Surah Al-Fatihah

About Surah Al Fatiha

Surat Al Fatiha is the first Surat in the holy Quran; it is a Meccan Surah that contains 7 verses, 29 words and 139 letters. It is named Al Fatiha because it is the opening of the Quran and of the prayers. It also has many names such as “Oum Al Kitab” because it has its basic purposes and “Surat Al Hamd” because the Almighty Allah opened it with his praising.

Reasons of its descent

In the absence of clear sources of the reasons for the descent of Surah Al Fatiha, the scholars prefer to talk about the news of its descent, relying on what was narrated from Abu Misra that the Holy Prophet was if he heard the call of the caller, O Muhammad, he run away; Waraka Ibn Nawfal advised him to remain stable until he heard what the caller says. Then the Prophet PBUH heard the same call and Jibreel said to him: “say, I bear witness that there is no god to be worshiped but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”, and he asked him to repeat Surat Al Fatiha after him. Also, Al Fatiha was brought down against false beliefs and deviant ideas such as the worship of Idols.

Its content

The goal of Surat Al Fatiha is to call for good intentions, such as praising God with His best names and lofty attributes, and thank Him for his grace and blessings, and to absolve him of any deficiency or defect, and to acknowledge the existence of a Day of Resurrection and Account, and to only worship and count on him without any other, to ask him for guidance and integrity, and to turn towards him to ask for forgiveness. Besides that, Al Fatiha is a reminder of the fundamentals of Islam and its purposes.

Its features

One of the characteristics of Al Fatiha is its difference from the rest of the holy Quran in the melody and context. In fact, the other Surats express the word of Allah towards his worshipers, and Surat Al Fatiha concerns the words of the worshipers towards the almighty Allah, by showing them how to address him. One of the characteristics of this Surat is also its confirmation of the rejection of any kind of mediation between the worshipers and Allah, and the inclusion of the fundamentals of the whole religion concerning the beliefs, the worship of Allah, and the method of life.

Its advantages

The first one is that it is the only Surat that the prayers are not valid without, according to the most correct views of the scholars, because the Prophet PBUH said: “the prayer is not valid I one does not recite fatihat al-kitab and something more”. It is also a Surah that, once read, has Du’aas in it, according to Muslim who said that an angel said to Muhammad PBUH: "Rejoice in two lights given to you which have not been given to any prophet before you: Fatihat al-Kitab and the concluding verses of Surah al-Baqara".