Al-Fâtiha is the first sûrah (chapter) of the Qur'ân,

Al-Fâtiha is the first sûrah (chapter) of the Qur'ân,

 Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem
    Al-hamdu lillahi Rabb il-'alamin
    Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem
    Maliki yawmi-d-Din
    Iyya-ka na'budu wa iyya-ka nasta'in
    Ihdina-sirat al-mustaqim
    Sirat al-ladhina an'amta 'alai-him
    Ghair il-Maghdubi 'alai-him wa la-d-dallin

    In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
    Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds:
    The Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful:
    Owner of the Day of Judgement.
    Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) was ask for help.
    Show us the straight path:
    The path of those whom Thou hast favoured; Not (the path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray.



Going even deeper into 'The Opening'....


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 ir-rahmân ir-rahîm

    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.



al-hamdulillâhi rabb il-âlamîn

    al-hamdulillâhi = all praise is to Allah, all praise is for Allah
      hamd :  praise, commendation, laudation
       continual praise with a feeling of pleasure,  continual praise for the sake of Allah (not for any specific action)

    rabb = lord, master, owner, nourisher, cherisher, guardian
         Root r-b-b:  indicates the idea of fostering something in such a manner as to help it to attain one condition after another until it reaches the goal of completion

    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.

    

mâliki yawm id-dîn

    mâliki = lord, master, owner, controller
       Root m-l-k:  to own, possess, acquire, control, rule,  have dominion over, lord over,  to be master of.

    yawm = day, age, era, time, a period of time, moment

    id-dîn = religion, faith, creed, sovereignty, submission, belief, accountability
       Root d-â-n: to be indebted, to owe, to be subject, be under someone's power, owe allegiance; to repay. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen said: dîn means the light which is perfectly pure, dîn is what existed in the beginning, the "ancient thing" which was with God originally and is always with Him.



iyyâka na`budu wa iyyâka nasta`în

    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)

    na'budu = we worship, we serve, we adore
       na: (imperfect prefix)
       Root  '-b-d:  to serve, worship, adore, venerate, submit
       u: (indicative suffix, 1st person plural)

    wa = and, and also, while, whilst, but, together, with

    nasta'în = we seek help from
       Root '-A-n: to aid, to assistance, help
      



ihdinâ s-sirât al-mustaqîm

    ihdi-nâ = guide us, show us, lead us
       ihdi: Root h-d-y: guide, show, direct, be made aware, to be led back, to be rightly led with kindness until one reaches the goal. This is also the root of al-Hâdî, the Guide, the Leader.
       nâ: pronoun, referring to we, or us.

    s-sirât = course, path, way
       specifically, a path which is even, wide and can be easily followed to the goal.

    al-mustaqîm = straight, shortest, smooth, exact, right
       Root q-m: get up. stand up, stand erect: make straight, correct, reform, lift up, resurrect, appoint, arouse. This is also the root of al-Qayyûm, the Self-existing, the One who stands alone.



sirât al-ladhîna an`amta `alayhim

ghayr il-maghdûbi `alayhim wa la d-dâlîn

    sirât = course, path, way
        specifically, a path which is even, wide and can be easily followed to the goal.

    al-ladhîna = those who, whoever
         some early manuscripts read man rather than al-ladhîna     

    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)

    'alayhim = unto them, upon them, over them
       (prep) `alâ  on, upon, over, toward, for

    ghayr =  unlike, different from, other than

    il-maghdûbi = the recipient of anger, frustration, annoyance
       Root gh-d-b:  means to be cross, angry, irritated, furious, annoyed, enraged.

    'alayhim = unto them, upon them, over them
       (prep) 'alâ:  on, upon, over, toward, for

    wa la = and not, nor, neither, not even

    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) In the name of Allah, the Ever-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.


Allah will make it easy for all of us.
 May Allah make our efforts sincere and keep us all on the straight path...........

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And earn Sawab-e-Jariya...May Allah swt make it a source of Sawab-e-Jariya for u and me .Ameen

P.S.: "Have fun praying    don’t forget to make dua for me."