Sūrah al-Fātiḥah:

1. Verse One
2. Verse Two
3. Verse Three
4. Verse Four
5. Verse Five
6. Verse Six
7. Verse Seven

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Introduction

This commentary is a compilation gathered from a number of commentaries written. These being

1. Tafsīr al-Tabarī
2. Tafsīr al-Qurṭubi [Jāmiʿ lil-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān al-Qurtubī
3. Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr
4. Tafsīr al-Shawkanī [Fatḥ al-Qadīr] al-Shawkanī [Fatḥ al-Qadīr]
5. Tafsīr al-Saʿdī [Taysīr al-Karīm al-Raḥmān] al-Saʿdī [Taysīr al-Karīm al-Rahmān]
6. Tafsīr al-Shanqītī [Adwā al-Bayān fī īdāh al-Qurʾān bil Qurʾān].

In compiling this article I have endeavoured to adhere to the following method

1. Where all or the majority of the above commentators agreed on a particular point, I just mentioned the point and did not mention from whom I took the point.
2. Where all or the majority of the above commentators agreed on a point, but some mentioned additional information related to it, again I just merely quoted the information without mentioning which book it was taken from.
3. Where the commentators differed, I tried to avoid mentioning the issue altogether unless absolutely necessary in which case I either mentioned all of the different opinions, or the name of the commentator from whom I took the opinion.
4. Where I mentioned a commentary that only a minority of the above mentioned, but did not contradict anything that the rest mentioned I ascribed this opinion back to its proponent.
5. I have quoted from a number of books external to the above six, especially the works of Ibn al-Qayyim, in every such case I have fully referenced the quotes.
6. Most of the tafsīr books do not provide authenticating or disparaging remarks concerning the ḥadīth they quote. I have endeavoured to provide comments to each ḥadīth quoted mainly drawing from the various works of al-Albānī.

I ask Allāh that He count this effort amongst the scales of my good works and forgive me for any errors contained therein.

Sūrah al-Fātiḥah:

1. With the Name of Allāh, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful
2. All praise and thanks are due to Allāh, the Lord of the Universe
3. Most Beneficent, Most Merciful
4. Master of the Day of Judgement
5. You Alone do we worship and You Alone do we ask for help.
6. Guide us to the Straight Path,
7. The Path of those whom You have favoured, not the path of those who have earned [Your] Anger, nor of those who have gone astray.

Its Name:

It is named al-Fātiḥah, the Opening – because it opens the Book and by it the recitation in prayer commences.
It is also named Umm al-Qurʾān, the Mother of the Qurʾān, and Umm al-Kitāb, the Mother of the Book, according to the opinion of the majority. This was mentioned by Anas, however al-Hasan and Ibn Sīrīn disliked this appellation reasoning that this was the most fitting description for the Preserved Tablet. Al-Hasan also said that the unequivocal verses of the Qurʾān comprised the Mother of the Book. However, it is established in al-Tirmidhī from Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) who said,

The Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, ‘[the chapter commencing with] “all praises and thanks are due to Allāh the Lord of the Universe” is the Mother of the Qurʾān, the Mother of the Book, the Seven Oft Repeated Verses and the Great Qurʾān.’^[1]

al-Tirmidhī declared the ḥadīth to be Ṣaḥīḥ. al-Bukhārī said in the beginning of the Book of Tafsīr in his Ṣaḥīḥ,

​

It is named Umm al-Qurʾān because it is the first chapter written in the Qurʾānic texts and the recitation in prayer commences with it.^[2]

Ibn Jarīr al-Tabarī said that it was named so because the meaning of the entire Qurʾān is summarised therein. The Arabs named anything that concisely summarises something or comprises the most important part of something Umm, or Mother.

For similar reasons it is also named al-Qurʾān al-Aẓīm, the Great Qurʾān.
It is also named Sabʿul Mathānī, the Seven Oft Repeated Verses, because they are frequently recited and indeed recited in every rakʿah of the prayer.

It is also named al-Hamd, the Praise because it contains mention of hamd just as al-Baqarah is named so because it contains mention of the cow. Some scholars also gave the reasoning that al-Hamd constitutes the heart of al-Fātiḥah.^[3]
It is also named al-Salāh, the Prayer due his (صلى الله عليه وسلم) saying while reporting from his Lord,

“I have divided the prayer between Myself and my servant equally. Therefore when the servant says, ‘all praises and thanks are due to Allāh, the Lord of the universe,’ Allāh says, ‘My servant has praised Me…’.”^[4]

It is named the Prayer because its recitation is a condition for the validity of the prayer.
It is also named al-Shifāʾ, the Cure, due to what al-Dārimī reports from Abū Saʿīd (رضي الله عنه) from the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم),

​

The Opening of the Book is a cure to every poison.^[5]

It is also named al-Ruqya, the Spiritual Cure due to the ḥadīth of Abū Saʿīd (رضي الله عنه) reported in Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī that after he had recited it to cure a person who had been bitten by a scorpion, the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said to him,

​

And what made you to know that it was a ruqya?^[6]

al-Shaʿbī reports from Ibn ʿAbbās that he named it Asās al-Qurʾān, the Foundation of the Qurʾān, and that he said, “the foundation of al-Fātiḥah is, ‘with the Name of Allāh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.’“

 

Sufyān bin Uyaynah named it al-Wāqiyah, the Protector.

Yahyā bin Abū Kathīr named it al-Kāfiyah, the Sufficient, because it suffices from everything other than it but anything else does not suffice it, as occurs in the mursal ḥadīth,

The Mother of the Book suffices for other than it but nothing else suffices it.^[7]
It is also named Sūrah al-Salāh, the Chapter of the Prayer, and al-Kanz, the Treasure, as mentioned by al-Zamaksharī in ‘Kashshāf.’

Its Revelation:

It was revealed in Mecca as stated by Ibn ʿAbbās, Qatādah and Abū al-āliyah.

It is also postulated that it was revealed in Madīnah as stated by Abū Hurayrah, Mujāhid, ʿAtā bin Yasār and al-Zuhrī. It is also said that it was revealed on two separate occasions – once in Mecca and once in Madīnah. However the first opinion is the most likely due to His saying,

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَاكَ سَبْعًا مِّنَ الْمَثَانِي وَالْقُرْآنَ الْعَظِيمَ ‎

“We have sent to you the Seven Oft Repeated Verses.”
[Al-Hijr 15:87]

This verse was revealed in Mecca by agreement of the exegetes.
Abū al-Layth al-Samarqandī relates that half of it was revealed in Mecca and the remaining half in Madīnah as quoted from him by al-Qurtubī but this is an extremely strange position.

It is said that this chapter was the first thing revealed of the Qurʾān as mentioned in the ḥadīth reported by al-Bayhaqī in ‘Dalāʾil al-Nubuwwah.’ Al-Bāqillānī quoted this as one of three opinions. It is also said that the first revelation comprised the verses of Sūrah al-Muddaththir but the correct opinion is that the first revelation consisted of the beginning verses of Sūrah al-ʿAlaq.

Its Composition

It consists of seven verses and there is no difference concerning this. ʿAmr bin ʿUbayd said that it consists of eight verses and Husayn al-Juʿafī said that it consists of six verses but both of these opinions are irregular and rejected.

They have differed concerning the statement ‘with the Name of Allāh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.’ The majority of the reciters of Kufa postulate that it comprises an independent verse of al-Fātiḥah and this is also the opinion of a group of the Sahābah, Tābiʿīn and a large group of the later scholars. However the reciters and jurists of Madīnah regard it to be part of a verse, and not an independent verse, or not a verse at all.

Those who postulate that it is not a verse of al-Fātiḥah state that the seventh verse commences with the words, “not the path of those who have earned [Your] Anger…”

They said, “Al-Fātiḥah consists of twenty-five words and one hundred and thirteen letters.”

The Virtues Of Sūrah Al-Fātiḥah

There are a number of aḥadīth explaining to us the great virtue of this chapter:

1. Muslim reports from Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) who said that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said,
   Allāh, the Glorious and Exalted said, “I have divided the prayer between Myself and my servant equally and My servant shall be granted what he asked for.” Therefore when the servant says, ‘all praises and thanks are due to Allāh, the Lord of the universe’, Allāh says, ‘My servant has praised Me.’ When he says, ‘the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful,’ Allāh says, ‘My servant has extolled Me.’ When he says, ‘Master of the Day of Judgement,’ Allāh says, ‘My servant has glorified Me.’ When he says, ‘You Alone we worship and Your aid Alone do we seek,’ Allāh says, ‘this is between Me and My servant and My servant shall have what he requested.’ When he says, ‘guide us to the Straight Path, the Path of those whom You have favoured, not of those who have incurred [Your] wrath, neither of those who have gone astray,’ Allāh says, ‘this is for My servant and My servant shall have what he asked for.’^[8]
2. al-Tirmidhī reports from Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) who said that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said,
   
   [The chapter commencing with], “all praises and thanks are due to Allāh the Lord of the Universe” is the Mother of the Qurʾān, the Mother of the Book, the Seven Oft Repeated Verses and the Great Qurʾān.^[9]
3. Aḥmad reports from Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) who said,
   The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) named Ubayy bin Kaʿb while he was praying in the Mosque saying, “O Ubayy!” Ubayy turned his head towards him but did not reply. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) named him again saying, “O Ubayy!” So Ubayy shortened his prayer and turned towards the Prophet and said, “al-salām ʿalaykum O Messenger of Allāh.” The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) replied, “wa ʿalaykum al-salām. What prevented you from replying to me when I named you?” ʿUbayy said, “O Messenger of Allāh I was praying!” He said, “does Allāh not say,
   
   ‘Respond to Allāh and the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life.’
   [Al-Anfāl 8:24]?
   
   ʿUbayy replied, “yes O Messenger of Allāh! I will not do this again.” The Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) asked, “would you like me to teach you a Sūrah the likes of which is not to be found in the Tawrah, Injīl, Zabūr or the [rest of the] Qurʾān?” He said, “yes O Messenger of Allāh.” The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “I hope that I will not leave this door until you know it.”
   
   ʿUbayy said, “then he took hold of my hand and talked to me while I slowed down fearing that we may reach the door before he finished talking. When we did reach it I asked him, ‘what is the Sūrah you promised me, O Messenger of Allāh?’ He said, ‘what is the Sūrah you recite in prayer?’ So I recited the Mother of the Qurʾān upon which he said, ‘by the One in Whose Hand is my soul, Allāh has not revealed the likes of it in the Torah, Injīl, Zabūr or the [rest of the] Qurʾān. It is the Seven Oft-Repeated verses.’”^[10]
4. Aḥmad reports from Abū Saʿd ibn al-Muʿallà (رضي الله عنه) who said, The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) named while I was praying in the Mosque but I did not respond until I had completed the prayer. I went to him and he asked, “what prevented you from coming to me [earlier]?” I replied, “I was praying O Messenger of Allāh.” He said, “does Allāh not say,
   
   ‘Respond to Allāh and the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life.’
   [Al-Anfāl 8:24]?
   
   He then said, “I will teach a Sūrah which is the greatest Sūrah in the Qurʾān before you leave the Mosque.” Then he grasped hold of my hand and when he intended to leave [the Mosque], I asked him, “did you not say that you would teach me a Sūrah which is the greatest Sūrah in the Qurʾān?” He replied, “yes. It is [the Sūrah commencing with], ‘All praise and thanks are due to Allāh.’ It is the Seven Oft-Repeated verses and the Great Qurʾān that has been given to me.”^[11]
5. Muslim reports from Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنه) who said,
   While the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was sitting with Jibrīl he heard a creaking sound above him. Jibrīl looked up and said, “this is [the sound of] a gate that has been opened in heaven today and has never been previously opened.” Then an Angel descended through it and came to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and said, “rejoice in the good news of two lights that have been given to you such as no prophet before you has been given. [They are] Sūrah al Fātiḥah and the concluding [two] verses of Sūrah al-Baqarah. You will never recite a word from them without being given the blessings they contain.”^[12]
   
   This ḥadīth has led some scholars to suggest that Jibrīl did not convey the revelation of Sūrah al-Fātiḥah and the last two verses of al-Baqarah, rather it was the Angel mentioned in this ḥadīth. However the correct opinion is that Jibrīl did indeed convey the revelation of these verses as he was enjoined by Allāh to convey the entire Qurʾān to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). The Angel that descended as mentioned in this ḥadīth descended only to convey the reward of these verses.

The Ruling On Reciting Al-Fātiḥah In Prayer

The opinion of the majority of the scholars, amongst them Mālik, al-Shāfiʿī and Aḥmad, is that it is obligatory to recite al-Fātiḥah in the prayer and that the prayer is not valid without it. Their opinion is based upon many proofs; from amongst them the sayings of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم),

“There is no prayer for the one who does not recite the Opening of the Book.”^[13]

“Whosoever performs a prayer in which he does not recite the Mother of the Book then it is deficient, it is deficient, it is deficient, it is incomplete.”^[14]

“The prayer is not valid in which the Mother of the Qurʾān is not recited.”^[15]

However according to Abū Hanīfah, those of his companions who agreed with him, al Awzaʿī and al-Thawrī, it is not obligatory to recite al-Fātiḥah, rather any portion of the Qurʾān would be sufficient. They based this upon the saying of Allāh,

فَاقْرَءُوا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ

“And recite what is easy [for you] from the Qurʾān.”
[Al-Muzzammil 73:20]

And the saying of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) to the man who prayed badly, “When you stand for pray, say the takbīr and then recite what is easy for you from the Qurʾān.”^[16]

On top of this, according to al-Shāfiʿī and a group of the People of Knowledge it is obligatory to recite al-Fātiḥah in every rakʿah of the prayer. However, another group were of the opinion that it is sufficient to recite it in the majority of the rakʿahs and yet another group, from amongst them al-Hasan and the majority of the scholars of Basrah, were of the opinion that it is sufficient just to recite it in one rakʿah. This latter group took to the literal sense of the ḥadīth, “There is no prayer for the one who does not recite the Opening of the Book.”

In the case where one is a follower in a congregational prayer then the scholars fell into three opinions with regards to the follower’s reciting al-Fātiḥah:

1. It is obligatory upon him to recite it in all prayers.
2. It is upon him not to recite it in all prayers.
3. He should recite it in those prayers in which the recitation is silent, but not in those prayers in which the recitation is loud.

The point here is not to discuss which is the strongest opinion but to show that al-Fātiḥah has specific rulings to it that are not shared by any other chapter of the Qurʾān.

