Surah Al-Fatiha has 7 verses, 25 words, and 113 letters. Surah Al-Fatiha is a Makki Surah. What does that mean? That it was revealed before the Prophet ﷺ migrated to Medina.

It was revealed in the Meccan era. And Surah Al-Fatiha is the fifth surah to be revealed in chronology. And it is the first surah to be revealed in its entirety. Al-Fatiha, which is the name of the surah, literally means the opening. Al-Fatiha, the name of the surah, literally means the opening.

And it is derived from the root letters فَتَحَ فَتَحَ literally means to open something. What does it mean? To open something. It is also said that فَتَحَ is actually to remove a block or to remove the confusion from something. Just imagine a room

with a door. The door is blocking access into the room. فَتَحَ الْبَابِ is to open up the door, to remove the block, so that you can enter. So الفاتحة, the opening. And فَتَحَ is also to remove the confusion from something, so that it becomes clear. Why is this surah called الفاتحة?

Because it is the opening of the Qur’an. It is the opening surah, the opening chapter of the Qur’an. This surah is also called Al-Fatiha because it is the opening of Salah. When you pray Salah, immediately after the Ham, what do you recite? Surah Al-Fatiha.

So this surah is called Al-Fatiha because it is the opening of the Qur’an, the beginning of the Qur’an, and it is also the opening of Salah. Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen, meaning Surah Al-Fatiha, is the mother of the book. Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen is the mother of the book.

And it is the seven repeated ayat of the glorious Quran. Tirmidhi. So from this hadith we find out that Surah Al-Fatiha also has another name. What is that name? Mother of the Book. And the Arabic term for that is Umm Al-Kitab. Umm meaning mother and Kitab meaning book. So Umm Al-Kitab, Mother of the Book.

Why is Surah Al-Fatiha called Umm Al-Kitab? You see, Umm, the mother, it is the foundation of something. Isn’t it? The foundation of something. So Surah Al-Fatiha is like the foundation of the Quran. If a person is able to understand the message of Surah Al-Fatiha,

If a person is able to accept the message of Surah Al-Fatiha, the rest of the Quran comes along. The rest of the Quran is also easy. Because all the main concepts, the main themes are mentioned in Surah Al-Fatiha. So it is the mother of the book. There are also other names of the Surah.

For example, Surah Al-Fatiha is also called As-Salah, the prayer. It is also called As-Salah, the prayer. It is also called Ash-Shifa. What does Ash-Shifa mean? The cure. It is also called Al-Ruqya, the remedy. It is also called Al-Hamd, the praise.

It is also called Al-Asas, the foundation. And it is also called Fatiha tul Kitab, which is opening of the book. When something has more than one name, when something has multiple names, what does that show you? The importance. It has so many different names, so many different titles, so many different descriptions.

Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam they have multiple names and Surah Al-Fatiha has multiple names why? because it is the greatest Surah of the Quran why has Surah Al-Fatiha been given several names? because it is the greatest Surah of the Quran what’s the evidence for that? that it’s the greatest Surah of the Quran there’s a hadith that is mentioned in Al-Bukhari

In which Abu Sa’id narrated, he said, that I was praying in the masjid when the messenger of Allah ﷺ called me. And I did not answer him. Why? Because he was praying salah. I said, after the salah, that O messenger of Allah, I was praying. He said, did not Allah say that respond to Allah and to the messenger when he calls you? Because you see,

He was praying voluntary prayers. And during voluntary prayers, if the Sahaba were called by the Prophet ﷺ, they were required to respond to his call. Then he said, shall I teach you the greatest surah of the Quran before you leave the masjid? The Prophet ﷺ asked Abu Sa’id, shall I teach you the greatest surah of the Quran before you leave the masjid? And then Abu Sa’id says, he took my hand.

When we were about to leave, I said, O Messenger of Allah, you said, I will teach you the greatest surah of the Qur’an. The Prophet ﷺ replied, Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. Meaning, Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen. Are the seven oft-repeated verses and the immense Qur’an, the glorious Qur’an that I was given. So from this hadith, we find out that Surah Al-Fatiha is the greatest surah of the Qur’an.

