ࡱ> lnkG bjbjَ -{]$"lI$ ><<<<<< VR< BISMILLAH IR RAHMAN IR RAHEEM THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE HOLY KORAN EXPLAINED AL FATIHAH - THE OPENER Rendered into English by Shaykh Ahmad Darwish The Mosque of the Internet www.mosque.com Preface Prior to this booklet, there have only been commentaries on Al Fatihah. Now, for the first time in the West, the explanation of Al Fatihah is available to non-Arabic speaking readers. I thank Allah, the Most High, for guiding me and helping me in my humble effort. I ask Allah to accept this work and bless my late father and shaykhs and grant them peace. My sources for this explanation are derived from the highly acclaimed Arabic references of Imam Sawi in his "Commentary upon Al Jalalayn's Explanation of the Koran", Ibn Juzay's reference "Al Tasheel", and Muttaki Al Hindi's reference "Kanz Al Omall". AL FATIHAH - THE OPENER In the Name of Merciful, the Most Merciful Allah, The praise is for Allah , the Lord of the worlds. The Merciful, the Most Merciful. The Owner of the Day of Repayment. You we worship and You we rely upon for help. Guide us to the Straight Path. The Path of those You have favored, not those upon whom is the wrath, nor those who are astray. Ameen. The majority of Islamic scholars say that this chapter was sent down in Mecca. However, other scholars are of the opinion that it was sent down twice, once in Mecca when prayer became obligatory and then later on in Medina when the direction of prayer was changed to face Mecca instead of Jerusalem. The first opinion is considered to be the most authentic, because Allah says in the Chapter 14, "Al Hijr" verse 87: 'We have given you the seven dual verses and the Koran.' Here "dual" refers to the Opening Chapter. OTHER NAMES GIVEN TO THIS CHAPTER: This chapter is primarily called "The Opener" because it opens the Holy Koran and is the key to the Glorious Book. "The Opener" is one of its twenty names which are: 1. The Opener 2. The Opener of the Book 3. The Mother of the Koran. The reason for this is because the Holy Koran begins with it, consequently it is considered to be the root and the foundation. It is also equal to two-thirds of the Holy Koran. 4. The Treasure. It is so named because it descended from the treasure under the Throne of Allah, the Most High. Incidentally, there are four other verses that were revealed from under the Throne, namely the concluding verse of the verses of the "Cow Chapter", and the short chapter "Al Kawthar". 5. The Sufficient. 6. The Provider. This is because it's recitation is sufficient to make the prayer sound and acceptable. 7. The Recoverer. 8. The Recovery. It has been given this name because it is the healer for every illness. 9. The Seven Twins. This is so named because it has seven verses. 10. The Light. 11. Supernatural Protection. 12. Chapter of Praising and Thanking. 13. Chapter of Invoking. 14. Chapter of Teaching How to Ask. 15. Chapter of Confidential Prayer. 16. Chapter of Submission. 17. Chapter of Request. 18. Chapter of the Mother of the Book. 19. The Opener of the Koran 20. The Prayer. THE DIVISION OF THE OPENING CHAPTER BETWEEN ALLAH AND HIS WORSHIPER In the following Hadith Kudsee, we learn that this chapter is also named "The Prayer" because Allah says: 'The prayer is divided into two parts between Me and My worshiper. Half is for Me and half for My worshiper, and for My worshiper what he asks for.' When the worshiper says: 'The praise is for Allah, Lord of the worlds', Allah says: 'My worshiper praises Me.' When the worshiper says: 'You do we worship, and You do we seek help,' Allah, the Most High, says: 'This verse is between Me and My worshiper, and for My worshiper what he asks, so the worshiper says: 'Guide us to the Straight Path, the Path of those whom You have favored, not of those upon whom is the wrath, nor those who are astray.' So Allah says: 'These are for My worshiper and for him what he asked.' THE LESSON TO BE LEARNED BY STARTING AL FATIHAH WITH THE WORDS BISMILLAH IR RAHMAN IR RAHEEM: Allah starts: "In the Name of the Merciful, the Most Merciful, Allah" to teach His worshipers to use this phrase in the beginning of all their affairs as it is the Mother of Al Fatihah; Al Fatihah is the Mother of the Koran and the Koran is the Mother of all heavenly books. Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, said: "Anything that does not start with 'Bismillah Ir Rahman Ir Raheem', is severed." THE BENEFIT OF SAYING BISMILLAH IR RAHMAN IR RAHIM: A companion of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, by the name of Abdullah, the son of Masood said: "Howsoever wishes to be protected by Allah from the nineteen angels in charge of Hell must recite Bism Allah, Al Rahman, Al Raheem. For each letter there is protection from one of this angels." When Bism Allah, Al Rahman, Al Raheem is written in Arabic there are nineteen letters. It has been said that each letter in this phrase represents the first letter of one of the Names of Allah. For example, the letter 'B' of Bism is found at the beginning of the Name 'Basir' which means 'All Seeing.' 'Bism Allah, Al Rahman, Al Raheem', is also considered to be a verse in the Holy Koran as it was revealed in the chapter "The Ant" verse 30. It has been asked whether or not it is a verse when it occurs at the beginning of a chapter. There are equally valid arguments to support both opinions. The scholars that do not consider it to be a verse recite it silently by moving the tongue without sound when reciting Al Fatihah in their prayers. It is also part of the Revelation, those who reject it are unbelievers. The only difference is whether or not it is a verse at the beginning of each chapter. With the exception of the chapter "Repentance", all the scholars recite it at the beginning of each chapter. The reason why it is does not precede that chapter is because it contains the verse concerning the sword. Imam Ali, may Allah honor his face, reported that the Holy Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, said: "A man marveled at the words: 'In the Name of the Merciful, the Most Merciful Allah' and was forgiven." Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, said: "May I tell you a verse that has not been revealed to anyone except me since Solomon, the son of David? Bism Allah Al Rahman, Al Raheem." THE PRACTICE OF WRITING BISMILLAH IR RAHMAN IR RAHEEM Al Shubi, a companion of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, always use to write "In the Name of You, O Allah" until Chapter 11 verse 41 was sent down: 'Noah said: Embark in it, in the Name of Allah will be its course and berthing. My Lord is Forgiving, Merciful'. Thereafter he started to write: 'In the Name of Allah.' When verse 110 in Chapter 17 was sent down that says: "Say: 'Call on Allah, or call upon the Merciful ....'" he started to write "In the Name of Allah, the Merciful." Upon the sending down of verse 30 in chapter 27: "It is from Solomon and it is 'In the Name of the Merciful, Most Merciful Allah'" he started to write it. THE MEANING OF THE WORD "ALLAH" Allah, is the proper Name of the Absolute Existence, and is eligible for all forms of praise. Allah, is an Arabic proper noun which is cannot be changed. It cannot be made plural, masculine or feminine. If you omit any letter from the word Allah, the remaining word still refers to Him and keeps it purity. It is also very rich in meaning, for example it means, the Worshipped One, the Most Wonderful, who causes one's brain to become deranged with amazement, the Unseen, the Light, and the Highest. In brief, He is the Worshipped One for both commoner and elite alike in whom we seek refuge during major catastrophes, who is above our imagination and comprehension of our brain, but He is known to us through His Attributes and Signs, so that our souls are anxious for Him with all the universe under His control. THE MEANING OF "THE MERCIFUL" Al Rahman, means the Merciful, who bestows favors in quantity and quality in this life-time to both believer and unbeliever alike. THE MEANING OF "THE MOST MERCIFUL" Al Raheem, means the Most Merciful, who bestows favors both in quantity and quality in this life and in the Hereafter to believers. WHY AL FATIHAH STARTS WITH "THE PRAISE" It has been said that the phrase: "The praise is for Allah" from a grammatical point of view, is the beginning of the Speech of Allah, or that