Surah al-Fatihah (The Beginning)

So I'm going to try something a little different.  Reading a surah (chapter) of the Holy Qur'an, or part of a surah, since some (especially the second) are rather lengthy!

Surah al-Fatihah (The Opening)


In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful
All praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds
The most beneficent, the merciful
Master of the Day of Judgement 
Thee alone we worship, Thee alone we ask for help
Guide us on the straight path
The path of those whom Thou hast blessed, Not the path of those whom wrath has been brought down nor of those who have gone astray.
Ameen




The opening.  The opening verse of the Holy Qur'an, the holy book of scriptures that we as Muslims believe is divine revelation from God through the Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa salaam).  This is the only verse that I have completely memorized.

Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) is the most beneficent, the most merciful.  God gives us no more than we can handle, even if we don't think we ourselves can handle it.  He shows us mercy, giving us what we need, which isn't necessarily what we want.  Sometimes, being merciful is withholding from us what we think we need because it's not really what we need.  It's also a message that I give my children.  What they want is not necessarily what they need.  They will get what they need, but they may not necessarily get what they want.

God is the owner and master of the Day of Judgement.  When that day comes, it will be God, not humanity, that will judge each of us on our sins and blessings, on our worthiness to attain paradise or not.  Each and every day, this is something we should remember.  Is what I am doing pleasing to Allah (subhana wa ta'ala)?  Will it get me reward in his favour?  Or am I hurting myself or someone else with my actions?

There is no God but God.  We worship him alone.  We hold no partners to Him.  He has not had children, gotten married, appeared on earth.  He is but the one true and only God.  He is the only one to pray to for guidance, the only one we pray to for mercy.  The path that He has laid out in front of us is a path that we should take, and He points us in that direction.  If we follow Him we will be lead down the right path.

Surah al-Fatihah is truly the beginning.  For a new Muslim, for a Muslim child learning about Islam, Surah al-Fatihah tells us the basics, the essentials that we must maintain in our deen and Islam.  I strive my best to do this every day.  Someday, when it comes time for God to say that my life has come to an end, I hope to achieve jannah, by worshiping only Him.