Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem
Alhamdu lillaahi Rabbil 'aalameen
Ar-Rahmaanir-Raheem
Maaliki Yawmid-Deen
Iyyaaka na'budu wa lyyaaka nasta'een
Ihdinas-Siraatal-Mustaqeem
Siraatal-lazeena an'amta 'alaihim ghayril-maghdoobi 'alaihim wa lad-daaalleen
Surah Fatiha is a prayer that we recite minimum 17 times throughout our day in our Fardh Salah, as no Salah is complete without the recitation of Surah Fatiha (Sunan Abi Dawud 820) .
Alhumdulillah many of us have learnt this at a very young age but sadly that's where our learning about this Surah has stopped as well. The following Hadith is eye opening as it explains that Surah Fatiha isn't just a recitation by us, BUT a conversation with Allah swt!
It was narrated that Abu Hurairah (ra) said, 'I heard the Prophet (pbuh) say:
Allah said: 'I have divided the prayer between Myself and My slave into two halves, and My slave shall have what he has asked for.
When the slave says: All the praise is to Allah, the Lord of all that exists.
Allah says: My slave has praised Me, and My slave shall have what he has asked for.
And when he says: The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
Allah says: My slave has extolled Me, and My slave shall have what he has asked for.
And when he says: The Only Owner of the Day of Recompense,
Allah says: My slave has Glorified Me. This is for Me, and this Verse is between me and My slave in two halves.
And when he says: You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help,
Allah says: 'This is between Me and My slave, and My slave shall have what he has asked for. And the end of the Surah is for My slave.
And when he says: Guide us to the Straight Way, the way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not(the way) of those who earned Your Anger, nor of those who went astray.
Allah says: This is for My slave, and My slave shall have what he has asked for."
Sunan Ibn Majah 3784 | Grade: Sahih (Darussalam)
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This is how DEEP the Surah goes and much more as the entire Tafsir explains each and every single word of the Surah. But our relationship with this Surah has been a marathon recitation of its verses which we've learnt to say absent mindedly in our Salah.
The Surah begins by first praising Allah swt, mentioning His attributes and then only after Glorifying Allah swt, THEN do we speak of our need by saying Guide us onto the Straight Path.
This same method can be seen in many Duas like:
O Changer of Hearts, keep my Heart firm upon your Religion.
We seek out Allah swt by the attribute we are in need of and then we state our plea.
La ilaha illa anta Subhanaka inni kuntu minaz zalimeen
None has the right to be worshiped except You, Glorified are You, indeed I have been among the wrongdoers.
When Younus (as) was stuck in the belly of the Whale, with no one around to aid him, he acknowledged that none can hear him nor help him except Allah swt, who has control over everything.
The second detail we often miss when we recite Surah Al-Fatiha is that when you and I read: "ihdinas siratal mustaqeem" ie "Guide us to the Straight Path", we are actually asking Allah swt to guide US ALL and not just our individual self.
Even though its a conversation with Allah swt in our Salah, Allah swt instills the feeling of our Ummah by making you and I ask for guidance for ALL OF US on the Straight Path in EVERY Salah, EVERY day. SubhanAllah.
This has been advised as the better form of making Dua were we first praise Allah swt, Glorify Him with His appropriate attributes and then state our need, not just for ourselves but also for the whole of the Ummah.
We are reminded of this and SO MUCH more in the nominal 7 verses we recite. The least you and I should do is UNDERSTAND what we say in each verse, since its a conversation with Allah swt.
Doing so will definitely help us increase our concentration and bring more happiness in our Salah, which will be reflected by the help we receive from Allah swt and the contentment in our Hearts.
Verily in the remembrance of Allah do Hearts find rest. And indeed, Quran is the source of it all and Surah Fatiha begins it.
O Allah, You are the Lord of the Worlds, we are completely dependant upon You for every need, so grant us all the good in this life and the next as we are truly in need of it.
Ameen!
References:
Br. Abdullah (Hidden.Hakh)
Tafsir Ibn Kathir Al-Fatiha v.1-7
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SpiritualBook 1 of Understand with Ease Juzz Amma's Surah with explanation for our better understanding. (Surah 78-114) Trusted sources.
