The following is excerpted from The Endless Banquet: A Thematic Explanation of the Qur’an (Volume I) by Shaykh Hamzah Abdul Malik, from Recitation of the Glorious Qur’an: Its Virtues, Etiquette, and Specialties by Imam ‘Abdullah Siraj al-Din, and from Inner Dimensions from the Order of the Surahs in the Qur’an by Imam Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti..

It could be argued that al-Fatihah constitutes a summary of the Qur’an. Every part of the Qur’an can be linked back to an ayah from this surah.

Overview of the Fatihah

Examining the Qur’an from a higher level, the Qur’an can be summarized as a book that teaches us two things:

The relationship of Allah with His creation
Our relationship with Him.

The first attribute is associated with the relationship Allah has with nature. Not only does He nurture it, but He is also its caretaker.

First Three Ayat

The beginning of al-Fatihah establishes the relationship between Allah and His creation: The first three ayat revolve around four attributes of Allah. The first states that Allah is the Lord, and the second is that He is the Most Gracious (الرحم ن) then the Most Merciful (الرحيم) and lastly the Master/King (الملك).

The first attribute is associated with the relationship Allah has with nature. Not only does He nurture it, but He is also its caretaker.
The meaning of His lordship flows directly into the meaning of being merciful (al-Rahman). Allah is merciful to all beings, regardless of their level of significance or insignificance.
Following the second attribute is the description of Allah as the Most Merciful; the third attribute. This third attribute brings more nuance to His mercy by defining the specific mercy that is allotted to those who choose to worship and love Him.
The fourth and final attribute, the Master/King, serves to define His relationship with His creation on the Day of Judgment. Altogether, these four attributes summarize the principles through which we understand the actions Allah takes at every stage of our existence.

Allah defines the nature of this path of worship and reliance based on the path of the righteous people who came before us.

Last Four Ayat

The second half of the surah highlights our relationship with Allah and defines this through two categories. The first category defines the actions we should undertake both outwardly and inwardly.

Outwardly, we are required to follow a lifestyle that allows us to worship Allah through rituals and by following the Shariah, and to do so purely for His sake (i.e. it is You we worship).

Inwardly, we must rely on Him alone and not expect our actions to earn us salvation (i.e. from You we seek assistance).

The second category expands on the first by enhancing the definition of worshiping Allah and what our reliance should look like. Allah defines the nature of this path of worship and reliance based on the path of the righteous people who came before us. Simultaneously, we must avoid the path of people who have demonstrated extreme behavior, such as that which incurs the anger of Allah or which leads to misguidance.

All these extremes are elaborated on throughout the stories detailed in the rest of the Qur’an.

Some Names and Characteristics of Surah al-Fatihah

It is the greatest Surah in the Noble Qur’an

Bukhārī narrated on the authority of Abu Sa’id ibn al-Mu’alla رضي الله عنه who said:

“I was praying in the masjid and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ called me, but I did not respond to him. I then came to him and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I was praying.’
“He ﷺ said, ‘Does Allah not say,
“Respond to Allah and His Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life?” (al-Anfal, 24)’
“He ﷺ then said, ‘Shall I teach you a sūrah which is the greatest sūrah in the Qur’an?’
“He ﷺ then said, ‘All praise is for Allah, Lord of the worlds. It is the seven oft-repeated verses and the great Qur’an that I have been granted.’” (Bukhari, 4474)

Surah al-Fatihah is the most virtuous part of the Noble Qur’an

It is narrated on the authority of Anas رضي الله عنه that the Prophet ﷺ said:

Shaykh 'Abdullah Siraj al-Din's *Recitation of the Glorious Qur'an* is a compendium of both conceptual and practical knowledge related to Allah's Book.

“The most virtuous part of the Qur’an is ‘All praise is for Allah, Lord of the worlds.’ (al-Fatihah, 1)” (Ibn Hibban, 774; Hakim, 2056)

Tirmidhi narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out to Ubayy ibn Ka’b رضي الله عنه and called him whilst he was praying. He turned around but did not reply. Ubayy رضي الله عنه shortened his prayer and then went to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, “Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah.”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Peace be upon you also. What stopped you from replying when I called you, O Ubayy?”
He said, “O Messenger of Allah, I was in prayer.”
He ﷺ said, “Did you not find, ‘Respond to Allah and His Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life’ amongst that which has been revealed to me?”
Ubayy رضي الله عنه said, “Yes. I will not do it again – if Allah wills.”
He ﷺ said, “Do you want me to teach you a surah the like of which has not been revealed in the Torah, Gospel, Psalms, and even in the Criterion (i.e., the Qur’an)?”
He said, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.”
He ﷺ then recited the Essence of the Qur’an (Umm al-Qur’an). He ﷺ said, “By the One in Whose Hand lies my soul, the likes thereof has not been revealed in the Torah, Gospel, Psalms, and even in the Qur’an. It is the seven oft-repeated verses and the great Qur’an I have been granted.” (Tirmidhi, 2875)

Surah al-Fatihah is the Essence of the Qur’an

Surah al-Fatihah is called the Essence of the Qur’an because the essence (umm) of a thing is its origin and source.

