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1. Surah Al Fatihah (The Opening) Name This Surah is named Al-Fatihah because of its subject-matter. Fatihah is that which opens a subject or a book or any other thing. In other words, Al-Fatihah is a sort of preface. Period of Revelation It is one of the very earliest Revelations to the Holy Prophet. As a matter of fact, we learn from authentic Traditions that it was the first complete Surah which was revealed to Muhammad (Allah’s peace be upon him). Before this, only a few miscellaneous verses were revealed which form parts of `Alaq, Muzzammil, Muddaththir, etc. 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. This preface is meant to create a strong desire in the heart of the reader to seek guidance from the Lord of the Universe, Who alone can grant it. Thus 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. 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, as if to say, “This is the Guidance you begged from Me.” [1-3] In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.1 Praise is only for Allah,2 the Lord of the Universe,3 the All-Compassionate, the All-Merciful,4 the Master of the Day of Judgment.5 Students of Qur'an [4-7] Thee alone we worship6 and to Thee alone we pray for help.7 Show us the straight way,8 the way of those whom Thou hast blessed;9 who have not incurred Thy wrath, nor gone astray.10 1Islamic culture requires a man to commence everything with the name of Allah. If this is done consciously and sincerely, it will surely produce three good results. First, it will keep him away from evil, because the very name of Allah will impel him to consider whether he is justified in associating His name with a wrong deed or an evil intention. Secondly, the very mention of the name of Allah will create in him the right attitude of mind and direct him to the right direction. Thirdly,he will receive Allah’s help and blessing and will be protected from the temptations of Satan, for Allah turns to a man when he turns to Him. 2It has been stated in the Introduction to this Surah that AI-Fatihah is a prayer. It begins with the praise of Allah to Whom it is addressed in order to teach us the right way of making a supplication. We should not put forward our request bluntly and abruptly without an appropriate introduction. The right way is to acknowledge the excellences and the favors and the high position of the One to Whom we address our prayer. That is why we begin our prayer with the praise of Allah, for He is the perfection of all excellences and .is also our Benefactor. We pay homage to Allah to show that we sincerely acknowledge His excellences and also are grateful to Him for His countless favours. It should also be noted that not only Praise is for Allah but also Praise is only for Allah. This distinction is very important because it cuts at the root of the worship of any of His creation. As none of them is worthy of praise, none is worthy of worship. No man, no angel, no prophet, no so-called god, no star, no idol, in short. none of His creation inherently possesses any good quality. If one has any, it is given by Allah. Hence the Creator of these qualities alone deserves devotion, worship, gratitude, and none of His creation. 3The word Rab which has been translated into `Lord’ stands for (a) Master and Owner, (b) Sustainer, Provider and Guardian, (c) Sovereign, Ruler, Administrator and Organizer. Allah is the Lord of the Universe in all these senses. 4Although the Arabic word Rahman itself is in the superlative form and denotes the attributes of beneficence and mercy in the highest degree, even this word fails to express the boundless extent of these attributes of Allah. Hence another word Rahim of the same root has been added to make up for the deficiency. 5After saying that Allah is Beneficent and Merciful, it has immediately been added that He is the Master of the Day of Judgment, so that the qualities of mercy and kindness might not mislead anyone into forgetting that on that Day He will gather together all human beings from the first to the last and require each and every one to give an account of all of one’s acts to Him. A Muslim should, therefore, always keep in view the fact that Allah is not only Merciful, but He is also Just. He has, however, full authority to pardon or punish anyone He pleases, for He has complete power over everything. Therefore we should have full conviction that it lies absolutely in His power to make our end happy or sorrowful. 6The Arabic word ibadat is used in three senses: (a)worship and devotion, (b) submission and obedience, (c) subjection and servitude. Here it implies all the three, that is, We are Thy worshipers, Thy subjects and Thy slaves and We keep these relations with Thee and Thee alone and “We make none else the object of our worship in all the three senses.” 7It means, We ask for Thy help because we know that Thou art the Lord of the whole Universe and Thou hast all powers and Thou art the Master of every thing. Therefore we turn to Thee for help for the fulfillment of our needs and requirements. 8That is, “Show us that way which may lead us aright in every walk of life and keep us absolutely free from errors and evil consequences and bring us success in the end.” , This is the request which the servant of Allah makes to Him when he begins the study of the Qur’an. He prays to Him to guide him in every walk of life and save him from the labyrinths of doubt and uncertainty, which result from the lack of true knowledge. The servant also requests the Master to show him the right and the straight way of life from among the many by-paths and crooked ways. 9The straight way for which we are praying is the way which has always been followed by the people favored by Thee and which has always brought Thy favors and blessings. 