Tafsir of Al-Fatihah 1:7

"The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor" This is an appositive (badal) for "The Straight Path." It carries the force of repeating the governing verb, as if one said: "Guide us to the Straight Path; guide us to the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor," just as in the verse: "...those who were oppressed, for those who believed among them" (Al-A'raf).

If you ask: "What is the benefit of this appositive, and why was it not simply said, 'Guide us to the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor'?" I reply: Its benefit is emphasis, due to the repetition and the indication that the Straight Path is explained and interpreted as the path of the Muslims. This serves as the most eloquent and emphatic testimony to the uprightness of the path of the Muslims. It is like saying, "Shall I direct you to the most noble and excellent of people, so-and-so?" This is more eloquent in describing him with nobility and excellence than saying, "Shall I direct you to so-and-so, the most noble and excellent," because you mentioned him twice—first generally, then specifically—and made "so-and-so" the explanation and clarification of "the most noble and excellent," effectively making him the hallmark of nobility and excellence. It is as if you said: "Whoever seeks a man who combines these two qualities, let him go to so-and-so," for he is the identified, specific individual in whom these qualities are gathered, without dispute or contention.

"Those upon whom You have bestowed favor" are the believers. The bestowal of favor is left general to include every type of favor, for whoever is favored with the blessing of Islam, no other blessing remains that he has not attained and been encompassed by.

Ibn Abbas said: They are the followers of Moses before they changed. Others said: They are the prophets. Ibn Mas'ud recited: "The path of those whom You have favored."

"Not of those who have evoked [Your] anger" This is an appositive for "those upon whom You have bestowed favor," meaning that those who are favored are those who have been saved from the anger of God and from straying. Or, it is an adjective, meaning they have combined the absolute favor—which is the favor of faith—with safety from God's anger and straying.

If you ask: "How is it valid for 'not' (ghayr) to be an adjective for a definite noun, when it does not become definite even if annexed to definite nouns?" I reply: "Those upon whom You have bestowed favor" has no specific time-bound limitation, similar to the verse: "And I pass by the base man who insults me." Furthermore, "those who have evoked anger" and "the strayers" are the opposites of "those favored," so there is no ambiguity in ghayr that would prevent it from becoming definite. It is also recited in the accusative case (ghayra) as a state (hal); this is the recitation of the Messenger of God (ﷺ), Umar ibn al-Khattab, and it is narrated from Ibn Kathir. The subject of the state is the pronoun in "upon them" ('alayhim), and the governing verb is "bestowed favor."

It is said that those who have evoked anger are the Jews, due to His saying: "Whom Allah has cursed and with whom He became angry" (Al-Ma'idah: 60). The strayers are the Christians, due to His saying: "They have already strayed before" (Al-Ma'idah: 77).

If you ask: "What is the meaning of God's anger?" I reply: It is the will to exact retribution from the disobedient and to inflict punishment upon them, and to do to them what a king does when he is angry with his subjects. We seek refuge in God from His anger and ask for His pleasure and mercy.

If you ask: "What is the difference between the first 'upon them' and the second?" I reply: The first is in the position of the accusative as the object, and the second is in the position of the nominative as the agent.

If you ask: "Why was 'nor' (la) included in 'nor the strayers'?" I reply: Because ghayr carries the meaning of negation, as if it were said: "Not those who have evoked anger, nor the strayers." You say, "I am not a striker of Zayd," while you cannot say, "I am like a striker of Zayd," because it is in the position of saying, "I am not a striker." Umar and Ali (may God be pleased with them) recited it as "And not the strayers" (wa-la al-dallin). Ayyub al-Sakhtiyani recited it as al-da'lin with a hamza, as did 'Amr ibn 'Ubayd, which is the dialect of those who strive to avoid the meeting of two quiescent letters.

Amin A sound used to name the verb meaning "Respond." Just as ruwayda, hayhala, and halumma are sounds used to name the verbs meaning "delay," "hasten," and "come."

Ibn Abbas said: "I asked the Messenger of God (ﷺ) about the meaning of Amin, and he said: 'Do so.'" It has two dialects: lengthening the alif and shortening it.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Gabriel (peace be upon him) taught me Amin when I finished reciting the Opening of the Book." He said it is "like a seal on a book." It is not part of the Quran, evidenced by the fact that it is not written in the codices (masahif). Al-Hasan said: The Imam does not say it, because he is the one making the supplication. Abu Hanifa (may God have mercy on him) said the same, and the well-known view from him and his companions is that he says it silently. Abdullah ibn Mughaffal and Anas narrated the silent recitation from the Messenger of God (ﷺ). According to al-Shafi'i, one recites it aloud. Wa'il ibn Hujr narrated that when the Prophet (ﷺ) recited "nor the strayers," he would say "Amin" and raise his voice with it.

The Messenger of God (ﷺ) said to Ubayy ibn Ka'b: "Shall I not tell you of a surah the like of which has not been revealed in the Torah, the Gospel, or the Quran?" I said: "Yes, O Messenger of God." He said: "The Opening of the Book; it is the seven oft-repeated verses and the Great Quran which I have been given."

Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "God may send down punishment upon a people as a fixed decree, but then a child among them reads in the Book: 'All praise is due to God, Lord of the worlds,' and God hears it and lifts that punishment from them for forty years."