The Ruling Of Isti’ādhah (Seeking Refuge)

Allāh says,

خُذِ الْعَفْوَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْعُرْفِ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْجَاهِلِينَ ‎﴿١٩٩﴾‏ وَإِمَّا يَنزَغَنَّكَ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ نَزْغٌ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ ‎﴿٢٠٠﴾‏

“Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good and turn away from the foolish. And if an evil suggestion comes to you from Shayṭān then seek refuge with Allāh. Indeed He is All Hearing, All-Knowing.”
[Al-Aʿrāf 7:199-200]

 ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ السَّيِّئَةَ ۚ نَحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَصِفُونَ ‎﴿٩٦﴾‏ وَقُل رَّبِّ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ هَمَزَاتِ الشَّيَاطِينِ ‎﴿٩٧﴾‏ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ رَبِّ أَن يَحْضُرُونِ ‎﴿٩٨﴾

“Repel evil by means of what is best. We are best Acquainted with the things that they utter. And say, ‘My Lord! I seek refuge with you from the whisperings of the devils and I seek refuge with you my Lord lest they come near me.’”
[Al-Muʾminūn 23:96-98]

ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا الَّذِي بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُ وَلِيٌّ حَمِيمٌ ‎﴿٣٤﴾‏ وَمَا يُلَقَّاهَا إِلَّا الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا وَمَا يُلَقَّاهَا إِلَّا ذُو حَظٍّ عَظِيمٍ ‎﴿٣٥﴾‏ وَإِمَّا يَنزَغَنَّكَ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ نَزْغٌ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ ‎﴿٣٦﴾‏

“Repel [evil] with that which is better then indeed the one, between whom and you there was enmity, [will become] as though he was a devoted friend. But none is granted [this quality] except those who are patient and none is granted it save one who possesses a great portion [of high moral character]. And if an evil suggestion comes to you from Shayṭān then seek refuge with Allāh. Indeed He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.”
[Fuṣṣilāt 41:34-36]

These verses command the servant of Allāh to seek refuge with Him from the accursed Shayṭān due to the severe enmity he displays towards mankind and displayed towards their father, Ādam (عليه السلام). Allāh says,

يَا بَنِي آدَمَ لَا يَفْتِنَنَّكُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ كَمَا أَخْرَجَ أَبَوَيْكُم مِّنَ الْجَنَّةِ

“O Children of Ādam! Let not Shayṭān deceive you, as he removed your parents out of Paradise.”
[Al-Aʿrāf 7:27]

Ibn al-Jawzī said,

​

Servants of Allāh! Contemplate on the removal of your father, Ādam from Paradise, the home of security and his descent to the home of disgrace and abasement. The reason for this was none other than the accursed Shayṭān. Your Master has prohibited you from obeying him and ordered you to disobey him. Indeed in his obedience lies the Displeasure of al-Raḥmān and disobeying him necessitates residing in Paradise and the descent of Pleasure.

Allāh, Glorified and Exalted, said,

الشَّيْطَانُ يَعِدُكُمُ الْفَقْرَ وَيَأْمُرُكُم بِالْفَحْشَاءِ

“Shayṭān threatens you with poverty and orders you to immorality.”
[Al-Baqarah 2:268]

So whosoever obeys him, he forsakes him and diverts him from the guidance and opens in his heart the doors to misguidance and ignominy.^[17]
Allāh further explains to us the extreme enmity of Shayṭān with His words,

إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ فَاتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّا ۚ إِنَّمَا يَدْعُو حِزْبَهُ لِيَكُونُوا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ السَّعِيرِ

“Indeed Shayṭān is an open enemy to you so take him as an enemy. He invites his followers only that they may become the denizens of the blazing Fire.”
[Fāṭir 35:6]

أَفَتَتَّخِذُونَهُ وَذُرِّيَّتَهُ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِن دُونِي وَهُمْ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ ۚ بِئْسَ لِلظَّالِمِينَ بَدَلًا

“Will you then take him and his offspring as friends and protectors besides Him while they are open enemies to you? Wretched it is as an exchange for the wrong-doers.”
[Al-Kahf 18:50]

Indeed Shayṭān took an oath saying,

قَالَ فَبِعِزَّتِكَ لَأُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ ‎﴿٨٢﴾‏ إِلَّا عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِينَ ‎﴿٨٣﴾‏

“By Your Might! I will surely misguide them all, except Your chosen slaves amongst them.”
[Ṣād 38:82-83]

It is for this reason that we have been encouraged to seek refuge with Allāh from the accursed Shayṭān. With regards to reciting the Qurʾān, Allāh says,

إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ لَهُ سُلْطَانٌ عَلَى الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ ‎﴿٩٩﴾‏ إِنَّمَا سُلْطَانُهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ يَتَوَلَّوْنَهُ وَالَّذِينَ هُم بِهِ مُشْرِكُونَ ‎﴿١٠٠﴾

“When you wish to read [lit: have read] the Qurʾān then seek refuge with Allāh from the accursed Shayṭān. Indeed he has no power over those who believe and put their trust only in their Lord. His power is only over those who follow him and join partners with Him.”
[Al-Nahl 16:99-100]

 

A group of the reciters and scholars, from amongst them Hamzah, Ibn Sīrīn, Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʾī and Dāwūd al-Ẓāhirī, were of the opinion that one seeks refuge after the completion of recitation, taking to the literal sense of this verse. They also stated that the reason for doing so would be to repress self-astonishment at the completion of an action of worship.

A second opinion voiced is that one seeks refuge before and after ones recitation. However the famous, well-known opinion, which is the opinion of the majority is that one seeks refuge before recitation in order to safeguard oneself from the whisperings of Shayṭān. This groups understood the meaning of the verse to be, “when you wish to read the Qurʾān…” in the same sense as the verse,

إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُوا بِرُءُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ

“When you intend to stand for prayer [lit: have stood for prayer], then wash your faces and forearms…”
[Al-Māʾidah 5:6]

Abū Dāwūd reports from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī that,

When the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) stood at night [for prayer, he would commence the prayer] by saying the takbīr and then saying, “SubhānakAllāhumma wa biḥamdika, wa tabarrakasmuka, wa taʿālà jadduka, wa lā ilāha ghayruk.”^[18] Then he would say, “lā ilāha illAllāh”^[19] three times, then he would say, “Allāhu Akbar” three times and then he would say, “Aʿūdhu billāhi al-Samīʿ al-Alīm min al-Shayṭān al-Rajīm – min hamzihi wa nafkhihi wa nafthihi”^[20]

Abū Dāwūd reports from Nāfiʿ bin Jubayr from his father who said,

I saw the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) saying when he entered into prayer, “Allāhu Akbar Kabīra”^[21] three times, “Alḥamdulillāhi Kathīra”^[22] three times and “SubhānAllāhi Bukratan wa Aṣīla”^[23] three times. Then he said, “Allāhumma innī Aʿūdhubika mina al-Shayṭān, min hamzihi wa nafkhihi wa nafathi”^[24]

The majority of scholars are of the opinion of that istiʿādha is recommended and not obligatory. However it is reported from ʿAtā bin Abī Rabāh that it is obligatory to say it within the prayer and outside the prayer when one desires to recite the Book of Allāh. Al-Rāzī stated that the proof for this opinion was that the verse, “seek protection with Allāh” is mentioned in the imperative, that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) persisted in uttering it throughout his life and that it serves as a protective barrier from Shayṭān – therefore if an obligation can only be fulfilled by a particular means then that means also becomes an obligation.

Istiʿādha is for the recitation in prayer – this being the opinion of Abū Ḥanīfah and Muḥammad. As such it is to be said before one starts reciting al-Fātiḥah. Shaykh Mashur Ḥasan Salmān said,

It is clear that istiʿādha is legislated in every rakʿah [of prayer]. This due to the generality of His saying, “When you wish to read the Qurʾān then seek refuge with Allāh from the accursed Shayṭān.” This is the most correct opinion of the Shāfiʿī school and declared to be the strongest opinion by Ibn Hazm.^[25]

al-Ḥāfiẓ Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allāh have mercy upon him, explained the meaning of aʿūdhu (I take refuge) in a beautiful way. He said, Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allāh have mercy upon him, explained the meaning of aʿūdhu (I take refuge) in a beautiful way. He said,

​

Know that the verb ʿādha and its derivatives carry the meaning of being careful and wary, guarding and fortifying, being rescued and victorious. Its essential meaning is to flee from that which you fear will harm you to that which will safeguard you from it. This is why the one you seek refuge with is named maʿādh and maljaʿ (the source of refuge and recourse).

In the ḥadīth there occurs, “when the daughter of al-Jawn entered upon the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) [after their marriage] he moved his hand [to touch her] and she said, ‘I take refuge with Allāh from you.’ He said, ‘indeed you have sought refuge with the Maʿādh, return and rejoin your family.’”^[26]

Therefore the meaning of aʿūdhu is: I take refuge, guard myself and take precaution. There are two opinions concerning the basis of this verb. The first is that it is derived from the meaning of al-satar, covering or protection, and the second is that it is derived from the meaning of luzūm al-mujāwara, firmly adhering to that which adjoins it.

As for the first opinion then the Arabs used to say with regards to a house that is in the shade of a tree – ʿuwwadha. Therefore when this house did ʿādha with this tree by being built under its shade the Arabs named it ʿuwwadh. The same applies to the one who takes refuge for he seeks protection and cover from his enemy with the one he seeks refuge with.

As for the second opinion then the Arabs used to say regarding flesh that was stuck to a bone and could not be removed, ʿuwwadha, because of its refusal to be dislodged from the bone. The same applies to the one taking refuge for he sticks firmly to the one he is seeking refuge with and refuses to be distanced.

Both of these opinions are correct for seeking refuge includes both. The one taking refuge seeks protection with the one he is seeking refuge with and sticks firmly to him. His heart attaches itself to him and holds firm just as the child sticks close to its father when threatened by an enemy. The same applies to the one taking refuge for he flees from his enemy who desires his destruction to his Lord, throwing himself between His Hands, holding firmly to Him, sticking close to Him and resorting to Him.

Now, know that the reality of seeking refuge that is established in the heart of the believer surpasses and is beyond these descriptions, for these serve only as examples and representations. As for that which is established in the heart in its taking refuge, holding fast to and its throwing itself before its Lord, its need of Him and its submission and humility before Him, then all of this is beyond description.

In a similar vein, love of Him and fear of Him can only be described in a deficient way for they cannot truly be understood except through experiencing them. This is similar to the case of one trying to describe the pleasure of sexual intercourse to one who is impotent and feels no sexual urges. No matter how much you describe it and how many examples you give, never will he truly understand it. However if you were to describe it to one who does have these urges and has had intercourse then he will understand your descriptions completely.

If it is asked: When one is commanded to take refuge with Allāh why does the form of the command carry a seen and tāʾ? For example in His saying,

فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ ‎

“Seek protection (fastaʿidh) with Allāh from the Accursed Shayṭān.”
[Al-Nahl 16:98]

Yet one says, ‘I take refuge (aʿūdhu)’ and ‘I took refuge (taʿawwadhtu)’ without including the seen and tāʾ?

The reply is: the seen and tāʾ are grammatically used to denote a person’s seeking something. Therefore when one says, ‘astaʿīdhu with Allāh’ he is saying, ‘I seek refuge with Him.’ When he says, ‘astaghfirullāh’ he is saying, ‘I seek the forgiveness of Allāh.’

Hence when the person says, ‘I take refuge (aʿūdhu) with Allāh’ he is actually implementing and realising what he seeks because he sought refuge and protection with Allāh. There is a clear difference between actually taking refuge and seeking refuge. Therefore when the one who is seeking refuge is actually recoursing to Allāh and holding firmly to Him then he says the verb that denotes this rather than saying the verb that denotes that he only seeks this.

The opposite is true for the saying, ‘astaghfirullāh’ (I seek the forgiveness of Allāh) for in this case the person is asking Allāh to forgive him. Therefore when he says, ‘astaghfirullāh’ he is implementing what he desires because the meaning of this statement is, ‘I ask Allāh that He forgive me.’ This then is the best way of seeking refuge and it was for this reason that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) used to say, “I take refuge with Allāh from the Accursed Shayṭān” and, “I take refuge with Allāh’s perfect words” and, “I take refuge with the Might and Power of Allāh” saying, ‘aʿūdhu’ rather than ‘astaʿīdhu.’ Indeed this is what Allāh taught him to say with His words,

قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ

“Say: I take refuge with the Lord of Daybreak”
[Al-Falaq 113:1]

قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ

“Say: I take refuge with the Lord of Mankind.”
[Al-Nās 114:1]

Employing the word ‘aʿūdhu’ rather than ‘astʿīdhu.’^[27] Ibn al-Jawzi said, Know that the one who is taking refuge with Allāh, the Great from the accursed Shayṭān has clung to the firm Rope of Allāh. I take refuge with Allāh from all sins and actions of transgression! I take refuge with Allāh from misguidance and treachery! I take refuge with Allāh from the Displeasure of al-Raḥmān! O My brother! Know that when the servant clings to the rope of the created king he is saved from the evil of the oppressors. Therefore it far more befitting and appropriate for the one who takes refuge with the Lord of the Universe from the accursed enemy, Shayṭān, that he be saved.^[28] There are a number of texts showing us the virtue of istiʿādha:

1. Bukhārī reports from Sulaymān ibn Sarad (رضي الله عنه) that, Two men Abūsed each other in the presence of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) while we were sitting with him. One of the two Abūsed the other while in a state of rage, his face red. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “I know a statement that if he were to say, what he is experiencing would leave him. If only he were to say, ‘I take refuge with Allāh from the accursed Shayṭān.’”^[29]
2. Aḥmad reports from Abū Dharr (رضي الله عنه) that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “O Abū Dharr! Take refuge with Allāh from the satans from amongst men and jinn.” I said, ‘are their satans amongst men?’ He replied, “yes.”^[30]
3. Abū Dāwūd reports from Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنه) that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, If anyone seeks refuge with [you] for the sake of Allāh then grant him refuge. If any asks of you for the sake of Allāh then grant his request.^[31] It is said that the word Shayṭān is derived from shatana which means to be distanced, and indeed Shayṭān is far removed from any good whatsoever. It is also said that the name is derived from shāta, which means to burn because he is made from fire. Others said that both meanings are correct. However, the first meaning is most correct and is proven by the language.

