us, as Muslims? Let's find that in the virtues of the Greatest Surah, in the Qur'an!

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Virtues of the Surah

Blessings must come with positive effects, on who embraces it. So does Surah Al-Fatihah; it comes with abundant benefits.

Imam Abu Dawud reported that a man came to the Prophet, salla Allahu ‘alaihi wasalam, embraced Islam, then returned to his people. On his way, there were a group of men who had with them a mad man in iron manacles. The group said, that they heard that the travellers’ friend (referring to The Prophet Muhammad) had something good with him and so he exorcized the mad man with Surah Al-Fatiha, and he was cured. As reward they gave the traveler 100 sheep. He then returned to the Prophet and narrated the story. The Prophet asked if he did anything other than reciting Surah Al-Fatihah, he said no. So the Prophet said that while these people make their livelihoods out of false incantations (worshipping false idols) the traveler earned the 100 sheep through something lawful; so he could keep the sheep.

The lesson here is, one can recite Surah Al-Fatihah for himself, or for a second party, when he or that person is suffering from any kind of sickness. Just recite it with the trust, that the Lord of the Surah is in-charge.

Also, Ruqya, or spiritual healing, using Qur'an is not exclusively for Muslim patients. It can also be done for none Muslim patients.

The Surah basically consists of supplications (as you've seen). The Prophet, ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was given the guarantee, that anyone who recites it will be granted what it consists.

Ibn ‘Abbas, radhiya Allahu ‘anhu, said, in a Hadeeth authenticated by Imam Muslim: “While Jibril, ‘alaihi al-salam, was sitting with the Prophet, he heard a sound above him and raised his head. He said, ‘This is a door of heaven which has been opened today and which has never been opened before this day. An angel descended from it.' He said, ‘This is an angel who has descended to earth who has never descended before this day.' He gave the greeting and said:

أَبْشِرْ بِنُورَيْنِ أُوتِيتَهُمَا لَمْ يُؤْتَهُمَا نَبِيٌّ كَانَ قَبْلَكَ: فَاتِحَةُ الْكِتَابِ وَخَوَاتِيمُ سُورَةِ الْبَقَرَةِ، لَمْ تَقْرَأْ مِنْهُمَا حَرْفًا إِلا أُعْطِيتَهُ

It means, ‘I present to you the good news of two lights which you have been given and which no Prophet before you was given: the Fatihah of the Book and the end of Surah Al-Baqarah. You will not recite a letter of them without being given it.'”

The Prophet, ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said, in a Hadeeth reported by Imam Al-Baihaqi, that Surah Al-Fatihah is:

شِفَاءٌ مِنْ كُلِّ دَاءٍ

It mean, “It's a cure from any illness.”

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Surah Al-Fatihah in Prayers

The importance of Surah Al-Fatihah heavily lies on its usage in the daily 5 times obligatory prayers. The good news is, Allah has made that situation one of the best a Muslim can seize, to lift up his spirituality level, and to create bonding with Allah, subḥānahū wa ta'ālā.

Abu Hurairah, radhiya Allahu ‘anhu, narrated a Hadeeth authenticated by Imam Muslim, that he heard Rasulullah, ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam, saying:

قَالَ اللهُ تَعَالَى: “قَسَمْتُ الصَّلاَةَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ عَبْدِي نِصْفَيْنِ، وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ.” فَإِذَا قَالَ العَبْدُ “الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ العَالَمِينَ”، قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: “حَمِدَنِي عَبَدِي”. وَإِذَا قَالَ “الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ”، قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: “أَثْنَى عَلَيَّ عَبْدِي”. وَإِذَا قَالَ “مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ”، قَالَ: “مَجَّدَنِي عَبْدِي” – وَقَالَ مَرَّةً: “فَوَّضَ إليَّ عَبْدِي”. فَإِذَا قَالَ “إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ”، قَالَ: “هَذَا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ عَبْدِي، وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ”. فَإِذَا قَالَ “اِهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ المُسْتَقِيمَ. صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ المَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّالِّينَ”، قَالَ: هَذَا لِعَبْدِي وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ

It means, “Allah said: “I have divided Ṣalāh between Myself and My slave into two halves, and My slave shall have what he asks for.” When the slave says: “Alhamdu lillahi rabbi-l ‘aalameena (All the praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds (universe)”, Allah says: ‘My slave has praised Me.’

