Asalamu alaykum wa rahmatu allahi wa barakatu,

This is the second audio lecture of the Digging jewels series about Surah
Al-Fatiha.
The first audio lecture 2 months ago we spoke about was regarding the
first wife of the Prophet salla allahu alayhi wa salam; Khadijah radia allahu
anha.
This time we will focus on Surah Al-Fatihah (The Opening). This idea rose
when a friend of mines nominated me for the Quran Challenge and I
thought Surah Al Fatihah as it is the first surah of the Quran and is recited
in each prayer. It was revealed in Makkah as stated by Ibn Abbas, Qatadah
and Abu'l-Aliyah.

In the name of Allah , the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

[All] praise is [due] to Allah , Lord of the worlds -

The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful,

Sovereign of the Day of Recompense.

It is You we worship and You we ask for help.

Guide us to the straight path -

The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who
have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray.
My audio lecture regarding Surah Fatihah is based on the following
references:
Tafsir At-Tabari, Tafsir Al-Qurtubi (Jami' lil Ahkam al-Qur'an), Tafsir
Ibn Kathir, Tafsir Ash-Shawkani (Fath al-Qadir), Tafsir AsSa'di (Taysir al-Karim ar-Rahman) and Tafsir Ash-Shanqiti (Adwa
ul-Bayan fi Idah al-Qur'an bi'l-Qur'an)
It will be divided into the name followed by virtues of Surah Al Fatihah.
The Name

Surah Al-Fatihah is also known as Umm Al-Quran (Mother of Quran)

and Umm Al-Kitab (Mother of Book). Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be
pleased with him) who said:

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said

"[The chapter commencing with] 'All praises and thanks are due to Allah
the Lord of the Universe' is the Mother of the Qur'an, the Mother of the
Book, the Seven Oft Repeated Verses and the Great Qur'an."(i.e. Umm alQur'an, Umm al-Kitab, Sab'ul-Mathani and Al-Qur'an al-Adhim) [AlTirmidhi]. This hadith is sahih.
Al-Bukhari said in the beginning of the Book of Tafsir in his Sahih:
"It is named Umm al-Qur'an because it is the first chapter written in the
Qur'anic texts and the recitation in prayer commences with it."
Ibn Jarir at-Tabari said that it was named so because the meaning of the
entire Qur'an is summarised therein. The Arabs named anything that
concisely summarises something or comprises the most important part of
something Umm, or Mother.
Other names Surah Fatihah is known as are:

1) Al-Quran Al-Adhim (The Great Quran) similar reasons to Umm AlQuran

2) Sabool Mathani (Seven Oft Repeated Verses) they are recited in
every rakaah of the prayer
3) Al-Hamd (Praise) because it consists of the phrase hamd just as
Surah Al-Baqara is named so because it mentions cow. Some
scholars have declared Al-Hamd is the heart of Al-Fatihah.
4) Al-Salah (Prayer) because of its recitations a condition for validity of
prayer.
5) Al-Shifa (The Cure) This was due to Al-Darimi reported from Abu
Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him):
"The Opening of the Book is a cure to every poison."
6) Al-Ruqya (The Spiritual Cure) This is due to the hadith of Abu
Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him) reported in Sahih Al-Bukhari
that after he had recited it to cure a person who had been bitten by
a scorpion, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to him:
"And what made you to know that it was a ruqya?"
7) Ash-Sha'bi reports from Ibn Abbas that he named it Asas al-Qur'an,
the Foundation of the Qur'an, and that he said, "The foundation of
Al-Fatihah is, 'with the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most
Merciful.'"
8) Sufyan bin Uyaynah named it Al-Waqiyah, the Protector.
9) Yahya ibn Abu Kathir named it Al-Kafiyah, the Sufficient, because it
suffices from everything other than it but anything else does not
suffice it, as occurs in the mursal hadith: "The Mother of the Book
suffices for other than it but nothing else suffices it."
When beginning reciting Surah Al Fatihah and completing it.
When reciting any Surah we start any Surah or anything, we recite:
Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Raheem
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
This is a Sunnah and Allah subhanahu wa taala said in Surah Al Isra verse
110
Say [O Muhammad], Invoke Allah or invoke the Most Gracious [arRahman].
Most of the scholars such as Al-Shafi, Ahmad, Malik have stated that
prayer is incomplete if Surah Al Fatihah is not recited based upon this
hadith.