there is an implied word which is 'say', that teaches the worshiper how to praise Him. The meaning of 'Alhamdu Lillahi' is that Allah knows His worshipers are incapable of praising Him in the way in which He should be praised, therefore, He praises Himself by Himself, thus making it easy for His worshipers to praise Him. Praising is more encompassing than thanking because, thanking, is a reply for a favor, whereas praising can be in reply for a favor as thanking and can be a form of praising regardless of the favor. At the same time, thanking, maybe more general than praising because praising is by the tongue whereas thanking is by the tongue, heart and limbs. Try to comprehend what you are saying when you say: 'The praise is for Allah'. It is praising Him because of His Glory, Greatness, Oneness, Power, Favors, Knowledge, Ability, Wisdom etc., from His Attributes that include the meaning of his finest ninety-nine Names that require thanking and praising Him for each favor or gift He gives and for each mercy He bestows on His creation in both this life and in the Hereafter. It is then, and only then, that you realize just how wonderful the phrase is because it contains all these unlimited meanings in which the great references are rendered incapable of expressing their absolute meaning and the brain of the created is rendered impotent. It is sufficient that Allah made it to be the beginning of His Book and the last supplication for the people of Paradise. Thanking is by the tongue which is praising and venerating the Giver of gifts, favors and telling of them. The Holy Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said: "Broadcasting the news of gifts is thanking." Thanking by the limbs is the practice of obedience to Allah and avoidance of what He has prohibited. Thanking by the heart is the understanding of the value of the gift, and realizing that it is from Allah alone, and that it is a favor from Him and not to be taken as a right from His worshipper. Be aware that gifts which we are obligated to give thanks for are uncountable, but generally, they are included in the three following sections: 1. Worldly gifts -- for example, health and wealth. 2. Religions gifts -- such as knowledge, takwa (obeying commands and avoiding the prohibited, or, in other words, following the Revelation and being prepared for death, also being pleased with whatever Allah gives you even if it is insignificant). 3. The gifts of the Hereafter -- the rewarding of the worshiper with the lasting, great reward for the insignificant deeds he/she did during their short life. People who thank are classified in two ways: 1. Those that thank Allah for their own particular gifts. 2. Those who thank Allah on behalf of all His creation, for all the favors bestowed upon each and every one of us. Thanking has three levels: 1. The level of ordinary people is that of thanking Allah for His gifts. 2. The level of special people which is the thanking for gifts and trials in all circumstances. 3. The level of the superior, special people is that they become unaware of the gifts because they are in the presence and the sight of the Giver. A man asked Imam Ibraheem, the son of Adam: "Who are the best people?" he replied: "they are the poor of Allah (because) when they do not receive they give thanks and if they happen to receive what they need, they give it away." The value of thanking is that it is amongst one of the descriptions of the Finest Names of Allah, Al Shakir and Al Shakoor - the Thankful, and the Most-Thankful. The Thankful, is the Name of Allah who rewards His worshipers for their deeds with abundant rewards. It is also a description for His creation. Saying: "The praise is for Allah" and "there is no god except Allah" are the best sayings. The first saying is better than the second. This is because the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said: "For whosoever says that 'there is no god except Allah', twenty merits are recorded for him. For whosoever says, 'the praise is for Allah, Lord of the words', thirty-three merits are recorded for him." This is also because the attestation of the Oneness occurs in it. 