(We must understand the fact that Allah's ownership is not...

(We must understand the fact that Allah's ownership is not relative or superficial, as is man's. His ownership is real and ontological (haqiqi and takwini) : He has total control over all His creation, and can lay any kind of effect on any one of them. Therefore, every sort of knowledge, wisdom, wealth, treasure is His, and totally under His control. ) إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ Iyyaka na'budu wa iyyaka nasta'in You alone we worship, and from You alone we seek help.

اهدِنَــــا الصِّرَاطَ المُستَقِيمَ Ihdinas siratal mustaqim (O Allah) Guide us on the straight path. صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنعَمتَ عَلَيهِمْ غَيرِ المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّالِّينَ Siratal ladhina an'amta `alayhim ghayril maghdubi `alayhim walad dallin The path of those on whom You have blessed; not of those who have earned Your wrath, nor of those who have gone astray.

Having recited Suratu'1 Hamd the musalli is allowed to recite any other Sura of the Holy Qur'an apart from those that contain verses, that if read or heard, oblige him to prostrate (or do sajda) according to the Islamic law. Since many of us recite Surat al-Tawhid as our second Sara, I shall give a simple meaning of the same in the following pages.

Surat at-Tawhid بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ Bismillahir Bahmanir Rahim I begin with Allah's Name, the All-merciful (al-Rahman), Whose Mercy covers every dependent being, the Ever-Merciful (al-Rahim), whose specific Mercy is enjoyed by the believers. قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَد Qul Huwallahu Ahad Say (O Muhammad) He Allah is One (meaning Non-composite He cannot be divided like the divisible one.

He possesses Infinite existence) اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ Allahus Samad Allah, the Everlasting Refuge [^1] لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ Lam yalid wa lam yulad He begets not (i.e. nothing has been separated from his Exalted Nature), nor is he begotten (i.e. he did not separate or come out from another being) وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُواً أَحَدٌ Wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan Ahad And there is none like Him (because every other being has been created, and is dependent, save Him the Independent).

Ruku' (Bending In Utter Humility) Then the musalli bends in humbleness to his Lord, and expresses Allah's Immaculate Nature, as follows: سبحان ربي العظيم وبحمده Subhana Rabbiyal `aDhimi wa bihamdih Free from all imperfections is my Exalted Lord, And I praise Him. Sujud (Prostration) Sujud is known to be the Highest Degree of submission (istikana) to God.

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