Our beloved prophet peace be upon him said:

There is no salah (valid) without the opening chapter of the Book.
[Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim]
However Abu Hanifah, and those who agreed with him Al-Awzai and AlThawri stated that it is not obligatory to recite Surah Al-Fatihah. This is
based upon a Quranic verse in which Allah subhanahu wa taala said
"And recite what is easy [for you] from the Qur'an." [Al-Qur'an 73:20]
In addition, Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said to a man who
prayed inappropriately:
"When you stand for pray, say the takbeer and then recite what is easy for
you from the Qur'an."
The point here is not to discuss which the strongest opinion is but to show
that Al-Fatihah has specific rulings to it that are not shared by any other
chapter of the Qur'an. Allah knows best.
Upon completion of reading Surah Al-Fatihah there is a short pause
followed by saying Amin.
The definition of amin is O Allah respond to our supplication. Maqatil said
that it gives strength to supplication and a cause of blessings. This can be
seen in Surah Yunis where Musa alayhi salama said the following
supplication:
"Musa said, 'O Lord! You have indeed bestowed splendour and wealth
upon Pharaoh and his chiefs in the life of this world, our Lord! That they
may lead men astray from Your path. Our Lord! Destroy their wealth and
harden their hearts so that they will not believe until they see the painful
torment.' Allah said, 'verily the supplication of you both is answered
'."[Al-Qur'an 10:88-89]
His brother, Harun alayhi salam replied Ameen.
Al-Hakim At-Tirmidhi reports in Nawadir al-Usul from Anas ibn Malik (may
Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him
said:
"Allah has given my nation three things that were not given to any nation
before them: The salam, which is the greeting of the inhabitants of
Paradise; the rows of the Angels; and the amin, which was only previously
given to Musa and Harun."

Abu Dawud reports from Abu Misbah al-Maqrani that he said:

"We were sitting with Abu Zuhayr an-Numayri who was one of the
Companions and his speech used to be the most beautiful speech.
Whenever a person from amongst us supplicated he would say, 'Complete
it by saying amin for indeed amin is like the seal on a scroll.'
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports from the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) that he said:
"When the Imam says amin then say amin for indeed the one whose amin
coincides with the ameen of the Angels will have his previous [minor] sins
forgiven."
This emphasises that previous sins will be forgiven if four conditions are
met:
The Imam saying amin.
The Follower saying amin.
The Angels saying amin.
The Virtues of Surah Al-Fatihah
There are many hadiths that put an emphasis on the virtues of Surah Al
Fatihah:
1) Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said that the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
"Allah, the Glorious and Exalted, said, 'I have divided the prayer between
Myself and my servant equally and My servant shall be granted what he
asked for.' Therefore when the servant says, 'all praises and thanks are
due to Allah, the Lord of the universe', Allah says, 'My servant has praised
Me.' When he says,'the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful,'Allah says, 'My
servant has extolled Me.' When he says, 'Master of the Day of
Judgement,' Allah says, 'My servant has glorified Me.' When he says, 'You
Alone we worship and Your aid Alone do we seek,' Allah says, 'this is
between Me and My servant and My servant shall have what he
requested.' When he says, 'guide us to the Straight Path, the Path of those
whom You have favoured, not of those who have incurred [Your] wrath,
neither of those who have gone astray,' Allah says, 'this is for My servant
and My servant shall have what he asked for.' " [Muslim]
2. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said that the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

"[The chapter commencing with],"all praises and thanks are due to Allah
the Lord of the Universe"is the Mother of the Qur'an, the Mother of the
Book, the Seven Oft Repeated Verses and the Great Qur'an." [Al-Tirmidhi]
3. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:
"The Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) named Ubayy ibn Ka'b while he
was praying in the Mosque saying, 'O Ubayy!' Ubayy turned his head
towards him but did not reply. The Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam)
named him again saying, 'O Ubayy!' So Ubayy shortened his prayer and
turned towards the Prophet and said, "As-salamu alaykum O Messenger of
Allah.' The Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) replied, 'Wa alaykum assalam. What prevented you from replying to me when I named
you?' Ubayy said, 'O Messenger of Allah I was praying!' He said, 'Does
Allah not say:
'Respond to Allah and the Messenger when he calls you to that which
gives you life.' [Al-Qur'an 8:24]?'
"Ubayy replied, 'Yes O Messenger of Allah! I will not do this again.' The
Messenger of Allah (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) asked,'Would you like me
to teach you a Surah the likes of which is not to be found in
the Tawrah, Injil, Zabur or the [rest of the] Qur'an?' He said, 'Yes O
Messenger of Allah.' The Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, 'I
hope that I will not leave this door until you know it.'
"Ubayy said, 'Then he took hold of my hand and talked to me while I
slowed down fearing that we may reach the door before he finished
talking. When we did reach it I asked him, 'What is the Surah you
promised me, O Messenger of Allah?' He said, 'What is the Surah you
recite in prayer?' So I recited the Mother of the Qur'an upon which he
said, 'By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, Allah has not revealed the
likes of it in the Tawrah, Injil, Zabur or the [rest of the] Qur'an. It is the
Seven Oft-Repeated verses.' " [Ahmad]
Subhanallah, Surah Al Fatihah has so many virtues. The Quran itself is not
only a gift to know and love, but also to understand and implement Allahs
words into our daily lives.
Hope you have benefited from this lecture, see you again in sha Allah, 2
months times!