Verse One

The saying of the Exalted, “With the Name of Allāh, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful”

From the manners that Islām has taught us is to begin all of our actions by mentioning the Name of Allāh first. The purpose behind this fal-reaching and manifold: 1. It brings Allāh to mind before one does the action. 2. It prevents one from doing evil actions. 3. He will attain Allāh’s support and succour in that action. 4. It reminds one of the purpose, the source of fulfillment of that need, the source of blessings for that action and its final destination. Ibn al-Qayyim explained this final point further in ‘al-Fawāʾid’, Allāh says,

وَإِن مِّن شَيْءٍ إِلَّا عِندَنَا خَزَائِنُهُ وَمَا نُنَزِّلُهُ إِلَّا بِقَدَرٍ مَّعْلُومٍ

“there is not a single thing except that its depositories and treasures are with Us.”
[Al-Hijr 15:21]

This verse comprises a [great] treasure from the treasures [of the Qurʾān], this being that nothing is sought except from the One Who possesses its depositories and treasures, the One in Whose Hands lie the keys to these treasures. Seeking [things] from anyone else is seeking something from one who does not possess them or possess any authority over them. The saying of Allāh,

وَأَنَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ الْمُنتَهَىٰ

“and that to your Lord is the final goal.”
[Al-Najm 53:42]

Comprises an immense treasure, this being that every desired objective that is not desired for His sake and is not connected [in any form or fashion] to Him then it is temporary and soon to disappear for its final goal is not with Him. The final goal lies only with the One to Whom all matters find their conclusion, terminating at His creation, Will, Wisdom and Knowledge. Therefore He is the source of every desired matter. Everything that is loved – if it is not loved for His sake then this love is nothing but distress and punishment. Every action that is not performed for His sake then it is wasted and severed. Every heart that does not reach Him is wretched, veiled from achieving its success and happiness. Therefore Allāh has gathered everything that could be desired from Him in His saying,

وَإِن مِّن شَيْءٍ إِلَّا عِندَنَا خَزَائِنُهُ وَمَا نُنَزِّلُهُ إِلَّا بِقَدَرٍ مَّعْلُومٍ

“there is not a single thing except that its depositories and treasures are with Us.”
[Al-Hijr 15:21]

And He has gathered everything that is done for His sake in His saying,

وَأَنَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ الْمُنتَهَىٰ

“and that to your Lord is the final goal.”
[Al-Najm 53:42]

Therefore there is nothing beyond Allāh that deserves to be sought and nothing finds its conclusion with other than Him. The bā (with) is known as the bā of istiʿānah or seeking help and support, meaning that the servant is seeking the aid of Allāh in the action he is about to perform. “With the Name of Allāh” meaning I start with every name that belongs to Allāh, the Exalted. This is because the word ‘name’ is singular and in the genitive form and therefore it includes all of the Beautiful Names. “Allāh” He is the Lord and the One Who is worshipped, the One deserving of being singled out for worship due to the Perfect Godly Attributes that He is described with. Ibn Uthaymīn states, He is the Lord and the One Who is worshipped, the One deserving of being singled out for worship due to the Perfect Godly Attributes that He is described with. Ibn Uthaymīn states, This is the Name of His from which all other Names follow on from as occurs in His saying,

لر ۚ كِتَابٌ أَنزَلْنَاهُ إِلَيْكَ لِتُخْرِجَ النَّاسَ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِمْ إِلَىٰ صِرَاطِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَمِيدِ ‎﴿١﴾‏ اللَّهِ الَّذِي لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۗ وَوَيْلٌ لِّلْكَافِرِينَ مِنْ عَذَابٍ شَدِيدٍ ‎﴿٢﴾

“Alif Lām Rā. This is a Book which We sent down to you in order that you might lead mankind out of darkness into the light by the permission of their Lord, to the Path of the All-Mighty, the one worthy of all praise: Allāh, to who belongs everything that is in the heavens and the earth.”
[Ibrāhīm 14:1-2]

So in this saying of Allāh, the Most High, the noun which is the name of the Majestic Lord, ‘Allāh’ is not a descriptive attribute, rather it is a word which follows as an explanation and clarification of what has preceded.^[32] The action that the servant intends to do has been omitted in the sentence in order to generalise the statement [known as the basmallāh]. Hence no matter what the servant intends to do, the basmallāh is applicable to it. We also understand that the action is to come at the end of the sentence for two vital reasons:

1. To seek blessings by beginning with the name of Allāh.
2. To express the fact that the action is only for Allāh. Therefore it is as if the servant is saying ‘I seek the help of Allāh with every Name of His, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful in the action I am about to do.’

There are a number of texts explaining to us the virtue of the basmallāh:

1. Imām Aḥmad reports from Abū Tamīmah that, I was riding behind the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) when his mount stumbled and so I said, ‘may Shayṭān perish!’ Upon hearing this the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “do not say may Shayṭān perish for when you say this Shayṭān becomes exultant and grows in stature and says, ‘it was by my power that I injured him.’ But when you say, ‘with the Name of Allāh’ he becomes humiliated and grows small until he ends up the size of a fly.”^[33]
2. Abū Dāwūd reports from Abū Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, There is no wudu for the one who does not [commence] by mentioning the Name of Allāh.^[34]
3. Bukhārī reports from Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنه) that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “If, when one of you wishes to go to his wife [for sexual intercourse] says, ‘With the Name of Allāh, O Allāh! Protect us from the Shayṭān and keep the Shayṭān away from what You will provide us.’ Then if it is decreed that they should have a child out of that act then the Shayṭān will never be able to harm him.^[35]
4. Al-Khatīb reports from Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “Every important matter that is not begun with, ‘with the Name of Allāh’ is deprived of good.”^[36] Ibn Masʿūd said, Whosoever wishes to the saved from the nineteen Angels over Hellfire then let him recite with the Name of Allāh, Most Beneficient, Most Merciful.

The scholars are agreed that the basmallāh comprises part of the verse of Sūrah al-Nahl wherein Allāh says,

قَالَتْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ إِنِّي أُلْقِيَ إِلَيَّ كِتَابٌ كَرِيمٌ ‎﴿٢٩﴾‏ إِنَّهُ مِن سُلَيْمَانَ وَإِنَّهُ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ ‎﴿٣٠﴾

“She said: O eminent ones, indeed to me has been delivered a noble letter. Indeed it is from Sulaymān and it [reads], ‘with the Name of Allāh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.’”
[Al-Naml 27:29-30]

However the scholars have differed as to whether or not this statement comprises a verse of the Qurʾān when it is found in the beginning of each Sūrah and they have fallen into four opinions:

1. That it is a verse of every Sūrah except Sūrah al-Tawbah. This was the opinion of ʿAbdullāh bin ʿAbbās, ibn ʿUmar, ibn Zubair, Abū Hurayrah, ʿAtā, Tāwūs, Saʿīd bin Jubair, Makhūl, al-Zuhrī, ʿAbdullāh bin Mubārak, ash Shāfiʿī, Aḥmad – in one of the reports from him, Ishāq bin Rahwayyah and Abū Ubayd al-Qāsim bin Salām.
2. That it is not a verse of any Sūrah of the Qurʾān at all and that it is placed at the beginning of every Sūrah merely to distinguish it from another. This was the opinion of Mālik, Abū Hanīfah and their companions. Abū Dāwūd reports from Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنه) that The Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) did not use to know the beginning and end of a Sūrah until ‘with the Name of Allāh, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful’ was revealed.^[37]
3. That it is a verse of al-Fātiḥah but not of any other Sūrah or it is part of the first verse of every Sūrah. This is another opinion reported from al-Shāfiʿī but it is gharīb.
4. That it is an independent verse of the Qurʾān heading every Sūrah but not actually part of that Sūrah.

This is the opinion of Dāwūd and Aḥmad in the second of the two reports from him. Abū Bakr al-Rāzī also relates this from Abū al-Ḥasan al-Karkhī and these two are from the greatest of the Ḥanafi scholars.

As regard to whether one should recite it loudly in prayer then the fiqh of this branches off from the difference mentioned above.

So those who follow the second and fourth opinions are not of the view that one recites it loudly. Indeed Mālik was of the opinion that one does not recite it at all, depending upon the literal sense of the following ḥadīth and its likes,

The Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) used to commence his prayer by saying the takbīr and reciting, ‘all praise and thanks are due to Allāh.’^[38]

As for those who follow the first opinion then they differ falling into two opinions:

1. That one recites it loudly as it is a part of al-Fātiḥah and therefore it should be recited in the same way as the rest of the Sūrah.
   
   This is the view of a group of the Sahābah, and a number of the scholars after them, from amongst them al-Shāfiʿī.
   
   Al-Ḥakīm reports from Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنه) that,
   
   The Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) recited, ‘with the Name of Allāh, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful’ loudly.^[39]
   
   Bukhārī reports from Anas bin Mālik (رضي الله عنه) that he said in reply to one who asked him about the recitation of the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم), His recitation would be elongated, then he recited ‘with the Name of Allāh, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful’ elongating bismillāh, elongating al-Raḥmān and elongating al-Raḥīm.^[40]
   
   Abū Dāwūd reports from Umm Salamah (رضي الله عنه) that she said,
   
   The Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) used to cut his recitation at each verse [pausing before going on to the next. He would recite], ‘with the Name of Allāh, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful’ [then] ‘all praise and thanks are due to Allāh the Lord of the Universe,’ [then], ‘the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful’ [then], ‘Master of the Day of Judgement.’^[41]
2. That it is not to be recited loudly. This is reported from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) by Bukhārī and Muslim, it is the view of a number of the Sahābah, and it is established from the Four Khalīfs. It is also the view of a group of the scholars after them from amongst them Abū Hanīfah, al-Thawrī and Aḥmad.
   
   So this is a summary of the views of the scholars with regards it recitation and they are all close to each other, and all praise is due to Allāh, for they are agreed that the prayer of the one who recites loudly or silently is valid.

Verse Two

The saying of the Exalted, “All Praises and thanks are due to Allāh, the Lord of the Universe”

The meaning of ḥamd is praise and extolling. It also carries the meaning of ridā, or pleasure and is the opposite of dhamm, or blame. Its meaning is more general and inclusive than that of shukr, or giving thanks, because it encompasses this as well as giving the meaning of praise. Similarly shukr is only expressed as a response to a favour whereas ḥamd is expressed both as a response to a favour as well as a spontaneous action of dhikr. It is in this respect that Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنه) said, “al-Ḥamdulillāh is the statement of every thankful [servant].” Hence it is due to the comprehensiveness of this word that we find the Prophets showing gratitude in the Qurʾān by expressing ḥamd. Allāh commanded Nuḥ (عليه السلام) saying,

فَقُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي نَجَّانَا مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ

“Say: All praises and thanks are due to Allāh Who saved us from an oppressive people.”
[Al-Muʾminūn 23:28]

Ibrāhīm (عليه السلام) said,

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي وَهَبَ لِي عَلَى الْكِبَرِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ

“All praises and thanks are due to Allāh Who gave me Ismāʿīl and Isḥāq in my old age.”
[Ibrāḥīm 14:39]

Dāwūd (عليه السلام) and Sulaymān (عليه السلام) said,

وَقَالَا الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي فَضَّلَنَا عَلَىٰ كَثِيرٍ مِّنْ عِبَادِهِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

“All praises and thanks are due to Allāh Who has preferred us above many of His believing servants.”
[Al-Naml 27:15]

Allāh commanded our Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) saying,

وَقُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي لَمْ يَتَّخِذْ وَلَدًا

“Say: All praises and thanks are due to Allāh Who has not begotten a son…”
[Al-Isrāʾ 17:111]

The People of Paradise will say,

وَقَالُوا الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَذْهَبَ عَنَّا الْحَزَنَ

“All praises and thanks are due to Allāh Who has removed from us all grief.”
[Fāṭir 35:34]

وَآخِرُ دَعْوَاهُمْ أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

“And the close of their supplication will be: All praises and thanks are due to Allāh, the Lord of the Universe.”
[Yunus 10:10]

It is for this reason that the word ḥamd has been employed in this verse of al-Fātiḥah.

Some of the scholars said that shukr is more encompassing than ḥamd because praise is expressed by the tongue whereas thanks can be expressed by the tongue, heart and limbs. Thanks with the tongue is done by praising the Bestower of Blessings. Thanks by the limbs is done by acting in obedience to Him and abandoning actions of disobedience. Thanks in the heart is done by recognising the magnitude of the blessing and knowing that it has been given by the grace of Allāh and not by the servants own merit.

Both opinions are correct in their own place: ḥamd is more general with respect to when it is done and shukr is more general with respect to how it is done.

There are a number of aḥadīth that show us the great virtue of expressing ḥamd:

1. Muslim reports from Anas bin Mālik that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “Indeed Allāh is Pleased at His servant when he eats some food and praises Him for it or when he drinks a drink and praises Him for it.”^[42] Al-Hasan said, “there is no blessing except that [saying] al-Ḥamdulillāh is better and more virtuous than it.”
2. Ibn Mājah reports from Anas bin Mālik that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “Allāh does not grant a servant a favour for which he says al-Ḥamdulillāh except that what he offered [of praising] is better and more virtuous than what he took [of the favour].”^[43]
   
   Al-Bayḥaqī commented on this by saying,
   
   

   “​This is because the servant does not attain [the station] of praising and thanking Allāh except by His tawfīq. Therefore the greater excellence [of his praising Allāh as compared to the initial blessing that Allāh bestowed upon him] is by virtue of his being blessed with the [ability to] praise Allāh and extol him and this did not exist in the initial blessing.”^[44]

3. Al-Ḥakīm al-Tirmidhī reports in ‘Nawādir al-Usūl’ from Anas bin Mālik that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, If the entire world along with its contents were to be in the hand of a man from my nation and then he were to say al-Ḥamdulillāh, then al-Ḥamdulillāh would be better than [what his hand contained].^[45] Al-Qurtubī commented upon this by saying, In our view the meaning is that he has been given the world, then after this he has been given this statement and utters it. Therefore this statement is better than the world because the world is soon to perish whereas the statement will endure for it is from those righteous deeds that remain. Allāh said, “The righteous deeds that last are better in the Sight of your Lord, for reward and better for resort.” [Maryam 19:76]
4. Ibn Mājah reports from ibn ʿUmar that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, A servant from amongst the servants of Allāh said. ‘O my Lord! To You belongs all praise and thanks as is required due to the magnificence of Your Face and greatness of Your Authority.’ This confused the two [recording] Angels and they did not know how to record it. So they ascended to the heaven and said, ‘O our Lord! Your servant has said a statement and we do not know how to record it.’ Allāh, the Mighty and Magnificent asked, despite the fact that He already knows what His servant said, ‘what did my servant say?’ They reply, ‘O Lord! He said: O my Lord! To You belongs all praise and thanks as is required due to the magnificence of Your Face and greatness of Your Authority.’ Allāh then said to them, ‘record it for my servant as he said it, then when He meets Me, I will reward him for it.’^[46]
5. Muslim reports from Abū Mūsà al-Ashʿarī that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, Purity is half of faith. [The statement] al-Ḥamdulillāh fills the scales and [the statement] SubhānAllāh wal-Ḥamdulillāh fills what is between the heaven and the earth.^[47]
6. al-Tirmidhī reports from Jābir bin ʿAbdullāh that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, The most excellent dhikr is [the statement] lā ilāha illà Allāh and the most excellent supplication is [the statement] al-Ḥamdulillāh^[48]
7. Aḥmad reports from Aswad bin Sarīʿ who said, I asked the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم), “should I not recite to you words of praise that I praised my Lord, the Blessed and Exalted, with?” He replied, “of course! Indeed your Lord loves praise.”^[49]

In the verse the word ḥamd has been preceded by the definite article “al”, the reason for this is to include all the different manners of praise and specify them to Him, and it is an extolling with which Allāh has praised Himself and ordered His servants to praise Him with. This meaning is further expressed in the ḥadīth in which the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said,

“O Allāh! To You belongs all praise and thanks in its entirety, to you belongs the dominion in its entirety, in Your hand is all goodness in its entirety and to You returns the affair in its entirety.”^[50]

Therefore by saying al-Ḥamdulillāh, the servant is praising and thanking Allāh Alone due to His greatness, unity, perfection, His Beautiful Names and Attributes and His innumerable favours and blessings that none can encompass save He. It is indeed an amazing statement that encompasses something that volumes would be unable to express and created intellects unable to enumerate! All praise belongs to Allāh!