10This is to show that the favored people are not those who go astray and incur the wrath of Allah, though apparently they might be enjoying the transitory good things of life. The really favored people are those who receive blessings on account of their righteous living. From this it also becomes clear that by favors are meant those real and permanent rewards, which result from righteous living and from winning the pleasure of Allah, and not those transitory good things of life which have been enjoyed even by the tyrants and worshipers of mammon and which are being enjoyed even today by all sorts of evildoers who have gone astray from the straight way. Reflections Upon Surat Al-`Asr Posted On May 29, 2008 Comments Dropped no responses Reflections Upon Surat Al-`Asr * By Sayed Qutb Translated By Adil Salahi This article has been taken with modifications from the author’s book In the Shade of the Qur’an. In the name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the Ever-Merciful, [ By (the Token of) Time (through the ages), surely people are in loss, except the ones who have believed and done deeds of righteousness and enjoin one another to the Truth, and enjoin one another to patience. ] (Al-`Asr 103:1-3) This very short surah outlines a complete system for human life based on the Islamic fundamental principles. It defines, in the clearest and most concise form, the basic concept of faith in the context of its comprehensive reality. In a few words, the whole Islamic constitution is covered and, as such, the Muslim community is described in its essential qualities and message in one single verse — the last in the surah. Such is the clear and most expressive style of which only Allah is capable. The great fact affirmed by this surah is simply that throughout the history of humankind, there has been one worthwhile and trustworthy path. This path is, specifically, the one described in the surah. All other ways lead only to loss and ruin. As the surah says in the outline, this right path means the adoption of faith first, followed by good deeds and exhortation to follow the truth, and to persevere in the face of adversity. Significance of Faith What does the adoption of faith then mean? And what is nature and importance in human life? Faith is the characteristic by which a human being, a small creature with a short lifespan in a limited world, attains closeness to the Absolute and Everlasting Originator of the universe and all that exists therein. The human being, thus, establishes a link with the whole universe, which springs from that One Origin, with the laws governing it and the powers and potentialities it provides. Purity of motivation is yet another quality of the dignified humanity established by faith. As a result, he breaks away from the narrow boundaries of his trivial self to the broadness of the universe, from his limited power to the great unknown energies existing in the universe, and from the fleetingness of his life to the eternity that Allah alone comprehends. This bond with Almighty Allah grants people assured power, limitless scope, and freedom. It endows them with real enjoyment of this beautiful life and enriches their life with a mutual friendship with other creatures. In this way, life becomes a pleasant journey for people everywhere and at all times. From this, an everlasting happiness and intimate understanding of life and creation are derived. This is the invaluable gain, whose lack is an immeasurable loss. Moreover, the qualities of faith are those of sublime and dignified humanity, such as the worship of one God, which elevates people above servitude to all others and establishes within them the fact that all human beings are equal. Having absorbed this fact that there is only one true God Who possesses infinite power, a believing person neither yields nor bows down his or her head to anyone other than Almighty Allah. Consequently, such a believer enjoys true liberty that spontaneously radiates from within his or her conscience as a result of faith and awareness. Godliness is the second quality of dignified humanity. This quality determines for human beings the source from which they derive their concepts, values, criteria, considerations, doctrines, laws, and whatever brings them into relation with their Creator, the world at large and with their fellow human beings. Thus, equity and justice replace personal desires and self-interest. This strengthens the believers’ realization of the value of their chosen way of life and keeps them above all Jahiliyyah–rooted concepts, interests, and mundane values. This is also true even when believers find themselves alone, with no one else of their kind to relate to, since they are equipped with values derived directly from their Lord. Those values are indeed the most sound and most deserving of devotion and esteem. Another quality of faith and dignified humanity is the clarity of the relationship between the Creator and His creatures. Thus, human beings, who are creatures restricted by their own world, are connected with the Everlasting Truth and Infinite Power without any mediator. Such relationship supplies their hearts and souls with light and contentment, and it gives them confidence and purpose. Furthermore, it eliminates from their minds perplexity, fear, and anxiety, as well as any inclination toward arrogance and tyranny over others. Following the path ordained by Almighty Allah with steadfastness and clarity of vision is the next quality of the community of believers. This must be maintained so that goodness does not come about casually, incidentally or without deliberation, but rather springs from definite motives and heads toward certain aims. People united for Allah’s cause collaborate. Thus, with a single definite purpose and a single distinguished banner, the Muslim community is united and elevated. Indeed, this is true for all generations that are similarly welded together. Another quality is belief in the dignity of human beings in Allah’s sight. This belief heightens their regard for themselves and restrains them from aspiring to a position higher than that which the Creator has defined for them. For a person to feel that he is dignified in the sight of His Creator is the loftiest concept one may attain of oneself. Any ideology or philosophy that abases this valuation and ascribes a dishonorable origin to humankind, separating it from Almighty Allah is, in