ALLAH’S RESPONSE TO THE BELIEVERS............
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. [Quran 1:1]
When ALLAH’S sincere servant says:
All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the universe! [Quran 1:2]
Allah the Most High says: My servant has Praised Me.
When ALLAH’S sincere servant says:
The most Merciful, the most Beneficent! [Quran 1:3]
He (Allah the Most High) says: My servant has lauded Me.
When ALLAH’S sincere servant says:
Master of the Day of Judgment! [Quran 1:4]
He (Allah the most high) says: My servant has glorified Me. [My servant entrusted (his affairs) to Me.]
When ALLAH’S sincere servant says:
You alone do we worship, and You alone do we ask for help! [Quran 1:5]
He (Allah the most high) says: This is Between Me and My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks for.
When ALLAH’S sincere servant says:
Guide us to the Straight Path! The path of those upon whom You have bestowed Your blessings! Not the path of those who earned Your wrath, or erred and went astray. [Quran 1:6-7]
He (Allah the most high) says: This is for My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks for.
The Prophet (pbuh) has said:
[Muslim, Book #004, Hadith #0775] “Abu Huraira reported: The Apostle of Allah (may peace Be upon him) said: If anyone observes prayer in which he does not recite Umm al-Qur'an, It is deficient [he said this three times] and not complete. It was said to Abu Huraira: At times we are Behind the Imam. He said: Recite it inwardly, for he had heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace Be upon him) declare that Allah the Exalted had said: I have divided the prayer into two halves Between Me and My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks. When the servant says: Praise Be to Allah, the Lord of the universe, Allah the Most High says: My servant has Praised Me. And when he (the servant) says: The Most Compassionate, the Merciful, Allah the Most High says: My servant has lauded Me. And when he (the servant) says: Master of the Day of judgment, He remarks: My servant has glorified Me. and sometimes He would say: My servant entrusted (his affairs) to Me. And when he (the worshiper) says: Thee do we worship and of Thee do we ask help, He (Allah) says: This is Between Me and My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks for. Then, when he (the worshiper) says: Guide us to the straight path, the path of those to whom Thou hast Been Gracious not of those who have incurred Thy displeasure, nor of those who have gone astray, He (Allah) says: This is for My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks for. Sufyan said: 'Ala b. 'Abd al-Rahman b. Ya'qub narrated it to me when I went to him and he was confined to his home on account of illness, and I asked him about it.”
[Malik’s Muwatta, Book #3, Hadith #3.10.41] “Yahya related to me from Malik from al-Ala ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Ya'qub that he heard Abu's-Sa'ib, the mawla of Hisham ibn Zuhra, say he had heard Abu Hurayra say, "I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'Whoever prays a prayer without reciting the umm al-Qur'an in it, his prayer is aborted, it is aborted, it is aborted, incomplete.' So I said, 'Abu Hurayra, sometimes I am behind the imam. 'He pulled my forearm and said, 'Recite it to your self, O Persian, for I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say that Allah the Blessed, the Exalted, said, "I have divided the prayer into two halves Between me and my slave. One half of it is for Me and one half of it is for My slave, and My slave has what he asks." 'The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Recite." The slave says, 'Praise Be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.' Allah the Blessed, the Exalted, says, 'My slave has Praised Me.' The slave says, 'The Merciful, the Compassionate.' Allah says, 'My slave has spoken well of Me.' The slave says, 'Master of the Day of the Deen.' Allah says, 'My slave has glorified Me.' The slave says, 'You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help. 'Allah says, 'This ayat is Between Me and My slave, and for My slave is what he asks. 'The slave says, 'Guide us in the straight Path, the Path of those whom You have blessed, not of those with whom You are angry, nor those who are in error. ' Allah says, 'These are for My slaves, and for my slave is what he asks .' "
Surah Fatihah – Theme (Maududi)
This Sura is in fact a prayer which Allah has taught to all those who want to make a study of his book. It has been placed at the very beginning of the book to teach this lesson to the reader: if you sincerely want to benefit from the Quran you should offer this prayer to the Lord of the Universe. This preface is meant to create a strong desire in the heart of the reader to seek guidance from the Lord of the Universe who alone can grant it. Thus Al- Fatihah indirectly teaches that the best thing for a man is to pray for guidance to the straight path to study the Quran with the mental attitude of a seeker- after-truth and to recognize the fact that the Lord of the Universe is the source of all knowledge. He should therefor begin the study of the Quran with a prayer to him for guidance. From this theme it becomes clear that the real relation between Al-Fatihah and the Quran is not that of an introduction to a book but that of a prayer and its answer. Al-Fatihah is the prayer from the servant and the Quran is the answer from the Master to his prayer. The servant prays to Allah to show him guidance and the Master places the whole of the Quran before him in answer to his prayer as if to say This is the Guidance you begged from Me.
