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The Cure
An Explanation of the Opening Chapter Soorah al-Faatihah
By the Noble Sheikh Muhammad ibn Saalih Al-?Uthaimeen (may Allah have mercy on him)
Compiled and translated by Abdulilah bin Rabah Lahmami
Dar as-Sahaba Publications
By Hamza A. Bajwa
When I heard of the release of a new publication on the explanation of Surah al-Fatihah by one of the leading Islamic scholars of the 20th century, Muhammad ibn Saalih al-?Uthaimeen (may Allah have mercy upon him), I purchased it immediately.
Surah al-Fatihah (The Opening) is the first chapter of the Holy Qur?an. It is also called ?Umm al-Kitab - Mother of the Book?, and is titled ?The Cure? as it is known to be a Ruqya ? incantation when read over the sick.
It is a precondition of prayer; thus, it is read 5-times day by over a billion Muslims in a perpetual global phenomenon that has remained unchanged since its Divine introduction over 1400 years ago.
Hence, for a Muslim, knowledge and correct understanding of this tremendous seven verse chapter cannot be understated.
And this book does exactly that; it translates Sheikh ibn ?Uthaimeen?s original elucidating on the virtues of this Surah, the characteristics that distinguish it from other chapters, as well as correcting the mistakes ?some people today have invented? in relation to innovations (bid?ah).
However, what makes this small treatise stand out above all others in the English language is the simple manner in which the Sheikh distils the complicated into easily understood and communicated information.
A wonderful example of this is demonstrated on page 16:
?The layout of Soorah al-Faatihah, in terms of its meaning, comprises of seven Verses, by scholarly consensus. If you wanted to divide the seven Verses into subject matter, you will find that the middle part is His saying, ?You (alone) we worship, and You (alone) we ask for help??Soorah al-Faatihah is of two parts, one part refers to Allaah?s right and another part refers to the right of the worshipper?The first three Verses are for Allaah and the last three Verses are for the servants (of Allaah). And the fourth Verse, which is in the middle of the seven Verses, is between Allaah and His servant.?
The Sheikh explains the correct position concerning whether the basmallah (?In the name of Allah?) is part of the surah or not. He defines important phrases from the chapter, such as, al-Hamd (all praise) and its two associated conditions; the meaning of Rabb (Lord); the grammatical difference between al-?Aalameen and al-?Aalimeen; how the application of mercy differs in relation to the two Divine names ar-Raheem (the Most Merciful) and ar-Rahman (the Most Gracious); the two recitations of Maalik (Master) and Malik (King); why the phrases ?you (alone) we worship? and ?you (alone) we ask for help? restrict (al-hasr) worship to Allah alone; the two types of guidance, including the linguistic meaning of ?the path? (siraat) and al-Mustaqeem; who the two previous communities were who ?earned His anger? and ?went astray?; and much more.
The book also carries copious footnotes with full references to citations, as well as additional scholarly explanations.
In the end, what I will say is that after having assimilated the nuances of knowledge from this brilliant publication, illuminated by the deep penetrative insight of the Sheikh, I can guarantee you one thing - your understanding of prayer and its application will, insha'Allah (God Willing), forever be changed for the better.
For the sincere student of knowledge who is seeking a greater understanding of Islam, what could be better than correctly comprehending the 'Mother of the Qur'an' - Surah al-Fatihah?
Definitely one not to be missed
May Allah reward the brother for his good and concise words,
Wassalamalykum wa rahmatullah
Abu Ishaaq Nadeem ibn Mohammad Ahsan-shah
((من كظم غيظاً و هو قادر أن ينفذه دعاه الله على رؤوس الخلائق حتى يخيره من الحور العين يزوجه منها ما يشاء))
[صحيح الجامع رقم 6522]
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n.ahsan.shah
01-09-2006 @ 11:41 PM