'There is no god except Allah' already occurred in the phrase 'The praise is for Allah' and the latter has more meaning as previously described, therefore believers say it to receive rewards. As for the former, it is obligated upon those who embrace Islam to make this declaration. It also has special benefits in cleansing the worshiper from his bad desires and severing his hidden associations with Allah (such as worldly gains) in the science of Dhkir (the remembrance of Allah). When the worshiper exalts Allah, the Most High, by praising followed with the argument of the reason for praising Him as He is the Lord of lords with the worshipers living heart, the worshiper finds himself motivated to come closer to Allah as he repeats with his heart and tongue one of the Great Attributes of Allah, the Most High. By doing this, it reinforces his motives until the action reaches its completion. The result is that he comes closer to his Lord, the Creator at which time he receives the pleasure of conversation with Him. This having been accomplished, the worshiper is graded from the position of absent to the position of the presence, (for example when we say: "He the Lord of ... to You we ...). The beginning verses guide the anxious worshiper to think and remember, by repetition, the Finest Names of Allah looking with thoughtful and intelligent eyes at His Signs and realizing His Greatness from the Greatness of His Creation. The end of the verses raise the worshiper to the conversation and presence that indicate they are in the presence of the Creator with whom they are speaking. This refers to the position of 'Ihsan" which our Holy Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, mentioned in his reply to the question of Angel Gabriel: "What is Ihsan?" he replied "that you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him (the position of the presence), if you do not see Him, He sees you (the position of seeing)." The Holy Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said: "The best of Koran is 'the Praise is for Allah, Lord of the worlds.'" In another quotation he, praise and peace be upon him, says: "We learn that anything that does not commence with praise and the prayer (praise and peace) upon me is severed, barren and empty of each blessing." He also said: "Everything that does not start with the praise of Allah, it is leprosy." THE MEANING OF 'LORD OF THE WORLDS' 'Rabb Al Alamean', means Lord of the worlds. Rabb has five meanings -- the Owner, the Master, the Worshipped One, the Constant, the Mender. The most suitable meaning is this case is the first explanation which is "The Owner." The phrase 'Owner of the worlds' refers to not just our own world but to many different kinds of worlds. For example, the world of jinn, who were created from fire, the world of angels, the world of ants, fish and so on. Therefore the meaning is the 'Owner of all creation.' Each world is considered as a sign to remind us of the One who created it without previous example and of He who supports it with sustenance. The root of 'Al Alamean' is 'alam', which means, those of knowledge. This is also a sign to us of the One who created it. This is the meaning of 'the worlds'. Originally, it was meant to mean knowledgeable humans, jinn and angels, after which the rest of His creation followed when they recognized the marvelous signs of their Creator. This is because it is a created phenomenon and each created form requires a Creator which corresponds with sound logic. THE MEANING OF 'THE MERCIFUL, THE MOST MERCIFUL' 'Al Rahman, Al Raheem' means 'Owner of Mercy'. To humans, mercy means a delicate kindness from the heart that makes the person generous through which favors are given to another. When mercy is attributed to Allah, the meaning changes and becomes an attribute that produces the results of Mercy for the creation without heart or feeling. This is because Allah is unlike His creation and has neither flesh nor blood. THE MEANING OF 'OWNER OF THE DAY OF REPAYMENT' 'Malik yawm alddin'. The word 'malik' has two meanings, it can mean either the King or the Owner, 'yawm' means day and 'alddin' means repayment. Therefore, it can be read as the "the Owner of the coming of the Day of Repayment", or the "Owner of the affairs of the Day of Repayment", or the "King in the Day of Repayment". This Day has been mentioned in this verse specifically -- although His is the Ownership of each and every day -- because His Kingdom is not comparable with any other, although His Eternal Ownership is recognized by most of creation. The appearance of it on the Day of Repayment will be more apparent to the ungrateful who refused to acknowledge it. This Day means the absolute power, complete control, absolute ability and freedom for Allah in all affairs by ordering and prohibiting. Repayment means the rewarding of believers and the punishing of unbelievers. The Day of Repayment, is the Day of Resurrection, the Day of Reward, the Day of the Payment of Debts and the Day of Conquering. THE MEANING OF 'YOU WE WORSHIP' 'Iyyaka nabud wa iyyaka nastain', means We concern you with worshipping with the Oneness, (the word 'say' is implied in this verse). This is the original worship and belief of all the prophets including Prophet Jesus, peace be upon them. This is followed by practical worshipping, for example, prayer, fasting, obligatory charity and so on, by seeking His help to worship Him; worship being the reason for our creation, also our protection from Hell in the Hereafter is based upon the same belief. This is followed by our important needs both here and in the Hereafter by being afforded protection from disasters and receiving more happiness etc. The word 'You' proceeds the verbs 'worship' and 'ask for help', to indicate a restriction in the two verbs. Subsequently, this means we worship Him alone, also ask His help alone, thereby admitting that we are incapable and need Him -- in reality we ask from Him alone. It is noticeable that the description refers to 'We' and not 'I'. This means that all humanity and creation are dependent upon His aid. If we ask someone for help, it is in reality, asking Allah, and asking the person is only going to the vessel through which Allah helps us, for example, the postman that delivers mail to you, the letters are not from him, rather they are from the sender. The word "we" refers to the worshiper and those with him/her -- the protecting angels, together with believing jinn and humans that are present during the Congregational Prayer. This indicates that the worshiper includes his/her prayer with other believers, combining his/her needs with the needs of others hoping that through the blessing of their prayers his/her prayer will be accepted, and by the blessing of their needs, his/her needs will be answered. It is for this reason that the Congregational Prayer was established. Allah, the Most High, says: 'And cooperate together in goodness and 'takwa' (fulfilling obligations and avoidance of the prohibited)'. Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, said: "The Hand (help) of Allah is with the congregation." The word "worship" appears before the words "seek help" because it is the subject of the condition before fulfilling the help. There is a very significant lesson to be learned in the preceding verses by grading from the argument to the vision and to the unseen, then returning to the present. This is a lesson from Allah, the Most High, to His worshipers to teach them how to raise their level of comprehension and intelligence together with their spirit. THE MEANING OF 'GUIDE US' 'Ihdina' means increase our guidance and make us steadfast. Guidance means leading and demonstrating with or without attaining guidance. In this verse, the word 'Ihdina' means the visualization of guidance and its attainment. THE MEANING OF 'THE STRAIGHT PATH' 'Alsirat' literally means, the visual way. Here it means the religion of Islam. Islam is described as a visual way because it is apparent to the person seeking guidance as the right way for the traveler. Islam is leading you to your aim which is your Lord. By finding the Straight Path you find guidance, and enjoy the upright life, protection from Hell and the pleasure of the Hereafter. 