There is another hadith, which is mentioned in An-Nasa’i, in which Ibn Abbas, he said, that while Jibreel was with the messenger of Allah, he heard a noise from above. The angel Jibreel, he was with the Prophet, and he heard a noise from above, meaning from the sky. Jibreel lifted his sight to the sky, he looked up.

And he said, this is a door in heaven being opened and it has never been opened before now. A door has been opened up in the heaven which has never been opened before. An angel descended from that door and came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, receive the glad tidings of two lights that you have been given. What did the angel say? Receive

the glad tidings, the good news, of two lights that you have been given, which no other prophet before you was given. No other prophet before you was given. And what were the two lights? First of all, the opening of the book, meaning Surah Al-Fatiha, Fatiha Al-Kitab. And secondly, the last three verses of Surah Al-Baqarah.

And then the angel continued, that you will not read a letter of them, but will gain its benefit. So what do we learn from this hadith? That Surah Al-Fatiha is a big blessing. It was a special gift given to the Prophet ﷺ. Not given to any other prophet before him. And every time that a person recites this surah,

He will find its benefits. أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ It is from the etiquette of reciting the Qur’an that when a person begins the recitation, he should seek protection from the Shaytan with Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. In Surah An-Nahl, Ayah number 98, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala says,

فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ So when you recite the Quran, seek refuge in Allah from the Shaytan who is expelled from his mercy. Why? Because when a person goes to do something good, immediately the Shaytan becomes very active. And especially when you’re in the class, he’s going to say, you know what he’s going to say.

Sleep. It’s taking so long. Immediately when such thoughts come to your mind, أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم You think that shaitan would want you to benefit from this surah? To benefit from the Quran? He’s been trying all your life to keep you away. And now you’re on a mission to learn every word of the Quran. Obviously shaitan is going to become extremely active.

So before we begin, every time, أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ I seek refuge with Allah from the Shaytan who is accursed. أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ بِسْمِ is a combination of بِ and اسْم with name. And بِسْمِ means I begin with name.

What does it mean? I begin with the name, meaning by mentioning the name of who? Of Allah . What does it mean by that? That I begin this journey, I begin this step with the help, the blessing of Allah . You see, anytime that we start something new in our lives, we have to depend on something. Isn’t it so?

Even if you’re learning to cook, even if you’re cleaning something, what do you depend on? Something or the other. Your intellect, time, your energy, your strength, your friends, the books. Isn’t it so? You have to rely on so many things. And every time that we begin something important, it is necessary that we begin with the help of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. We begin with the name of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala.

Which is why it is of the proper etiquette that we say بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ before beginning anything that is important. بِسْمِ اللَّهِ Let’s look at بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ linguistically. So بِسْمِ with name. بِ as I told you earlier in بِاللَّهِ means with. And إِسْم is the name. What is إِسْم؟ The name of something.

And the word اسم is derived from سين ميم وو What is it derived from? سين ميم وو سمو is the word. And سمو means height. From the same root is the word سماء. What does سماء mean? Sky. It is high above us. And the word اسم is from the same root. What’s the connection between the two? What’s the connection between the two?

Ism is not necessarily Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala’s name. Ism is anything’s name. Anyone’s name. And height. Height means that which is high above becomes very prominent. Isn’t it so? That which is high above becomes prominent. So what is the main prominent thing of anything? It’s name. Right? So bismi with name.

With name of who? I begin with the name of who? Bismillah. Who is Allah? He is Ar-Rahman and He is also Ar-Rahim. The names of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim, they’re both derived from the root letters, Ra-Ha-Meen. Ra-Ha-Meen. And the main word is Rahmah. Have you heard of the word Rahmah? What does that mean? Mercy. Compassion.

But in Arabic, the word رَحْمَة means to want what is good for those who deserve it. What does it mean? To want something good for those who deserve it. إِرَادَةُ الْإِحْسَانِ The intention, to do ihsan, to do good. So رَحْمَة is compassion, it is sympathy, it is kindness.

