Introduction
Sūrat al-Fātiḥah (Arabic: سُورَةُ الفَاتِحَة) is the first chapter (surah) of the Quran. Its seven verses (ayat) are a prayer acknowledging GOD’s lordship and seeking His guidance and mercy. This chapter has an essential role in Islamic prayer (salāt). The primary literal meaning of the expression “al-Fātiḥah” is “The Opener,” which could refer to this Surah being “the opener of the Book” (Fātiḥat al-kitāb), to its being the first Surah recited in full in every prayer cycle (rakʿah), or to the manner in which it serves as an opening for many functions in everyday Islamic life. Some Muslims interpret it as a reference to an implied ability of the Surah to open a person to faith in GOD.
Al-Fātiḥah is often believed to be a synthesis of the Quran. It is in itself a prayer at the very beginning of the Quran, which acts as a preface of the Quran and implies that the book is for a person who is a seeker of truth—a reader who is asking a deity who is the only one worthy of all praise (and is the creator, owner, sustainer of the worlds etc.) to guide him to a straight path. It can be said to “encapsulate all of the metaphysical and eschatological realities of which human beings must remain conscious.”
Audiobook Mp3 (Arabic-English)
Al-Fātiḥa
The Opening
1 In the Name of GOD, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
2 All praise belongs to GOD, LORD of the universe.
3 The Compassionate, the Merciful.
4 Master of the Day of Judgment.
5 You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.
6 Guide us on the right Path.
7 The Path of those You have blessed, not of those upon whom wrath has fallen, nor of those who have gone astray.
Al Fatiha Interlinear Translation
| Verse | Arabic | Transliteration | Maulana Muhammad Ali | ASH Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ | Bismi Allāhi ar-Raḥmāni ar-Raḥīm | In the name of ALLAH, the Beneficent, the Merciful. | In the Name of GOD, the Compassionate, the Merciful. |
| 2 | الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ | Al-ḥamdu lillāhi rabbi al-‘ālamīn | Praise be to ALLAH, the LORD of the worlds. | All praise belongs to GOD, LORD of the universe. |
| 3 | الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ | Ar-Raḥmāni ar-Raḥīm | The Beneficent, the Merciful. | The Compassionate, the Merciful. |
| 4 | مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ | Māliki yawmi ad-dīn | Master of the day of Requital. | Master of the Day of Judgment. |
| 5 | إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ | Iyyāka na‘budu wa iyyāka nasta‘īn | Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help. | You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help. |
| 6 | اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ | Ihdinā aṣ-ṣirāṭa al-mustaqīm | Guide us on the right path. | Guide us on the right Path. |
| 7 | صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ | Ṣirāṭa alladhīna an‘amta ‘alayhim ghayri al-maghḍūbi ‘alayhim wa lā aḍ-ḍāllīn | The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favours, not those upon whom wrath is brought down, nor those who go astray. | The Path of those You have blessed, not of those upon whom wrath has fallen, nor of those who have gone astray. |
Commentary
Note (vv.1–3): These verses “open” by alluding to the Unity and the “sovereignty” of the Divine. His splendor and His Mercy are eternal; love is the Essence of GOD, and remembering the description of the LORD of the worlds (of the Universe) helps to dispel the sorrow of believers.
This world can be saved only through His Name, and the eternal Hereafter only through His forgiveness. Were it not for the message and the Name of GOD on this earth, the dwelling of every servant would be desolate; and were it not for His Mercy and generosity in the Hereafter, the work of His servants would be unbearable and meaningless. Without the vision that enlightens the heart in Paradise, nothing would truly make a poor human body happy.
Note (v.1 – Bismillah): To begin a good action “in the Name of GOD” — ALLAH in Arabic — means to honor and remember the Creator, seeking the successful outcome of the action. It also means that the supplicant undertakes the work in the Name and on behalf of GOD, to serve goodness through the action and to reach its intended purpose.
In other words, the believer dedicates his life to ALLAH and directs his activity, both personal and collective, toward the service of good. He also acknowledges his own limitation and entrusts himself to the certainty that everything can bear fruit only if the LORD wills it — inshaAllah — and by no other will. By invoking GOD in the Name of His benevolence and mercy, the believer seeks His help to attain success in his endeavor.
In this ASH reflection, nothing exists or has effect outside the course of the Will of GOD, which governs all actions, yet does not determine the desires and methods of any created being, thus preserving free will. A report attributed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ describes important matters begun without praise of GOD as lacking blessing (Sunan Ibn Mājah 1894; graded weak by Darussalam).
Anyone may begin an action without invoking GOD with the Bismillah, and it may still be accomplished if the divine will permits; however, every act of remembering one’s belonging to the Creator distances one from error.
In this ASH interfaith reading, beginning an action in the Name of GOD expresses essential truths: recognition of the Supreme Being as LORD and Father; confession of human limitation without the Knowledge of GOD; belief in GOD as omnipresent and omnipotent; and trust in the Supreme Being, seeking His pleasure and His mercy.
Note (v.2 – Al-Ḥamdu): Al-ḥamdu signifies that all praise, thanks, and gratitude must be directed exclusively to GOD, and to none other, from the beginning of the Universe to its end. Not by compulsion, but because the Creator alone is worthy of praise.
Praise is not merely for His satisfaction, but above all for the countless blessings and gifts granted to humanity. It is a recognition of divine favor and a refusal to turn away from Grace.
GOD is love in its fullness and perfection. He has no need to be praised; yet in prayer He is praised so that the one who prays may love and preserve the attributes that are praised, for humanity is called to imitate GOD.
The All-Knowing LORD is fully aware of the needs and desires of all His creatures more than they themselves are. He bestows His favors and gifts without receiving petitions; yet, for the education and discipline of humanity, prayer — in which He is praised — remains necessary, so that the human being remains connected to the merciful Creator while enjoying divine gifts, conscious of His absolute sovereignty.
Note (v.4): “Master of the Day of Judgment” refers to the permanence of Divine sovereignty and the all-encompassing nature of GOD. On the Last Day, every king and every kingdom will cease to exist, leaving only the eternal dominion of the Creator.
Nothing and no one exists outside His sovereignty and governance. He is the LORD of the worlds today and the Master of the Day of Judgment tomorrow. It has been said that the reckoning, the reward, and the punishment are near.
Note (v.5): “You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help” refers to two of the great pillars of religion upon which the journey of faith revolves. The first is the adornment of the soul through worship and self-purification, that is, personal improvement.
This involves maintaining worship free from ostentation and obedience free from hypocrisy. The second pillar is the purification of the soul from associating others with GOD and from reliance on power and strength apart from Him.
Note (v.6): “Guide us on the straight path” is the source of prayer and the core of obedience. It is the supplication and plea of believers: the search for righteousness and steadfastness in faith.
It means: “Guide us upon this path, make us walk upon it, and keep us firm upon it.” It involves purifying the soul, keeping it free from evil, falsehood, association, and corruption, and not relying upon one’s own power or strength.