'Guide us to the Straight Path' -- if it is asked how the believer asks for guidance and they are already in receipt of the guidance of the Holy Koran and Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, the reply to this is that it is asking for support from Allah to remain in this guidance until their death. Various prophets, for example Moses, peace be upon them, that are mentioned in the Holy Koran, asked that they may die as Muslims. In addition to this reply, it means that they ask for the attainment of higher ranks because the ranks are limitless. 'The Straight Path' is the path which is the visible way in which we walk. It has been used to express the invisible path in which the person takes in either good or bad pursuit. The meaning of 'straight' is unwavering, and the meaning of the 'Straight Path' is Islam or the Holy Koran, both of which are closely connected -- the Holy Koran contains the rules of Islam. Both explanations have been reported by the Holy Prophet, praise and peace be upon him. THE MEANING OF 'THOSE YOU HAVE FAVORED' 'An amta alayhim' means to give favors to them. The giving of favors means delivering generosity to humans. In this verse it refers to one of the following: 1. Believers. 2. Prophets, sincere people, martyrs, and good people. This is because in the Holy Koran, Allah mentions He gives favors to these people. 3. Prophets. 4. Followers of Prophets Moses and Jesus, peace be upon them, who lived before the alteration of their Holy Books, and before the Holy Koran superseded them. Allah did not specify any particular favor, consequently it means all the favors. The favors or gifts of Allah cannot be counted. Allah says in the Holy Koran: 'If you (try to) count the gifts of Allah, you will be unable to count them.' However, their classifications and types can be counted, they are firstly worldly gifts and secondly the gifts of the Hereafter. The first type consists of two kinds: 1. Inherited gifts. 2. Earned gifts. The inherited gifts are one of two: a. Spiritual gifts, for example, the giving of the spirit, honoring us with a brain, understanding, thought and speech. b. Physical gifts, for example, the body with its powers, health, sound organs, and beauty. The earned gifts are multiple, for example, purification of the spirit by cleansing it from bad behavior and honoring it by good manners. The gifts of the Hereafter are also multiple and no imagination can comprehend their vastness. For example, forgiveness of the sins of believers that place him/her in the company of angels close to Allah, without the limitation of time and the favors of Paradise which no one has heard or seen, and therefore cannot be comprehended by thought. THE MEANING OF 'NOT THOSE UPON WHOM IS THE WRATH' 'Ghayri al maghdub' means, 'not those upon whom is the wrath'. 'Ghayri' bears the meaning of not or none. 'Al maghdub' is a word derived from anger. Anger is a revolution of the heart's blood together with the will to revenge. Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, said: "Avoid anger, surely it is live coals that smolder in the heart of the son of Adam. Haven't you seen his veins inflate and his eyes become red." When Allah, the Most High, is described with wrath, it means revenge or will without human traits. Therefore, it is a description for His action or for Himself. It has been explained that 'Al maghdub alyahim' refers to the Jews. This is because Allah said when He described them in the Holy Koran: '... whom Allah cursed and became angry upon." This was because they killed the Prophets of Allah and consumed usury and so on. Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, also said: "Those who earn the wrath are the Jews and those who are in error are the Christians." The reason for mentioning "those You have favored" before "not of those upon whom is the wrath" is because faith becomes complete with two qualities: 1. Hope. 2. Fear. Therefore by saying "those You have favored" this guarantees complete hope and by saying: "not of those upon whom is the wrath" this guarantees complete fear, thereby strengthening one's faith. BEHAVIOR TOWARDS ALLAH Allah did not say: "those with whom I am wrathful". Allah ascribes for Himself only goodness, and thereby teaches us good manners. So we must think of Him only with goodness, even though He created both goodness and its opposite. We have the example of