سورة الفاتحة

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): At the beginning of every surah that was revealed in Mecca, it was written: "Makkiyyah", then Allah would add to it whatever He willed in Medina.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Imam Kazim (peace be upon him), from his father (peace be upon him), that he said to Abu Hanifa: "Which surah begins with hamd (praise), its middle is ikhlas (sincerity), and its end is dua (supplication)?" Abu Hanifa was bewildered, then said: "I don't know." The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "The surah whose beginning is praise, whose middle is sincerity, and whose end is supplication, is Surah al-Hamd."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Allah, by [revealing] Surah al-Hamd, bestowed a favor upon me from the treasure of Paradise.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Jabir (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates in a long hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) that he said, quoting Allah the Exalted: "I have given your nation a treasure from the treasures of My Throne, which is Fatihat al-Kitab (the blessed Surah al-Hamd)."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Indeed, Allah the Exalted said to me: "O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! We have given you Surah al-Hamd and the great Quran! (Surah al-Hijr, verse 87). So He singled me out with the favor of Fatihat al-Kitab and placed it alongside the great Quran. Indeed, Fatihat al-Kitab is the most honored thing in the treasures of the Throne, and Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, devoted it to Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and honored him with it, and did not share it with any of His prophets, except Sulayman (peace be upon him)."

Imam Askari (peace be upon him): By granting Surah al-Hamd to the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), Allah gave him a distinction He had given to none of the earlier prophets (peace be upon them), except Sulayman ibn Dawud (peace be upon him), who was given only Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim from this surah. [Sulayman (peace be upon him)] considered this verse more honored than the entire kingdom and power Allah had granted him, and would say: "My Lord! What excellent, precious words these are; I regard these words as more valuable than my whole kingdom which You have granted [me]." Allah said to him: "O Sulayman! How could it not be more valuable, when for any servant of Mine, man or woman, who calls upon Me with these words, I grant a reward a thousand times greater than the reward for giving your whole kingdom in charity? This is one-seventh of the entire surah I have given to Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), master of the prophets (peace be upon them) (Surah Fatihat al-Kitab)."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Allah, Blessed and Exalted, says: "I have divided Fatihat al-Kitab between Myself and My servant into two halves; one half is Mine, and one half is My servant's; and My servant shall have whatever he asks." When the servant says: "Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim," Allah, Glorious is His Majesty, says: "My servant has begun with My Name, and it is incumbent upon Me to complete his affairs and bless his states..." Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, says: "This is for My servant, and My servant shall have whatever he asks; I have answered My servant and given him what he hoped for, and I have made him secure from what he feared."

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Fadl ibn Shadhan narrates from Imam Rida (peace be upon him) that he said: People have been commanded to recite in prayer so that the Quran would not be abandoned and forgotten, and thereby be lost and ruined; rather, [since reciting the Quran in prayers became obligatory,] it has been preserved and made an object of teaching and learning, so that it would not perish and ignorance of it would not occur. For this reason prayer begins with the recitation of Surah al-Hamd and not the other surahs of the Quran, for no speech and no surah of the Quran gathers together the varieties of good and wisdom the way Surah al-Hamd does.