effect, nothing but a position of ignominy and degradation, even though it may not declare so openly. Hence, the effects of Darwinism, Freudianism, and Marxism are among the most horrid disasters human nature has encountered. That is because they teach humanity that all abasement and downright animalism are natural phenomena with which human beings should be familiar and of which they need not be ashamed. Purity of motivation is yet another quality of the dignified humanity established by faith. This directly follows the realization of people’s dignity in the sight of Allah, His supervision over human conscience, and His knowledge of what people harbor in their innermost souls. A human being untainted by the theories of Freud, Karl Marx, and their type feels ashamed should another person come to know what unhealthy feelings he or she may incidentally experience. Believers feel the awesome presence of God in their innermost consciousness and their awareness makes them tremble with fear, awe, and respect. They, therefore, resort to self-purification and spiritual cleansing. A refined moral sense is the natural fruit of faith in Almighty Allah Who is just, kind, compassionate, generous, and forbearing, and Who abhors evil, loves goodness, and knows every furtive look and every secret thought. From this stems the believers’ responsibility, which is the direct result of their freewill and the fact that Almighty Allah is ever-aware of all that they do and feel. It stimulates within them healthy awareness, sensitivity, serenity, and foresight. Theirs is a communal, rather than individual, responsibility. What is more is that it is a responsibility toward all humanity, pure and simple. * Sayed Qutb (1906-1966) was a prominent and influential Muslim intellectual and writer. He wrote many books about Islam and its distinctive features as a comprehensive way of life. Among his most important works is his exegesis of the Qur’an In the Shade of the Qur’an , which was widely welcomed among Muslims and established itself as one of the best references in Qur’an exegesis. ===================================================================================== Greatness of Allah subhaanahu wa ta`aalaa In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah Quoted in "The Weakening of Faith - Its Symptoms – Causes & Cure" by Shaykh Muhammad Saleh al-Munajjid © 1997 Daar of Islamic Heritage Ibn Al-Qayyim described Allah's Greatness, saying, He governs the affairs of the various kingdoms and He commands and forbids, creates, sustains, gives death, gives life, gives power, strips power (to and from whom He wills) and alternates the night and day. He gives varying fortunes to people and alternates governments (and states), destroying some and bringing some into existence. His Command and Power are dominant in the heavens and their zones, the earth and all that which is on and in it, in the seas and in the air. His Knowledge has encompassed everything and He counted everything. He hears all types of voices and they do not confuse Him. Rather, He hears each voice in its distinct language and need, and no voice will make Him busy from fulfilling the need of another, and no need will ever escape His Perfect Knowledge (and His Power to deliver). He does not become bored because of the many needs of those who need. His Sight encompasses all that which there is. He sees the movement of a black ant on a barren rock during a dark night. To Him, the Unseen is uncovered end the secret is secret no more, "Whosoever is in the heavens and on Earth begs of Him (its needs from Him). Every day He has a matter to bring Forth (such as giving honor to some, disgrace to some, life to (some, death to some, etc.)." [55:29] He forgives an evil deed, makes depression vanish and brings reprieve from disasters, relief for whoever needs it, wealth for the poor, guidance for the misguided, light for the lost, help for he who is desperate, fullness for the hungry, cover for the barely clothed, cure for the ill and ease for he who suffers. He accepts he who repents, gives reward for he who does good, gives aid for he who was dealt with injustice, destroys an arrogant person, covers mistakes, gives safety after fear end elevates some people and humiliates others. If those who inhabit His heavens and His earth and all those whom He created, whether mankind or the Jinns, had hearts similar to the most pious heart, His Kingdom will not increase. If all His creation, whether mankind or the Jinns, had hearts similar to the heart of the most wicked heart, this will not decrease from His Kingdom. Also, if all those who inhabit His heavens and His earth, all mankind and all the Jinns, the dead and the living, stand up on one strip of land and each asks Him for his need, and He then fulfils their needs, this will not decrease from what He has a bit. He is the First, nothing is before Him, the Last, nothing is after Him, the Most High, nothing is above Him, and the Most Near, nothing is nearer than Him. He, Exalted and Ever High as He is, is the Best Whom one can and should remember, the only One Who deserves to be worshiped and thanked, the Kindest of all those who own and the Most generous of all those who are asked to give. He is the King Who has no partner, the One Who has no competitor, the Samad (Self-Sufficient) Who has no offspring, and the Ever High, none like unto Him. Everything perishes save His Face and every kingship is bound to perish except His. He will only be obeyed by His Leave, and His Knowledge uncovers all disobedience to Him. When He is obeyed, He thanks for it, and when He is disobeyed, He grants forgiveness (for those who truly repent to Him). Every punishment from Him is just and every bounty is a grace. He is the Closest Witness and the Nearest One with His Perfect Care. He controls the forelocks of everything and has the full records of all deeds end the books of all ages. The hearts are unmasked to Him and the secret is unveiled. His giving and punishing is merely a Command, "Verily, His Command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, ‘Be, and it is!’" [36:82].
