Al-Fatihah...

Al-Fatihah, the Basis of the Qur'an It is narrated that the holy Prophet (S) has said: "By the One, in Whose hand is my soul, Allah has not sent down a similar Surah to this Surah (Al-Fatihah), neither in the Turah, nor in the Gospel, nor in the Psalms, nor even in the Qur'an and it is Umm-ul-Kitab"; [^1] which means that it is the basis and origin of all excellence.

In fact, besides referring to the Resurrection, this Surah presents facts concerning the Unity of the Divine Essence, Unity of Attributes, Unity of Divine Acts, and Unity of Worship. It is the essence of the whole meaning of the Qur'an.

It is narrated from Hadrat Amir-ul-Mu'mineen Ali (as) that: "All secrets of Allah are in Divine Books; and the contents of all those Divine Books are comprised in the Qur'an; and what is found in the Qur'an is condensed in Surah Al-Al-Fatihah, and what is in Al-Fatihah is gathered in / bismillah /, and what is in /bismillah / is concentrated in / b /, (the first letter of 'Bism-il-la ' )..." [^2] Based on the entirety of great commentators' statements, it is understood that this tradition indicates clearly the importance of both the Holy Qur'an and / bismillah-ir-rahman-ir-rahim / in which science and knowledge, from the beginning to the end, is comprised.

The interpreter and elucidator of these sciences is the holy Prophet (S), and after him there are his true vicegerents including Amir-ul-Mu'mineen Ali (as) . [^3] 3. Al-Fatihah, Magnificent Honour of the Prophet (S) Surah Al-Fatihah, more so than the other Suras in the Holy Qur'an, was revealed to the holy Prophet (S) as a great bounty. It stands on a par with the whole Qur'an.

The seven verses in the Surah sum up the whole Qur'an: "And We have bestowed upon thee the Seven Oft-repeated (verses) and the Grand Qur'an", [^4] .

This meaning is also referred to in a narration from Amir-ul-Mu'mineen Ali (as) quoting the Prophet's (S) tradition who said: " Verily, Allah, the Exalted, has bestowed (His) favours on me particularly for 'The Opening' (Al- Fatihah) and has positioned it on a par with the whole Grand Qur'an, and surely Fatihat.-ul-Kitab (the Opening of the Qur'an) is the dearest (item) in the treasures of the 'Arsh, (Throne of Heaven)". [^5] 4.

The Importance of its Recitation The recitation of this Surah, because of its extreme importance, is frequently emphasized in Islamic traditions and narrations.