[-the-humble-ones-]
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. [Quran 1:1]
When ALLAH’S sincere servant says:
All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the universe! [Quran 1:2]
Allah the Most High says: My servant has Praised Me.
When ALLAH’S sincere servant says:
The most Merciful, the most Beneficent! [Quran 1:3]
He (Allah the Most High) says: My servant has lauded Me.
When ALLAH’S sincere servant says:
Master of the Day of Judgment! [Quran 1:4]
He (Allah the most high) says: My servant has glorified Me. [My servant entrusted (his affairs) to Me.]
When ALLAH’S sincere servant says:
You alone do we worship, and You alone do we ask for help! [Quran 1:5]
He (Allah the most high) says: This is Between Me and My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks for.
When ALLAH’S sincere servant says:
Guide us to the Straight Path! The path of those upon whom You have bestowed Your blessings! Not the path of those who earned Your wrath, or erred and went astray. [Quran 1:6-7]
He (Allah the most high) says: This is for My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks for.
The Prophet (pbuh) has said:
[Muslim, Book #004, Hadith #0775] “Abu Huraira reported: The Apostle of Allah (may peace Be upon him) said: If anyone observes prayer in which he does not recite Umm al-Qur'an, It is deficient [he said this three times] and not complete. It was said to Abu Huraira: At times we are Behind the Imam. He said: Recite it inwardly, for he had heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace Be upon him) declare that Allah the Exalted had said: I have divided the prayer into two halves Between Me and My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks. When the servant says: Praise Be to Allah, the Lord of the universe, Allah the Most High says: My servant has Praised Me. And when he (the servant) says: The Most Compassionate, the Merciful, Allah the Most High says: My servant has lauded Me. And when he (the servant) says: Master of the Day of judgment, He remarks: My servant has glorified Me. and sometimes He would say: My servant entrusted (his affairs) to Me. And when he (the worshiper) says: Thee do we worship and of Thee do we ask help, He (Allah) says: This is Between Me and My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks for. Then, when he (the worshiper) says: Guide us to the straight path, the path of those to whom Thou hast Been Gracious not of those who have incurred Thy displeasure, nor of those who have gone astray, He (Allah) says: This is for My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks for. Sufyan said: 'Ala b. 'Abd al-Rahman b. Ya'qub narrated it to me when I went to him and he was confined to his home on account of illness, and I asked him about it.”
[Malik’s Muwatta, Book #3, Hadith #3.10.41] “Yahya related to me from Malik from al-Ala ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Ya'qub that he heard Abu's-Sa'ib, the mawla of Hisham ibn Zuhra, say he had heard Abu Hurayra say, "I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'Whoever prays a prayer without reciting the umm al-Qur'an in it, his prayer is aborted, it is aborted, it is aborted, incomplete.' So I said, 'Abu Hurayra, sometimes I am behind the imam. 'He pulled my forearm and said, 'Recite it to your self, O Persian, for I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say that Allah the Blessed, the Exalted, said, "I have divided the prayer into two halves Between me and my slave. One half of it is for Me and one half of it is for My slave, and My slave has what he asks." 'The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Recite." The slave says, 'Praise Be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.' Allah the Blessed, the Exalted, says, 'My slave has Praised Me.' The slave says, 'The Merciful, the Compassionate.' Allah says, 'My slave has spoken well of Me.' The slave says, 'Master of the Day of the Deen.' Allah says, 'My slave has glorified Me.' The slave says, 'You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help. 'Allah says, 'This ayat is Between Me and My slave, and for My slave is what he asks. 'The slave says, 'Guide us in the straight Path, the Path of those whom You have blessed, not of those with whom You are angry, nor those who are in error. ' Allah says, 'These are for My slaves, and for my slave is what he asks .' "
Surah Fatihah – Theme (Maududi)
This Sura is in fact a prayer which Allah has taught to all those who want to make a study of his book. It has been placed at the very beginning of the book to teach this lesson to the reader: if you sincerely want to benefit from the Quran you should offer this prayer to the Lord of the Universe. This preface is meant to create a strong desire in the heart of the reader to seek guidance from the Lord of the Universe who alone can grant it. Thus Al- Fatihah indirectly teaches that the best thing for a man is to pray for guidance to the straight path to study the Quran with the mental attitude of a seeker- after-truth and to recognize the fact that the Lord of the Universe is the source of all knowledge. He should therefor begin the study of the Quran with a prayer to him for guidance. From this theme it becomes clear that the real relation between Al-Fatihah and the Quran is not that of an introduction to a book but that of a prayer and its answer. Al-Fatihah is the prayer from the servant and the Quran is the answer from the Master to his prayer. The servant prays to Allah to show him guidance and the Master places the whole of the Quran before him in answer to his prayer as if to say This is the Guidance you begged from Me.
[-the-humble-ones-]