pity so الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ the one who has mercy the one who shows mercy now you see both the names of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ are from the same root but there has to be a difference between the two isn’t it? there has to be a difference between the two what is that difference? it is said that the name of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala الرَّحْمَنِ

gives the meaning of excessiveness of the attribute of mercy. It conveys the meaning of excessiveness of the attribute of mercy. Excessiveness as well as vastness. So Ar-Rahman, the entirely merciful, the one who is most merciful, no one else,

is more merciful than Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. And Ar-Rahman also indicates great amount of mercy. One who is excessively merciful, and he is also exceedingly merciful. Meaning he shows mercy again and again and again. And he shows mercy not just to some, but he shows mercy to everyone. He shows mercy to who? To everyone. He is compassionate, he is kind,

towards every single creature even those who do not believe in him it is of the mercy of Allah it is of the kindness of Allah that we are able to breathe it is of the kindness of Allah that we eat we have food to eat we have feet to walk with we have a house to live in we have the ability to speak we have an intellect that thinks

We have the sky above us. We have the earth below us. This is all the mercy of Allah. So Ar-Rahman indicates that He is entirely merciful. He is merciful towards every creature in so many different ways. And you know from the word Rahmah, the word Rahm is also derived. And that is used for the womb of the mother. What is the womb of the mother? Huh?

The child grows over there. He is completely protected. That is where he gets all the nourishment. Completely protected and nourished. So Ar-Rahman, the one who protects, the one who nourishes his creation. And he is also Ar-Rahim. What does the name of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, Ar-Rahim, indicate in particular? It is slightly different from Ar-Rahman.

Rahim indicates particularity. That merciful in particular to. Merciful specifically to words. So Ar-Rahman, the one who is merciful towards his entire creation. And Ar-Rahim, the one who has special mercy for his certain creation. So that shows us

That one type of mercy is general. And another type of mercy is specific. And that specific mercy is for only those who deserve it. And who are they? Those who believe in Allah. Those who worship Allah. Those who ask for help from Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. Those who ask for assistance from Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala.

So Ar-Rahman, the one who is merciful towards everyone and Ar-Rahim, the one who shows special mercy towards special creation. Ar-Rahman also indicates that he is merciful to everyone in the dunya. And Ar-Rahim indicates that he will be especially merciful towards some in the hereafter. Those who prove themselves to be those who deserve the mercy of Allah.

الحَمْدُ All praise. For who? لِلَّهِ For Allah. الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ All praise is for Allah. What does that mean? That Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala deserves all praise. الحَمْدُ You see, الْ generally means the. But sometimes it also gives the meaning of entirely. All of it.

So الحمد means all of the praise. Who deserves it? Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala deserves it.

Now you notice the word حَمْد has been used. Not the word مَدْح. Because مَدْح also means praise. And حَمْد also gives meaning of gratitude. Which is why many times in translations you may have read praise and thanks. Right? But the word شُكْر alone has not been used. It’s not شُكْرُ لِلَّهِ. It’s not مَدْحُ لِلَّهِ. What is it? الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ Why the word حَمْد? حَمْد means to mention

perfect attributes of someone. What does حَمْد mean? To mention the most perfect attributes of someone. But who is that someone whose most perfect attributes are being mentioned? The one who is praiseworthy. The one who deserves praise.

And Hamd is such praise that is based on respect and love. It is based on what? Respect and love. Meaning, the one who is doing Hamd, the one who is praising the other, he is doing it out of love. He is doing it out of respect. Many times people praise others but they don’t respect them at all. Many times

People praise others but they don’t love them at all. The word حَمْد has been used because it is to mention the most perfect attributes and it is also such praise that is based on love and respect. So in other words it is praise that is very sincere. It is praise that the one who is being praised he deserves it. And it is praise that is sincere.

And the word حَمْد also includes the meaning of gratitude. Because the one who is offering such praise, why is he doing it? Why is he doing it? Out of thanks. Out of gratitude. So الحَمْدُ

All praise, sincere praise, out of love, out of respect, with gratitude, all of that. Who deserves it? للَّهِ For Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. All praise is for Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. Why? Because He is, continue reading the ayah, الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ Because He is the Rabb of the world.

What does it mean by رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ? رَب is from the root letters رَبَبَ رَبَبَ And رَب means to gradually nurture something. رَبَّ يَرِبُّ means to gradually nurture something. Like for example, you have a seed. You sow it in the ground. You continue to water it.

You make sure it gets sufficient sunlight. You make sure it’s not out there in the cold. You protect it. You nurture it. And eventually it will grow into a very healthy plant. So رَبَّ يَرِبُّ is to nurture something so that it reaches its stage of completion and perfection. What does it mean? To nurture something. To look after something.