Also there is no mention in this verse as to the adverb denoting when this praise is said (ẓarf al-zamān) or from where this praise comes from (ẓarf al-makān). However in Sūrah Rum there is mention that from amongst the ‘where’s’ are the heavens and the earth – in His saying,

وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَعَشِيًّا وَحِينَ تُظْهِرُونَ

‘And His is all the praises and thanks in the heavens and the earth.’
[Rum 30:18]

And in Sūrah Qasas there is mention that from amongst the ‘when’s’ are in this world and in the Hereafter – in His sayings,

وَهُوَ اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ لَهُ الْحَمْدُ فِي الْأُولَىٰ وَالْآخِرَةِ ۖ وَلَهُ الْحُكْمُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ

‘And He is Allāh, none has the right to be worshipped besides Him. To Him belongs all praise in the beginning (i.e. this world) and in the end (i.e. the Hereafter).’
[Qasas 28: 70]

And He said in the beginning of Sūrah Sabaʾ,

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ ۚ وَهُوَ الْحَكِيمُ الْخَبِيرُ

‘His is all the praise in the Hereafter, and He is the All-Wise, All-Aware.’
[Sabaʾ 34:1]

Linguistically the word rabb means master, owner or one who sets about correcting and purifying. When used in a possessive or conjunctive (idāfah) structure it can be applied to other than Allāh, for example it is said rabb al-dār or the master of the house, similarly in the Qurʾān it is mentioned that Yusuf (عليه السلام) said to one of the inmates of prison,

اذْكُرْنِي عِندَ رَبِّكَ

“Mention me in the presence of your master.”
[Yusuf 12:42]

Likewise it is mentioned in the famous ḥadīth of Jibrīl, when the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) listed some of the signs of the Hour, “When the slave-girl gives birth to her master (rabbatahā)“^[51]

However the word al-Rabb can only ever be applied to Allāh. It is one of the Names of Allāh and means the One Who nurtures and sustains all of His servants through regulating the affairs and granting all types of favours and blessings. More specifically He is the One Who nurtures and sustains his sincere friends by correcting and purifying their hearts, souls and manners. This is why their supplications are frequently made with this Noble Name because they seek this specific nurturing.^[52]

al-Saʿdī said,

​

The Lord is the One Who nourishes and sustains the whole of the Creation, meaning everything aside from Allāh, by the very fact of His creating them, and His preparing for them all that they need and His favouring them with great blessings which if removed would also remove any possibility of the creation surviving. Therefore every blessing they possess then it is from Him, the Exalted.

His sustaining His creation is of two types: General and Specific. As for the general then it is His creating the Creation and granting them provisions, and guiding them to that which would benefit them in order to have them survive in this world. As for the specific then it is His sustaining His friends with faith and making them conform to it, perfecting and completing it for them, repressing all that would make them turn away from it, bridling any hindering factors that may be set up between them and Him, and safe-guarding them from all evil. It is possible that the reason behind the fact that most of the supplications made by the Prophets employed the word ‘Lord’ was due to it carrying this meaning, for indeed all of the things they desired through their supplications fell under His Specific Lordship.^[53]

There is a great deal of difference concerning the meaning of the word ʿĀlamīn . It is the plural of ʿālam which is itself a plural – it has no singular. Al-Farāʾ and Abū Ubaydah said,

​

al-ʿĀlam is a term referring to anything that possesses an intellect and these fall into four categories: Mankind, Jinn, Angels and Satans. The term ʿālam does not refer to the animal kingdom because this plural refers to those who possess an intellect specifically.

It is also said that it refers to every race or species of creation and to each generation of that race as stated by Qatādah and al-Ṭabarī. Therefore mankind is an ʿālam and likewise every individual race amongst them would be an ʿālam also, just as each generation of that race would be an ālam. Similarly the Jinn are an ālam etc… Some of the scholars stated that al-ʿālam^[54] is derived from al-ʿallāmah or sign because the existence of the world is a sign, without doubt, of the existence of its Creator who is described with perfect and magnificent Attributes. The Exalted said,

إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لَآيَاتٍ لِّأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ

‘Indeed in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the change of the night and day are signs (āyāt) for the people of understanding.’
[Āli ʿImrān 3:190]

And in the language āyah means ʿallāmah. However in another place in the Qurʾān, Allāh Himself has indicated its meaning,

قَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ وَمَا رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ ‎﴿٢٣﴾‏ قَالَ رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا ‎﴿٢٤﴾

‘Pharaoh said: and what is the Lord of the ʿĀlamīn ? He (Moses) said: the Lord of the heavens and the earth and what is between them.’
[Al-Shuʾarā 26:23-24]

Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنه) said in explanation to this verse of al-Fātiḥah, All praise and thanks are due to Allāh, to Whom belongs the creation in its entirety, the heavens and the earth and whosoever is in them and whatsoever is between them – that which is known and unknown. He also said that al-ʿĀlamīn refers to everything possessing a soul that walks on the earth. Qatādah said,

​

al-ʿĀlamūn is the plural of ʿālam and it refers to everything in existence besides Allāh is the plural of ʿālam and it refers to everything in existence besides Allāh.

Another essential point that we learn from this latter part of the verse, essential to our understanding of Tawḥīd, is that the Lord, Blessed and Exalted, is distinct from His creation and not everywhere.^[55] This is an issue which the Salaf of this nation were unanimously agreed upon and is clearly proven by a multitude of texts from the Book and Sunnah.

Also we learn that that He Alone is the Creator and that all the affairs are under His disposition, just as are all blessings. He is completely Self-Sufficient, and the creation is in total need of Him Alone for everything.

Verse Three

The saying of the Exalted, “The Most Beneficent (al-Raḥmān), The Most Merciful (al-Raḥīm)”

These are two descriptions of Allāh the Exalted and two of the Names from amongst His Beautiful Names derived from al-Rahma (Mercy) in a way to express intense and exaggerated meanings.

al-Raḥmān is more intense than al-Raḥīm because al-Raḥmān is the one endowed with Mercy that extends to all of the creations in this world and to the believers in the Hereafter. al-Raḥīm on the other hand is the One endowed with Mercy that extends to only the believers on the Day of Judgement – this being the understanding of the majority of the scholars. From the discussion of ibn Jarīr [al-Ṭabarī] one can understand that there is an agreement on this and the commentary of some of the Salaf lends weight to this understanding as was stated by Ibn Kathīr. The narration reported from ʿĪsà, as mentioned by Ibn Kathīr and others, also indicates this – that he (upon him and our Prophet be peace and blessings) said, is more intense than al-Raḥīm because al-Raḥmān is the one endowed with Mercy that extends to all of the creations in this world and to the believers in the Hereafter. al-Raḥīm on the other hand is the One endowed with Mercy that extends to only the believers on the Day of Judgement – this being the understanding of the majority of the scholars. From the discussion of ibn Jarīr [al-Ṭabarī] one can understand that there is an agreement on this and the commentary of some of the Salaf lends weight to this understanding as was stated by Ibn Kathīr. The narration reported from ʿĪsà, as mentioned by Ibn Kathīr and others, also indicates this – that he (upon him and our Prophet be peace and blessings) said, “al-Raḥmān: the One Who shows Mercy in this world and the Hereafter. al-Raḥīm: the One Who shows Mercy in the Hereafter.: the One Who shows Mercy in this world and the Hereafter. al-Raḥīm: the One Who shows Mercy in the Hereafter.”^[56] Allāh the Exalted also points to what we have mentioned when He said,

ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ ۚ الرَّحْمَٰنُ

‘Then He rose over the Throne, al-Raḥmān’
[Al-Furqān 25:59]

لرَّحْمَٰنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَىٰ

‘al-Raḥmān rose over the Throne.’
[Tā Hā 20:5]

So he mentioned the Istawā (Rising over the Throne) with His Name al-Raḥmān so as to embrace the whole of His creation with his Mercy as was stated by Ibn Kathīr. Likewise is His saying,

أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا إِلَى الطَّيْرِ فَوْقَهُمْ صَافَّاتٍ وَيَقْبِضْنَ ۚ مَا يُمْسِكُهُنَّ إِلَّا الرَّحْمَٰنُ

‘Do they not see the birds above them, spreading out their wings and folding them in? None upholds them except al-Raḥmān’
[Al-Mulk 67:19]

meaning: from his Mercy to His creation is his kindness to the birds and His holding them in the sky while they are spreading out their wings and folding them in. And from the clearest evidences pertaining to this is His saying,

١لرَّحْمَٰنُ ‎﴿١﴾‏ عَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ ‎﴿٢﴾…فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ‎﴿١٣﴾

‘al-Raḥmān. He taught the Qurʾān…so which of the favours of your Lord will you two deny?’
[Al-Raḥmān 55:1-13]

And He said,

 وَكَانَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَحِيمًا

‘And He is Ever Most Merciful (Raḥīm) to the believers’
[Al-Aḥzāb 33:43]

and hence particularised His name al-Raḥīm to them. So if it asked: ‘how is it possible to reconcile what you have thusfar established with his (صلى الله عليه وسلم) saying in the supplication, ‘The Rahmān of the world and the Hereafter and the Raḥīm of them?’^[57]

The obvious reply – and Allāh knows best – is that al-Raḥīm is specific to the believers as we have mentioned, but it is not specified to them in the Hereafter alone, rather His Mercy to them is included in this world as well. So the meaning of ‘the Raḥīm of them’ would be ‘His Mercy to the believers in them’. And the evidence that He is Raḥīm to the believers in this world as well [as the Hereafter] is that this is the literal meaning of His, the Exalted’s saying,

هُوَ الَّذِي يُصَلِّي عَلَيْكُمْ وَمَلَائِكَتُهُ لِيُخْرِجَكُم مِّنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ ۚ وَكَانَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَحِيمًا

‘He is the One who sends His Blessings (salāh) upon you, and His Angels so as to lead you out of the darkness to the light, and He is Ever Most Merciful (Raḥīm) to the believers.’
[Al-Aḥzāb 33:43]

Because His salāh upon them, the salāh of His Angels and His leading them out of the darkness to the light is Mercy to them in this world, even though it be the reason for Mercy in the Hereafter as well. And similar to this in meaning is His saying,

لَّقَد تَّابَ اللَّهُ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنصَارِ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ فِي سَاعَةِ الْعُسْرَةِ مِن بَعْدِ مَا كَادَ يَزِيغُ قُلُوبُ فَرِيقٍ مِّنْهُمْ ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ إِنَّهُ بِهِمْ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ

‘Allāh has forgiven the Prophet, the Muhājirūn and the Ansār who followed him in the time of distress after the hearts of a group of them had nearly deviated [from the Right Path], but He accepted their repentance. Certainly He is Full of Kindness to them, Most Merciful (Raḥīm).’
[Al-Tawbah 9:117]

For the Mercy is linked to the event that befell the Prophet, the Muhājirūn and the Ansār, and also His forgiving them was Mercy in this world even though it be the reason for Mercy in the Hereafter as well. The Knowledge [of what is correct] lies with Allāh.^[58] 

In Allāh’s mentioning His Names, al-Raḥmān and al-Raḥīm, after mentioning ‘Lord of the Universe’ lies an example of encouragement following admonition such that the servant combines in himself a sense of dread as well as hope. Examples of this method are Abundant in the Qurʾān and Sunnah. For example His sayings,

نَبِّئْ عِبَادِي أَنِّي أَنَا الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ ‎﴿٤٩﴾‏ وَأَنَّ عَذَابِي هُوَ الْعَذَابُ الْأَلِيمُ ‎﴿٥٠﴾

“Inform My servants that it is I Who is the Forgiving, the Merciful and that it is My punishment that is the painful torment.”
[Al-Hijr 15:49-50]

غَافِرِ الذَّنبِ وَقَابِلِ التَّوْبِ شَدِيدِ الْعِقَابِ ذِي الطَّوْلِ

“The forgiver of sin, acceptor of repentance, severe in punishment, owner of Abūndance.”
[Ghāfir 40:3]

Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) reports that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, If the believers knew of the punishment of Allāh then none would hope to attain His Paradise. If the disbelievers knew the full extent of the Mercy of Allāh then none would despair of entering His Mercy.^[59]

Verse Four

The saying of the Exalted, “Master of the Day of Judgement”

The reciters have two different ways of reciting the first word of this verse, both of which have been reported via continuous (mutawātir) transmission from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) as well as Abū Bakr and ʿUmar^[60]

1. Reciting it as Malik, or the King.

So the meaning of the verse would be that on that Day, Kingship belongs to Allāh Alone and not to any of the creation who before then used to be kings on earth, vying with each other for power and dominion, exulting in what they had, pompously boasting about their grandeur and trying their best to outdo their competitors. However on that day they will come to know with certainty that in reality they are powerless and humiliated and that Grandeur, Power and Authority belongs in its entirety to Him Alone. Allāh says,

يَوْمَ هُم بَارِزُونَ ۖ لَا يَخْفَىٰ عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْهُمْ شَيْءٌ ۚ لِّمَنِ الْمُلْكُ الْيَوْمَ ۖ لِلَّهِ الْوَاحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ ‎

“That Day when they will all come out, nothing of them will be hidden from Allāh. Whose is the kingdom this Day? It belongs to Allāh, the One, the Irresistible!”
[Ghāfir 40:16]

2. Reciting it as Mālik, or the Owner.

So the meaning of the verse would be that on that Day, everything would belong to Him and no one else. No one will be able to voice an opinion or enforce a ruling as they used to do on this world. Allah says,

يَوْمَ يَقُومُ الرُّوحُ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ صَفًّا ۖ لَّا يَتَكَلَّمُونَ إِلَّا مَنْ أَذِنَ لَهُ الرَّحْمَٰنُ وَقَالَ صَوَابًا

“That Day on which the Spirit and the Angels will stand forth in rows, none shall speak except he whom the Most Beneficent allows and he will speak only that which is correct and true.”
[Al-Nabaʾ 78:38]

يَوْمَئِذٍ يَتَّبِعُونَ الدَّاعِيَ لَا عِوَجَ لَهُ ۖ وَخَشَعَتِ الْأَصْوَاتُ لِلرَّحْمَٰنِ فَلَا تَسْمَعُ إِلَّا هَمْسًا

“All voices will be humbled for the Most Beneficent and nothing shall you hear but the low sound of their footsteps.”
[Tà Hà 20:108]

وَلَا يَشْفَعُونَ إِلَّا لِمَنِ ارْتَضَىٰ

“They cannot intercede except for one with whom He is pleased.”
[Al-Anbiyāʾ 21:28]

Both recitations, of course, carry sound and good meanings however it is possible to argue that the first reading has the most comprehensive meaning as it is not possible to have sovereignty and kingship without possession, whereas there can be ownership without kingship. Similarly it is the king who will enjoin laws upon the owner as to how he should regulate his possession. Allāh also says,

وَلَهُ الْمُلْكُ يَوْمَ يُنفَخُ فِي الصُّورِ

“His will be the kingdom on the Day that the trumpet is blown.”
[Al-Anʿām 6:73]

If it is asked: why did Allāh specify his Kingship or Ownership to the Last Day when it is known that these qualities always have and always will apply to Him?

The answer lies in the fact that on that Day, it will become totally and utterly clear to mankind the completeness and perfection of His Kingship, Justice and Wisdom, just as it will become totally clear that the sovereignty of the creation has been severed to the extent that the kings, ministers, the slaves and free-born will all be made the same. All of them yielding to His Greatness, rendered in complete submission to His Magnificence, expectant of His recompense, hoping for His reward and fearing His punishment. This is why His Kingship was fortified by mentioning it in this context, otherwise He is Master of the Day of Judgement and all other days.

Al-Qurtubī and al-Shawkānī both stated that with respect to Allāh, Malik is an Attribute of the Essence whereas Mālik is an Attribute of Action. 

