It is named Al-Fatihah, the Opening – because it opens the Book and by it the recitation in prayer commences.It is also named Umm al-Qur’an, the Mother of the Qur’an, and Umm al-Kitab, the Mother of the Book.It was revealed in Makkah.It consists of seven verses. EXPLANATION
Allah deserves to be praised for the perfection of His qualities and spiritual blessings. Therefore, people should praise Him for everything He has given them. He alone deserves it. He is the Lord of the worlds.He made everything that exists, maintaining it at every moment. Allah alone is the Master of the Day of Judgment, the Day when human beings will be rewarded for their deeds. Reciting this verse in every rak’ah of prayer constantly reminds a Muslim of the coming Judgment, and encourages him to do good and stay away from sins. . The verse connects the heart with Allah and purifies it of pride. The ‘Straight Path’ is Islam, the clear road leading to divine pleasure and Heaven shown by Muhammad.This is a prayer from a Muslim to purify his heart of stubbornness, ignorance, and misguidance. The verse also shows Islam is Allah’s greatest blessing. Those who know the way and walk on it are guided and, after the prophets they were, without doubt, the companions of Prophet Muhammad. Theme
This Surah is in fact a prayer which Allah has taught to all those who want to make a study of His book. It has been placed at the very beginning of the book to teach this lesson to the reader: if you sincerely want to benefit from the Quran, you should offer this prayer to the Lord of the Universe.From this theme, it becomes clear that the real relation between Al-Fatihah and the Quran is not that of an introduction to a book but that of a prayer and its answer. Al-Fatihah is the prayer from the servant and the Quran is the answer from the Master to his prayer. The servant prays to Allah to show him guidance and the Master places the whole of the Quran before him in answer to his prayer. TEACHINGS
Al-Fatihah indirectly teaches that the best thing for a man is to pray for guidance to the straight path, to study the Quran with the mental attitude of a seeker- after-truth and to recognize the fact that the Lord of the Universe is the source of all knowledge. He should, therefore, begin the study of the Quran with a prayer to him for guidance.