And when he says: “al-Raḥmān al-Raḥīm (The Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful), Allah (mighty and sublime be He)” says: ‘My slave has extolled Me.’ When he says: “Māliki yawmi al-dīn (Lord of the Day of Judgment)”, Allah says: ‘My slave has glorified Me’ – and on one occasion He said: ‘My slave has submitted to My power.’

And when he says: “Iyyāka na'budu waiyyāka nasta'īn (You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help)”, He says: ‘This is between Me and My slave, and My slave shall have what he is asking for.’

And when he says: “Ihdinā al-ṣirāṭa al-mustaqīm, Ṣirāṭa alladhīna an'amta ‘alayhim ghayri al-maghḍūbi ‘alayhim walā al-ḍāllīn (Guide us to the Straight Path. The path of those You have blessed, not (the path) of those who earned Your Anger, nor of those who went astray”, He says: ‘This is for My slave, and My slave shall have what he has asked for.’”

Note that, Allah referred to the Surah as “Al-Ṣalāh“, hence, one of the names mentioned by Imam Al-Qurtubi. Still remember that?

Imagine; how sweet the conversation is, between Allah and us! Yet… we choose to wander and get lost, only when we stand in front of Him. We have to do something about it. Right?

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Fiqh Issues Related to the Surah

Surah Al-Fatihah must be recited, for one’s prayer (Ṣalāh) to be considered as valid. It has to be read in every single Raka'ah of the Ṣalāh, regardless of whether other verses will be read (additionally) or not, and regardless of whether the prayer is a silent prayer, i.e., Zuhr and Asr, or it’s a loud prayer, i.e., Subh, Maghrib and Isha.

An Imam must recite Al-Fatihah, at all time. The same thing applies to the one who prays alone.

As for a Ma'amoum, or the one who prays behind an Imam, he recites Al-Fatihah in silence (when the Imam is reciting in silence), like in Zuhr and Asr prayers, in the last Raka'ah of Maghrib, and in the last two Raka'ahs of Isha prayers.

As for the case, where the Imam recites Al-Fatihah loud, like in Subh; in the first two Raka'ahs of Maghrib and Isha, the Imam may pause, for a while, after Al-Fatihah; to allow the Ma'moum to recite his own Al-Fatihah. If he does, it's clear; that the Ma'moum recites his Al-Fatihah. But if he doesn't, the Ma'moum can recite his Fatihah while the Imam is reading other Surah/verses, or may just listen to the Imam, without reciting. Let me elaborate on this.

The Hanafi, Maliki and Hambali schools of thought, opined that, the Ma'moum doesn't have to recite Surah Al-Fatihah, in a prayer, where he can hear his Imam‘s recitation, like in Subh, in the first two Raka'ahs of Maghrib and Isha. They based their opinion on the Qur'anic verse, in which Allah commands us, to listen, when the Qur'an is been recited:

وَإِذَا قُرِئَ الْقُرْآنُ فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ وَأَنصِتُوا لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ

It means, “When the Quran is read, listen to it with attention, and hold your peace, so that you may receive mercy.” [Surah Al-A'raaf, 7:204].

The Shafiee school of thought, on the contrary, makes it compulsory for the Imam and the Ma'moum to recite Al-Fatihah, whether or not the Imam pauses, to allow the Ma'moum to do so. This opinion is based on the Hadeeth, authenticated by Imam(s) Al-Bukhari and Muslim, in which the Prophet, ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:

لا صَلاةَ لِمَنْ لَمْ يَقْرَأْ بِفَاتِحَةِ الكِتَابِ

It means, “There's no prayer (Ṣalāh) for the one, who did not read Surah Al-Fatihah.”

On that basis, you and I have the choice, to or not to read Al-Fatihah, when the Imam doesn't pause, to allow us to read it.

What about reciting ‘Bismillah…' with Al-Fatihah?

There are two issues we need to know, regarding “Bismi Allahi alrrahmani alrraheemi. They are; whether ‘Bismillah' is part of Surah Al-Fatihah or not, and whether it should be read loud, or not, in loud recitations, during Ṣalāh.

