سُورَةُ ٱلْفَاتِحَةِ
Surah 1 - Al-Faatiha
The Opening
- 7 verses
- Juz 1
- Page 1 of the Mushaf
Al-Faatiha opens the Mushaf: seven verses read as one movement, running from praise to a request. The first four speak of Allah in the third person and name him by what he is: Lord of all creation, twice merciful, Master of the day of reckoning. The fifth changes person and addresses him directly; worship and the call for help are said in a single sentence. The last two carry the request that gives the surah its direction: to be led along the right way, the way of those Allah has favoured, and not the way of those who wander from it. It is the first surah of the Quran and one of the shortest.
The main parts
The text of the surah
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ
[All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds -
ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful,
مَٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ
Sovereign of the Day of Recompense.
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
It is You we worship and You we ask for help.
ٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٰطَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ
Guide us to the straight path -
صِرَٰطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ ٱلْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ
The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray.
Key verses of the surah
The praise that opens the Quran; four other surahs begin with the same words.
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ
[All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds -
The hinge of the text: it stops speaking about Allah and speaks to him.
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
It is You we worship and You we ask for help.
The surah's central request, put in the plural: it speaks for a “we”.
ٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٰطَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ
Guide us to the straight path -
What is surah Al-Faatiha about?
It holds one movement: naming Allah, praising him, then asking to be led along the right way. Nothing else is treated. What sets it apart is that it ends by speaking to him, whereas most surahs speak about him.
What does surah Al-Faatiha ask for?
One thing only: guidance. The last two verses ask to be led along the right way, and define it by those who followed it rather than by a list of rules.
How is surah Al-Faatiha built?
In three moves: four verses that name Allah, one verse that addresses him, two verses that ask. The change of person, in the middle, marks its centre.
Why is surah Al-Faatiha called that?
“Al-Faatiha”, also written “Al-Fatiha”, means “the Opening”. The name comes from the surah’s position: it is the first text of the Mushaf. It points to no episode, unlike names drawn from a passage, such as “the Cow” for the second surah.
How many verses does surah Al-Faatiha have?
Surah Al-Faatiha has 7 verses. It stands at number 1 in the order of the Mushaf, which holds 114.
The Arabic text is that of the Mushaf. The summary, the outline and the answers on this page describe the text and how it is built: they are not religious commentary.