Reflections of the Rain #1: Al-Fatihah (1:2 - 1:3)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

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Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in surah Al-Fatihah: (1:2 - 1:3)

Tadabbur Prompt:

كأنه سبحانه يقول: يا عبادي إن كنتم تحمدون وتعظمون للكمال الذاتي والصفاتي فاحمدوني فإني أنا (الله)، وإن كان للإحسان والتربية والإنعام فإني أنا (رب العالمين)، وإن كان للرجاء والطمع في المستقبل فإني أنا (الرحمن الرحيم)، وإن كان للخوف فإني أنا (مالك يوم الدين). الألوسي: ١/٨٦. السؤال: ما دلالة الأوصاف الأربعة في بداية سورة الفاتحة على الحمد لله؟

"It is as if He (Allah) subhanahu is saying: 'O My slaves, if you praise and glorify the perfection of intrinsic self and perfection in attributes, then praise Me, for indeed I am Allah.

And if it is for ihsaan (kind acts of benevolence), tarbiyah (nurturing the creation and managing their affairs), and in'aam (bestowing favours and bounties upon the creation), then praise Me, for indeed I am Rabb Al-Alameen (the Lord of all worlds).

And if is for hope and longing for the future, then praise Me, for indeed I am Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem (the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful).

And if it is for fear, then indeed I am Maaliki Yaumid-Deen (Master of the Day of Judgement).'" (Al-Aloosy, 1/16).

The Question: What is the significance of the four attributes at the beginning of surah Al-Fatihah regarding praise to Allah?

Source:

The text in Arabic is copied directly from the app القرآن الكريم تدبر وعمل, may Allah reward its makers always, Ameen; the English text is our own translation.

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Personal reflections:

Surah Al-Fatihah, the surah which Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has chosen to open His Book with, begins with praise of Allah (اَلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ), which is then followed by the attributes mentioned above.

It is as if Allah is teaching us the importance of beginning with praise to Allah, and ending with praise to Allah; just as Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says about the believers, in surah Yunus (10:10):

دَعْوَىٰهُمْ فِيهَا سُبْحَـٰنَكَ ٱللَّهُمَّ وَتَحِيَّتُهُمْ فِيهَا سَلَـٰمٌۭ ۚ وَءَاخِرُ دَعْوَىٰهُمْ أَنِ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ

in which their prayer will be, “Glory be to You, O  Allah!” and their greeting will be, “Peace!” and their closing prayer will be, “All praise is for Allah—Lord of all worlds!”

It is also as if Allah is reminding us why 'hamd'- which is praise that includes love, reverence, gratitude, and worship- is only for Allah, and Allah alone. (Is there anyone else who manages the affairs of all the different created worlds, of humankind and jinn-kind and animal-kind, and nurtures them with perfect tarbiyah, so that they are born and raised according to their specific natures? SubhanAllah, walhamdulillah.)

The four attributes mentioned, in conjunction with 'hamd' or praise to Allah, may also humble us, reminding us of our place before Allah, and how we are in need of Allah, Rabb Al-Alameen, Ar-Rahman, Ar-Raheem, Maalik Yaumid-Deen; how we depend on Him every moment of our lives in this world, from the simplest act of breathing for our survival, to the most complicated trials that we face; and how we will be completely helpless in front of Him in the Akhirah. Because we will realise our greatest need and dependency on Allah on the Day of Judgement, we must realise our greatest need and dependency on Him in this world; and praise and worship Him for it, in the way that befits Him, subhanahu.

Alhamdulillah; all praise is to Allah, Who, out of His most perfect and beautiful rahmah, commanded us to recite this surah in every rak'ah of every salah; reminding us, numerous times every day, of His ultimate greatness and supremacy over all, and of the status that we should be giving Allah throughout our lives in this dunya, by reminding us of the status that He subhanahu wa ta'ala certainly holds in the Akhirah.

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Writer's Note:

All praise and thanks is to Allah for the knowledge shared in this post, and may He forgive me for any mistake I might have made in it.

Please feel free to leave a comment sharing your own reflections, thoughts or concerns regarding this post!

BarakAllahu feekum,

والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته