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Al-Fâtiha is the first sûrah (chapter) of the Qur'ân, and was one of the earliest portions of
the Qur'ân revealed to the prophet Muhammad by the angel Gabriel. The entire Qur'ân
was revealed in the years from 610 to 632 AD.
The Arabic word fâtiha indicates an opening, beginning or commencement, and is derived
from the root f-t-h which means to open, unlock, reveal, conquer.
The idea of opening or beginning is significant in several ways: first, this is the opening
verse of the Qur'ân, secondly, this is said to be the first complete sûrah that was revealed
to the Prophet, but more importantly this name also symbolizes the fact that the grace of
Allâh has opened the doors of Life to us and that as we begin to live our lives in harmony
with the ways of Allâh, the heart truly begins to open, thereby allowing us to begin to
allow the Divine Presence of the One to consciously manifest openly through our daily
lives, and thus, it is we that have been opened by the grace of the Opener.
In many ways, the verses of the Fatiha are virtually identical to a prayer that Jesus gave,
called the Lord's Prayer, as recorded in Matthew 6:9-13, and are also nearly identical to
the Gayatri Mantra which was given in the Rig Veda. In each of these glorious prayers,
the opening lines sing praise of The One, while the final lines acknowledge the gift of
Divine Guidance on the path of Righteousness and Understanding.
The Fatiha, the Lord's Prayer and the Gayatri Mantra all illustrate a specific manner of
communion with the Divine. In each of these glorious supplications, the opening lines are
a recognition of the Glory and Majesty of the The One, and then the prayer is closed by
honoring the guidance of the One who guides us all... not a selfish request for specific
things for the little "me", but a selfless recognition of the wondrous gifts that are
continually bestowed upon all of mankind.
There is only one God, and for those who find it difficult to say the name Allah, it may be
helpful to note that in the Semitic language of Aramaic that Jesus probably spoke, the
Aramaic name that is translated as God in the European bible was actually Alaha. Indeed,
Allah of the Qur'an and Alaha of Jesus are the same One, there is only one God (and
Arabic was largely derived from the earlier Aramaic, much the same as Aramaic was
derived from the earlier Hebrew). However, the name God is a relatively new, and
perhaps unfortunate, European invention that has been the source of much
misunderstanding, fear and hatred.
(Pronunciation guide: i as in sit, a as in bat, u as in put, â as the a in father, î as the ee in reel, û as the oo in
moot.)
Yusuf Ali: Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds;
Pickthall: Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds,
Shakir: All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
Muhammad Ali: Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
ar-rahmân ir-rahîm
Yusuf Ali: The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace,
those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray.
Pickthall: The path of those whom Thou hast favoured;
Not the (path) of those who earn Thine anger
nor of those who go astray.
Shakir: The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favors.
Not (the path) of those upon whom Thy wrath is brought down,
nor of those who go astray.
Muhammad Ali: The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favours,
not those upon whom wrath is brought down,
nor those who go astray.
No simple literal translation can capture the magnificence or the delicate nuances of these
Arabic verses. Every word has multiple levels of meaning, and each line brings new
insights and inspirations with every reading. To begin to discover the deeper meanings of
these verses, let's look at the deeper meanings of the words, line by line:
(Pronunciation guide: i as in sit, a as in bat, u as in put, â as the a in father, î as the ee in reel, û as the oo in
moot.)
bismillâh = for the glory of Allah, in the name of Allah, by means of the Light of Allah
There are three parts to this beautiful word: (see also the bismillah web page)
1) bi : by, for, by means of, with the aid of, through (pointing towards the idea of what happens next)
2) ism : name, reputation, glory (root indicates light, vibration, essence)
3) Allah
ir-rahmân = the beneficent, the merciful, the compassionate, the One who continually
showers all of creation with blessings, nourishment and prosperity
Root r-h-m: womb, kinship, mercy, compassion, tenderness requiring the exercise of beneficence.
ir-rahîm = the compassionate, the merciful, the One who gives even more to those who
live in loving harmony and righteousness
Root r-h-m: womb, kinship, mercy, compassion, tenderness requiring the exercise of beneficence.
il-âlamîn = all the worlds, all that exists, all that Allah has created
(plural of 'alam)
ar-rahmân ir-rahîm
ar-rahmân = the beneficent, the merciful, the compassionate, the loving One who
continually showers all of creation with blessings, nourishment and prosperity
Root r-h-m: womb, kinship, mercy, compassion, tenderness requiring the exercise of beneficence.
ir-rahîm = the compassionate, the merciful, the One who gives even more to those who
live in loving harmony and righteousness
Root r-h-m: womb, kinship, mercy, compassion, tenderness requiring the exercise of beneficence.
iyyâka = to you and only you, to you alone, unto thee only, unto thee and none other
iyyâ : with you , unto you
ka : you (2nd person masculine singular suffix)
an'amta = you have have bestowed grace, you have favored, you have blessed
Root n-`-m: to bestow favor, be graciously disposed, to make comfortable, to take great pains; to live in
comfort and luxury, life of ease
ta : you (subject, 2nd person masc sing)
d-dâlîn = one who diverges from the goal, one who goes astray, one who is diverted
Root d-l-l: means to lose one's way, go astray, to err, to be misled, to be deceived.
Armed with these definitions and your own insight, you may enjoy creating your own
poetic interpretation of al-Fâtiha in order to explore some of the many meanings and
interpretations... just go through the Fâtiha word-by-word, inserting the meaning of each
word that seems to speak to your heart, such as:
1) For the glory of Allah, the Merciful One Who is endlessly Beneficent, and Who
Graciously rewards those who live in Divine harmony,
2) every manner of this praise and joyful gratitude is for the glory of Allah, the one
Lord of all of creation,
3) the One who is forever lovingly beneficent and who rewards those who surrender
to a life of harmony and righteousness,
4) Owner of the Moment of Awakening,
5) You alone do we adore and from You alone do we seek aid.
6) (You are) guiding us on the glorious path of harmony and righteousness,
7) the way of those who have accepted your loving blessings and not the way of
those who have anger over them nor of those who have gone astray.