Surah Al Fatihah Tafseer

Surah
Juz
Page
1
Al-Fatihah
The Opener
001
2
Al-Baqarah
The Cow
002
3
Ali 'Imran
Family of Imran
003
4
An-Nisa
The Women
004
5
Al-Ma'idah
The Table Spread
005
6
Al-An'am
The Cattle
006
7
Al-A'raf
The Heights
007
8
Al-Anfal
The Spoils of War
008
9
At-Tawbah
The Repentance
009
10
Yunus
Jonah
010
11
Hud
Hud
011
12
Yusuf
Joseph
012
13
Ar-Ra'd
The Thunder
013
14
Ibrahim
Abraham
014
15
Al-Hijr
The Rocky Tract
015
16
An-Nahl
The Bee
016
17
Al-Isra
The Night Journey
017
18
Al-Kahf
The Cave
018
19
Maryam
Mary
019
20
Taha
Ta-Ha
020
21
Al-Anbya
The Prophets
021
22
Al-Hajj
The Pilgrimage
022
23
Al-Mu'minun
The Believers
023
24
An-Nur
The Light
024
25
Al-Furqan
The Criterion
025
26
Ash-Shu'ara
The Poets
026
27
An-Naml
The Ant
027
28
Al-Qasas
The Stories
028
29
Al-'Ankabut
The Spider
029
30
Ar-Rum
The Romans
030
31
Luqman
Luqman
031
32
As-Sajdah
The Prostration
032
33
Al-Ahzab
The Combined Forces
033
34
Saba
Sheba
034
35
Fatir
Originator
035
36
Ya-Sin
Ya Sin
036
37
As-Saffat
Those who set the Ranks
037
38
Sad
The Letter "Saad"
038
39
Az-Zumar
The Troops
039
40
Ghafir
The Forgiver
040
41
Fussilat
Explained in Detail
041
42
Ash-Shuraa
The Consultation
042
43
Az-Zukhruf
The Ornaments of Gold
043
44
Ad-Dukhan
The Smoke
044
45
Al-Jathiyah
The Crouching
045
46
Al-Ahqaf
The Wind-Curved Sandhills
046
47
Muhammad
Muhammad
047
48
Al-Fath
The Victory
048
49
Al-Hujurat
The Rooms
049
50
Qaf
The Letter "Qaf"
050
51
Adh-Dhariyat
The Winnowing Winds
051
52
At-Tur
The Mount
052
53
An-Najm
The Star
053
54
Al-Qamar
The Moon
054
55
Ar-Rahman
The Beneficent
055
56
Al-Waqi'ah
The Inevitable
056
57
Al-Hadid
The Iron
057
58
Al-Mujadila
The Pleading Woman
058
59
Al-Hashr
The Exile
059
60
Al-Mumtahanah
She that is to be examined
060
61
As-Saf
The Ranks
061
62
Al-Jumu'ah
The Congregation, Friday
062
63
Al-Munafiqun
The Hypocrites
063
64
At-Taghabun
The Mutual Disillusion
064
65
At-Talaq
The Divorce
065
66
At-Tahrim
The Prohibition
066
67
Al-Mulk
The Sovereignty
067
68
Al-Qalam
The Pen
068
69
Al-Haqqah
The Reality
069
70
Al-Ma'arij
The Ascending Stairways
070
71
Nuh
Noah
071
72
Al-Jinn
The Jinn
072
73
Al-Muzzammil
The Enshrouded One
073
74
Al-Muddaththir
The Cloaked One
074
75
Al-Qiyamah
The Resurrection
075
76
Al-Insan
The Man
076
77
Al-Mursalat
The Emissaries
077
78
An-Naba
The Tidings
078
79
An-Nazi'at
Those who drag forth
079
80
Abasa
He Frowned
080
81
At-Takwir
The Overthrowing
081
82
Al-Infitar
The Cleaving
082
83
Al-Mutaffifin
The Defrauding
083
84
Al-Inshiqaq
The Sundering
084
85
Al-Buruj
The Mansions of the Stars
085
86
At-Tariq
The Nightcommer
086
87
Al-A'la
The Most High
087
88
Al-Ghashiyah
The Overwhelming
088
89
Al-Fajr
The Dawn
089
90
Al-Balad
The City
090
91
Ash-Shams
The Sun
091
92
Al-Layl
The Night
092
93
Ad-Duhaa
The Morning Hours
093
94
Ash-Sharh
The Relief
094
95
At-Tin
The Fig
095
96
Al-'Alaq
The Clot
096
97
Al-Qadr
The Power
097
98
Al-Bayyinah
The Clear Proof
098
99
Az-Zalzalah
The Earthquake
099
100
Al-'Adiyat
The Courser
100
101
Al-Qari'ah
The Calamity
101
102
At-Takathur
The Rivalry in world increase
102
103
Al-'Asr
The Declining Day
103
104
Al-Humazah
The Traducer
104
105
Al-Fil
The Elephant
105
106
Quraysh
Quraysh
106
107
Al-Ma'un
The Small kindnesses
107
108
Al-Kawthar
The Abundance
108
109
Al-Kafirun
The Disbelievers
109
110
An-Nasr
The Divine Support
110
111
Al-Masad
The Palm Fiber
111
112
Al-Ikhlas
The Sincerity
112
113
Al-Falaq
The Daybreak
113
114
An-Nas
Mankind
114