The word yawm refers to a period of time. In common usage it refers to the time between the onset of dawn and sunset. It can also refer to a particular portion of time or hour in a day as in His saying,

الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا

“This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed my favour upon you and chosen for you Islām as your religion.”
[Al-Māʾidah 5:3]

It can also refer to periods of time greater than one day as in His sayings,

يُدَبِّرُ الْأَمْرَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ يَعْرُجُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّونَ

“He arranges each matter from the heaven to the earth; then it will ascend to Him in a Day the extent of which is a thousand years of those which you count.”
[Al-Sajdah 32:5]

تَعْرُجُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ

“The Angels and the Spirit ascend to Him during a day the extent of which is fifty thousand years.”
[Al-Maʿārij 70:4]

The word dīn here means reckoning or recompense and it is in this sense that the word is employed in His saying,

يَوْمَئِذٍ يُوَفِّيهِمُ اللَّهُ دِينَهُمُ الْحَقَّ

“On that Day Allāh will pay them their dīn in truth.”
[Al-Nūr 24:25]

meaning: the recompense of their actions with complete justice. Allāh also said,

أَإِذَا مِتْنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابًا وَعِظَامًا أَإِنَّا لَمَدِينُونَ

“Then when we have died and become dust and bones, we will indeed be recompensed.”
[Al-Sāffāt 37:53]

Ibn ʿAbbās said in explanation to the words yawm al-dīn, The Day on which the creations are judged – the Day of Resurrection. He will recompense them for their actions, if they were good then it will be good, if they were bad then it will be bad except for that which He Forgives for indeed the only order [on that Day] will be His order,

أَلَا لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالْأَمْرُ

“Unquestionably to Him belongs the creation and the Command.”
[Al-Aʿrāf 7:54]

There is no further explanation in this verse of al-Fātiḥah as to what the Day of Dīn is, but this is explained in His saying,

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا يَوْمُ الدِّينِ ‎﴿١٧﴾‏ ثُمَّ مَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا يَوْمُ الدِّينِ ‎﴿١٨﴾‏ يَوْمَ لَا تَمْلِكُ نَفْسٌ لِّنَفْسٍ شَيْئًا‎ ﴿١٩﴾

“And what will make you comprehend what the Day of Dīn is? Again what will make you comprehend what the Day of Dīn is? It is the Day when no person shall have power [to do] anything for another.”
[Al-Infitār 83:17-19]

It is important to note that it is unlawful to call anyone by the name of al-Mālik or al-Malik. Bukhārī and Muslim report from Abū Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “On the Day of Resurrection Allāh will hold the earth and fold the heaven with His Right Hand. Then He will say: I am the King, where are the kings [who reigned] on the earth?”^[61] Bukhārī also reports from Abū Hurayrah that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “Indeed the most disloyal and treacherous name in the Sight of Allāh is that of a person named the king of Kings (Mālik al-Amlāk).” Muslim adds in his report, “For there is no Mālik except for Allāh, the Mighty and Magnificent.”^[62] Aḥmad reports that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “The person towards whom Allāh displays the most Wrath, and the most despicable on the Day of Resurrection is one who was named king of kings (Mālik al-Amlāk) for there is no Malik except for Allāh.“^[63] As for describing someone as Malik or Mālik then this is permissible for one who fulfils the requirements of the description. In this sense is His saying,

وَقَالَ لَهُمْ نَبِيُّهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ بَعَثَ لَكُمْ طَالُوتَ مَلِكًا

“Indeed Allāh has sent you Saul as a king.”
[Al-Baqarah 2:247]

وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِ يَا قَوْمِ اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ جَعَلَ فِيكُمْ أَنبِيَاءَ وَجَعَلَكُم مُّلُوكًا

“Moses said to his people: O my people! Remember the favour of Allāh upon you when He appointed amongst you prophets and made you kings.”
[Al-Māʾidah 5:20]

In this verse following the verse concerning the Mercy of Allāh lies a reminder that Allāh is also the Judge. Therefore not only should we love Him for His nourishing and sustaining us and for His compassion and mercy to us but we should also hold Him in awe knowing that our ultimate happiness or misery rests with Him Alone.

Verse Five

The saying of the Exalted, “You Alone we worship”

This verse points to the actualization of the meaning of Lā ilāha illā Allāh (there is none worthy of worship except for Allāh) for its meaning is comprised of two matters: negation and affirmation. So the negation aspect, contained in the words lā ilāha, means to remove every single object of worship apart from Allāh in all the actions of worship. The affirmation aspect, contained in the words illā Allāh, means to single out the Lord of the heavens and the earth Alone for all matters of worship in the way that has been legislated by the Sharīʿah.

This negation in the lā ilāha illā Allāh was indicated by placing the object of worship first in the verse such that it reads “You Alone…” It is established in the rules of the Arabic language that placing the object first in a sentence is one of the ways of confining the meaning of the verb to the object alone.

The affirmation part of the kalima was indicated in His saying, ‘we worship’. Allāh, the Exalted, has explained this meaning which is indicated here in detail elsewhere. For example His saying,

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ

‘O Mankind! Worship your Lord who created you.’
[Al-Baqarah 2:21]

Clarifying the affirmation aspect with his words, ‘worship your Lord’ and the negation aspect at the end of this noble verse with His words,

فَلَا تَجْعَلُوا لِلَّهِ أَندَادًا وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

‘So do not set up rivals with Allāh while you know.’
[Al-Baqarah 2:22]

And for example His saying,

وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولًا أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ

‘We have indeed sent a Messenger to every people saying: worship Allāh and leave all that is worshipped besides Him’
[Al-Nahl 16:36]

Clarifying the affirmation with His words, ‘worship Allāh’ and the negation with His words, ‘and leave all that is worshipped besides Allāh’. And for example His saying,

فَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِالطَّاغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِن بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ اسْتَمْسَكَ بِالْعُرْوَةِ الْوُثْقَىٰ لَا انفِصَامَ لَهَا

‘And whosoever rejects all that is worshipped besides Allāh and believes in Allāh has held onto the most trustworthy handhold’
[Al-Baqarah 2:256]

Clarifying the negation with his words, ‘whosoever rejects all that is worshipped besides Allāh’ and the affirmation with His words, ‘and believes in Allāh’. And for example His sayings,

وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ لِأَبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِ إِنَّنِي بَرَاءٌ مِّمَّا تَعْبُدُونَ ﴿٢٦﴾‏ إِلَّا الَّذِي فَطَرَنِي﴿٢٧﴾

‘And when Abraham said to his father and his people: Indeed I am free of what you worship except He who created me’
[Al-Zukhruf 43:26-27]

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا نُوحِي إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاعْبُدُونِ

‘And We did not send a Messenger before you except that We revealed to him: that there is none worthy of worship but Me, so worship Me’
[Al-Anbiyā 21:25]

وَاسْأَلْ مَنْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رُّسُلِنَا أَجَعَلْنَا مِن دُونِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ آلِهَةً يُعْبَدُونَ

‘Ask those of Our Messengers whom We sent before you: Did We ever appoint gods to be worshipped besides Allāh’
[Al-Zukhruf 43:45]

Linguistically ʿibādah is derived from abada which means to be subservient and to subjugate. In Islām, the word ʿibādah, or worship is a comprehensive term referring to everything, inward and outward that Allāh Loves and is Pleased with.^[64] Its pillars are love, hope, fear, submission and humility.

Worship can only be considered to be true worship when the way of performing it is taken from the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) seeking only the Face of Allāh. So these two conditions have to be present for the action to be considered worship and hence acceptable to Allāh. These two conditions are proven by the ḥadīth reported by Bukhārī and Muslim from ʿUmar bin al-Khattāb that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “Verily actions are by intentions, and for every person is what he intended. So the one whose hijrah was to Allāh and His Messenger, then his hijrah was to Allāh and His Messenger. And the one whose hijrah was for the world to gain from it, or a woman to marry her, then his hijrah was to what he made hijrah for.”^[65] And by the ḥadīth reported in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim from ʿĀʾishah that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, Whosoever does an action that we have not commanded then it must be rejected.^[66] Allāh says,

الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا

‘[He] Who created death and life that he may test which of you is best in action.’
[Al-Mulk 67:2]

Fuḍayl bin ʿIyāḍ commented on this by saying, Who is sincere in [his action] and correct in it. The action, if it is sincere but not correct then it is not accepted. If it is correct but not sincere then it is not accepted. It is only accepted when it is both sincere and correct. It is sincere when it is for the sake of Allāh and correct when it is done according to the Sunnah.^[67]

 

The proof of what Fuḍayl said lies in the verse,

فَمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو لِقَاءَ رَبِّهِ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا وَلَا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ أَحَدًا

“So whosoever hopes for the meeting with His Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of His Lord.”
[Al-Kahf 18:110]

It is in this respect that Imām Aḥmad said that the foundation of the religion is built upon three aḥadīth

1. “Verily actions are by intention.”
2. “Whosoever introduces into this affair of ours that which is not part of it then it is rejected.”
3. “The ḥalāl is clear and the ḥarām is clear.”

For the whole religion is based upon doing the commanded actions and staying away from the forbidden actions and stopping at the doubtful matters as is contained in the ḥadīth of Nuʿmān bin Bashīr. Fulfilling two matters perfects all of this

1. That outwardly the action be done as taught by the Sunnah, and this is to be found in the ḥadīth of ʿĀʾishah, “whosoever introduces into this affair of ours that which is not part of it then it is rejected.”
2. That inwardly the action be done seeking the Face of Allāh, as is contained in the ḥadīth, “verily actions are by intention.”^[68]

• The saying of the Exalted, ‘You Alone we ask for help’

Meaning that we do not seek aid from anyone but You because the affair in its totality is under Your control Alone, no one else has even an atoms weight of control over it. Again the object of the verb has been brought before the verb to stress this fact. In this statement’s following His saying, ‘You Alone we worship’ lies an indication that it is not permissible to put our trust in anyone except the One Who deserves worship because no one else has control over the affairs. This meaning which is indicated here is clearly explained in other verses, like His sayings,

فَاعْبُدْهُ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَيْهِ

‘So worship Him and put your trust in Him’
[Hud 11:123]

فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا فَقُلْ حَسْبِيَ اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ ۖ وَهُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ

‘But if they turn away, say: Allāh is sufficient for me, none has the right to be worshipped but Him, in Him I put my trust’
[Tawbah 9:129]

رَّبُّ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ فَاتَّخِذْهُ وَكِيلًا

‘The Lord of the East and the West, none deserves to be worshipped but Him, so take Him as the Disposer of your affairs’
[Al-Muzzammil 73:9]

قُلْ هُوَ الرَّحْمَٰنُ آمَنَّا بِهِ وَعَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا

‘Say: He is the Most Beneficent, we have believed in Him and put our trust in Him’
[Al-Mulk 67:29]

The whole of the religion of Islām revolves around these two principles: we do not worship except Allāh and we do not put our trust in anyone or anything except Allāh. These are the means to everlasting bliss and security from all evils – so there is no path to victory except by establishing these two pillars. It is for this reason that some of the Salaf said, The secret of the Qurʾān lies in al-Fātiḥah and its secret is the verse, ‘You Alone do we worship and You Alone we ask for help.’ ‘You Alone do we worship’ has been mentioned before ‘You Alone do we ask for help’ because worship is the intended goal and the Aid of Allāh is the route to attaining that goal, hence the most important thing has been mentioned first. Another reason given is that the wording is by way of mentioning the general before the specific, and to show that attention should be given to His, Exalted is He, Right over the right of His servant. Know that this verse employs an address in the second person and this is most fitting at such an occasion because when one praises and supplicates to Allāh, then He is near and responsive. Allāh says,

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ

“When My servants asks you concerning Me then I am close. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me.”
[Al-Baqarah 2:186]

The previous verses were in the third person as they were informing us about Allāh. Another explanation given is that the style of the verses has changed from the third person to second person in order to stimulate and awaken the reciter such that his attention is drawn to the content of the verse.

If it is asked: why does the verse state ‘we worship’ when there is only one person reciting it?

The answer lies in the fact that the wise Sharīʿah has legislated many actions of worship to be done in congregation and it has also recommended the servant of Allāh to supplicate for his brother Muslims. Shaykh Ṣāliḥ bin Ghānim al-Sadlān writes while discussing the virtue of congregational prayer, which is quoted here due to its being generally applicable to all congregational actions of worship.

From amongst the lofty qualities of the Islāmic Sharīʿah is that it has legislated many actions of worship be done in congregation. The Muslims gather that they may keep in contact with each other, come to know each other, seek advice from one another, seek help in removing any difficulties that they may be in and discuss various issues with each other. This contains great benefit and many desirable points which cannot be enumerated such as teaching the ignorant, helping the needy, softening the hearts and manifesting the greatness of Islām. The Heavenly Revelation endorses this understanding for when it prohibits and commands it does not direct this prohibition to any specific individual but to the congregation as a whole. Allāh says,

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ارْكَعُوا وَاسْجُدُوا وَاعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمْ وَافْعَلُوا الْخَيْرَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ۩ ﴿٧٧﴾ وَجَاهِدُوا فِي اللَّهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِ ﴿٧٨﴾

“O you who believe! Bow, prostrate and worship your Lord. Perform the good so that you may be successful and perform Jihād in the way of Allāh as it should be done…”
[Al-Hajj 22:77-78]

When the Muslim stands before Allāh, intimately conversing with Him and humbling himself before Him he does not speak as an individual rather he speaks as one part of the whole. He says,

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

“It is only you we worship and it is only Your Aid we seek.”
[Al-Fātiḥah 1:5]

He does not say, “it is only You I worship and it is only Your Aid I seek.” Then he asks Him from His goodness and guidance but he does not ask for himself only, instead he says,

اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ ‎﴿٦﴾‏ صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ ‎﴿٧﴾

“Guide us to the Straight Path. The Path of those whom You have guided, not the path of those who have earned Your Anger nor those who have gone astray.”
[Al-Fātiḥah 1:6-7]

Indeed the congregational prayer is from the greatest of means to removing sectarian differences and racism based upon ones colour, race or land. Through the congregational prayer the Muslims attain mutual love, respect and brotherhood. This because the elders become known and are thereby respected, the poor and needy become known and are thereby helped, the scholars become known and are thereby asked, and the ignorant become known and are thereby taught.^[69] Muslim reports from Abū al-Dardāʾ that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “There is no Muslim who supplicates for his brother in his absence except that the Angels say: the same for you as well.”^[70]

Muslim also reports from Abū al-Dardā that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “The supplication of a Muslim for his brother in his absence is answered. At his head is the Angel commissioned [for conveying the supplication to Allāh], whenever he supplicates for good for his brother the Angel says: and for you is the same.”^[71] In conclusion, ʿAbdullāh bin ʿAbbās said in explanation to this verse, O our Lord! It is You Alone that we single out for belief, fear and hope. It Your aid Alone that we seek to obey You and indeed in all of our affairs.

Verse Six

The saying of the Exalted, “Guide us to the Straight Path”

After praising Allāh, the servant then proceeds to ask of Him from His bounty and blessings. This is the most virtuous way of asking Allāh by first praising Him and then asking of Him.

Abū Dāwūd reports from Fudālah bin ʿUbayd that The Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) heard a man supplicating in prayer. He did not glorify Allāh and neither did he invoke blessings on the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). The Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “he made haste.” He then named him and said to him or to those around him, “if any one of you prays, he should commence by glorifying his Lord and praising Him; he should invoke peace and blessings on the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and thereafter he should supplicate Allāh for anything he wishes.”^[72]

al-Ḥāfiẓ Ibn al-Qayyim explains the causes that lead to ones supplication being answered in a beautiful way saying, When the servant combines in his supplication presence of the heart and its being attentive and devoting itself solely to Allāh, sincerely asking Him for the desired matter, doing so at one of the six times when the supplication is more likely to answered – these being

1. The last third of the night.
2. At the time of the aẓān.
3. Between the aẓān and iqāmah.
4. At the ends of the prescribed prayers.
5. From the time the Imām ascends the pulpit to the time the prayer has finished on the day of Jumuʿah.
6. The last hour after the prayer ʿAṣr.

Alongside this the servant appends to this fear and reverence in the heart, beseeching his Lord in a state of humility and submissiveness. He faces the Qiblah and is in a state of purity, he raises his hands to Allāh and begins by praising and extolling Him, then he invokes peace and blessings upon Muḥammad, His servant and Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم). He precedes mentioning his need by seeking forgiveness from Allāh and then he earnestly and sincerely makes his request as one who is needy and impoverished, supplicating to Him out of hope and fear. He seeks the means of getting close to Him by mentioning His Names and Attributes and making the religion sincerely for Him Alone. Before making supplication he gives in charity. If all this is done then this supplication will never be rejected especially if the servant employs the supplications that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) informed us would be accepted or if his supplication includes mention of Allāh’s Greatest Name.^[73]

The word hidāyah, linguistically meaning direction and guidance is used in two senses in the Qurʾān.

1. Guidance of clarification and direction, not taking into account whether the person to whom it has been clarified traverses the path of guidance or not. With this respect is the saying of Allāh,

وَأَمَّا ثَمُودُ فَهَدَيْنَاهُمْ فَاسْتَحَبُّوا الْعَمَىٰ عَلَى الْهُدَىٰ

“And as for the Thamud then We guided them but they preferred blindness over guidance.”
[Fuṣṣilāt 41:17]

Meaning: We made clear to them the True Way upon the tongue of our Prophet Ṣāliḥ, upon him and our Prophet be peace and blessings, despite the fact that they did not traverse this way as proven by His saying, “but they preferred blindness over guidance.” With this respect also is His saying,

إِنَّا هَدَيْنَاهُ السَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِرًا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا

“Indeed, We guided him, whether he be grateful or ungrateful.”
[Al-Insān 76:3]

Meaning: We have made clear to him the Way of Good and the Way of Evil as proven by His saying, “whether he be grateful or ungrateful.”

2. The specific type of guidance which is Allāh bestowing His Grace upon the servant by making him conform to the Way of Truth. With this respect is His sayings,

أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ هَدَى اللَّهُ ۖ فَبِهُدَاهُمُ اقْتَدِهْ

“They are the ones whom Allāh guided, so follow their guidance.”
[Al-Anʿām 6:90]

فَمَن يُرِدِ اللَّهُ أَن يَهْدِيَهُ يَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُ لِلْإِسْلَامِ

“And whosoever Allāh Wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islām.”
[Al-Anʿām 6:125]

When you come to understand this then any difficulties in understanding the following sayings of Allāh will also be removed,

إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُ

“Indeed! You [O Muḥammad] cannot guide those you love, but Allāh guides whom He Wills.”
[Al-Qaṣaṣ 28:56]

وَإِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِي إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

“And indeed you [O Muḥammad] are guiding [mankind] to the Straight Path.”
[Al-Shūrā 42:52]

Because the aspect of guidance that has been negated is the specific guidance as this is in the Hands of Allāh Alone. As for the aspect of guidance that has been affirmed then it is the general guidance which is to make clear the Way of Truth. And the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) explained this to the extent that it became like a great white plain whose night is like its day.^[74]

There is also a third sense to the word guidance that was mentioned by Ibn al-Qayyim, and that is guidance on the Day of Judgement to the path to Paradise – this being the bridge leading to it. So the one who is guided in this life to the Straight Path will be guided to the straight path in the Hereafter that leads to His Paradise. His firmness on the path that Day will be dependant on how firmly he trod the Straight Path in this life.^[75]

The Straight Path is the path that the one journeying to Allāh traverses and it is none other than obedience to Allāh and His Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم). The Salaf have described the Straight Path in various ways but all of their definitions revolve around this basic fact

1. The Book of Allāh as stated by Alī bin Abī Tālib and others.
2. Islām as stated by Ibn ʿAbbās, ibn Masʿūd, al-Dahhāk and others.
3. The Religion of Allāh other than which He will not accept as stated by ibn al Hanafiyyah
4. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and the two Khaleefs who followed him as stated by Abū al-ʿĀliyah and Ḥasan al-Baṣrī.
5. The truth as stated by Mujāhid.

All of these opinions are correct. So whosoever follows Islām has followed the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and the two Khaleefs after him, i.e. Abū Bakr and ʿUmar. Whosoever has followed them has followed the Truth and whosoever has followed the truth has followed the Qurʾān and whosoever has followed the Qurʾān has obeyed Allāh. al-Tirmidhī reports from Nawās bin Samʿān that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “Allāh has set forth the following as a parable: There is a road that leads straight to the destination. On either side of the road there is a wall in which there are open doors with curtains hanging on them. From the remote end of the road, a voice calls, ‘proceed straight and do not turn aside.’ Whenever someone intends to lift a curtain from the door another voice calls from above, ‘beware! Do not lift the curtain, otherwise you will be lured inside.’ The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) explained the parable by saying that the straight path is Islām, the walls are the limits imposed by Allāh, the open doors are the things that he has prohibited, the voice which calls from the end of the road is the Qurʾān and the voice which calls from above is Allāh’s monitor in the heart of every believer.”^[76]

From the above verse we also learn that the Straight Path is one path and not many and indeed that anything that deviates from it is to be regarded as misguidance. al-Shātibī explains this further by saying,

وَأَنَّ هَٰذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيمًا فَاتَّبِعُوهُ ۖ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا السُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمْ عَن سَبِيلِهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ وَصَّاكُم بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

“And verily, this is my Straight Path, so follow it, and follow not [other] paths, for they will separate you away from His Path. This He has ordained for you that you may become pious.”
[Al-Anʿām 6:153]

The Straight Path is the path to which Allāh has named and that is the Sunnah. The other paths are the paths of the people of disagreement who deviate from the Straight Path, and they are the People of Innovation. The intended meaning here is not the ‘paths of disobedience’ because no one makes disobedience a path that he continuously treads upon – in imitation of and resemblance to the legislation, but rather this description is specifically for the newly invented innovations. In what Ismāʿīl has narrated from Sulaimān bin Harb lies evidence for this: Ḥammād bin Zayd narrated to us; from ʿĀsim bin Bahdalah; from Abū Wāʿil; from ʿAbdullāh [Ibn ʿAbbās] who said: ‘One Day the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) drew for us a long, straight line’ and then Sulaimān drew for us a long, straight line, ‘and then he drew lines to its right and to its left and then said, ‘this is the Path of Allāh.’ Then he drew lines to its right and to its left and said, ‘these are different paths, upon each of these ways is a devil calling to it’, and then he recited the verse:

وَأَنَّ هَٰذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيمًا فَاتَّبِعُوهُ ۖ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا السُّبُلَ

“And verily, this is my Straight Path, so follow it, and follow not [other] paths…”
[Al-Anʿām 6:153]

meaning these paths,

فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمْ عَن سَبِيلِهِ

“…for they will separate you away from His Path.”
[Al-Anʿām 6:153]’

Bikr bin ʿAlà said, “he meant the devils amongst men and these [other paths] are the innovations and Allāh knows best.” And the ḥadīth has been reported in many ways. ʿUmar bin Salamah al-Hamdānee said, “we were sitting in the circle of Ibn Masʿūd in the Mosque, which had been plain land after it had been covered with gravel. Ubaydullāh bin ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb, who had just returned from an expedition asked him, ‘what is the Straight Path O Abū ʿAbd al-Rahmān?’ He replied, ‘by the Lord of the Kaʿbah, it is that which your father was firmly established upon until he entered Paradise’ and he swore firmly upon that three times. Then he drew a line in the ground with his hand and also drew lines to either side of it and said, ‘your Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) left you upon this end and its other end is in Paradise. So whoever remains steadily upon it will enter Paradise and whoever takes any of these lines will be destroyed.’” In another narration [the wording is], “O Abū ʿAbd al-Rahmān, what is the straight path?” He replied, “the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) left us upon the nearest end of the line and its other end is in Paradise. And to its left and right are roads in which there are men who invite those who pass by them, saying, ‘Come this way! Come this way!’ So whoever is taken by them to those paths will end up in Hellfire and whoever remains steadfast upon the great path will end up, through it, in Paradise.” Then Ibn Masʿūd recited:

وَأَنَّ هَٰذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيمًا فَاتَّبِعُوهُ ۖ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا السُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمْ عَن سَبِيلِهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ وَصَّاكُم بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

“And verily, this is my Straight Path, so follow it, and follow not [other] paths, for they will separate you away from His Path. This He has ordained for you that you may become pious.”
[Al-Anʿām 6:153]

Mujāhid said about the saying of Allāh,

وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا السُّبُلَ

“…and follow not [other] paths.”
[Al-Anʿām 6:153]

[That it refers to] “the innovations and doubts.” ʿAbd al-Rahmān bin Mahdī said, “Mālik bin Anas had been asked about the Sunnah to which he replied, ‘it is whatever has no other name for it except ‘the Sunnah’ and he recited,

وَأَنَّ هَٰذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيمًا فَاتَّبِعُوهُ ۖ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا السُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمْ عَن سَبِيلِهِ

‘And verily, this is my Straight Path, so follow it, and follow not [other] paths, for they will separate you away from His Path.’
[Al-Anʿām 6:153]”

Bikr bin ʿAlà said, “he means – if Allāh wills – the ḥadīth of Ibn Masʿūd that the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) drew a line…” and he mentioned the hadīth. And this explanation shows that the verse includes all the different paths of innovation and does not specify one innovation over others. Also amongst the verses [that are related to the censure of innovation] is the saying of Allāh the Exalted,

وَعَلَى اللَّهِ قَصْدُ السَّبِيلِ وَمِنْهَا جَائِرٌ ۚ وَلَوْ شَاءَ لَهَدَاكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

“And upon Allāh is the responsibility to explain the Straight Path but there are ways that turn aside. And had He willed, He would have guided you all.”
[Al-Nahl 16:9]

The explained path is the Path of Truth and that which is other than it, turns away from the truth – and these are the paths of innovations and misguidance – may Allāh protect us, by His Excellence, from traveling upon them. It is sufficient for whatever turns away [from the Truth] that it is warned against and the verse contains a warning and a prohibition [of taking other paths that deviate from the Truth]. Ibn Waddāh mentioned that “āsim bin Bahdalah was questioned: ‘O Abū Bakr, have you considered the saying of Allāh, the Exalted,

وَعَلَى اللَّهِ قَصْدُ السَّبِيلِ وَمِنْهَا جَائِرٌ ۚ وَلَوْ شَاءَ لَهَدَاكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

“And upon Allāh is the responsibility to explain the Straight Path but there are ways that turn aside. And had He willed, He would have guided you all.”
[Al-Nahl 16:9]?’

He replied, ‘Abū Wāʿil informed us; from ʿAbdullāh Ibn Masʿūd saying, “ʿAbdullāh bin Masʿūd drew a straight line and drew lines to its right and to its left and then said, ‘the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) drew just like this. He said about the straight line, ‘this is the path of Allāh’ and about the lines to its right and left he said, ‘these are different ways, upon each of these ways is a devil calling to it.’ Allāh the Exalted said,

وَأَنَّ هَٰذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيمًا فَاتَّبِعُوهُ

“And verily, this is my Straight Path, so follow it…”
[Al-Anʿām 6:153]

to the end of the verse.’” Al-Tustarī said, “explanation of the path – that is the path of the Sunnah; ‘ways that turn aside’ – meaning to the Hellfire and they are the sects and innovations.”

Mujāhid said, “explanation of the path – meaning the one who is justly balanced between exaggeration and negligence,” and this shows that the one who turns aside is one who commits excesses or is negligent, and both of them are amongst the descriptions of the innovations.”

From Alī (رضي الله عنه), that he used to read it the verse, ‘Wa minkum jāʿir…’ (and amongst you is one that turns aside). They said: “He means by that [from] this nation.”

So it is as if this verse along with the one before it have come with the same meaning.^[77]

If it is asked why is one supplicating for guidance to the Straight Path when a Muslim is already regarded to be on the Straight Path? Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah says, The case mentioned above is similar to what some of them ask concerning His saying,

اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ

“Guide us to the Straight Path”
[Al-Fātiḥah 1:6]

saying: ‘Allāh has already guided the believer, so what benefit is there in seeking guidance?’ Then some of them reply by saying that the meaning is ‘keep us firm upon guidance’ as the Arab would say to the one who is asleep, ‘sleep until I come to you’. Others from amongst them say that the meaning is, ‘keep our hearts firm upon the guidance’ and that the request for firmness has been omitted. Yet others from amongst them say that it means, ‘increase me in guidance.’

This question really occurs due to the absence of their contemplating upon the Straight Path to which the servant seeks guidance to, for the meaning [of the verse] is [seeking guidance to] act according to what Allāh ordered, and leave what He forbade in all matters.

This is because the person, even if he has believed that Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allāh and that the Qurʾān is the truth in a general way, is commonly in need of knowledge of that which would benefit him and harm him. He is in need of knowledge concerning what he has been commanded to do and forbidden from doing in the finer aspects of the matters and in those areas of which he has no knowledge. [Not only this but we find that] that which he does have knowledge of, he does not put the greater part of it to practice! Assuming that all of the commands and prohibitions contained in the Qurʾān and Sunnah have reached him, then the Qurʾān and Sunnah contain laws that are general and universal for which it is not possible to specify to every individual person – therefore the person has been commanded due to the likes of this to ask for guidance to the Straight Path. Guidance to the Straight Path includes all of the following matters: cognizance of what the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) came with in detail, cognizance of what comes under his general orders and concern for acting according to ones knowledge, for indeed just having knowledge is not a cause for attaining guidance if one does not act according to his knowledge. This is why He said to His Prophet after the treaty of Hudaybiyyah,

إِنَّا فَتَحْنَا لَكَ فَتْحًا مُّبِينًا ﴿١﴾ لِّيَغْفِرَ لَكَ اللَّهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِن ذَنبِكَ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ وَيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكَ وَيَهْدِيَكَ صِرَاطًا مُّسْتَقِيمًا ﴿٢﴾

“Indeed We have given you a manifest victory. That Allāh may forgive you your sins of the past and future, complete His Favour upon you, and guide you on a Straight Path.”
[Fatḥ 48:1-2]

And He said with respect to Moses and Harūn,

وَآتَيْنَاهُمَا الْكِتَابَ الْمُسْتَبِينَ ﴿١١٧﴾ وَهَدَيْنَاهُمَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ ﴿١١٨﴾

“and We gave them the clear Scripture, and guided them to the Right Path”
[Al-Sāffāt 37:117-118]

The Muslims have differed as to what Allāh Willed from the textual matters – matters of knowledge, belief and action while all of them are agreed that Muḥammad is the truth and the Qurʾān is the truth. If all of them were to have attained guidance to the Straight Path in totality then they would never have differed. Furthermore the majority of those who know what Allāh has ordered disobey Him and do not follow His Way. If they were guided to the Straight Path in these matters then they certainly would have performed what they had been commanded to do, and left what they had been forbidden from. As for those whom Allāh guided from amongst this nation until they became from the God Fearing Friends of Allāh, then the greatest reason for this was their supplicating to Allāh with this supplication (guide us to the Straight Path) in every prayer along with the knowledge of their continuous need of Allāh that He guide them on the Straight Path. So due to their continually saying this supplication and their acknowledging their continuous need of Him they became God-Fearing Friends of Allāh. Sahl bin ʿAbdullāh al-Tustarī said, ‘there is not route between a servant and Allāh closer to Him then need.’

