al-Fatiha 1

Comments on Sura al-Fatiha

al-Fatiha

Praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all Being,
the All-Merciful, the All-compassionate,
the master of the Day of Doom.
You [alone] we serve; to you [alone] we pray for help.
Guide us on the straight path,
the path of those whom you blessed;
not [the path] of those who earn your anger
nor of those go astray.

  1. بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

  2. الْحَمْدُ للّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

  3. الرَّحْمـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

  4. مَـالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ

  5. إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

  6. اهدِنَــــا الصِّرَاطَ المُستَقِيمَ

  7. صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنعَمتَ عَلَيهِمْ غَيرِ المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّالِّين

  1. In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

  2. Praise be to God, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the world;

  3. Most Gracious, Most Merciful;

  4. Master of the Day of Judgment.

  5. Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek.

  6. Show us the straight way,

  7. The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray.

  1. Bismi Allahi alrrahmani alrraheemi

  2. Alhamdu lillahi rabbi alAAalameena

  3. Alrrahmani alrraheemi

  4. Maliki yawmi alddeeni

  5. Iyyaka naAAbudu wa-iyyaka nastaAAeenu

  6. Ihdina alssirata almustaqeema

  7. Sirata allatheena anAAamta AAalayhim ghayri almaghdoobi AAalayhim wala alddalleena

Muslim claim that the Qur’an is the revealed word of Allah speaking. But would Allah say: “You [alone] we worship; You [alone] We ask for help?” Would Allah need to ask for you guidance to the straight path? To whom is Allah lifting his prayers?

After reading this passage, one realizes that these and other words in the Qur’an are nothing but Muhammad’s own. It would have been more proper to say, “bika nastain” for this means “by you we are aided”; but as it written in Arabic, “wa-iyyaka nastaAAeenu” it means “with you are aided.”

Islamic Commentators claim that “those who earn your anger” are the Jews and “those who go astray” are the Christians. This, however, is not consistent with the Qur’an itself, since it describes the Jews as having the Torah which holds the Judgments (i.e., statues) of Allah (Sura al-Maida 5:43,44) and the Gospel (Injil) is described as containing “guidance and light” (Sura al-Maida 5:46 ). Would it not have been more proper to say that those who earn Allah’s anger and go astray are the atheists and hypocrites ?

 

June 21, 2001