Ramadhan 2016 – Day 1 (Al-Fatihah)

I have been reading Al-Fatihah for as long as I can remember. It is the opening chapter of the Quran (indeed the word ‘fatihah’ means ‘opening) and Traditional Muslims who observe the ritual prayers read it at least seventeen times a day.

As I grew older and began to look into the deeper aspects of Fatiha, it became clear to me that Fatiha is also a summary of Quran.  It is not just its position in the text – it is a chapter of six verses ahead of some of the biggest chapters of Quran – but also the concepts used within in those six short verses.

It begins with a feeling of joy, positivity and thankfulness towards the lord of the worlds. He is the one who takes us from stage to stage in our life journey. This is his connection to us, as rabb/lord. It then describes Allah as the dual aspects of the cosmic womb (Rahmaan and Raheem). These two names together connect to the whole system of God’s names. The third verse tells us he is owner n in the period of the deen, that is, when His lordship becomes apparent.

The final three verses tell us what we need to do to realize this. We should first solely worship him and optimize ourselves towards Him. This would entail guidance of the straight and establishing path, a path which confers bliss from Himself personally and not the path which has anger or is misdirected.