Concluding al-Fatihah
صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ
“The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favour,
not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who
are astray.”
As we bid farewell to Surah al-Fatihah, we conclude with its last remaining
verses. We talked about the Siraat and how we must strive, with Allah’s help
and guidance, to remain steadfast on this path in order to succeed in this life
and the next. And since the right company makes all the difference in providing
the support, reinforcement and good example to staying firm in faith and
conduct, we specify that Allah guide us to “the path of those on whom You bestowed
Your Grace/blessings..” [Siraat-al-latheena an’amta alaihim]
This is a reminder of all the good men/women that have succeeded before us.
These are the Prophets, the righteous, the companions, and foremost - our
Prophet Muhammad . We are consoled when we remember them and the
hardships they endured. It makes our trials bearable and we are relieved and
comforted that insha’Allah we will be of their company in our next eternal life.
“Ghair-il-maghdhoobi alaihim” [not of those whom upon them is wrath]. These
are the people, who know very well the truth and what is right, but deliberately
reject it and refuse to abide by it. So they have the knowledge but refuse
to conform.
Example: Those who know they must pray, but choose not to. “Waladhaalleen”
[nor of those who go astray]. These are the people who lack the
knowledge of the truth and don’t search for it, so they conform but to the
wrong path.
Example: Those who pray, but in an unacceptable way. Did you notice that
the words relating to Grace/Blessings are specific to Allah [“an’amta”- “You
bestowed”], while the words relating to wrath are not specific to Allah alone?
This is because when it comes to granting favours and blessings, Allah is the
sole provider of it all! But when evil is committed, this evokes the wrath of
not only Allah, but the wrath of creation as well - The angels, the Prophets,
the righteous, etc... And finally, “Ameen”. Ameen means “My Lord,
grant/answer [my prayers].” With Ameen, we are pleading to the One whose
in His hands is our guidance, success and salvation.
So express wholeheartedly, your need for Allah, just as if you have been sentenced
to death and are pleading with the victim’s family for pardon. There
would be a desperation and passion to the tone of your voice, as your heart
begs for their forgiveness. And here’s another great reason for a wholehearted
“Ameen!” The Prophet tells us that if our “Ameen” coincides with the
“Ameen” of the angels above, Allah will forgive all of our previous sins!
So this is no time to be drifting in our Salah, this is too good to miss! Our
heart needs to be present and alive! As we mentioned earlier, Al-Fatihah is the
heart of Salah and is one of its major pillars. The Prophet tells us, “He has not
prayed, the one who has not recited The Opening Chapter [al-Fatihah].” As we have
seen, it is the greatest Surah. In it we talk directly to Allah and He answers
back to us at every verse. What does He say to us?
Listen to this: Allah said, “I have divided the prayer [al-Fatihah] into two
halves between Myself and My servant, and My servant shall have what he
asks for.”
- If he says, “All praise and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds”, Allah
says, “My servant has praised Me.”
- When the servant says, “The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful”, Allah says,
“My servant has glorified Me.”
- When he says, “The Master of the Day of Judgment”, Allah says, “My servant
has glorified Me” or “My servant has related all matters to Me.”
- When he says, “You [alone] we worship, and You [alone] we ask for help”,
Allah says, “This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall be
granted what he sought”.
- When he says, “Guide us to the straight path. The way of those on whom
You have granted Your grace, not [the way] of those who earned Your anger,
nor of those who went astray”, Allah says, “This is for My servant, and My servant
shall be granted what he asked for.''
So the next time you are in prayer reciting al-Fatihah, remember to pause
momentarily as the Prophet did after every verse, because His Majesty - with
His beautiful face to yours, is responding to you… Feel it! What an honor it
is to be His servant!