This is why Mecca is called the Mother of all cities (Umm al-Qura), because it is the origin. The first part of the Earth created by Allah Most High is this piece, after which the rest of the earth was spread out from underneath it. Moreover, all cities return to it in their prayer and their pilgrimage. It was here that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sent to the entirety of mankind from the east to the west.

In a similar manner, all of the objectives of the Qur’an and its core meanings return summarily to Surah al-Fatihah, due to it comprising divine issues (ilahiyyat), prophetic issues (nubuwwat), religious laws, the states of the beginning (mabda’) and afterlife (maʿād), and so forth – as explained by the expert scholars.

Sayyiduna ‘Ali رضي الله عنه said,

“If I wanted, I could load 70 camels with the exegesis of Surah al-Fatihah.” (Qut al-Qulub, vol. 1, p. 50)

“A man whom we did not know to treat through incantations went with her and treated him (i.e., read Surah al-Fatihah over him). He was thus cured, instructed that 30 goats be given to him, and he also gave us milk to drink.” (Bukhari, 2276)

Surah al-Fatihah is called the Chapter of Secretly Conversing (Surah al-Munajah)

Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrated that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:

“Allah Most High said, ‘I have divided the prayer between Myself and My slave into two parts, and My slave will have what He requests.
“When he says, ’All praise is for Allah, Lord of all worlds’, Allah Most High says, ‘My slave has praised Me.’
“When he says, ‘The Most Compassionate, Most Merciful’, Allah Most High says, ‘My slave has extolled Me.’
“When he says, ‘Master of the Day of Judgement’, Allah Most High says, ‘My slave has exalted Me (and on one occasion, he said: My slave has consigned to Me).’
“When he says, ‘You [alone] we worship and You [alone] we ask for help’, He says, ‘This is between Me and My slave, and My slave will have what he requests.’
“When he says, ‘Guide us along the Straight Path, the Path of those You have blessed – not of those You are displeased with, or those who are astray’, Allah says, ‘This is for My slave, and My slave will have what he requests.’” (Muslim, 395)

In a narration of Bayhaqi:

“When he says (at the beginning of Surah al-Fatihah), ‘In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful’, Allah Most High says, ‘My slave has remembered Me.’” (Bayhaqi in al-Sunan al-Kubra)

‘Allamah al-Munawi said:

“This (i.e., the reciter speaking to their Lord) is an implicit metaphor (isti’arah bi al-kinayah). This is because the Noble Qur’an is a message from Allah Most High to His slaves. Hence, it is as though the reciter is saying, ‘O my Lord, You have said such-and-such.’ Thus, they are secretly conversing with Allah Most High.”

Surah al-Fatihah is called the Essence of the Qur’an because the essence (*umm*) of a thing is its origin and source. Mecca is called the Mother of all cities (*Umm al-Qura*), because it is the origin. In a similar manner, all of the objectives of the Qur’an and its core meanings return summarily to Surah al-Fatihah.

Surah al-Fatihah is called the Curer (al-Shafiyah) and the Incantation (al-Ruqyah)

Abu Sa’id رضي الله عنه narrated:

“We were on a journey and dismounted somewhere when a girl came and said, ‘The leader of this tribe has been bitten. Does any one of you treat through incantations (ruqyah)?’
“A man whom we did not know to treat through incantations went with her and treated him (i.e., read Surah al-Fatihah over him). He was thus cured, instructed that 30 goats be given to him, and he also gave us milk to drink.
“When he (i.e., Abu Sa’id) returned, we said to him, ‘Did you know from before how to treat with incantations properly?’
“He said, ‘I did not treat him except with Umm al-Kitab (i.e., Surah al-Fatihah).’
“We said, ‘Do not relate anything (regarding the goats) until we ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.’
“When we arrived in Medina, we mentioned it to the Prophet ﷺ and he said, ‘How did he know it is an incantation? Distribute the goats amongst yourselves and give me a share also.’” (Bukhari, 2276)

This is proof for the permissibility of using incantations comprising the Qur’an, and also proof for those who say it is permissible to take remuneration upon reciting.

