Appearance
Summaries of Sūrat al-Fātiḥah
The summary with which Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī opens his commentary on each verse of Sūrat al-Fātiḥah, in the order of the verses. To read the summary of one verse, type it on the Summary page.
1:1 — In the Name of Allah, the All-beneficent
In the Name of Allah, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful.
“Allāh” is the most excellent name of God, who possesses all existential perfections, and “al-Raḥmān” and “al-Raḥīm” are among His attributes, indicating the mercy of that endless existence. The difference is that “Raḥmān” signifies the abundance of mercy, while “Raḥīm” signifies its constancy and permanence. Thus, “Raḥmān” is the God whose all-encompassing mercy includes everything and everyone (believer, disbeliever, this world and the hereafter), and such mercy is not in opposition to wrath; rather, wrath is also among its instances. On the other hand, “Raḥīm” is the God who has a special mercy for the believers, and this mercy is in contrast to His wrath. God, the Glorious, opens the Qurʾān and also the chapter with His name, and in this way, He teaches human beings the etiquette of beginning work with the name of God.
On the Summary page · Read the commentary on 1:1 →
1:2 — All praise belongs to Allah
All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds,
Every praise given for any form of perfection or beauty is, in reality, praise of God, for only He is truly worthy of praise. God, the Glorified, is the Lord (Rabb) of every world (ʿālam), guiding it towards the perfection suitable for it. A world is something by which knowledge is obtained, and since in the universe every existent thing is a sign of God, each existent is a world unto itself, progressing towards its perfection through the lordship of God, the Glorified. This noble verse is the most comprehensive expression of praise for God. By clarifying the exclusive divinity and lordship of God, it conveys the restriction of praise to Him alone. God (Allāh), who possesses all perfections and is the Sustainer of all things (Rabb al-ʿĀlamīn), is worthy of praise. And since praise is offered in the face of the bestowal of perfection and beauty, which is the exclusive domain of God, praise is specific to Him and God is the only One deserving of praise.
God, the Glorified, is not only the sole One worthy of praise (maḥmūd), but also the sole Praiser (ḥāmid). This is because true praise (ḥamd) is not possible without knowing the Bestower of blessings and all His perfections and blessings, and none other than God has such knowledge.
On the Summary page · Read the commentary on 1:2 →
1:3 — the All-beneficent, the All-merciful
the All-beneficent, the All-merciful,
God’s all-encompassing mercy (raḥmah raḥmāniyyah) and His special mercy (raḥmah raḥīmiyya) mentioned in this noble verse are two proofs for the exclusivity of praise (ḥamd) for God. This is because the all-encompassing mercy, which includes both the believer and the disbeliever, and the special mercy, which is exclusive to the believer, are both unique to God. Such mercy is the cause of deserving praise. Therefore, the Sustainer of existents is God, who has an all-encompassing mercy for all and a special mercy for the believers. Such a Sustainer is worthy of praise.
On the Summary page · Read the commentary on 1:3 →
1:4 — Master of the Day of Retribution
Master of the Day of Retribution.
God, the Glorified, is the absolute Master of the worlds and all that is in them, and such unlimited ownership becomes manifest on the Day of Resurrection, not that it originates on that day. God, who is the Manager and Nurturer of human beings, opens the way for their ultimate perfection by establishing the Day of Resurrection. And with belief in the Resurrection, which is the best factor in saving man from corruption, He nurtures him. On the Day of Resurrection, which is the locus of manifestation of God’s absolute ownership and on which day all acknowledge the ownership of the Real, He rewards human beings. And such a God is praiseworthy.
The word “day” (yawm) in this verse means manifestation, not a portion of time. On the Day of Resurrection, all dimensions of religion such as tawḥīd(divine unity), God’s beautiful names, and other secrets and realities will become manifest.
This noble verse, by explaining the purposeful system of creation, provides another proof for the exclusivity of praise (ḥamd) for God. It also serves as evidence for God being the sole object of worship (maʿbūd) and the one whose aid is sought (mustaʿān). Therefore, it is connected to the preceding and following verses.
On the Summary page · Read the commentary on 1:4 →
1:5 — You [alone] do we worship
You [alone] do we worship, and to You [alone] do we turn for help.
Knowing and internalizing the Beautiful Names of God (Divinity, Lordship, All-Mercifulness, All-Compassionateness, Mastership) brings the human being who is absent from God into His presence, making him worthy of addressing Him directly. Therefore, the worshipping servant, after gaining knowledge of God and believing in His Beautiful Names, finds himself in God’s presence. Turning from the third person to the second person, he speaks to God: “O God, You alone do we worship, and from You alone do we seek help” (even for worship), and none other than You is worthy of submission.
God, the Glorified, is the only One worthy of worship and the only One whose aid is sought in the created universe, for He is the only Origin who possesses all perfections (Allāh), nourishes every existent being (Rabb al-ʿālamīn), has boundless mercy for all and special mercy for the believers (al-Raḥmān al-Raḥīm), and He is the only Authority whose masterly dominion will become manifest to all on the Day of Resurrection, when He will reward and punish based on justice and wisdom (Māliki yawmi l-dīn).
On the Summary page · Read the commentary on 1:5 →
1:6 — Guide us on the straight path
Guide us on the straight path,
The seeking servant, in order to reach the encounter with God, the Glorious, needs a path that is safe from the harm of crookedness and deviation and from the assault of Satan, and is in need of the light of guidance that shows him the way and leads him until reaching the ultimate destination.
In this verse, the seeking servant asks God for guidance to the straight path, and this guidance is the same as existential guidance (hidāyat-i takwīnī); because the speaker (the one praying or reciting the Qur’an), after knowing God and believing in Him, seeks the light of guidance to recognize the path and the pitfall in its light. And since human dynamism is constant and the path of truth also has many stages, the seeking servant must always ask God for guidance to the straight path.
The ṣirāṭ is a highway that on one end is connected to God the Glorious (and for this reason it is singular, not plural), and on the other end is situated in the nature (fiṭra) of every individual human being, starting from their inner being. Therefore, traversing it is not difficult, and whoever traverses it will reach the meeting with God (liqāʾ Allāh).
On the Summary page · Read the commentary on 1:6 →
1:7 — the path of those whom You have blessed — such as have not incurred Your wrath
the path of those whom You have blessed — such as have not incurred Your wrath, nor are astray.
The straight path that the journeying servant seeks is the way of those upon whom God, glory be to Him, has bestowed spiritual blessings, who are neither subject to God’s wrath nor astray.
They are the companions of the prophets, the truthful, the witnesses, and the righteous—those whom God has granted the blessings of prophethood, truthfulness, witnessing, and righteousness. They are the best companions for the wayfarers on the straight path.
There is only one straight path, which the rightly guided traverse with steadfastness while others go astray. In the system of existence, there are not multiple paths—deviant paths have never been created. Therefore, if humans were not misguided, there would be neither deviance nor misguidance and wrath.
From God, nothing but good descends, and His wrath and misguidance are retributive, not initial.