So that it reaches its stage of completion and perfection. This is the literal meaning of رَبَّ يَرِبُّ From the same root, there is a word رَبَّةُ الْبَيِّ And this is used for a woman. Why? The woman of the house, the woman who takes care of the house, manages the house. The way a woman loves her house, the man doesn’t.

The way a woman loves her furniture, the man doesn’t. The way a woman loves her kitchen, the man doesn’t. Isn’t it? And the way she takes care of the house, the man doesn’t. Isn’t that true? So رَبَّةُ الْبَيْتِ is also used for a woman because she takes care of, she looks after the house. So رَبَّ Who does رَبَّ refer to? Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. It is said that رَبَّ

refers to three things. First of all, رب gives the meaning of خالق خالق What does that mean? Creator. So رب is خالق, the creator. Secondly, مالك What does مالك mean? Owner. The one who has complete authority over something.

He has complete ownership as well as authority over something. So خَالِق مَالِك And the third meaning is مُدَبِّر What does مُدَبِّر mean? Planner. The one who plans. The one who plans all of the affairs, all of the matters, our particular thing.

But over here you see, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala says that He is not just the Rabb of one thing, of just the human beings, of just the angels, of just the plants, of just the animals. No. He is Rabbil Alameen. Al-Alameen. He is the Rabb, He is the Creator, the Master, the Planner of Al-Alameen, of the entire worlds. Al-Alameen.

is the plural of the word عالم. It is the plural of the word عالم. And عالم is from عالم. عالم literally means a sign. What is it? A sign. An indication of something. The word عالم is also used for a flag. What does the flag do? It indicates a particular team or country, whatever. So عالم, عالمين, is the creation of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala.

Why is it called Aalameen? What does it show? What does it indicate? What does it prove? The existence of a creator. The existence of a creator. Everything, every being, every object points to the existence of its creator, of its maker.

So Allah is the Rabb of the entire world. It is also said that Alameen, the entire creation has been called Alameen. Why? Because if you think about it, human beings, they have a world. Not in the physical sense, the world of the human being. We have the world of the jinn, the world of the animals, the world of the plants. So all of these different, different worlds that exist.

Who made them? Who owns them? Who plans every matter pertaining to them? Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. This is why, alhamdulillah, all praise, sincere praise, true praise, for who? For Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. Because He is the Rabb of the entire world. He is the Rabb of the entire existence. Fir’aun, he asked,

Musa A.S. said, Fir’aun asked, What is this Lord of the worlds? Musa A.S. replied, Allah, He is the Lord of the entire heavens, whatever is above us. And the entire earth, everything that it has.

وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا And whatever that is between the two. So Allah, He is the Rabb of the entire world. How? He is the Rabb of the heavens, the earth, and whatever that is between them. So if He is the creator, the maker, the organizer, the manager of the entire heavens, the entire earth, does He not deserve praise? Does He not deserve obedience? If He is the one who made all of this,

If he is the one who is Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim, does he not deserve praise? Of course he does. If we find out about a manager of a very big company, we get so impressed. What is that manager? Just managing one thing? We are not even able to manage our lives. We are not able to manage our notebooks, our books, our houses, our cutlery.

Our kitchen stuff. We’re not able to manage even one thing. Allah. He is Rabb of Al-Alamin. Of the entire existence. Therefore, Alhamdulillah. All praise is for Allah. What is the message that you’re going to take home for yourself? Alhamdulillah Rabb Al-Alamin. All praise is for Allah, the Lord of the world. Okay?

Let’s listen to the recitation. I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds. The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgment. It is You we worship and You we ask for help.

اهدنا الصراط المستقيم سراط الذين أنعمت عليهم غير المغضوب عليهم ولا الظالين ولا الظالين After the lesson comes, homework. Alright? So your homework is

is to try to memorize the word-to-word translation, not the running translation, the word-to-word translation of Surah Al-Fatiha. How will you do it? How will you do it? You say out the Arabic word, and then you say out its translation.

Okay? Several times. For example, try doing it five times. Try doing it six times. Seven times. Until you have mastered it. And inshallah, tomorrow in the groups, you will be reviewing the word-to-word translation with your group in charge. Okay?