IGP’s free ebook Morning and Evening Invocations contains the Fatihah as well as many other du’a and dhikr from the Qur’an and Sunnah. Also available in paperback.

Surah al-Fatihah is called the Cure (al-Shifa’)

Dārimī narrated on the authority of Abu Sa’id رضي الله عنه that the Prophet ﷺ said,

“The Opener of the Book is a cure for every poison.” (Darimi in his Sunan, 3370)

Surah al-Fatihah is called the Opener of the Book (Fatihah al-Kitab)

Muslim narrated on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas رضي الله عنه who said,

“Whilst Jibril عليه السلام was sitting with the Prophet ﷺ, he (i.e., the Prophet ﷺ) heard a sound from above and looked up towards the sky.
“He (i.e., Jibril عليه السلام) said, ‘This is a door in the Heavens which has opened today and has never opened before.’
“Then an Angel came down from it and Jibril عليه السلام said, ‘This is an Angel who has come down to Earth and he has never come down except today.’
“He greeted with salaam and said, ‘Rejoice over two lights which you have been given and which no Prophet has ever been given before you: the Opener of the Book (Fatihah al-Kitab) and the last verses of Surah al-Baqarah. You will not recite a single letter of them except that you will be granted it.’” (Muslim, 806)

Other names of Surah al-Fatihah

It is also called:

The Sufficer (al-Kafiyah) as it suffices from others besides it
The Treasure (al-Kanz)

Surah al-Fatihah has many other names as well.

Surah al-Fatihah is the most virtuous Surah in the Noble Qur’an

Ibn Hibban narrated in his Sahih, and Hakim – who said it is authentic according to the criteria of Muslim – on the authority of Anas رضي الله عنه who said:

“The Prophet ﷺ was on a journey when he dismounted and a man dismounted next to him. The Prophet ﷺ turned to him and said, ‘Shall I not inform you of the most virtuous part of the Qur’an?’
“He said, ‘Yes, of course.’
“He ﷺ recited, ‘All praise is for Allah, Lord of the worlds.’” (Ibn Hibban, 774)

This is as cited in al-Mundhiri’s al-Targhib.

Sayyiduna ‘Ali رضي الله عنه said, “If I wanted, I could load 70 camels with the exegesis of Surah al-Fatihah.” (*Qut al-Qulub*, vol. 1, p. 50)

Practices related to Surah al Fatihah

Memorizing Surah al-Fatihah is an Obligation

Tabarani narrated on the authority of Husayn ibn ‘Ali رضي الله عنه , as a hadith attributed to the Prophet ﷺ:

“The bearers of the Qur’an will be the directors of the people of Paradise on the Day of Judgement.”

Note: It states in Sharḥ al-Munyah:

“To memorize that amount [of the Qur’an] whereby prayer is valid is an individual obligation (fard ‘ayn) upon every accountable person, to memorize Surah al-Fatihah and another surah is necessary (wajib), and to memorize the entire Qur’an is a communal obligation (fard kifayah). Moreover, an individual sunnah is better than additional prayer.”

Regularly completing one recital of the Qur’an after the other is the most beloved action to Allah Most High

Tirmidhi narrated on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas رضي الله عنه :

A man asked, “O Messenger of Allah, which action is most beloved to Allah Most High?”
He ﷺ said, “The one who reads from the beginning of the Qur’an until the end; whenever he dismounts, he proceeds.” (Tirmidhi, 2948)

This means that they begin a new recital every time they complete one. This is why the scholars of the Qur’an have desirable for one completing the Qur’an to follow it with reciting Surah al-Fatihah and the beginning of Surah al-Baqarah until His saying:

“And it is they who will be successful” (al-Baqarah, 5)

This is to realize his ﷺ saying:

“Whenever he dismounts, he proceeds.”

This noble hadith contains clear guidelines for a person wanting to traverse the path of drawing near to the King of all kings, and that is for them to complete consecutive recitals [of the Qur’an]. This is dismounting and proceeding, and it results in attaining divine nearness and connection. This form of traversing is the quickest and safest, and there is no quicker way, as indicated by our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in this hadith.

Relationship of Surah al-Fatihah with Other Surahs of the Qur’an

He (subhanahu wa ta ‘ala) began His Book with this surah because it has gathered all the objectives of the Qur’an.

This passage is excerpted from Imam Ghazali Publishing’s translation of Imam al-Suyuti’s *Asrar Tartib al-Qur’an*, published by IGP in 2024 as *Inner Dimensions from the Order of the Surahs in the Qur’an*.

