The ultimate supplication, encapsulated in Surah Al-Fatiha, is asking Allah for guidance.
The opening chapter of The Quran, Surah Al-Fatiha, is known as the ‘essence’ of the Quran. It contains a powerful dua – imploring Allah for guidance to follow the straight path, the Siraat-ul-Mustaqeem. In a mere seven verses, we understand the gist of the Qur’aan: the Nature of Allah as being the epitome of mercy and compassion; His absolute sovereignty over the whole of creation, for all time; and that He is the powerful but just Master of the day of reckoning.
We are introduced to the correct methodology of humbly supplicating to the Almighty by praising Him, glorifying Him and acknowledging our utter dependence on Him. We are taught how to address Allah and how to appeal to Him with humility and reverence. We state our needs succinctly with the certainty that our prayer will be answered. We speak to Allah directly without any intermediaries.
A translation of the meaning of Surah Al-Fatiha is as follows:
In the Name of Allah—the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful
All praise is for Allah—Lord of all worlds,
the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
Master of the Day of Judgment.
You ˹alone˺ we worship and You ˹alone˺ we ask for help.
Guide us along the Straight Path,
the Path of those You have blessed—not those You are displeased with, or those who are astray.
Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran
A number of questions arise from this surah:
- Why do we need to ask for guidance – what are the consequences of making the wrong choices?
- What is Siraat-ul-Mustaqeem?
- What are the characteristics of the people Allah is pleased with?
- What are the characteristics of the people Allah is displeased with (who incur His wrath)
- How can we prevent ourselves from being misguided?
The rest of the Quran deals with the answers to these questions, elaborating on the criteria to distinguish right from wrong conduct, accountability for our actions, factual accounts and parables to illustrate how we can raise and refine our characters in line with those whom Allah is pleased with. We learn about the rules and regulations on how to live a wholesome, moral life. We learn the etiquettes to be followed in our inter-personal relationships. Allah comforts us with the true promise of a rich reward for the righteous and conversely warns us against following the deceit of Shaytan and falling astray – those people will be miserable in this life and will face ultimate humiliation and punishment in the next life (unless we turn back to Allah and repent in earnest).
The Quran teaches us about the fundamentals of our creed; we learn of Allah through His magnificent Names and Attributes. We also learn our obligation to follow the example of our dear and noble Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him.
I ask Allah to accept our prayers on this day and everyday. May He help us to get closer to Him by following His guidance and may He make the Quran the ‘spring of our hearts’. Ameen
We will continue to look at this Surah next week, insha’Allah.