Surah al-Fatihah: The Totality of the Qur’an

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

The following is extracted from the Garden of Tafsir by Shaykh Ibrahim ibn ‘Abdullah Niyas al-Kawlakhi (q.s.).  This section is about Surah al-Fatihah. 

Surah al-Fatihah comprises the totality of the Qur’an.  The Qur’an has nine subject matters.  On the subject of al-Hamd, Praise, in the Qur’an, there are many, many verses that praise Allah (s.w.t.) and laud Him.  There are the subjects of the Promise and the Threat.  Also found in the Qur’an are shari’ah, the sacred law; and the Haqiqah, Reality.  There is du’a, supplication; and also, qiswswah, storytelling; the stories of those before us.  Also found in it are mawa’izh, sermons; tadzkir, reminders; khabar, reports; and tawhid, monotheism. 

سُوۡرَةُ الفَاتِحَة

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ (١) 

ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ (٢) ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ (٣) مَـٰلِكِ يَوۡمِ ٱلدِّينِ (٤) إِيَّاكَ نَعۡبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسۡتَعِينُ (٥) ٱهۡدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٲطَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقِيمَ (٦) صِرَٲطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنۡعَمۡتَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ غَيۡرِ ٱلۡمَغۡضُوبِ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ (٧) 

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, Master of the Day of Judgement.  You Alone do we worship, and Your Aid Alone we seek.  Show us the Straight Way.  The way of those on whom You have Bestowed Your Grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath and who go not astray. (Surah al-Fatihah:1-7) 

Going through by line, it works out as follows. 

سُوۡرَةُ الفَاتِحَة

ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ (٢) 

Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds (Surah al-Fatihah:2) 

“al-Hamdulillah”, “Praise be to Allah”, comprises all that Belongs to Allah (s.w.t.) in the Qur’an of tsana’, laudation; of hamd, praise; and shukr, gratitude.  All that is in the Qur’an of laudation for Allah (s.w.t.) and mada’ih, praise, “al-Hamdulillah,” has completely Encompassed it.  “Rabb al-‘Alamin”, “Lord of all of the worlds”, is tawhid, monotheism. 

سُوۡرَةُ الفَاتِحَة

ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ (٣) 

Most Gracious, Most Merciful (Surah al-Fatihah:3) 

“ar-Rahman ar-Rahim,” “The Beneficent, the Merciful,” is al-Waʼd, the Promise. 

سُوۡرَةُ الفَاتِحَة

مَـٰلِكِ يَوۡمِ ٱلدِّينِ (٤) 

Master of the Day of Judgement. (Surah al-Fatihah:4) 

“Maliki Yawm ad-Din”, “Master of the Day of Judgement”, is al-Waʼid, the Threat. 

سُوۡرَةُ الفَاتِحَة

إِيَّاكَ نَعۡبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسۡتَعِينُ (٥) 

You Alone do we worship, and Your Aid Alone we seek. (Surah al-Fatihah:5) 

 “Iyyaka na’budu”, “You Alone do we worship”, is shariʼah, the sacred law; “Iyyaka nasta’in”, “Your Aid Alone we seek”, is Haqiqah, Reality. 

سُوۡرَةُ الفَاتِحَة

ٱهۡدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٲطَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقِيمَ (٦) 

Show us the Straight Way. (Surah al-Fatihah:6) 

“Ihdina asw-swirath al-mustaqim”, “Show us the Straight Way”, is duʼa, supplication. 

سُوۡرَةُ الفَاتِحَة

صِرَٲطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنۡعَمۡتَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ غَيۡرِ ٱلۡمَغۡضُوبِ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ (٧) 

The way of those on whom You have Bestowed Your Grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath and who go not astray. (Surah al-Fatihah:7) 

“Swirath al-ladzina an’amta ‘alayhim”, “the way of those on whom You have Bestowed Your Grace”, is qiswswah, storytelling.  “Ghayr al-maghdhubi ‘alayhim wa laa adh-dhalin”, “those whose (portion) is not wrath and who go not astray”, is mawʼizhah, sermons; and tadzkir, reminders. 

Allah (s.w.t.) Mentioned, in Surah al-Fatihah, five of His Own Names, Blessed and Exalted.  In “Praise be to Allah”, “Allah” is a Name.  In “the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds”, “ar-Rabb”, which is normally translated as “Lord”, is a Name.  “ar-Rahman” “The Beneficent”; and “ar-Rahim: “the Merciful”, are His Names.  And “Maliki Yawm ad-Din”, “Master of the Day of Judgement”, is a Name.  This is the source of the Five Pillars of Islam. 

Islam is built upon five.  The first being bearing witness that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah.  The meaning of this is “Allah”.  And the second, swalah, establishing the prayer, is ar-Rabb, with the meaning of “al-Muswlih”, “the One Who Rectifies”'; and al-Murabbi, “the One Who Educates and Brings to Maturity”.  The swalah of the slave brings his Islam to maturity and rectifies it.  “ar-Rahman”, “The Beneficent”, the emphatic form of “ar-Rahmah”, “Mercy”, is swiyam, fasting.  The slave reaches the limit of His Mercy for the destitute when he tastes for himself the hunger that afflicts the destitute person so that he will give him charity.  This is rukn asw-swiyam, the pillar of fasting.  “ar-Rahim”, “The Merciful”, is the pillar of zakat, almsgiving.  The slave has mercy on the destitute person, so he separates for him a part of his wealth.  “Maliki Yawm ad-Din”, “Master of the Day of Judgement”, is the pillar of haj, pilgrimage.  Just as mankind will be gathered to the Gathering Place, coming to baqʼah alone, pilgrimage is similar to this.