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Surah

Faateha

Translation & Tafseer from

Kanz ul Imaan &

Khazaa’in ul Irfaan

Translated into English through the Blessings

of Ghaus-ul-Waqt Huzoor

Mufti-e-Azam Hind ◌

By a humble servant of Allah

Muhammad Afthab Cassim al-Qaadiri

Razvi Noori

Published For

Free Distribution By : IMAM MUSTAFA RAZA RESEARCH CENTRE

OVERPORT, DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA

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All Rights Reserved No part of this publication may be produced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in

any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical photocopying or otherwise without the

prior permission of the Copyright Owner.

Islamic Date : Rabi ul Aakhir 1435

English Date : February 2014

Author: Huzoor Taajush Shariah Mufti Mohammed Akhtar Raza Khan Qaadiri Azhari

Translator: Muhammad Afthab Cassim Al Qaadiri Razvi Noori

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Translator’s Note

All Praise is due to Allah, Durood and Salaams upon the Beloved Nabi

and upon his Noble Family and Illustrious Companions.

Before you is the translation and Tafseer (commentary) of Surah Faateha,

The Opening Surah of the Holy Qur’an. The translation of this Surah is

from Kanz ul Imaan (The Sacred Treasure of Faith) which is the Urdu

translation of the Holy Qur’an by Aala Hazrat Imam Ahmed Raza Khan ◌ , which is accepted by the Scholars of Ahlus Sunnat Wa Jama’at as the best

ever Urdu translation of the Holy Qur’an. It is an explanatory translation

which the great Imam fulfilled with his deep love for Allah and His

Beloved Nabi .

The Tafseer has been done from the original Tafseer of Kanz ul Imaan,

which was written by the illustrious Khalifa of Aala Hazrat ◌ , who is

known as Sadrul Afaadil Allama Naeemud’deen Muradabadi ◌ . The flow

in the Tafseer beautifully compliments and supports the translation of

the Great Imam.

Many people have requested the translation and concise commentary of

Surah Faateha and I have found the Tafseer in Khazaa’inul Irfaan to be

best suited for this purpose. I pray that this humble effort is accepted in

the Divine Court of Allah through the blessing of Nabi-e-Kareem .

Sag-e-Mufti-e-Azam

Muhammad Afthab Cassim Al Qaadiri Razvi Noori

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يم� ﴿﴾ ح� حمن� الر ��سم� اهللا� الر

Allah’s Name we begin with, The Compassionate, The Most Merciful

﴿ ني� ب�� العل�م� � ر� مد� هللا� ﴾۱ا�لح�

1. All Praise is for Allah,

The Rub (Sustainer) of the Entire

Creation

﴿ يم� ح� حمن� الر�� � ﴾۲الر�

2. The Most Compassionate,

The Most Merciful

﴿ ين� ﴾۳مل�ك� ي�وم� ا ��

3. The Master of the Day of Recompense

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﴿ ني� ستع� اك ي� اك نعب�د� و ا� ي� ﴾۴ا�

4. We worship only You,

And from You only do we seek help

﴿ يم� ست�ق� رط� الم� هد� ن�ا الص�� ﴾۵ا�

5. Guide us on the straight (righteous) path

//0 ل�ي�1 ين� ا�نع�مت� ع� � � رط� ا�4 ص�

6. The Path of those,

upon whom You have bestowed (Your)favours

﴿٪ �ني� آل� � ال� الض� و� ل�ي�1 وب� ع� غض� ري� الم� ﴾۷غ�

7. Not the path of those who have earned

Your Wrath, and nor of those who have gone

astray.

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Allah’s Name we begin with, The Compassionate, The Most Merciful

Praises be to Allah, Peace and Salutations upon The Beloved Prophet

The Names of Surah Faateha

This Surah is known by numerous other names, such as:

1. Faateha

2. Faatehatul Kitaab

3. Ummul Qur’an

4. Suratul Kanz

5. Kaafiyah

6. Waafiyah

7. Shaafiyah

8. Shifa

9. Sab’a Mathaani

10. Noor

11. Ruqay’yah

12. Suratul Humd

13. Suratud Dua

14. Taleemul Mas’ala

15. Suratul Munajaat

16. Suratut Tafweedh

17. Suratus Sawaal

18. Ummul Kitaab

19. Faatehatul Qur’an

20. Suratus Salaah

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This Surah consists of seven verses, twenty-seven words and one hundred

and forty alphabets. None of the verses in this Surah have been made

Naasikh or Mansookh (inapplicable any longer).

‘Shaan-e-Nuzool’

Significance Relating

To the Revelation

This Surah was revealed at Makkah or Madina, or at both places. It is

narrated from Amr bin Sharjeel that the Beloved Nabi said to Hazrat

Khadija عا�� عن�ااهللا � I hear a call, in which Iqra (Read!) is being said”. This“ ر

was mentioned to Waraqa bin Naufil. He said that when this voice is

heard, then the Prophet should listen to it with comfort and peace.

