Surah Al Fatiha The opening verses of the glorious Qur’an

This surah has been commented by many scholars around the

world and many muslims feel they know surah Al fatiha from
the bottom of their hearts...Yet, we still live in a world where
many confusion prevails, not only in our actions but most of
all, and certainly, in our niyyat [intention].

And we have all learnt from madrassahs, Islamic schools or

from our parents when we were still young, that niyyat is the
crux of every action. Our actions are based on the intention we
formulate...

So the very moment we start an action, we start by

remembering Allah as the Glorious, the Supreme, the Owner
of the whole universe and certainly the Master of this universe
who has provided us with codes of conduct in order that we
may live in tranquillity and peace...

The formula is so simple: BISMILLAH

And you will note that Allah throughout the Quran has chosen
two siffat [two attributes from His Names]: AR RAHMAN AR
RAHIIM

Do we have time to reflect ? Are we concerned about the

essentials of life or do we use islam to challenge people, or to
show pride....?

Surah Al Fatiha gives us indications about the essence of Allah,

His attributes and acts as a summary, as an introduction to the
whole of the Qur’an.
This shows his prime importance in the life of a muslim. Any
muslim who commits it by heart ....with his heart....will
certainly attain success in this life and in the hereafter.

So, the problem might be lying somewhere here. Just do a

survey. Go and ask at least ten people around you...see whether
they can:

Read it with good pronunciation of arabic

Read it with tajweed

[Some people think that reading with tajweed is reading with a
nice rythm, so they tune their voice and tone according to their
favourite singer....this is not allowed]. Tajweed is certainly
above that and a person must learn the recital of the Qur’an
with a knowledgeable person who has iman...

Recite it in the language that he understands [for non arabs]

Understands the essence of it.

It is a pity that muslims men, women, young adolescents....are

NOT in tune with it. We can go around the world and make
conferences, having masses of people to applaud, shaking our
hands, telling us how good we were as an orator...we have all
seen these scenes. In Mauritius, there are so many conferences,
every month, every week, we invite so many people to
speak...and yet, the chaos prevails....
Well, we can still say we are 18 % of Muslims only but do we
show interest to invite others towards Islam or the reverse is
happening????

So, I am not here to re-explain what the previous scholars have

already tackled. I am just reminding some few points about
this surah so that we may insha Allah, act accordingly and
improves our attitudes towards the revelation of Allah.

Explanation

Al-Fatiha "The Opening," is the first chapter of the Muslim holy

book, the Qur'an. Its seven verses are a prayer for God's guidance
and stress the lordship and mercy of God. This chapter has a
special role in daily prayers, being recited at the start of each unit
of prayer, or rak'ah.

1:1] In the name of GOD, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

[1:2] Praise be to GOD, Lord of the universe.

[1:3] Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

[1:4] Master of the Day of Judgment.

[1:5] You alone we worship; You alone we ask for help.

[1:6] Guide us in the right path;

[1:7] the path of those whom You blessed; not of those who
have deserved wrath, nor of the strayers.
The first verse which is also repeated at the start of every surah
except surah At-Tawba beautifully opens surah Al Fatiha which is
the introduction of the Divine Book…It is surely the Islamic
culture to start everything in the name of Allah, so that the heart
gains tranquility…

Any action done without this mention is nullified. This mention is

also a protection from the accursed shaytan. When we constantly
practise the remembrance of Allah, we become strong and the
shaytan becomes weak…

Secondly, the attributes of Allah is repeated twice in this surah.

This repetition is done as an emphasis. We all automatically knows
that Allah possesses 99 names. Well, from these, Allah has chosen
two of them: Ar Rahman and Ar Rahiim which come from the
same root: Rahm. The merciful Allah. The secret lies here. Allah
wants us to remember Him as the Merciful. His mercy extends
both on the believers as well as the unbelievers.

Why? Because the unbelievers can become believers and vice

versa. Many non believers are coming back to Islam because they
have finally understood that Islam is a way of life for every
individual.

It is like when we wear a coarse dress, we feel uneasy because it

does not suit our skin. Likewise when we eat chilly, spicy food, we
feel uneasy, restless, we want to sleep etc because this type of food
does not suit our nature…Again, if we take another religion, we do
not feel at ease because it does not suit our nature, it is not
complete, it lacks something. ISLAM IS COMPLETE. Rest
assured upon it!!!

Praise be to Allah: AL HAMDULILLAH

Let us practise this. Let us with love for our Rabb, start in our
conversation by using the name of Allah. Let us glorify Him in our
conversation by saying to our family, colleagues and friends: Al
Hamdulillah. Then see how this process works. Yes, it will remove
the dirt from your heart and mind. It will cleanse you and give you
a new dimension!!! Do it and share it with all you know. You will
be blessed insha Allah

MASTER OF THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT

Jews, Christians and muslims believe in the day of judgement, the

day of account. We will surely stand up in front of Allah for
account. There is no doubt about it. There is no escape about it.
Whether you want to burn your poor body, which is a sin, Allah
who created you while you were nothing, can give you your form
back again. If you have a job interview and you know that the
decision rests in the manager’s hand, you will try to win his
respect, you will try to give him the best aspect of yourself, but
when I say: you will enter the court of Allah, how do you react?
How do you present yourself ???

YOU ALONE DO WE WORSHIP…

Please refer to the explanation of surah Al Kaafirun for this. Again,

the secret of success lies here. IYYAKA NA’BUDU WA
IYYAKA NASTA’IIN

It is a solemn oath that we have taken some 50,000 years before

the creation of this world [see tafsir surah 7 verse 172]. All of us,
made an alliance with Allah to worship Him as Creator. But then,
we were deluded by the decoration of this world. Subhanallah!!!
May Allah protect us and forgive us.

HELP comes from Allah. Yet, we supplicate idolaters, we copy

them, take them as role models, but worst, we take them as our
gods. Oh yes, we did. Not consciously but through our actions.
Think about it. Ask Allah to lighten our mind so that we are made
conscious. Ask Him to give us insight. Surely, He is AR
RAHMAN and surely He will answer.

THE STRAIGHT PATH

This is a constant struggle upon the nafs [the soul]. We must

constantly work our ego so that we keep ourselves on the right
path. The basis of islam is important. The pillars, the articles of
faith keep us towards the right path. Many people stand up without
knowledge discussing and giving their opinion about what is halal
and what is haram. The source of it must be the QURAN and the
AHADITH.

We cannot discuss outside a context. Can we???

Can government, people of the media discuss islam??? If you need

a good explanation about mathematics, surely you will go to
someone who is most knowledgeable about the subject. If you
want someone to check your English, you will not go to a
Frenchman who has only basic knowledge of English. If your
washing machine is damaged, you will not go to a home decorator.
So, why do we – in the affair of islam – ask the government, the
president of some countries, the media to bring insight about
islam???

Sister Ammaarat –Uddeen Mauritius