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Fadl ibn Shadhan says: ... "Why must every recitation begin only with Surah al-Hamd and not with the other surahs?" The answer given is: "Because no surah of the Quran contains the totality of good and wisdom the way Surah al-Hamd does."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): If I wished, I could explain Fatihat al-Kitab in such detail that it would fill the load of seventy camels.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): Satan never let out a cry like the three he let out: once, when he was distanced from Allah's mercy and expelled from the dominion of the heavens; another, at the moment the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) was born; and another cry, when Surah al-Hamd, with Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim at its beginning, was revealed.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Satan let out four cries: first, the day he was cursed; then, when he was cast down to earth; then, when Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) was raised as a prophet after a period during which no messenger had come; and [the fourth time], when Surah al-Hamd was revealed.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Satan let out cries twice; when Allah raised Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) to prophethood after a period during which no messenger had come, and when Surah al-Hamd was revealed.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): A group of Jews came to the Prophet, and the most learned among them asked him about several matters, among them: "Inform us of the seven qualities Allah has given only to you among the prophets, and to your nation alone among the nations." The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Allah has given me Surah al-Hamd."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): If Surah al-Hamd were recited seventy times over a dead person and he came back to life, that would not be a wonder.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Isma'il ibn Aban narrates, in a marfu' (chain traced to the Prophet) hadith, from the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said to Jabir ibn Abdillah (may Allah have mercy on him): "O Jabir! Shall I teach you the best surah Allah has revealed in His Book?" Jabir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Yes, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you! Teach it to me." The narrator says: "He taught him al-Hamdu lillah, that is, Ummul Kitab." Then he said: "O Jabir! Shall I inform you about this surah?" He said: "Yes, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you! Inform me." He said: "It is a cure for every ailment, except death."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu Bakr al-Hadrami narrates that Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "Whenever you have a need, recite al-Mathani (the oft-repeated) and another surah, pray two rak'ahs, and supplicate to Allah." I said: "May Allah make you worthy, what is al-Mathani?" He said: "It is Fatihat al-Kitab: Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim, al-Hamdu lillahi Rabbil-'Alamin."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Know that whoever recites this surah believing in the wilayah (guardianship) of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his pure household, submits to its command, and believes in its outward and inward meaning, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, will give him, for every letter of it, a reward greater than the world and all its wealth and goodness; and whoever listens to a person reciting this surah will be given a third of the reciter's reward. So take as much as you can of this good and blessing placed at your disposal, for it is a ghanimah (bounty); do not let its time pass so that regret remains in your hearts.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) narrates in a long hadith: A group of Jews came to the Prophet, and the most learned among them asked him about several matters ... [The Jewish man said:] "O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! What is the reward of one who recites Surah al-Hamd?" The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Whoever recites Surah al-Hamd, Allah will give him the reward of reciting every verse that has been revealed from heaven."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): I never recited Surah al-Hamd seventy times over any pain without it subsiding.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Whoever Surah al-Hamd does not save from illness, nothing will save him.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Whoever Surah al-Hamd does not heal, nothing will heal him.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): If Surah al-Hamd is recited seventy times over a dead person and the soul returns to his body, that is not strange.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), taught al-Hamdu lillah, that is Ummul Kitab, to Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah have mercy on him). Then he said: "O Jabir (may Allah have mercy on him), shall I inform you about it?" He said: "Yes, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you, inform me." He said: "It is a cure for every ailment except death."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Whoever is afflicted with an illness should put his head to his collar and recite Surah al-Hamd seven times. If the pain goes away, well and good; otherwise he should recite this surah seventy times. I am the guarantor of his recovery.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): When Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, willed to send down Fatihat al-Kitab, Ayat al-Kursi, وَشَهِدَ اللَّهُ [And Allah bears witness] and قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ مَالِكَ الْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِي الْمُلْكَ مَنْ تَشَاءُ وَتَنزِعُ الْمُلْكَ مِمَّنْ تَشَاءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَن تَشَاءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَن تَشَاءُ بِيَدِكَ الْخَيْرُ إِنَّكَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ تُولِجُ اللَّيْلَ فِي النَّهَارِ وَتُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِي اللَّيْلِ وَتُخْرِجُ الْحَيَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَتُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتَ مِنَ الْحَيِّ وَتَرْزُقُ مَن تَشَاءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ [Say: O Allah, Master of the Kingdom, You give sovereignty to whom You will, and You take sovereignty away from whom You will, You honor whom You will, and You abase whom You will; in Your hand is all good; indeed You are able to do all things. You cause the night to enter into the day and the day to enter into the night; You bring forth the living from the dead and the dead from the living; and You give sustenance to whom You will without account], they became suspended at the Throne, and there was no veil between them and Allah. They said: "Our Lord! You are sending us down to the abode of sins, to those who disobey You, while we are suspended in purity and holiness?" Allah, glory be to Him, said: "By My might and My majesty, no servant recites you [these verses] at the end of every prayer except that I settle him in [Paradise, with all that is in it]; I look upon him with My special gaze seventy times every day; I grant him seventy needs every day, the least of which is forgiveness; I protect him from every enemy and grant him victory over him; and nothing bars him from entering Paradise except death."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Whenever you have a need, recite al-Mathani (the oft-repeated) and another surah, pray two rak'ahs, and supplicate to Allah.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Yunus ibn Abd al-Rahman said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the verse, "We have given you Surah al-Hamd and the Magnificent Quran!" (Hijr/87). He said: "al-Sab' al-Mathani (the seven oft-repeated) is Surah al-Hamd, which has seven verses, Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim being one of them. This surah is called al-Mathani because it is repeated in the two rak'ahs."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Sa'd ibn Amr al-Jallab said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the verse, "We have given you Surah al-Hamd and the Magnificent Quran!" (Hijr/87). The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "[al-Sab' al-Mathani] means Surah al-Hamd."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Fatihat al-Kitab is al-Sab' al-Mathani (the seven oft-repeated).

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): al-Sab' al-Mathani is Surah al-Hamd, which is recited twice in every prayer.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Muslim said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about [the meaning of] the verse, "We have given you Surah al-Hamd and the Magnificent Quran!" (Hijr/87). The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "It means Surah al-Hamd, which is recited twice in every prayer."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The Greatest Name of Allah is scattered within Ummul Kitab, Surah al-Hamd.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu Bakr al-Hadrami narrates from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that the Imam (peace be upon him) said: "Whenever you have a need, recite al-Mathani and another surah, pray two rak'ahs, and supplicate to Allah." I said: "May Allah keep you fit, what is al-Mathani?" He said: "It is Fatihat al-Kitab."