Abraham in the Holy Koran who said: "... and if I become sick, He recovers me." Abraham's manners were of such high quality that he did not say - if Allah made me sick and so on. Al Khidr, the Prophet mentioned in the Cave chapter, gives us an example of correct behavior towards Allah. Al Khidr told Prophet Moses when he was talking about the boat: "I want to make it defective" but when he described that Allah wished the two children to grow, he said: "your Lord wanted them to grow" he then told Moses what did was not from his own authority. From these two examples of behavior we are shown the manner that Allah teaches us to follow in Al Fatihah. In Al Fatihah, Allah mentions praising before supplication. This is because it teaches us to have good manners before we make our supplication. It also makes the request more acceptable before Allah. The "Merciful" precedes "the Owner of the Day of Repayment", this is because the Mercy of Allah is quicker than His Anger. "You we worship" precedes "You we rely for help", the reason for this is to ingratiate ourselves before asking. THE MEANING OF 'NOR THOSE WHO ARE ASTRAY' 'Wa la al dalin' means, nor those who are astray. 'Wa' means and, 'la' means nor, 'al dalin' means the rest, which is a word derived from astray. 'Astray' means: 1. Disappear or absent. 2. Deviation from the Straight Path, which is the meaning of this verse. It has been said in the prophetic sayings that this refers to the Christians. Also, the Holy Koran says in its description of the Christians: "They mislead a lot and they deviated from the Straight Path", the meaning of this is that they claim that Prophet Jesus is the son of God. THE MEANING OF 'AMEEN' The word 'Ameen' is not found at the end of the Chapter Al Fatihah, nor in any other chapter of the Holy Koran. We say it because it is obligated upon us and also it was the practice of Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, to say it. 'Ameen' is the noun of a verb meaning 'please answer'. It is reported in a prophetic saying that: "Allah gave my nation three things that were not given to anyone before except that which was from Moses and Aaron. It is 'Al salam' - which is the greeting of the people of Paradise, the rows of angels (in prayer), and 'Ameen'. Aaron said 'Ameen' at the end of Moses' prayer when he asked Allah, the Most High, to help him in his plight against Pharaoh." It has also been reported in a prophetic saying that 'Ameen' is a degree in Paradise. Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, said: 'It is a letter (word) written for those who say it (Ameen). It is (for them) a degree in Paradise." Imam Ali, may Allah honor his face and be pleased with him said: "Ameen is the seal of the Lord of the Worlds. Sealed with it is the call of His worshipers." In another prophetic saying it has been reported that Ameen is the seal of the Lord of the Worlds upon the tongue of His believing worshipers. Also, it has been related that Ameen is similar to the seal on a book. We have been ordered to say Ameen after Al Fatihah because of the supplication which is included. It has also been said that it is one of the Names of Allah. It is forbidden to stress the pronunciation of the letter 'm' which would enlong it. The pronouncing of Ameen in either the individual prayer or Congregational prayer is obligatory upon all believers. The Imam says it in the silent prayer. There are two opinions whether or not the Imam should say Ameen in the audible prayer, however, the first opinion is the stronger in authenticity because of the prophetic saying which says that he who says it with the Imam is forgiven. Obay, the son of Kab, said that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him said: "May I teach you a chapter that was not revealed in the Torah, Gospel or the Psalms, and there is nothing like it in the Koran?" Whereupon I replied: "Yes," so the Prophet said: "I wish that you should learn it before you leave this room." Then, the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, stood up so I stood up with him and my hand was in his. I started to delay him fearing that he might leave before he told me, so when I drew near to the door, I asked: 'O Messenger of Allah, the chapter you promised me?" He replied: "What do you say when you stand up in prayer?" So I started to recite Al Fatihah, whereupon he said: "That is it, that is it, and it is the seven duals of which Allah says: 'And surely, We have given you seven duals and the Great Koran' which I have been given." Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, said: "The Opener of the Book is the recoverer from every poison." He also said: "The Opener of the Book is the recoverer from every illness." And, "The Opener of the Book and the verse of the Throne; no worshiper that reads them in a house will be touched by the (envious) eye of either humans or jinn during the day." Al Fatihah gathers the meaning of all the Holy Koran, thus it is an abbreviation. In it is recorded the meaning of the Divinity in 'The praise is for Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, the Merciful, the Most Merciful.' Also, the Day of Repayment is recorded in the verse 'Owner of the Day of Repayment.' Also mentioned in the chapter is worship which stems from belief together with the rules of command and prohibitions within the verse 'You we worship'. All the laws of jurisprudence are referred to in the verse 'the Straight Path' and all the prophets and so on are referred to in 'The Path of those You have favored'. The unbelievers are referred to in the verse 'Not those upon whom is the wrath, nor those who are astray.' In conclusion, we would like to quote the following words of our Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, that teach us the value of reciting Al Fatihah: "Whosoever reads the Mother of the Book and Say, He, Allah is One ...' is like he that reads one third of the Koran. And the greatest chapter in the Koran is The praise is for Allah, the Lord of the worlds." He also told us that: "The Opener of the Book gives a reward that other chapters of the Koran do not give, and if the Opener of the Book is placed upon one dish of the scales and the Koran is placed upon the other dish, the Opener will be more valuable by seven times."  !67OP"#124;1 2 3 4 ` a : ; ]   8LM ij EHOJQJ 6OJQJ6EHOJQJB*CJOJQJ 5OJQJB*CJ OJQJ5CJ OJQJ CJ OJQJOJQJL!7P#234<$ & 8 xHX (#$ & 8 xHX (# & 8 xHX (# & 8 xHX (#+Ns * 3 4 ` a : ; _   & 8 xHX (# & 8 xHX (#   . x J )=Tc" & 8 xHX (# & 8 xHX (#";b~9LM ij$% & 8 xHX (# & 8 xHX (#j$%uv67l w x M!N!J#K#h###$$$$%%&&X'Y'++++y/z/11223377X:Y:,=-===>>>??@@FCGCwCDDEEFEFF=I>I]IKKzLLLL{N|NPPQQQRISJScSFT 6OJQJ 5OJQJB*CJOJQJOJQJ[uv67m w x M!N!J#K#i###$$$$% & 8 xHX (# & 8 xHX (#%%&&X'Y'++++--.y/z///T0o0011112 & 8 xHX (# & 8 xHX (#223377X:Y:,=-===>>>??@@FCGCxCEEGE & 8 xHX (# & 8 xHX (#GEFF=I>I^IKK{N|NPPQQQRISJSdSFTGTjTUU X & 8 xHX (# & 8 xHX (#FTGTiTUU X!XYYZZZH\I\f]g]]]^^6_7_````aaWaXaYabbccddBeCeUeVeff/fggiijjkksktkk0l1lllmmmnnpp}q~qrrssttnuouxxYzZz{{1}2}~~ 6OJQJOJQJ 5OJQJB*CJOJQJ[ X!XYYZZZZK[X[H\I\f]g]]]]]]O^^^6_7_` & 8 xHX (# & 8 xHX (#```aaXaYaccddBeCeLeUeVeff0fggiijj & 8 xHX (# & 8 xHX (#jkksktkkk0l1lAlYlllmmmnnpp}q~qrrt & 8 xHX (# & 8 xHX (#ttnuouxxYzZze{{{1}2}}}}~J~s~~~~~> & 8 xHX (# & 8 xHX (#>U & 8 xHX (# & 8 xHX (# 5OJQJB*CJOJQJOJQJ + 0P/ =!"#$% [4@4NormalCJOJQJkHmH <A@<Default Paragraph Font>B@> Body TextB*CJOJQJkHmH BB Body SingleB*CJOJQJkHmH @@Bullet  B*CJOJQJkHmH <"<Bullet 1B*CJOJQJkHmH J2J Number List  @B*CJOJQJkHmH @B@Subhead56B*CJOJQJkHmH <>R<Title$5B*CJ$OJQJkHmH :b:Header1B*CJOJQJkHmH :r:Footer1B*CJOJQJkHmH {jFT@FKQ "%2GE X`jt>ACDEGHIJLMNOPB{",LSbipw & jp?CY_ HMkoy+--../GI{{ahmad$C:\LOTSUITE\AMIPRO\DOCS\ALFATIAH.DOCahmadC:\mosque\poems.doc@IBM 4039 LaserPrinter (Copy 2)LPT1:HPPCL5MSIBM 4039 LaserPrinter PlusIBM 4039 LaserPrinter (Copy 2)@w XX@MSUDNIBM 4039 LaserPrinter PlusFcd IBM 4039 LaserPrinter (Copy 2)@w XX@MSUDNIBM 4039 LaserPrinter PlusFcd t{P@GTimes New Roman5Symbol3& Arial9CG Times" an%Ə%f4! 0i}ahmadahmadOh+'0P    $08@HssahmadfhmaNormalahmad2maMicrosoft Word 8.0@@TR@TRf՜.+,D՜.+,0 hp  mosquel4i}   Title 6> _PID_GUIDAN{DCF27CC9-89FF-11D1-975A-444553540000}  !"#$%&'()*+,-./0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRTUVWXYZ\]^_`abdefghijmRoot Entry F R`oRo1TableSWordDocument-SummaryInformation([DocumentSummaryInformation8cCompObjj  FMicrosoft Word Document MSWordDocWord.Document.89q