The Benefits and virtues of Surah al-Fatihah

This surah is labeled as As-Shifa, because it has a cure for the disease. If you're in debt or facing poverty this surah is perfect for you, you must recite it. It also secures us from the fears of the Enemy, jealousy, and the evil eye. It is the dua that Allah taught himself to the people.

Which Surah is the mother of the Quran?

Surah Fatiha

Lots of things that we can learn within Surah Fatiha. One of the major things, that we should only Pray to GOD, and whenever we need help we should only make our way towards GOD.

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) stated to a companion that this surah is the greatest one in the Quran. It is the first surah when we start reading the Quran, and it literally means ‘The Opening.’ Additionally, its recitation consists of the glorification of Allah and asking Him to guide us toward the straight path. That acts as a precursor to the rest of the Holy Book, where we seek Allah’s guidance.

We can divide the meanings of the Quran into two parts. The first part of this surah focuses on the glorification of Allah. In it, we acknowledge Allah as the Lord of all creation and recognize His authority. This shows how we must keep remembering Allah often. Additionally, we also focus on Allah’s mercy. According to a Hadith, Allah divided His mercy into 100 parts and sent only 1 part for this world; He kept the rest for Himself.

In the second part of this surah, we ask Allah to guide us toward the straight path. We ask for His help shortly after discussing His mercy; the two are closely interconnected. In the last verse, we specify that we are referring to the paths of those whom Allah blessed, instead of the ones who went astray. 

Many names of Surah Al Fatiha

• Al-Fatihah 

• Umm al-Kitab 

• Umm al-Quran 

• Al-Hamd 

• As-Salah 

• Ash-Shifa

• Ar-Ruqyah

• Asas al-Quran

Benefits of Surah Fatiha

The most regularly repeated surah in the Quran is Surah Al Fatiha. Muslims recite it in every Rakaah of every salah. Indeed, we say this prayer so much that it has become a habit for many of us to recite it, and we don’t even realize or notice what we are uttering.

The revelation of Surah Fatiha

The revelation of Surah Fatiha upon our beloved prophet (peace be upon him) was in Makkah just before he migrated to Madinah, according to Ibn Abbas, Qatadah and Abu’l-Aliyah. It is the fifth Surah of the Quran to have revealed in chronology. The first to have revealed in its wholeness.

How to recite Surah Al Fatiha in Prayer?

According to the belief of the mass portion of the scholars, such as - Malik, Ash-Shafi’i and Ahmad is that it is obligatory to recite Al-Fatihah in the salah and that the prayer will be invalid without it. Many proofs establish this notion. Our beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said  ‘There is no prayer for the one who does not recite the Opening of the Book.’

According to Ubadah bin As-Samit, our prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stated, ‘Whoever does not recite Sûrat Al-Fâtihah in his prayer, his prayer is invalid.’ [Sahih Al-Bukhâri, Vol.1, Hadîth No. 723].