After this, Hazrat Jibraeel Ameen علي� السالم descended into the blessed court

of the Beloved Nabiand said, “Say � ���

�

ا�

ب

ر

�� هللا

��

� ا ��ð

ð�� ا��

�� اهللا ا�� ��”

From this, itwould seem that in revelation, this was the first Surah, but

from other narrations, we conclude that the first Surah to be revealed

was “Iqra”. In this Surah, the discourse is in the language of the servants,

as a means of learning.

Law:To recite this Surah in Namaaz is Waajib (compulsory). It is

necessary for the Imaam and the Munfarid (one who reads Namaaz

individually) to recite it. As for the Muqtadi (one who follows the Imaam),

the Qira’at of the Imaam is accepted as his Qira’at. It has been mentioned

in Sahih Hadith,

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ائ ة

�

م �

ائ ة اال�

�

“The recitation of the Imaam is the recitation of the follower”

Thus, it has been commanded in the Qur’an, for the Imaam to render the

recitation and for the Muqtadi to remain silent and listen. The Glorious

Qur’an says:

ا

����

ا

� و

ا

���

�

��

õ ان

��

ا¯

اذا ��ىئ

“When the Qur’an is being recited, then remain silent and listen”

It is in the Hadith of Muslim Shareef:

ا

�����

õ ا

�

ا�

اذ

“When he (the Imaam) is rendering recitation, then remain silent”

The same can be found in numerous other Ahadith on this issue.

Law: In Salaat ul Janaazah (prayer for the deceased), if one does not

know any Dua, then he may recite Surah Faateha as a Dua, as to do so with

the intention of Dua is permissible. However, to read Surah Faateha with

the intention (Niyyah) of Qira’at (recitation) is not permissible. [Alamgiri]

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The Virtuesof Surah Faateha

Numerous virtues of this Surah have been mentioned in the Ahadith. The

Beloved Nabi stated that neither in the Taurah, Zaboor or Injeel, was

there any Surah revealed, which is equivalent (in excellence) to Surah

Faateha. [Tirmizi]

An Angel descended in the Court of the Prophet and gave him glad

tidings of two such Noors (lights) which have been bestowed upon him,

the likes of which has never been bestowed upon any other Nabi before.

The first being Surah Faateha and the second being the latter verses of

Surah Baqarah. [Muslim Shareef]

Surah Faateha is the cure for all illnesses. [Daarmi]

If one recited Surah Faateha 100 times and then makes any Dua, Almighty

Allah accepts his Dua. [Daarmi]

Rules Regarding Recitation of Ta’ooz

Law: To recite � �� �ð�� ا��

��

� ا�

��

هللا #"ذ �

before recitation is Sunnat. [Khaazin] ا

Law: However, if the student is reading from the Ustad (teacher), then it

is not Sunnat (for him to recite it). [Shaami]

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Law: In Namaaz, it is Sunnat for both, the Imaam and the Munfarid (the

one performing Namaaz individually) to recite the

�ا �� �ð�� ا��

��

� ا�

��

هللا #"ذ �

silently after reciting the Subhaan (i.e. The Thana) is Sunnat. [Shaami]

Rules Regarding Recitation of the Tasmiyah

Law: � ��ðð�� ا��

ا��

�� اهللا ��is a verse of the Qur’an, but it is not part of Surah

Faateha or part of any other Surah. It is for this reason that it should not

be read aloud in Namaaz. It is in Bukhari and Muslim, that Huzoor ,

Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique and Hazrat Umar عا�� عن�مااهللا � used to commenceر

their recitation during Salaah with

� ���

�

ا�

ب

ر

�� هللا

ا��

Law: When reciting the Qur’an in Taraweeh, Bismillah must be read

aloud once, so that one verse of the Qur’an is not left out. In recitation

(Qira’at), with the exception of Surah Bara’at (i.e. Surah Taubah) every

Surah of the Qur’an must be commenced with Bismillah.

Law: Bismillah that follows the Ayat of Sajdah in Surah Namlis not a

continuous verse, but it is part of a verse. Thus in this Ayat, it must be

read. In other words, it must be read aloud in a Jahri (Audible) Namaaz

and softly in Sir’ri Namaaz.

Law: To commence every Lawful (i.e. virtuous and good) action with

Bismillah is Mustahab (desirable). To recite Bismillah with impermissible

actions is disallowed.

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Commentary of Surah Faateha

This Surah is the complete explanation of the Praise of Allah. It explains

Allah as the Sustainer and Rub. It explains His Divine Mercy, His Divine

Authority and Divine Control. It explainsthe essence of Ibaadat (Worship),

and explains guidance for the servants, (and explains to us about)

directing one’s self towards Him. (It explains the)manner of making Dua

and the condition of the Pious (servants of Allah). (It explains the

importance of)keeping away from the misled, and having dislike for them.

