The English Quran/Surah Al-Fatiha
| Verse Number | المصحف العربي Arabic text | English |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم | In the name of the merciful compassionate Deity. |
| 1 | ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ | Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds |
| 2 | ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ | The Beneficent, the Merciful |
| 3 | مَـٰلِكِ يَوۡمِ ٱلدِّينِ | Owner of the Day of Judgment |
| 4 | إِيَّاكَ نَعۡبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسۡتَعِينُ | Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask for help |
| 5 | ٱهۡدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٲطَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقِيمَ | Show us the straight path |
| 6 | صِرَٲطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنۡعَمۡتَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ غَيۡرِ ٱلۡمَغۡضُوبِ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ | The path of those whom Thou hast favoured. Not (the path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray[1] |
Medicine of the Prophet by Ibn Qayyim al Jawziyya
Commentary on Al-Fatiha
The opinion regarding Al-Fatiha is that nothing similar to it has been revealed in the Qur'an, nor in the Torah, nor in the Gospel, nor the Psalms, for it comprises all the meanings of the Books of God, which include the origin and the entirety of the Names of the Lord. These are: God, the Lord, the Merciful and the Compassionate; and confirmation of the Return, and the two types of the declaration of the oneness of God (tawhid): tawhid of Lordship and tawhid of Divinity; and mention of need of the Lord, praised be He, in the seeking of help and guidance, and His unique role in that.
It mentions too what is absolutely the most excellent, most beneficial and most obligatory prayer, and that which the servants are most in need of: guidance to His straight path, which includes the perfection of His knowledge, His unity and His worship, through carrying out what He has ordered and avoiding what He has forbidden and persevering therein until death. It also mentions the types of created being, and their divisions into those who have received His favour through knowledge of the Truth, and acting thereby, loving Him and choosing Him above all else; those who have incurred His anger, through deviating from the Truth after being aware of it; and those who go astray through lack of knowledge of Him. Such are the divisions of created being.
Moreover it comprises confirmation of the Decree and the revealed law, the Names and attributes, the Return, Prophethood, purification of souls, and restoration of hearts. It states God's justice and benevolence, and rejects all people of innovation and falsehood.
Similarly we have discussed this matter in our larger commentary, on the Fatiha. In truth, a Sura of such value should be used in healing from illnesses and should be recited to cure one who has been stung.
In summary—all that the Fatiha comprises, sincerity of servanthood, praise of God, commitment of all one's affairs to Him, seeking help from Him, complete confidence in Him, and asking Him for all blessings, and guidance which brings down blessings, and repels evil—are all among the mightiest of healing and sufficient medicines[2].
Verse 4
It has been said that the focal point of the incantation is 'Thee alone do we worship, and Thee alone do we ask for help.' There is no doubt that these two phrases are among the strongest portions of this medicine since they contain the totality of commitment and confidence, seeking of refuge and help, expression of need and request, and integration of the highest intentions, namely worship of the Lord alone, and the most noble of means, namely: seeking His help in order to be able to worship Him. Such cannot be found in other similar verses[2].
Ibn Qayyim's personal account of reciting Al-Fatiha as a cure
It once happened to me in Mecca that I became ill, and could find neither physician nor medicine, so I treated myself with the Fatiha, by taking a draught of water of Zamzam, reciting the Fatiha over it several times,a nd then drinking it, and I obtained a complete cure. Thereafter I came to rely on it in the case of many kinds of pain and received supreme benefit[2].
References
- ↑ "dalal" means "erring" "straying" as in Persian گمراه.
- 1 2 3 Ibn-Qaiyim al-Ǧauzīya, Muḥammad Ibn-Abī-Bakr; Ibn-Qaiyim al-Ǧauzīya, Muḥammad Ibn-Abī-Bakr; Johnstone, Penelope; Ibn-Qaiyim al-Ǧauzīya, Muḥammad Ibn-Abī-Bakr (1998). Medicine of the Prophet. Cambridge: Islamic Texts Society. ISBN 978-0-946621-19-4.