The one who has attained guidance in the past is in need of guidance in the future, this is the real meaning behind the saying of those who say that it means: ‘establish us and guide us to being firm upon the Straight Path.’ The opinion of those who say that it means: ‘increase us in guidance’ includes what has preceded. But all that has been stated refers to His guidance to the Straight Path that is to be granted in the future, for indeed action in the future is upon knowledge that is not yet attained. And the person is not considered to be one who is guided until he acts according to his knowledge in the future, but it is possible that this knowledge not be there in the future, rather it could be removed from the heart, and if it still be there it is also possible that it not be acted upon. Therefore all of mankind is in dire need of this supplication, this is why Allāh made it obligatory upon them in every prayer and they are not in need of any other supplication as they are of this one. When guidance is obtained to the Straight Path then help, provision and all of the happiness that the soul seeks are obtained [from Allāh]. Allāh knows best.^[78] Allāh commands His servants to supplicate,

رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَهَبْ لَنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً ۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْوَهَّابُ

“Our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us and grant us mercy from Yourself. Indeed You are the Bestower.”
[Āli Imrān 3:8]

Verse Seven

The saying of the Exalted, “The Path of those whom You have favoured”

After the servant has requested for guidance to the Straight Path, Allāh then proceeds to clarify further what this Straight Path is, and this in turn is explained in greater detail in Sūrah al-Nisāʾ,

فَلَا وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّىٰ يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَجِدُوا فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَرَجًا مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا ‎﴿٦٥﴾ وَلَوْ أَنَّا كَتَبْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَنِ اقْتُلُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ أَوِ اخْرُجُوا مِن دِيَارِكُم مَّا فَعَلُوهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ مِّنْهُمْ ۖ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ فَعَلُوا مَا يُوعَظُونَ بِهِ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَّهُمْ وَأَشَدَّ تَثْبِيتًا ﴿٦٦﴾ وَإِذًا لَّآتَيْنَاهُم مِّن لَّدُنَّا أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا ﴿٦٧﴾ وَلَهَدَيْنَاهُمْ صِرَاطًا مُّسْتَقِيمًا ﴿٦٨﴾ وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ ۚ وَحَسُنَ أُولَٰئِكَ رَفِيقًا ﴿٦٩﴾‏

“But no by Your Lord! They cannot have faith until they make you [O Muḥammad] judge in all disputes between them and find in themselves no resistance to your decisions, and accept them with full submission. And if We had ordered them [saying]: ‘kill [the guilty ones amongst] yourselves or leave your homes’ very few of them would have done it. If they had done what they were told, it would have been better for them and would have strengthened their [faith]. And indeed we would then have bestowed upon them a great reward from Ourselves. And indeed we would have guided them to a Straight Way. And whosoever obeys Allāh and the Messenger then they will be in the company of those upon whom Allāh has bestowed His favour: the Prophets, the sincerely truthful, the martyrs and the righteous. What an excellent company these are!”
[Al-Nisāʾ 4:65-69]

Ibn ʿAbbās said in commentary to this verse, [Those who you have favoured] by making them obedient to You and worship You from the Angels, the Prophets, the sincerely truthful, the martyrs and the righteous. This is like what our Lord, the Exalted has said, “they will be in the company of those upon whom Allāh has bestowed His favour: …”

al-Shanqītī makes the following additional observations concerning this verse

1. The correctness of the khaleefate of Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq (رضي الله عنه) can be derived from this noble verse. This is because he is included amongst those whom Allāh has commanded us, in the Great Qurʾān and the Seven Oft-Repeated Verses – I mean al-Fātiḥah, to ask Him that He guide us to their path thus indicating that their path is the Straight Path.
   
   This lies in His saying, ‘guide us to the Straight Path, the Path of those whom You have favoured’ and He explained who these favoured people were and included amongst them the Ṣiddīqīn. [The Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم)] explained that Abū Bakr (رضي الله عنه) was from amongst the Ṣiddīqīn, so it becomes clear that he is included amongst those whom Allāh has favoured – those whom Allāh has commanded us to ask Him to guide us to their path. Therefore there remains no doubt that Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq was upon the Straight Path and that his khilāfate was correct.
2. You have come to know that the Ṣiddīqīn are from those whom Allāh has favoured. And Allāh has made clear that Maryam the daughter of Imrān was a Ṣiddīqah in His saying,

وَأُمُّهُ صِدِّيقَةٌ

‘and His mother was a Ṣiddīqah’
[Al-Māʾidah 5:75].

So is Maryam included in His saying, ‘those whom you have favoured’ or not? The answer: whether or not she is included amongst them is dependent upon a foundational principle that has a well-known dispute over it. This is: does the sound masculine plural and its likes that occur in the Qurʾān and the Sunnah include the feminine gender in all cases or only in those cases for which there is specific evidence? A group of scholars took to the opinion that it does – so according to them Maryam is included in the above verse. And these scholars depended upon two proofs

1. The consensus of the people of the Arabic Language that the masculine gender takes prevalence over the feminine.^[79]
2.  There a number of verses which prove that the females are included in the sound masculine plural, like His saying concerning Maryam herself,

وَصَدَّقَتْ بِكَلِمَاتِ رَبِّهَا وَكُتُبِهِ وَكَانَتْ مِنَ الْقَانِتِينَ

‘She testified to the truth of the Words of her Lord and His Books, and she was of those obedient to Allāh.’^[80]
[Al-Taḥrīm 66:12]

 

And His saying concerning the wife of al-ʿAzīz,

يُوسُفُ أَعْرِضْ عَنْ هَٰذَا ۚ وَاسْتَغْفِرِي لِذَنبِكِ ۖ إِنَّكِ كُنتِ مِنَ الْخَاطِئِينَ

‘O Yūsuf! Turn away from this! [O Woman!] Ask forgiveness for your sin, indeed your were of the sinful.’^[81]
[Yūsuf 12:29]

And His saying concerning Bilqīs,

وَصَدَّهَا مَا كَانَت تَّعْبُدُ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّهَا كَانَتْ مِن قَوْمٍ كَافِرِينَ

‘And that which she used to worship besides Allāh has prevented her [from Islām], for she was of a disbelieving people.’^[82]
[Al-Naml 27:43]

And His saying,

قُلْنَا اهْبِطُوا مِنْهَا جَمِيعًا

‘We said: get down^[83] all of you from this’
[Al-Baqarah 2:38]

and this address includes Hawā by consensus. The majority of scholars, however, took to the opinion that the females are not included in the sound masculine plural unless there is specific evidence. They depended upon a number of verses like His sayings,

إِنَّ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمَاتِ وَالْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ…أَعَدَّ اللَّهُ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةً وَأَجْرًا عَظِيمًا

‘Indeed the male Muslims and the female Muslims, the male believers and the female believers…Allāh has prepared for them a forgiveness and a great reward.’
[Al-Aḥzāb 33:35]

قُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوا فُرُوجَهُمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ أَزْكَىٰ لَهُمْ

‘Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and protect their private parts. That is purer for them’
[Al-Nūr 24:30]

following this with,

وَقُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ

‘And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and protect their private parts’
[Al-Nūr 24:31]

So their following the mention of the men indicates that they are not included amongst them. They replied to the proponents of the first opinion by saying that the fact that the masculine gender takes prevalence over the feminine is not a matter of dispute. What is disputed is whether the masculine plural includes the females in every case. They further replied to the verses [used by the first group] by saying that it is known by the context of these verses and the meaning of the wordings that the females are included in the male plural – and that their inclusion in the male plural in the case of their being an evidence that they are included is not contended. So according to this opinion Maryam is not included in the verse.

The saying of the Exalted, “not the path of those who have earned [Your] anger, nor those who have gone astray”

Al-Ghaḍab linguistically means anger, it is the opposite of pleasure (riḍā) and one of the Attributes of Allāh. Maghḍūb refer to the objects of Anger. Ḍalāl linguistically means to divert from the intended goal or to diverge from the true path and it is the opposite of guidance. It is also said ‘the milk ḍalla in the water’ when it is mixed such that it disappears. In this respect also is His saying,

وَقَالُوا أَإِذَا ضَلَلْنَا فِي الْأَرْضِ

“And they say: when we become ḍalāl in the earth.”
[Al-Sajdah 32:10]

Meaning when we die and disappear into the earth by becoming dust. Al-Ḍāllīn refers to those who gone astray.

al-Tirmidhī reports from Adī bin Hātim who said, I asked the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) about Allāh’s saying about, ‘those who have earned [Your] Anger’, and He said, ‘it refers to the Jews.’ I then asked about, ‘those who have gone astray’ and he said, ‘the Christians are those who have gone astray.’^[84] The Jews and the Christians even though both of them are misguided and both of them have Allāh’s Anger on them – the Anger is specified to the Jews, even though the Christians share this with them, because the Jews knew the truth and rejected it and deliberately came with falsehood. Therefore the Anger of Allāh being upon them was the description most befitting them. The Christians were ignorant, not knowing the truth, so misguidance was the description most befitting them. This is further proven by the sayings of Allāh concerning the Jews,

فَبَاءُوا بِغَضَبٍ عَلَىٰ غَضَبٍ

‘So they have drawn on themselves anger upon anger.’
[Al-Baqarah 2:90]

قُلْ هَلْ أُنَبِّئُكُم بِشَرٍّ مِّن ذَٰلِكَ مَثُوبَةً عِندَ اللَّهِ

‘Say: shall I inform you of something worse than that, regarding the recompense from Allāh: those (Jews) who incurred the Curse of Allāh and His Anger.’
[Al-Māʾidah 5:60]

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا الْعِجْلَ سَيَنَالُهُمْ غَضَبٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَذِلَّةٌ

‘Indeed those who took the calf (for worship), anger from their Lord and humiliation will come upon them.’
[Al-Aʿrāf 7:152]

And Allāh said concerning the Christians,

وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا أَهْوَاءَ قَوْمٍ قَدْ ضَلُّوا مِن قَبْلُ وَأَضَلُّوا كَثِيرًا وَضَلُّوا عَن سَوَاءِ السَّبِيلِ

‘And do not follow the vain desires of people (i.e. the Christians) who went astray in times gone by, and misled many, and have themselves strayed from the Straight Path’
[Al-Māʾidah 5:77]

Other opinions have been voiced concerning the meaning of this verse, but the meaning mentioned above takes precedence and is undoubtedly correct as it has been reported from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) himself. 

It is important to note that in this verse when the blessings of Allāh have been mentioned they have been mentioned in the second person such that Allāh is directly referred to, ‘the path of those whom You have favoured.’ However when the Anger or punishment of Allāh is mentioned it is mentioned in the third person such that Allāh is not directly referred to, ‘not the path of those who have earned [Your] Anger, nor of those who have gone astray.’ This even though He is the One in reality Who is Angry with them, and He is the One by Whose decree they were misguided as proven by His sayings,

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ تَوَلَّوْا قَوْمًا غَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم

“Have you not considered those who make allies of a people with whom Allāh has become Angry.”
[Al-Mujādilah 58:14]

مَن يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ ۚ وَيَذَرُهُمْ فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ

“Whoever Allāh sends astray – there is no guide for him. And He leaves them in their transgression, wandering blindly.”
[Al-Aʿrāf 7:186]

And other verses proving that guidance and misguidance is the sole responsibility of Allāh.^[85] This is a method that is used throughout the Qurʾān and it is a way of showing respect to Allāh and not attributing evil to Him as well as showing how belittled such people are. This was clearly expressed in the supplication of the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) when he said, “I am completely at Your service and doing all I can to please You. All good is in Your Hands and evil does not pertain to You.”^[86]

Ibn al-Qayyim explains this ḥadīth and this concept further,

​

The meaning of this ḥadīth is far greater and wider then the [explanations presented by some saying that it means], “evil does not come close to you” or “evil [deeds] are not raised to you.” This is because these explanations only serve to absolve Him of any evil coming close to Him or evil [deeds] being raised to him, however they do not explicitly absolve Him of evil with regards His Essence, Attributes and Actions. This is not the full purport of the words of the Truthful One, the one entrusted and preserved from error for his (صلى الله عليه وسلم) words absolve Him of any evil whatsoever being linked to His Essence, Attributes and Actions. However it is possible that evil be contained in His creation as occurs in His words,

قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ ﴿١﴾ مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ ﴿٢﴾

“Say: I take refuge with the Lord of Daybreak. From the evil of what He created.”
[Al-Falaq 113:1-2]

Contemplate the style of the Qurʾān and see how sometimes it adjoins evil to its cause and those who enact it such as His sayings,

وَالْكَافِرُونَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ

“The disbelievers are [truly] the oppressors and wrong-doers.”
[Al-Baqarah 2:254]

وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفَاسِقِينَ

“And Allāh does not guide a sinful, rebellious people.”
[Al-Māʾidah 5:108]

فَبِظُلْمٍ مِّنَ الَّذِينَ هَادُوا حَرَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ طَيِّبَاتٍ أُحِلَّتْ لَهُمْ

“For the wrongdoing on the part of the Jews, We made unlawful for them [certain] foods that had previously been lawful for them.”
[Al-Nisāʾ 4:160]

ذَٰلِكَ جَزَيْنَاهُم بِبَغْيِهِمْ

“That was Our recompense for their transgression.”
[Al-Anʿām 6:146]

وَمَا ظَلَمْنَاهُمْ وَلَٰكِن كَانُوا هُمُ الظَّالِمِينَ

“We did no injustice to them, rather it was they who were unjust, wrong-doers.”
[Al-Zukhruf 43:76]

Sometimes the subject [of the sentence] is omitted as in His sayings,

وَأَنَّا لَا نَدْرِي أَشَرٌّ أُرِيدَ بِمَن فِي الْأَرْضِ أَمْ أَرَادَ بِهِمْ رَبُّهُمْ رَشَدًا

“And we do not know whether evil is intended for those who are on the earth, or whether their Lord desires guidance for them.”
[Al-Jinn 72:10]

This verse omits the one who intends the evil but explicitly states the one who intends good. In a similar vein is His saying,

صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ

“The path of those whom You have favoured, not the path of those who have earned [Your] Anger nor those who have gone astray.”
[Al-Fātiḥah 1:7]

Hence He mentioned the favour adjoined to Himself, misguidance adjoined to those who committed it and omitted the enactor of the Anger. Likewise is the saying of Khidr with regards the ship,

فَأَرَدتُّ أَنْ أَعِيبَهَا

“So I wished to cause a defect in it.”
[Al-Kahf 18:79]

And his saying with regards the orphans,

فَأَرَادَ رَبُّكَ أَن يَبْلُغَا أَشُدَّهُمَا وَيَسْتَخْرِجَا كَنزَهُمَا رَحْمَةً مِّن رَّبِّكَ

