The Opening
Surah 1, Al-Fatiha
Al-Fatiha, The Opening
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds,
The Beneficent, the Merciful.
Owner of the Day of Judgment,
You (alone) we worship; You (alone) we ask for help.
Show us the straight path,
The path of those whom You have favoured. Not (the path) of those who earn Your anger nor of those who go astray.
The first ‘chapter’ (Surah) of the Qur’an is called ‘Al-Fatiha’, it means ‘The Opening’ or could also be described as ‘The Doorway’. It tells us a few things — Open the Qur’an, Open your heart to hear God’s Words, God is Open, Islam is about Openness. If this is not what you have heard about God (Allah), the Qur’an or Islam, then this is why I am writing.
The Qur’an is the Book of God’s open heart, highlighted by the bismillah (‘in the name of God …’) which contains the frequently repeated phrase, not just at the beginning of all but one chapter, ‘the most merciful, the most compassionate.’ This could and, perhaps should, to convey the full meaning for those who are used to Judaeo-Christian scripture, be translated as ‘The Most Loving, The Most Gracious’. Thus this opening message, or prayer — it features in the 5 Daily Prayers — is an invitation to the reader to open her heart towards God, while God opens God’s heart through the sending and sharing of…