Al-Fatihah : 5

1:5
إِيَّاكَنَعْبُدُوَإِيَّاكَنَسْتَعِينُ ٥

Saheeh International

It is You we worship and You we ask for help.

Tafseer 'Ibn Kathir' (EN)

You we worship, and You we ask for help.

Linguistically, `Ibadah means subdued.

For instance, a road is described as Mu`abbadah, meaning, `paved'. In religious terminology, `Ibadah implies the utmost love, humility and fear.

The Merit of stating the Object of the Action before the Doer of the Act, and the Merit of these Negations

"You...",

means, we worship You alone and none else, and rely on You alone and none else. This is the perfect form of obedience and the entire religion is implied by these two ideas.

Some of the Salaf said, Al-Fatihah is the secret of the Qur'an, while these words are the secret of Al-Fatihah,

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

You we worship, and You we ask for help from.

The first part is a declaration of innocence from Shirk (polytheism), while the second negates having any power or strength, displaying the recognition that all affairs are controlled by Allah alone. This meaning is reiterated in various instances in the Qur'an.

For instance, Allah said,

فَاعْبُدْهُ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَيْهِ وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِغَـفِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ

So worship Him (O Muhammad) and put your trust in Him. And your Lord is not unaware of what you (people) do. (11:123)

and,

قُلْ هُوَ الرَّحْمَـنُ ءَامَنَّا بِهِ وَعَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا

Say:

"He is the Most Gracious (Allah), in Him we believe, and in Him we put our trust." (67:29)

and,

رَّبُّ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ لَا إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ فَاتَّخِذْهُ وَكِيلً

(He alone is) the Lord of the east and the west; La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). So take Him alone as Wakil (Disposer of your affairs), (73:9)

and,

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

You we worship, and You we ask for help from.

We should mention that in this Ayah, the type of speech here changes from the third person to direct speech by using the Kaf in the statement Iyyaka (You). This is because after the servant praised and thanked Allah, he stands before Him, addressing Him directly;

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

You we worship, and You we ask for help from.

So take Him alone as Wakil (Disposer of your affairs)), (73:9) and,

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

You we worship, and You we ask for help from.

Al-Fatihah indicates the Necessity of Praising Allah. It is required in every Prayer

The beginning of Surah Al-Fatihah contains Allah's praise for Himself by His most beautiful Attributes and indicates to His servants that, they too, should praise Him in the same manner. Hence, the prayer is not valid unless one recites Al-Fatihah, if he is able.

The Two Sahihs recorded that Ubadah bin As-Samit said that the Messenger of Allah said,

لَاا صَلَاةَ لِمَنْ لَمْ يَقْرَأْ بِفَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ

There is no valid prayer for whoever does not recite Al-Fatihah of the Book.

Also, it is recorded in Sahih Muslim that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said,

يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى

قَسَمْتُ الصَّلَةَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ عَبْدِي نِصْفَيْنِ فَنِصْفُهَا لِي وَنِصْفُهَا لِعَبْدِي وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ إِذَا قَالَ الْعَبْدُ

Allah said,

`I divided the prayer into two halves between Myself and My servant, one half is for Me and one half for My servant. My servant shall have what he asks for.' When the servant says,

الْحَمْدُ للّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

All praise and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of all that exists,

Allah says, `My servant has praised Me.'

When the servant says,

الرَّحْمـنِ الرَّحِيم

The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,

Allah says, `My servant has praised Me.'

When the servant says,

مَـالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ

The Owner of the Day of Recompense,

Allah says, `My servant has glorified Me.'

If the servant says,

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

You we worship, and You we ask for help,

Allah says, `This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he asked.'

If the servant says,

اهدِنَــــا الصِّرَاطَ المُستَقِيم

-

صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنعَمتَ عَلَيهِمْ غَيرِ المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّين

Guide us to the straight path. The path of those on whom You have bestowed Your grace, not (that) of those who have earned Your anger, nor of those who went astray,

Allah says, `This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he asked.'

