Introduction
All Praise is due to Allaah, we praise Him, seek His aid and His Forgiveness.
We seek
refuge in Allaah from the evils of our souls and the evils of our actions.
Whomsoever
Allaah guides there is none to misguide and whomsoever Allaah misguides there is
none
to guide. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah,
alone, without
any partners and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.
To proceed: This is Imaan Builder 2: Shaikh ul- Islaam Muhammad bin
‘Abdul-Wahhaab’s
Brief Commentary on al-Faatihah
Imaan Builder 2: Understanding the concept in Surah Al-Fatihah
Stated the Shaikh of Islaam, Muhammad bin ‘Abdul-Wahhaab:
[1] All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of all the Worlds.
[2] The Most Merciful, Every Merciful [His servants].
[3] Master of the Day of Judgement.
These three verses contain three matters:
In the first verse is the love of Allaah, who is the bestower of bounties and
favours. And
the bestower is loved to the extent of his bestowal of favours. Love itself is
of four types:
a) Love entailing Shirk, and they are those about whom Allaah said, “And of
mankind are
some who take (for worship) others besides Allah as rivals (to Allah). They love
them as
they love Allah…” up until He said, “…And they will never get out of the Fire.”
(Baqarah
2:165-167).
b) Loving falsehood and its people, and hating truth and its people,
and this is
a characteristic of the hypocrites.
c) Natural love, and this is the love of
wealth, offspring.
And when it does not divert one from obedience to Allaah and nor assist in
falling into the
prohibitions of Allaah, then it is permissible.
d) Loving the people of Tawheed,
and hating
the people of Shirk, and this is the strongest of the handholds of Imaan, and
the greatest of
that which Allaah is worshipped by.
In the second verse there is hope (rajaa’). And in the third verse there is
fear (khawf).
“You alone do we worship”, meaning I worship You O Lord with what has preceded
of
these three, that is with Love of you, Hope in you, and Fear of you. Hence,
these three are
pillars (arkaan) of worship, and directing them to other than Allaah is Shirk.
Also in these
three verses is a refutation of the one who adhered to only one of the three,
such as the one
who worships with Love only, or Hope only, or Fear only. And whoever directed a
single
one of them to other than Allaah, then he has committed Shirk. And amongst the
benefits
they (the verses) contain is that they refute all the groups who are attached to
only one of
these (three qualities), such as the one who worshipped Allaah, the Exalted, out
of love
alone. Likewise, the one who worshipped Allaah, the Exalted, out of hope alone
and
similarly, the one who worshipped Allaah, the Exalted, out of fear alone, like
the
Khawaarij.
[4] You alone do we worship and in You alone do we seek aid.
This contains the Tawheed of Uloohiyyah1, and Tawheed of Ruboobiyyah2.
[5] Guide us to the Straight Path.
This contains a refutation of the Innovators.
[6] The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace.
[7] Not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger (such as the Jews), nor of
those who went astray (such as the Christians).
And as for the last two verses, then they contain the following benefits:
a) A mention of the states (conditions) of people
b) Allaah divided them into three groups: 1) those who are favoured 2) those
upon whom
is anger 3) those who are astray.
c) Those upon whom is anger are the ones who have knowledge but no action.
d) Those who are astray are those given to worship, but without knowledge.
e) Even though these verses were revealed in connection with the Jews and the
Christians, they are applicable to everyone who is described with what has
preceded.
f) And as for the third group, they are those who are described with both
knowledge and
action, and they are the ones who are favoured.
And [the Surah] also contain the following benefits:
a) Negating power and might from oneself, since he is the one favoured upon
(hence, he
is not the owner of power and might)
b) Perfect knowledge of Allaah
c) Negation of deficiencies from Him, the Blessed
d) The servant’s knowledge of his Lord and of his own self, since if there is a
Rabb (Lord),
then there is a marboob (slave) by necessity. And when there is one who shows
mercy
(raahim) then there is one who is shown mercy (marhoom) by necessity. And when
there is an owner (maalik), then there is one who is owned (mamlook) by
necessity.
And when there is a servant (Abd), then there is one that is worshipped (ma’bood)
by
necessity. And when there is a guide (haad), then there is one who is guided (mahdee)
by necessity. And when there is one who bestows favours (mun’im), then there is
one
who is favoured. And when there is one upon whom is anger (maghdoob), then there
is
one who becomes angry.
Hence, this Surah contains both Uloohiyyah and Ruboobiyyah, the negation of
all
shortcomings from Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, and it also contains the
knowledge of
worship (Ibaadah) and its pillars. And Allaah knows best.”3
End of the Shaikh’s words.
Supplementary Notes
1. Since, al- Faatihah is recited in every prayer, and is also the “Essence
of the Qur’an”
(Umm ul-Qur’aan), then what it contains of benefits, can be utilised to develop,
maintain
and reinforce Imaan.
2. The Surah contains the following matters (which should be enumerated and
memorised):
a. A mention of the pillars of worship – Love, Fear and Hope (the actions of
the
heart)
b. A mention of the Names and Attributes (Allaah, Rabb, Rahmaan, Raheem Malik)
which are the basis of all the other Names and Attributes (ref. Ibn al-Qayyim in
al-
Madaarij).
c. A mention of both Uloohiyyah and Ruboobiyyah
d. A mention of what is for Allaah and what is for the Servant
e. A mention of what refutes the Innovators within Islaam, and thus emphasis
upon
the Sunnah and the way of the Salaf
f. A mention of the pillars of guidance – ‘Ilm and ‘Amal (Knowledge and Action)
g. A mention of the various states of people with respect to knowledge and
action
3. Ibn al-Qayyim said, in his book “as-Salaat, wa Hukm Taarikihaa”:
And when he says: All praise is due to Allaah the Rabb of all the Worlds, he
pauses for a
short while waiting for the response of his Lord: “My servant has praised Me.”
Then when
he says: The Most Gracious the Most Merciful, he waits for the response: “My
servant has
extolled Me” and when he says: Master of the Day of Judgement, he waits for the
response: “My servant has glorified Me.”
It is the delight of his heart, the pleasure of his eye and the joy of his
soul that his Lord
says about him: “My servant” three times. By Allaah! If the fumes of desire and
the
darknesses of the soul were not upon the hearts, they would have flown out of
happiness
and joy that their Lord, Maker and Diety says: “My servant has praised Me, My
servant
has extolled Me and My servant has glorified Me.”
Then there would have been space in his heart to witness (the reality) of the
three names
which are the basis of all the Beautiful Names and these are: Allaah, ar-Rabb
and ar-
Rahmaan...
...When he says: Master of the Day of Judgement, he witnesses the glory which
befits none
but the the King, the Truth, the Manifest. So he witnesses a very powerful and
compelling
King, to Whom the whole creation has yielded, to Whom the faces are humbled, to
Whom
the the creation humbles itself, and to Whom every possessor of power and honour
submits. He witnesses with his heart a King (Who is) upon the Throne of the
Heaven...
...And then he says: You alone do we worship and from You alone do we seek
help, in
which lies the secret of the creation and the affair, of the world and the
hereafter, and
which contains the loftiest of goals and the most excellent of means (of
approach to
Allaah). The loftiest of goals is enslavement to Allaah and the most excellent
of means is
His help and assistance. There is no diety deserving of worship in truth except
He and
there is no helper in His worship besides Him. Therefore, His worship is the
greatest of
goals and His aid is the loftiest of means...
...And these words contain the two types of Tawheed and they are Tawheed ur-
Ruboobiyyah and Tawheed ul-Uloohiyyah. Devotion to Allaah is comprised in His
names
ar-Rabb and Allaah, so he is worshipped on account of His Uloohiyyah, help is
sought
from Him on account of His Ruboobiyyah and He guides to the Straight Path on
account
of His Mercy. The first part of the surah therefore, mentions His names Allaah,
ar-Rabb
and ar-Rahmaan for the purpose of the one who seeks His worship, help and
guidance. He
is alone in being able to bestow all of that. There is no one who can aid others
in Allaah’s
worship besides Allaah and none can guide (to the Straight Path) except Him.
Then the caller realises with the speech of Allaah: Guide us to the Straight
Path, his
extreme need for this (guidance). He is never in need of any other thing as much
as he is
for this guidance. He is need of it in every moment and at every glance of the
eye...
...Then Allaah makes it clear that the people of this Guidance are those who
have been
specified with His favour, not those upon whom is His anger, and they are the
ones who
know the Truth but do not follow it and not of those who are astray, and they
are those
who worship Allaah without knowledge. Both of these groups share with each other
in
speaking about His creation, His command and His Names and Attributes without
knowledge. The path of those upon whom is His favour and blessing is different
from that
of the people of falsehood with respect to knowledge and action.
When he finishes from this praise, supplication and tawheed he has been
ordered to end it
with ‘Aameen’ which is a seal to (to his supplication) and with which the aameen
of the
angels in the sky coincides. This aameen is from the beautification of the
prayer, just like
the raising of the hands is a beautification of the prayer, a following of the
sunnah,
veneration of the command of Allaah, worship by the hands and a sign of the
transition
from one pillar (of the prayer) to another.”
4. When a servant wishes to renew and invigorate his Imaan, then let him pay
attention to
the meanings of this Surah, both in the prayer and outside of it, and let him
contemplate
upon them, during the times of the day and night.
5. The Surah contains a refutation of the Innovations, and the Innovators and
the Sects,
and is an affirmation of the correctness of the Sunnah and its People, who guide
themselves by way of the Salaf, in all ages, locations and circumstances.
6. The Surah alludes to the state of a Muslim with respect to knowledge and
action. So he
could be acting upon other than knowledge, and hence be away from the Sunnah,
acting upon other than it, speaking with other than it, in lesser or greater
amounts. Or he could
be hard-hearted not acting upon what he knows, following lusts and desires, in
greater or
lesser amounts. And all the people fall into a spectrum in between these two
states, and
hence have something of action upon ignorance and something of action in
opposition to
knowledge. And only those are exempted who are favoured by Allaah, in knowledge
and
action – and they are the People of the Sunnah.
7. From another angle, the Surah contains Tawheed, Ittibaa’, and Tazkiyah.
We ask Allaah, the one who accepts from the Muttaqeen, that He nourishes us all
with an
abundance of love, fear and hope, and that He helps us to cultivate and preserve
the
actions upon which our entrance to Paradise and safety from the Fire lies – by
way of
granting us success in attaining the realisation of the greatness of this Surah.
Ameen.
Prayers and peace upon the Prophet Muhammad, his family, his companions and
whoever
follows his way until the Hour is established.
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