Tafsir of Al-Fatihah 1:2

"Al-Hamd" (Praise) and "Al-Madḥ" (Commendation) are siblings. They signify praising and extolling someone for a beautiful quality, whether it stems from a favor or otherwise. You say: "I praised the man for his generosity," and "I praised him for his lineage and courage."

As for "Al-Shukr" (Gratitude), it is specifically for a favor. It is performed by the heart, the tongue, and the limbs. A poet said:

Your favors have reached me through three: My hands, my tongue, and my hidden conscience.

"Al-Hamd" is performed by the tongue alone. It is one of the branches of gratitude. Hence the Prophet’s saying: "Praise is the head of gratitude; no servant has thanked Allah who has not praised Him" (Weak). It is called the "head of gratitude" because mentioning a favor with the tongue and praising the Bestower is more widespread and indicative of its status than mere belief or the actions of the limbs. This is due to the hidden nature of the heart's work and the ambiguity in the actions of the limbs, unlike the work of the tongue—which is speech that clarifies every hidden thing and illuminates every ambiguity.

"Al-Hamd" is the opposite of "Al-Dhamm" (Blame), and "Al-Shukr" is the opposite of "Al-Kufrān" (Ingratitude).

The nominative case (rafʿ) of "Al-Hamd" is due to it being an ibtidaʾ (subject), with its predicate being the prepositional phrase "li-Allah" (to Allah). Its original state is the accusative (naṣb)—which is the reading of some—by implying a verb. It belongs to the category of verbal nouns (maṣādir) that the Arabs put in the accusative by implying hidden verbs, such as saying "Shukran" (Thanks), "Kufran" (Ingratitude), or "ʿAjaban" (Wonder). They treat these as equivalent to their verbs, replacing them entirely; therefore, they do not use them together, treating such usage like an abrogated law. The shift from the accusative to the nominative (the ibtidaʾ) is to indicate the stability and permanence of the meaning.

An example of this is the verse: "They said, 'Peace' (salāman). He said, 'Peace' (salām)" (Hud: 69). The second "salām" is in the nominative to indicate that Abraham (peace be upon him) greeted them with a greeting better than theirs, as the nominative indicates the permanence of the peace rather than its renewal or occurrence.

The meaning is: "We praise Allah with praise." This is why it is followed by: "You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help," as it explains their praise of Him. It is as if it were asked: "How do you praise Him?" and the answer was: "You alone we worship."

If you ask about the meaning of the definite article (al-) in "Al-Hamd," I say: It is like the definite article in "He sent it [as] the battle" (arsalahā al-ʿirāk). It is the definite article of the genus (al-jins). Its meaning is to point to what everyone knows—what "praise" is and what "battle" is—among the genera of actions. The "encompassing" (istighrāq) that many people imagine is a misconception on their part.

Al-Hasan al-Baṣrī read "Al-Ḥamdu lillāh" with a kasra on the dāl to follow the lām. Ibrāhīm ibn Abī ʿAbla read "Al-Ḥamdu lillāh" with a ḍamma on the lām to follow the dāl. What emboldened them to do this is that assimilation (ittibāʿ) usually occurs within a single word (like munḥadar al-jabal). They treated the two words as one due to their frequent usage together. The most refined of the two readings is that of Ibrāhīm, as he made the inflectional vowel (the iʿrāb) follow the structural vowel (the bināʾ), which is stronger, unlike the reading of al-Hasan.

"Al-Rabb" (The Lord) means the Owner. From this is the saying of Ṣafwān to Abū Sufyān: "That a man from Quraysh should be my lord (yarubbanī) is dearer to me than that a man from Hawāzin should be my lord." You say: "He lords over him (yarubbuhu), he is a lord (rabb)," just as you say: "He gossips about him (yanummu), he is a gossip (namm)." It is also possible that it is a description using the verbal noun for emphasis, just as one is described as "justice" (ʿadl). They do not use "Al-Rabb" absolutely except for Allah alone; for others, it is used with a genitive construction, such as "Lord of the house" or "Lord of the camel."

Zayd ibn ʿAlī (may Allah be pleased with them both) read "Rabbi al-ʿālamīn" in the accusative (naṣb) as a form of praise, or as implied by "Al-Hamd," as if to say: "We praise Allah, the Lord of the worlds."

"Al-ʿĀlamīn" (The Worlds/Universe) is a name for those who possess knowledge: the angels and the two heavy ones (jinn and mankind). It is also said: it is everything that the Creator has created, including bodies and accidents. If you ask why it is plural, I say: to include every genus of what it is named for. If you ask: "It is a noun, not an adjective, and only adjectives of rational beings or proper nouns in their category are pluralized with wāw and nūn," I say: This is permissible because of the meaning of "description" within it, which is the indication of the meaning of "knowledge" (ʿilm).