Tawhid Al-Uluhiyyah

Ad-Dahhak narrated that Ibn `Abbas said,

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ

(You we worship) means,

It is You whom we single out, Whom we fear and Whom we hope in, You alone, our Lord, and none else.

Tawhid Ar-Rububiyyah

وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

And You we ask for help from, to obey you and in all of our affairs."

Further, Qatadah said that the Ayah,

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

You we worship, and You we ask for help from,

"Contains Allah's command to us to perform sincere worship for Him and to seek His aid concerning all of our affairs."

Allah mentioned,

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ

You we worship before,

وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

And You we ask for help from, because the objective here is the worship, while Allah's help is the tool to implement this objective. Certainly, one first takes care of the most important aspects and then what is less important, and Allah knows best.

Allah called His Prophet an `Abd

Allah called His Messenger an Abd (servant) when He mentioned sending down His Book, the Prophet's involvement in inviting to Him, and when mentioning the Isra' (overnight journey from Makkah to Jerusalem and then to heaven), and these are the Prophet's most honorable missions.

Allah said,

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِى أَنْزَلَ عَلَى عَبْدِهِ الْكِتَـبَ

All praise and thanks be to Allah, Who has sent down to His servant (Muhammad) the Book (the Qur'an), (18:1)

and,

وَأَنَّهُ لَّمَا قَامَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ يَدْعُوهُ

And when the servant of Allah (Muhammad) stood up invoking Him (his Lord ـ Allah in prayer), (72:19)

and,

سُبْحَانَ الَّذِى أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلً

Glorified (and Exalted) be He (Allah) (above all that they associate with Him) Who took His servant (Muhammad ) for a journey by night. (17:1)

Encouraging the Performance of the Acts of Worship during Times of Distress

Allah also recommended that His Prophet resort to acts of worship during times when he felt distressed because of the disbelievers who defied and denied him.

Allah said,

وَلَقَدْ نَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ يَضِيقُ صَدْرُكَ بِمَا يَقُولُونَ

فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَكُنْ مِّنَ السَّـجِدِينَ

وَاعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَكَ الْيَقِينُ

Indeed, We know that your breast is straitened at what they say. So glorify the praises of your Lord and be of those who prostrate themselves (to Him). And worship your Lord until there comes unto you the certainty (i.e. death). (15:97-99)

Why Praise was mentioned First

Since the praise of Allah, Who is being sought for help, was mentioned, it was appropriate that one follows the praise by asking for his need. We stated that Allah said,

فَنِصْفُهَا لِي وَنِصْفُهَا لِعَبْدِي وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ

One half for Myself and one half for My servant, and My servant shall have what he asked.

This is the best method for seeking help, by first praising the one whom help is sought from and then asking for His aid, and help for one's self, and for his Muslim brethren by saying.

اهدِنَــــا الصِّرَاطَ المُستَقِيم

Guide us to the straight path.

This method is more appropriate and efficient in bringing about a positive answer to the pleas, and this is why Allah recommended this better method.

Asking for help may take the form of conveying the condition of the person who is seeking help. For instance, the Prophet Moses said,

رَبِّ إِنِّى لِمَأ أَنزَلْتَ إِلَىَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ

My Lord! Truly, I am in need of whatever good that You bestow on me! (28:24)

Also, one may first mention the attributes of whoever is being asked, such as what Dhun-Nun said,

لااَّ إِلَـهَ إِلااَّ أَنتَ سُبْحَـنَكَ إِنِّى كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّـلِمِينَ

La ilaha illa Anta (none has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allah), Glorified (and Exalted) be You (above all that they associate with You)! Truly, I have been of the wrongdoers. (21:87)

Further, one may praise Him without mentioning what he needs.

