Pages: 208
Cover Type: Paperback
Author: A Summary of Numerous Classical Commentaries of the Qur’ān
Publisher: Dar as-Sunnah Publishers
Surah al- Fātiha is the greatest chapter in the Qur’ān, it’s like is not found in the rest of the Qur’ān or in the previous scriptures. It is a light that was granted to Prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam) which had not been granted to any other Prophet or Messenger before him: indeed some of our predecessors stated that when this chapter was revealed, Shaytān let out a great cry of lament. It holds a central position in the daily prayer and hence the daily life of a Muslim.
The underlying theme of al-Fātiha is one of contemplation and serenity; pondering the Names and Attributes of Allāh, pondering the creation, and acknowledging that He Alone deserves praise and worship, that He Alone should be asked for help, that He Alone should be feared and hoped in, that He Alone should be invoked, that there is indeed a Day of Judgement, and that guidance has come to us and we are required to follow it. It calls us to carefully scrutinize our relationship with our Lord: are we living according to the dictates of ‘none has the right to be worshipped save of Allāh’ or not? This opening chapter, despite its brevity, calls man to fulfil the rights of Tawhīd, the right that Allāh has over us to worship Him Alone without any partners, in thirty places. This chapter summarizes succinctly the message of the whole Qur’ān.
Owing to the importance of this chapter, this commentary has been collated. It is a summary of numerous classical commentaries of the Qur’ān, moreover a number of words dealing with ‘Ulūm Al-Qur’ān were also referred to.
Exegesis of a fathomless ocean such as the Book of Allāh can never be complete and it is a study that one undertakes throughout the course of his life. This commentary is but a tiny portion of the material available in exegesis to this chapter, much has been omitted, much has been summarized, but it should go some way in giving the reader a glimpse at the depth of meaning found therein and at the extent of the efforts of our scholars, may Allāh have mercy upon them all, in understanding the momentous of task of explaining the Qur’ān.
