Sūrat Fātiḥat al-Kitāb

Meccan.

It is also said to be both Meccan and Medinan, as it was revealed once in Mecca and again in Medina.

It is called Umm al-Qur’ān (The Mother of the Qur’ān) because it encompasses the meanings found in the Qur’ān: praise of Allah Almighty as He deserves, worship through commands and prohibitions, and promises and warnings.

It is called Sūrat al-Kanz (The Chapter of the Treasure) and al-Wāfiya (The Sufficient) for the same reason.

It is called Sūrat al-Ḥamd (The Chapter of Praise) and al-Mathānī (The Oft-Repeated) because it is repeated in every rakʿah.

It is called Sūrat al-Ṣalāh (The Chapter of Prayer) because the prayer is either superior or valid only through its recitation.

It is called Sūrat al-Shifāʾ (The Chapter of Healing) and al-Shāfiya (The Healer).

It consists of seven verses by consensus, though there is a difference regarding the count: some count {أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ} as a verse and do not count the Basmala, while others hold the opposite view.

Bismillāh al-Raḥmān al-Raḥīm

The reciters and jurists of Medina, Basra, and Syria hold that the Basmala is not a verse of Al-Fatiha nor of any other surah. It was written only to separate chapters and to seek blessing by beginning with it, just as one begins every significant matter with it. This is the school of Abu Hanifa and his followers; hence, they do not recite it aloud in prayer.

The reciters and jurists of Mecca and Kufa hold that it is a verse of Al-Fatiha and every surah. This is the view of Al-Shafi'i and his companions, and thus they recite it aloud. They argue that the predecessors included it in the Mus'haf while simultaneously advising that the Quran be kept pure (of non-Quranic additions). Therefore, they would not have included "Amin" (which they did not include), so if the Basmala were not part of the Quran, they would not have included it. Ibn Abbas said: "Whoever omits it has omitted one hundred and fourteen verses from the Book of Allah."

If you ask: To what is the Ba (in Bi-smi) attached? I say: To a deleted element, the estimation of which is "In the name of Allah I read" or "I recite." For that which follows the Basmala is what is being read. Just as a traveler, when alighting or departing, says "In the name of Allah and blessings," the meaning is "In the name of Allah I alight and in the name of Allah I depart." Every person who begins an action with the Basmala implies the action for which the Basmala was made the beginning.

Its parallel in the deletion of the prepositional object is His saying: "In nine signs to Pharaoh and his people" (27:12), meaning "Go with nine signs." Similarly, the Arabs say in a prayer for a bridegroom, "With companionship and sons," and the Bedouin says, "With prosperity and blessing," meaning "I have married."

If you ask: Why did you place the deleted element at the end? I say: Because the most important part of the verb and its object is the object itself. They used to begin with the names of their idols, saying "In the name of Al-Lat, in the name of Al-'Uzza." Therefore, it was necessary for the monotheist to intend the meaning of the exclusivity of Allah’s name for the beginning, by placing it first and delaying the verb, as in "You alone we worship" (Iyyaka na'budu), where the object is placed first to signify exclusivity. The evidence for this is His saying: "In the name of Allah is its course and its anchorage" (11:41).

If you ask: But He said, "Read in the name of your Lord" (96:1), placing the verb first? I say: There, placing the verb first is more appropriate because it was the first surah revealed, so the command to read was the most important.

If you ask: What is the meaning of the attachment of Allah’s name to the reading? I say: There are two aspects:

1. It is like the attachment of the pen to the writing in your saying "I wrote with the pen." The believer believes his action is not valid in the Law until it is preceded by the mention of Allah’s name, as the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Every significant matter not begun with the name of Allah is severed." Thus, he makes his action "done" by the name of Allah, just as one writes with a pen.
2. It is like the attachment of oil to the growth in His saying: "It grows with oil" (23:20), meaning "Seeking blessing by the name of Allah, I read." This is more eloquent and better.

If you ask: How can Allah say "Seeking blessing by the name of Allah, I read"? I say: This is spoken on the tongues of the servants, just as a man recites poetry on the tongue of another. Much of the Quran follows this method; its meaning is to teach His servants how to seek blessing by His name and how to praise, glorify, and exalt Him.

Regarding the grammar of the Ba: The Ba is given a kasra because it is inseparable from its function as a preposition. "Name" (Ism) is one of the ten nouns whose beginnings were built on a sukun. When they began with it, they added a hamza so as not to begin with a sukun, as it was their habit to begin with a vowel and end with a sukun for the sake of the purity of their language. When it occurs in the middle of a sentence, it does not need the extra hamza. Some did not add it, saying sam and sim.

Regarding the word "Allah": Its origin is Al-Ilah. The hamza was dropped and replaced by the definite article (Al). Al-Ilah is a generic noun like "man" or "horse," applicable to every worshipped being, whether rightfully or falsely. Then it became exclusive to the One worshipped rightfully, just as "the star" (an-najm) is a name for every star but became exclusive to the Pleiades.

Regarding "Ar-Rahman" and "Ar-Rahim": Ar-Rahman is the fa'lan form from rahima (to have mercy), like ghadban (angry) and sakran (drunk). Ar-Rahim is the fa'il form, like marid (sick). Ar-Rahman contains a degree of intensity not found in Ar-Rahim. Hence, they say "Rahman of this world and the Hereafter" and "Rahim of this world." They say that an increase in the structure of a word indicates an increase in meaning. These are among the "predominant names" that are not used for anyone other than Allah, just as "Allah" is a predominant name.

If you ask: What is the meaning of describing Allah with mercy, given that mercy is tenderness and affection? I say: It is a metaphor for His bestowing favors upon His servants. When a king is affectionate toward his subjects and feels for them, he reaches them with his kindness and bounty; just as when he is overcome by harshness and cruelty, he treats them roughly and denies them his good.

If you ask: Why place the more eloquent of the two descriptions (Ar-Rahman) before the lesser one (Ar-Rahim)? I say: When He said Ar-Rahman, it encompassed the great, momentous, and fundamental blessings. He followed it with Ar-Rahim as a completion and a follower to encompass the subtle and refined ones.