“So your Lord intended that they reach maturity and then extract their treasure as a mercy from your Lord.”
[Al-Kahf 18:82]

Likewise is His saying,

اللَّهَ حَبَّبَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْإِيمَانَ وَزَيَّنَهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَكَرَّهَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكُفْرَ وَالْفُسُوقَ وَالْعِصْيَانَ

“Allāh has endeared faith for you and made it pleasing in your hearts and has made hateful to you disbelief, disobedience and sins.”
[Al-Ḥujurāt 49:7]

زُيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ حُبُّ الشَّهَوَاتِ

“Beautified for people is the love of that which they desire.”
[Āli Imrān 3:14]

Omitting the one who made it beautiful for them. [Ibraḥīm] Al-Khalīl (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said,

فَإِنَّهُمْ عَدُوٌّ لِّي إِلَّا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ ‎﴿٧٧﴾‏ الَّذِي خَلَقَنِي فَهُوَ يَهْدِينِ ‎﴿٧٨﴾‏ وَالَّذِي هُوَ يُطْعِمُنِي وَيَسْقِينِ ‎﴿٧٩﴾‏ وَإِذَا مَرِضْتُ فَهُوَ يَشْفِينِ ‎﴿٨٠﴾‏ وَالَّذِي يُمِيتُنِي ثُمَّ يُحْيِينِ ﴿٨١﴾‏ وَالَّذِي أَطْمَعُ أَن يَغْفِرَ لِي خَطِيئَتِي يَوْمَ الدِّينِ ‎﴿٨٢﴾

“It is He Who created me and it is He who guides me. It is he Who feeds me and gives me to drink. When I am ill it is He who cures me. It is He Who will cause me to die and then bring me back to life. I hope that He will forgive me my sin on the Day of Recompense.”
[Al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:77-82]

So he attributed all aspects of perfection to Him in these actions but attributed to himself any [seeming] deficiency – this being illness and sin. We have explained this matter in depth in our book, “al-Fawāʾid al-Makkiyyah” and I have explained there the difference between the sayings of Allāh,

الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ كِتَابَ

“Those who have been given the Book.”
[Al-Baqarah 2:101]

And His sayings,

الَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ

“Those to whom We have given the Book.”
[Al-Baqarah 2:121]

Saying that He mentioned Himself explicitly in those contexts in which He praises [the People of the Book] but omits His mention in those places that He censures them. This then, is one of the secrets of the [literary style] of the Qurʾān. Exactly the same applies to His sayings,

ثُمَّ أَوْرَثْنَا الْكِتَابَ الَّذِينَ اصْطَفَيْنَا مِنْ عِبَادِنَا

“Then We caused to inherit the Scripture those We have chosen of Our servants.”
[Al-Fāṭir 35:32]

وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُورِثُوا الْكِتَابَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ لَفِي شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ مُرِيبٍ

“Indeed those who were granted inheritance of the Scripture after them are in disquieting doubt concerning it.”
[Al-Shūrā 42:14]

فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ وَرِثُوا الْكِتَابَ يَأْخُذُونَ عَرَضَ هَٰذَا الْأَدْنَىٰ

“And there followed them successors who inherited the Scripture while taking unlawful gains and pleasures in this lower life.”
[Al-Aʿrāf 7:169]

Therefore in conclusion only the good, wisdom and benefit is adjoined to Allāh, the Exalted, whereas the evil does not pertain to him.^[87] The Saying of Āmīn After Al-Fātiḥah It is recommended for the one who is reciting the Qurʾān to say āmīn after having recited al-Fātiḥah and after a short pause upon completing the word ‘ḍāllīn’ so as to differentiate between that which is the Qurʾān and that which is not. The meaning of āmīn in the eyes of the majority is, ‘O Allāh respond to our supplication.’ Maqātil said that it gives strength to the supplication and is a cause for the descent of blessings. In Sūrah Yunus the following supplication of Mūsà (عليه السلام) is mentioned, “Mūsà said,

وَقَالَ مُوسَىٰ رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ آتَيْتَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلَأَهُ زِينَةً وَأَمْوَالًا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا رَبَّنَا لِيُضِلُّوا عَن سَبِيلِكَ ۖ رَبَّنَا اطْمِسْ عَلَىٰ أَمْوَالِهِمْ وَاشْدُدْ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ فَلَا يُؤْمِنُوا حَتَّىٰ يَرَوُا الْعَذَابَ الْأَلِيمَ ﴿٨٨﴾ قَالَ قَدْ أُجِيبَت دَّعْوَتُكُمَا فَاسْتَقِيمَا وَلَا تَتَّبِعَانِّ سَبِيلَ الَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٨٩﴾

‘O Lord! You have indeed bestowed splendour and wealth upon Pharaoh and his chiefs in the life of this world, our Lord! That they may lead men astray from Your path. Our Lord! Destroy their wealth and harden their hearts so that they will not believe until they see the painful torment.’ Allāh said, ‘Verily the supplication of you both is answered…’.”
[Yunus 10:88-89]

In the commentary to this verse it is stated that Mūsà was saying the supplication and Hārūn was saying āmīn and hence he was considered to be amongst the supplicants.^[88]

Al-Ḥakīm al-Tirmidhī reports in ‘Nawādir al-Usūl’ from Anas bin Mālik (رضي الله عنه) that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “Allāh has given my nation three things that were not given to any nation before them: The salām, which is the greeting of the inhabitants of Paradise; the rows of the Angels; and the āmīn, which was only previously given to Mūsà and Hārūn.”^[89]

Ibn Mājah also reports from ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنه) that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “The Jews do not envy you for anything as much as they envy you for saying the Salām and āmīn.”^[90]

Abū Dāwūd reports from Abū Misbah al-Maqrānī that he said, We were sitting with Abū Zuhayr al-Numayrī who was one of the Companions and his speech used to be the most beautiful speech. Whenever a person from amongst us supplicated he would say, “complete it by saying āmīn for indeed āmīn is like the seal on a scroll.”

Abū Zuhayr said, “shall I not inform you about this? We left with the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) one night and we came upon a person who was persistently and actively [supplicating] for something so the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) stood listening to him. Then the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, ‘it will definitely be answered if he completes it.’ A man from amongst the people [present] asked, ‘with what should he complete it?’ He replied, ‘by saying āmīn for if he completes it by saying āmīn it will definitely be answered.’ So the man who asked turned away and went to the supplicant and said, ‘O so-and-so! Complete [your supplication] and rejoice.’”^[91]

With regards to prayer then Muslim reports from Abū Mūsà al-Ashʿarī (رضي الله عنه) that he said, The Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) addressed us and explained to us our sunnah [that we should follow] and explained to us [the method of performing] our prayer. He said, “When you pray then straighten your rows, then let one of you lead you. When he says the takbīr then say the takbīr, when he says, ‘not the path of those who have earned [Your] Anger nor those who have gone astray’ then say āmīn and Allāh will respond to you.“^[92]

Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) reports from the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) that he said, “When the Imām says āmīn then say āmīn for indeed the one whose āmīn coincides with the āmīn of the Angels will have his previous [minor] sins forgiven.”^[93]

So this ḥadīth shows that ones previous sins will be forgiven if four conditions are met

1. The Imām saying āmīn.
2. The Follower saying āmīn.
3. The Angels saying āmīn.
4. The statements coinciding. Abū Dāwūd reports from Wāʿil bin Hujr (رضي الله عنه) that when the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) finished reciting al-Fātiḥah he would say, “āmīn” loudly, prolonging his voice.^[94]

Sūrah Al-Fātiḥah Is Cure For The Diseases of the Heart and the Body.

The disease of the heart occurs due to two basic matters:

1. The corruption of knowledge.
2. The corruption of intent.

These in turn lead to two fatal illnesses: misguidance and anger, misguidance being the end result of the corruption of knowledge and anger being the end result of the corruption of intent. These two illnesses are the lords of all the diseases of the heart. When one asks for guidance to the Straight Path then he is asking for that which will cure the disease of misguidance. This is why this Sūrah has been made obligatory upon every servant in every prayer.

Actualizing the verse, “You Alone we worship and You Alone we ask for help” serves as a cure for the corruption of intent. This is because the intent is linked to the objectives and means of attaining them. Therefore this cure is composed of six matters

1. Worshipping Allāh Alone
2. By performing what He commanded and legislated
3. Not by following ones own desires
4. Neither by following the mere opinions of people 
5. By asking Allāh for His Help to enact this
6. And not relying on oneself Furthermore the heart is beset with two dangerous and destructive diseases and this verse serves as a cure for them.

Ibn Taymiyyah said, ‘You Alone we worship’ represses ostentation and ‘You Alone we ask for help’ represses arrogance.

As regards its curing the bodily illnesses then this can be seen in the ḥadīth of Abū Saʿīd reported in Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī that after he had recited it to cure a person who had been bitten by a scorpion, the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said to him, And what made you to know that it was a ruqya?^[95]

Sūrah Al-Fātiḥah Comprises The Meaning Of The Entire Qurʾān

As alluded to earlier, al-Fātiḥah is named the Mother of the Qurʾān because it succinctly summarizes the whole of the Qurʾān. We are now in a position to analyze this statement further.

The Sūrah includes affirmation of Tawḥīd in all of its various categories,

1. Tawḥīd al-Rubūbiyyah, meaning unity of Allāh’s Lordship, contained in His saying, “Lord of the Universe.”
2. Tawḥīd al-Ulūhiyyah, meaning unity of Allāh’s worship in that all worship is to be done sincerely for His sake Alone, contained in His saying, “You Alone we worship and Your aid Alone we seek.”
3. Tawḥīd al-Asmāʾ wa-al-Sifāt, meaning the unity of Allāh’s Names and Attributes in that they are perfect and unique to Him, contained in His saying, “all praise and thanks are due to Allāh.”

It teaches us to praise and glorify Allāh by mentioning His beautiful and perfect Names and Attributes.

It teaches us about His Mercy and His Justice.

It teaches us about the Day of Judgement and about the recompense of our deeds.

It teaches us that the recompense will be established upon perfect justice.

It encourages one to perform righteous actions and dissuades one from performing sins.

It teaches the servants of Allāh to ask of Him Alone, to humble themselves and worship Him Alone and to put their trust and reliance in Him Alone.

It teaches us to ask Allāh continuously for guidance to the Straight Path.

It points us towards the nations of the past and warns us against falling into the same acts of transgression and misguidance that they were guilty of.

It teaches us to aspire to the company of the sincerely truthful, the martyrs and the righteous.

It teaches that there is nothing in the Qurʾān that would give aid to or encourage innovation. Hence never will the innovator be able to find evidence for his misguidance in the Qurʾān.

Sūrah Al-Fātiḥah Comprises a Refutation of Many of the Principle Innovations

From the amazing qualities of al-Fātiḥah is that we find that despite its few words, it contains a refutation of many principle innovations. This can be seen generally in the statement, ‘Guide us to the Straight Path’ for the Straight Path refers to the truth and giving this truth preference over ones desires. This truth is embodied in the Sunnah of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and the way of the Companions. Any departure from this way is most definitely misguidance. Specifically we see that al-Fātiḥah

1. Establishes the need for Prophethood.
   
   This can be seen from His words, ‘Lord of the Universe,’ for it does not befit One with such a description that He leave His creation wondering aimlessly, without guidance.
   
   It can also be seen from His words, ‘Master of the Day of Judgement,’ for this is the Day on which the servants will be judged for their deeds – punished for their transgressions and rewarded for their obedience. However they are in need of knowing what is obedience and disobedience.
   
   It can also be seen from His saying, ‘You Alone we worship,’ for worship consists only of that which Allāh Loves and is Pleased with. The servants have no way of knowing this except through the Prophets.
   
   It can also be seen from His words, ‘Guide us to the Straight Path,’ for guidance consists of clarification followed by the tawfīq of enacting it. This requires Prophets. 
2. It refutes the proponents of Waḥdah al-Wujūd (Unity of Being).
   
   Those who state that there is no distinction between the created and Creator, that the servant is the Lord, that there is no King and subjects, that there is no worshipper and worshipped etc…
   
   This Sūrah refutes this heresy from beginning to end in words that are too clear to require further explanation. 
3. It refutes the Majus and the Qadariyyah.
   
   Those who, in effect, affirm two lords. Those who state that their actions have no link to the qadr of Allāh, that actions are not created and that they arise by the complete free will of the servants. This implies that Allāh is not the Lord over their actions and as such the affirmation of Lordship in this Sūrah refutes them.
   
   In the words, ‘Your Aid Alone we seek’ also lies a clear refutation of this heresy, for by saying these words we are seeking aid for performing that which must be under His control and authority.
4. It refutes the Jahmiyyah (those who deny the Attributes of Allāh).
   
   This can be seen in our praising Him for praise necessitates the affirmation of everything that He is praised for such as His Perfect Attributes.
   
   Also it affirms the Attribute of Mercy and this further includes affirmation of Attributes that are necessary for this to exist such as Life, Will, Ability/Power, Hearing and Seeing.
   
   It also affirms the Lordship of Allāh which in turn necessitates the affirmation of His Actions. Similarly it affirms the Godship of Allāh and this necessary necessitates the affirmation of Perfect descriptions both of His Essence as well as Actions.
5. It refutes those who worship others besides Allāh As can be clearly seen in the words, ‘You Alone we worship and Your Aid Alone we seek.’
   
   It can also be seen in the words, ‘Guide us to the Straight Path’ for this is the path of those who have actualized Tawḥīd. 
6. It refutes the Jabariyyah (those who say that man is coerced).
   
   This can be seen in our praising Him for this necessitates that He would not punish His servants for that which they have no choice in or something that is beyond their ability.
   
   This can also been understood in the affirmation of His Mercy.
   
   This can also be seen in the affirmation of worship and its attribution to the servants, ‘we worship.’
7. It refutes those who say that the creation is eternal.
   
   This can be seen in our praising Him, for this necessarily implies the affirmation of His Actions.
   
   It can also be seen in the affirmation of His Lordship over the ālam which, as has preceded, is everything besides Allāh. Hence the creation is subjugated by a Lord (marbūb) and anything that is subjugated must necessarily be created. Something that is created must have come into existence at some time.
   
   It can also be seen in the affirmation of His Tawḥīd for this necessitates that none of His creation share in any of His specific qualities of Lordship.
8. It refutes the Rāfiḍah.
   
   This lies in al-Fātiḥah dividing mankind into three categories: those who have been favoured, those who have earned Anger and those who have been misguided. The first category are those who traverse the Straight Path, who follow the truth and there is no doubt that the Companions of the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) fit this description better than the Rawāfiḍah. It is impossible that the Companions be ignorant of the truth yet the Rawāfiḍah know it, or that the Companions reject it and they take to it!
   
   Furthermore we see the effects of these two groups showing us who is upon the truth. We see the Companions conquering the lands of the disbelievers and making them the lands of Islām. We see them conquering the hearts by the Qurʾān, correct knowledge and guidance. Therefore their effects show that they are upon the Straight Path.
   
   However we see the opposite effects in the Rawāfiḍah in every time and place, and history is the greatest testimony to this – how they aided the enemies of Islām against the Muslim. How many tragedies amongst the Muslims they were guilty of, how many Mosques were deserted and Qurʾānic texts burnt, how many Muslims and their scholars were killed due to them.
   
   It is due to this that the Straight Path has been explained by some to be the way of Abū Bakr and ʿUmar as has preceded.^[96]