Islam
Surah Al-Faatiha (1)The Opening Prayer
Summary
Al-Fatiha is a seven-verse Meccan prayer that opens the Quran: it praises God as Lord of the Worlds, the Merciful and the Master of the Day of Judgment, then asks to be guided on the straight path. Muslims recite it in every unit (rak'ah) of each daily prayer, so an observant Muslim says it at least seventeen times a day. It is also recited at weddings, funerals, and when beginning important undertakings.
Key verse
“Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask for help.”
Quran 1:5
Themes
- Praise of God as Lord of all worlds
- Mercy and judgment held together
- Worship and reliance on God alone
- Asking for guidance on the straight path
Text
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds,
The Beneficent, the Merciful.
Master of the Day of Judgment,
Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask for help.
Show us the straight path,
The path of those whom Thou hast favoured; Not the (path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray.
English: Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930), public domain, via alquran.cloud.
Across traditions
Christianity
Matthew 6: The Lord's PrayerLike Al-Fatiha, the Lord's Prayer opens by honoring God and then turns to petition, including a plea to be kept from evil. It addresses God as Father, a form of address Al-Fatiha does not use, and it asks for daily bread and forgiveness rather than guidance on a path.
Judaism
Psalms 23: The Lord Is My ShepherdPsalm 23 pictures God as a shepherd who leads the speaker along right paths, close to Al-Fatiha's request for the straight path. The psalm is a personal song of trust spoken by one voice, while Al-Fatiha speaks in the plural 'we' of a praying community.
Questions about Surah Al-Faatiha (1)
Why is Al-Fatiha called the mother of the book?
Umm al-Kitab, the mother or essence of the Book, is a name for Al-Fatiha found in hadith. Classical commentators explain that its seven verses gather the Quran's core themes in compact form: God's oneness and mercy, accountability on the Day of Judgment, worship, and the request for guidance. It is also called 'the seven oft-repeated verses', a phrase linked to Quran 15:87.
Is Bismillah the first verse of Al-Fatiha?
In the common Kufan verse numbering, used in most printed Qurans today and on this page, 'In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful' is counted as verse 1. Other recognized numberings, and some legal schools such as the Malikis, do not count it as a verse of the surah and reach seven by dividing the final verse in two.
Do Muslims have to recite Al-Fatiha in every prayer?
Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim both report the Prophet saying that there is no prayer for one who does not recite the Opening of the Book. Most jurists treat its recitation as an essential pillar of every unit of prayer, while the Hanafi school ranks it as obligatory but distinct from the pillars. Schools also differ on whether a person praying behind an imam recites it.