The Meaning of Guidance mentioned in the Surah

اهدِنَــــا الصِّرَاطَ المُستَقِيم

Quran Mazid
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Quran Mazid
Surah
Juz
Page
1
Al-Fatihah
The Opener
001
2
Al-Baqarah
The Cow
002
3
Ali 'Imran
Family of Imran
003
4
An-Nisa
The Women
004
5
Al-Ma'idah
The Table Spread
005
6
Al-An'am
The Cattle
006
7
Al-A'raf
The Heights
007
8
Al-Anfal
The Spoils of War
008
9
At-Tawbah
The Repentance
009
10
Yunus
Jonah
010
11
Hud
Hud
011
12
Yusuf
Joseph
012
13
Ar-Ra'd
The Thunder
013
14
Ibrahim
Abraham
014
15
Al-Hijr
The Rocky Tract
015
16
An-Nahl
The Bee
016
17
Al-Isra
The Night Journey
017
18
Al-Kahf
The Cave
018
19
Maryam
Mary
019
20
Taha
Ta-Ha
020
21
Al-Anbya
The Prophets
021
22
Al-Hajj
The Pilgrimage
022
23
Al-Mu'minun
The Believers
023
24
An-Nur
The Light
024
25
Al-Furqan
The Criterion
025
26
Ash-Shu'ara
The Poets
026
27
An-Naml
The Ant
027
28
Al-Qasas
The Stories
028
29
Al-'Ankabut
The Spider
029
30
Ar-Rum
The Romans
030
31
Luqman
Luqman
031
32
As-Sajdah
The Prostration
032
33
Al-Ahzab
The Combined Forces
033
34
Saba
Sheba
034
35
Fatir
Originator
035
36
Ya-Sin
Ya Sin
036
37
As-Saffat
Those who set the Ranks
037
38
Sad
The Letter "Saad"
038
39
Az-Zumar
The Troops
039
40
Ghafir
The Forgiver
040
41
Fussilat
Explained in Detail
041
42
Ash-Shuraa
The Consultation
042
43
Az-Zukhruf
The Ornaments of Gold
043
44
Ad-Dukhan
The Smoke
044
45
Al-Jathiyah
The Crouching
045
46
Al-Ahqaf
The Wind-Curved Sandhills
046
47
Muhammad
Muhammad
047
48
Al-Fath
The Victory
048
49
Al-Hujurat
The Rooms
049
50
Qaf
The Letter "Qaf"
050
51
Adh-Dhariyat
The Winnowing Winds
051
52
At-Tur
The Mount
052
53
An-Najm
The Star
053
54
Al-Qamar
The Moon
054
55
Ar-Rahman
The Beneficent
055
56
Al-Waqi'ah
The Inevitable
056
57
Al-Hadid
The Iron
057
58
Al-Mujadila
The Pleading Woman
058
59
Al-Hashr
The Exile
059
60
Al-Mumtahanah
She that is to be examined
060
61
As-Saf
The Ranks
061
62
Al-Jumu'ah
The Congregation, Friday
062
63
Al-Munafiqun
The Hypocrites
063
64
At-Taghabun
The Mutual Disillusion
064
65
At-Talaq
The Divorce
065
66
At-Tahrim
The Prohibition
066
67
Al-Mulk
The Sovereignty
067
68
Al-Qalam
The Pen
068
69
Al-Haqqah
The Reality
069
70
Al-Ma'arij
The Ascending Stairways
070
71
Nuh
Noah
071
72
Al-Jinn
The Jinn
072
73
Al-Muzzammil
The Enshrouded One
073
74
Al-Muddaththir
The Cloaked One
074
75
Al-Qiyamah
The Resurrection
075
76
Al-Insan
The Man
076
77
Al-Mursalat
The Emissaries
077
78
An-Naba
The Tidings
078
79
An-Nazi'at
Those who drag forth
079
80
Abasa
He Frowned
080
81
At-Takwir
The Overthrowing
081
82
Al-Infitar
The Cleaving
082
83
Al-Mutaffifin
The Defrauding
083
84
Al-Inshiqaq
The Sundering
084
85
Al-Buruj
The Mansions of the Stars
085
86
At-Tariq
The Nightcommer
086
87
Al-A'la
The Most High
087
88
Al-Ghashiyah
The Overwhelming
088
89
Al-Fajr
The Dawn
089
90
Al-Balad
The City
090
91
Ash-Shams
The Sun
091
92
Al-Layl
The Night
092
93
Ad-Duhaa
The Morning Hours
093
94
Ash-Sharh
The Relief
094
95
At-Tin
The Fig
095
96
Al-'Alaq
The Clot
096
97
Al-Qadr
The Power
097
98
Al-Bayyinah
The Clear Proof
098
99
Az-Zalzalah
The Earthquake
099
100
Al-'Adiyat
The Courser
100
101
Al-Qari'ah
The Calamity
101
102
At-Takathur
The Rivalry in world increase
102
103
Al-'Asr
The Declining Day
103
104
Al-Humazah
The Traducer
104
105
Al-Fil
The Elephant
105
106
Quraysh
Quraysh
106
107
Al-Ma'un
The Small kindnesses
107
108
Al-Kawthar
The Abundance
108
109
Al-Kafirun
The Disbelievers
109
110
An-Nasr
The Divine Support
110
111
Al-Masad
The Palm Fiber
111
112
Al-Ikhlas
The Sincerity
112
113
Al-Falaq
The Daybreak
113
114
An-Nas
Mankind
114
Settings