Some of the names given to it are:

‘The Mother of the Qur’an’ (Umm al-Qur’an)
‘The Mother of the Book’ (Umm al-Kitab)
‘The Foundation’ (al-Asas).

Thus it is the quintessence and an excellent opening.

Al-Hasan al-Basri said:

Allah included the sciences of the previous Books in the Qur’an. And He included the sciences of the Qur’an in the mufassal. And He included the sciences of the mufassal in the Fatihah. So, if someone knows its [the Fatihah’s] explanation, it is as if he knows the explanation of all the revealed books.

This was reported by al-Bayhaqi in Shu’ab al-Iman.

An explanation of how the surah encompasses all the sciences of the Qur’an, has been given by al-Zamakhshari:

It comprises praise of Allah, because of His being worthy of praise, worship, commands and prohibitions, and the Divine promises and threats. The verses of the Qur’an will always have to do with one of these matters.

Imam Fakhr al-Din has said:

The objective of the Qur’an in its entirety is to confirm four matters: matters of Divinity [al-Ilahiyyat], the Hereafter [al-Ma’ad], Prophecy [al-Nabawat] and the confirmation of the Divine Decree and Predestination [al-Qaḍā’ wa al-Qadar].
His words ‘All praise is due to Allah; Lord of the worlds’ indicate matters of Divinity. His words ‘King of the Day of Judgement’ represent negation of compulsion, and confirmation that everything is by the Decree and Predestination of Allah. Finally, ‘Guide us to the Straight Path’ towards the end of the surah, indicates confirmation of the Decree of Allah and Matters of Prophecy. Thus, this surah has covered all four of the above topics, which are the greatest objectives of the Qur’an.

Al-Baydawi said, regarding al-Fatihah,

‘It comprises the rational wisdoms and rulings that govern actions that [include] traveling upon the Straight Path, as well as a look into the degrees of felicity and levels of wretchedness.’

Al-Tibi said:

Allah loves the person who *"Whenever he dismounts, he proceeds,”* meaning the person who completes the Qur’an and begins again. *The Nasim: Regarding Congregating & Supplicating Upon Completion of the Qur’an* is a traditional du’a to be made at the time of a khatm of the Qur’an, passed down for over 1000 years by the scholars of Tarim, Yemen.

It comprises four kinds of knowledge, which are the frame of reference of the religion.
The first is the science of the Fundamental Principles of the Religion [‘Ilm al-Usul]. The junction between this surah and that science is the knowledge of Allah (‘azza wa jall) and His Attributes. This is what is indicated by His words ‘Lord of the worlds. The Beneficent, the Merciful’. It is also linked with knowledge of the Hereafter, which has been alluded to in His words ‘King of the Day of Judgement’.
The second is the science of branch matters. Its foundation is acts of worship and that is the meaning of His words ’You alone we worship’.
The third is the knowledge of that by which perfection is obtained, which is the science of right conduct. Its objective is arrival in the Absolute Presence, flight to the Unique Company, and travelling the Straight Path in it [that Presence], which are all indicated in His words ‘And from You alone we seek help. Guide us to the Straight Path’.
The fourth is the science of accounts of the previous nations, both the felicitous among them, and His promise to treat them well, and the wretched, and His promise to humiliate them. This is the meaning of His words ‘Those whom You have blessed, not the path of those upon whom is Your wrath, nor those who go astray’.

Then he said:

The entire Qur’an is an explanation of what al-Fatihah comprises. Indeed, it [al-Fatihah] has been built upon the summary of what the Qur’an covers in detail. It has come at the beginning of the revelation and from the rhetoric of the beginning of something, is that it should comprise the meaning of all of what is said. For that reason, it is not befitting that any of its words should be restricted as long as it is possible to interpret it in a general sense.

Al-Ghazali said, in Khawas al-Qur’an :

The objectives of the Qur’an are six. Three are fundamental and three are complementary.
The first is the description of what is being called to, as was indicated in its beginning. Then comes the description of the Straight Path, which has been stated explicitly therein. Then come the states [of creation] when they are returned to Him (subhanahu wa ta ‘ala) in the Hereafter. This is indicated in His words ‘King of the Day of Judgement’.
The other objectives are the description of the states of the obedient, as indicated in His words ‘Those whom You have blessed’, the stories of the rejecters, as indicated in His words ‘Those upon whom is Your wrath’ and ‘Those who go astray’, and the description of the stations of the Path in ’You alone we worship and from You alone we seek aid’.