We (most of us) know that, “Bismi Allahi alrrahmani alrraheemi; is part of a full verse in Surah Al-Naml, 27:30. This is agreed upon by the noble scholars of Islam. They also agree that, “Bismi Allahi alrrahmani alrraheemi“ is indicated at the beginning of each Surah, with exception of Surah Al-Taubah, which starts without ‘Bismillah.' But they don't all agree whether it's part of each Surah.

From the angle of Sciences of Al-Qur'an (Ulumul-Qur'an): Scholars of Madinah didn't count “Bismi Allahi alrrahmani alrraheemi” as a verse in Al-Fatihah. Therefore, when the number of verses for the Surah is counted, “Sirata allazheena an'amta ‘alayhim.” is verse number 6, and “Ghayri almaghdoobi ‘alayhim walaalddalleena.” is verse number 7. Examples of Qur'an versions (Qira-ah/Riwayah) from Madinah are the narrations (Riwayah) of Qalun and Warsh, which are both well known in North Africa, and are still read there, until today.

Scholars of Kufah, on the other hand, counted “Bismi Allahi alrrahmani alrraheemi” as verse number 1, for Surah Al-Fatihah. Therefore, verser number 7, becomes the whole “Sirata allazheena an'amta ‘alayhim ghayri almaghdoobi ‘alayhim walaalddalleena.” Example of Qur'an version from Kufah is the naration of Hafs, which is widely used in the world today. The Arabic text, and transliteration of the Qur'an I presented above, comes from Hafs (Kufah). That's why, when you look in your Qur'an, open to Surah Al-Fatihah, you will find that, “Bismi Allahi alrrahmani alrraheemi” is numbered with (1), but the same thing is not repeated in subsequent Surahs. Don't panic, if you ever come across a copy of the Qur'an, where “”Bismi Allahi alrrahmani alrraheemi” in Surah Al-Fatihah is not numbered.

In the end, Surah Al-Fatihah consists of 7 verses, whether it's Madinah version or Kufah version.

From the angle of Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh): With Surah Al-Fatihah in particular, Imam Al-Shafiee opined that since “Bismi Allāh al-raḥmān al-raḥīm” is part of the Surah, it must be recited, in every Raka'ah. And it's fundamental, that incomplete recitation of Al-Fatihah in Ṣalāh, nullifies the Ṣalāh. Also, if you are reciting your Al-Fatihah loudly, your “Bismi Allāh al-raḥmān al-raḥīm” must, as well, be read loudly. If you are reciting it silently, then your ‘Bismillah' must be in silence, too.

For the other schools of thought, Although ‘Bismillah' is not part Al-Fatihah, it must be read, but silently, in accordance to the Sunnah of the Prophet, ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

But the fact is, there are variation in narrations, from the Prophet, where he read ‘Bimillah' loudly in Ṣalāh (where recitation is done loudly), and in some occasions, he did it silently, where recitation is done loudly. One can choose whichever he's comfortable with and stick to it, or he can alternatively, vary from time to time. There should be no problem.

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Conclusion

Based on the fact that we communicate with Allah, and He responds to what we say, during our reading of Surah Al-Fatihah in Ṣalāh, Umar Ibn Abdul-Azeez, would have long pauses between any two verses, when he recited Surah Al-Fatihah. When he was asked, for his reasons for doing that, he said, “I want to give my Lord enough time, to respond to me in the communication. Certainly, we can try that, in our Tahajjud or Qiyamullail prayers. What do you think?

Surah Al-Fatihah is the most read Surah in every Muslim's life, regardless of their age and gender, if they are committed to their Ṣalāh. Even Muslims who are not committed to their Ṣalāh find themselves reciting Surah Al-Fatihah on regular basis, i.e., during weddings, ritual events, during funerals and other occasions. It's truly sad, that we turn to our blessings, only in occasional moments.

I hope this article has brought Surah Al-Fatihah close to our hearts. I do hope that we are able to value and appreciate it more than we used to do. It will be ‘wonderful' to start a new year (after Ramadan) with a fresh relationship with the very Surah which each of one of us has been reciting in his whole life and shall continue to do so.

May Allah bless the one who finds this article useful and shares it. May Allah bless the Reader of this article. And may Allah accept from the Writer. Ameen.

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Allah knows best.
Allahu Hafiz

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