(It explains) the end of life and the condition of recompense in the

hereafter.

Law: Like Bismillah, it is necessary to praise Allah before doing anything.

Law: Humd (Allah’s Praise) in some cases is Waajib, such as in the

Khutbah of Jummah. In some cases, it is Mustahab (desirable), such as in

the Khutbah of Nikah, in Dua and after eating and drinking. In some cases,

it is Sunnat-e-Mu’akkadah, such as after sneezing (Tahtaawi).

� � �

�

!

ب ا

In this there is the clear indication towards the fact that the ر

entire universe and all in it (i.e. the entire creation), is ‘Haadith’ (created),

Mumkin (Possible) and dependant. Whereas Almighty Allah’s existence is

Compulsory, and He (Allah) is ‘Qadeem’ (Uncreated), ‘Azali and Abadi’

(Always was and always will be), ‘Hayy’ (All Existing), ‘Qay’yoom’ (The

Sustainer/Independent), ‘Qaadir’ (All Powerful) and ‘Aleem’ (All

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Knowing). In just two words (

� ���

�

ب ا�

the important discussion about (ر

Knowledge with regards to the Almighty, has been made clear.

��%

& م ا

�

�( )*+ is the explanation that everything is in existence (by Allah’s

Command). It also shows that except Almighty Allah, none is worthy of

worship, since all are His creation and creation cannot be worthy of

Ibaadat (worship). It also explains that the world is Daarul Amal, in other

words it is a Place of actions (Deeds), and there is an end to it (i.e. the

world will end one day), which cannot be said to be eternal. To think that

it (the universe and the creation) will never end and will remain eternally

is merely baseless (and absurd). After the end of the world, there will be a

day for remuneration (recompense), and this nullifies the (false) concept

of reincarnation.

& ,-

!

.

�ك

In this, after discussing Allah and discussing His Divine Being and ا%�

His Divine Attributes. Saying this is indication that Aqida (faith) is above

actions, and the acceptance of one’s Ibaadat depends on ones Aqeeda

(Beliefs).

Law: The word � ��

$ appearing in the plural form is also used in a

congregational sense. Thus also denotes that the Ibaadat (worship)

performed by the general public, reaches the level of acceptance through

the virtue of the Ibaadat of those who are the Beloveds and accepted

servants of Allah.

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Law: This is also the complete refutation of Shirk (polytheism), whereby

it is clear that there is none worthy of worship but Allah, in other words

that none but Allah can be worshipped.

�� !

�

0

1

�ك

ا%�

In this we are being educated and informed that to ask و

assistance through a means or without a means is really assistance

attained from Allah. Since all objects, means, helpers and associates are

through the Grace of Allah. He alone is the True Helper.

The servants of Allah should ponder on this and realise that everything is

through the Grace of Allah. To regard seeking assistance from the Ambia

and Awliyah as Shirk is a false belief, seeking assistance of the chosen

servants of Allah is actually the Help of Allah.

If this Ayat (verse) means that which the Wahabis say, then what willbe

said concerning these verses in the Qur’an?

ة

�4 ,5 67

�8�-Ù

ا

And

:�ة ا;�

� و

,

�;� ا %,

�8

�-!

�

ا�

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Why has this been said, and why is it that in the Hadith there is evidence

with regards to seeking assistance from the pious servants of Allah?

<�-�

=0�

�اط ا

� ا;�

.&

After being blessed with Education and the ا?

necessary understanding with regards to the Being and Attributes of

Allah, comes Ibaadat, and after this, we have been taught the importance

of asking Dua. From this we learn that after Ibaadat, we should be

engrossed in Dua. Even in the Hadith Shareef, we have been taught to

make Dua after Namaaz. [Ref: Tabrani in Kabeer and Baihaqi in Sunan]

The Siraat-e-Mustaqeem, in other words the Straight and Righteous path,

refers to Islam, the Qur’an, the Beautiful and Noble Character of Nabi

Kareem , it refers to the Noble Family and Illustrious Companions of

Nabi . From this, it is proven that the Siraat-e-Mustaqeem is the way

of the Ahl-e-Sunnat, for they are the ones who accept the Ahl-e-Bait and

the Ashaab, and they are the ones who accept the Sunnat, the Qur’an and

the Sawaad-e-Azam.

<@ �A

*B

C

�

!

.

ا

��%D

ا

اط

�ò is the commentary of the preceding verse that the

straight and righteous path is referring to the path of the Muslims. From

this, numerousissues are solved, as itshows that the practices of the pious

servants arealso a part of Siraat-e-Mustaqeem.

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� �

F

G;ا

ال

و

<@ �A

*B ب

�I

J

�

� ا

�

K In this is guidance that it is necessary for the

Person on the true path to stay away from the enemy of Allah and to

abstain from their ways, their manners and their path. It has been

mentioned in Tirmizi, that �%�&

*("ب )'

� refers to the Jews and

�

��

�+

, refers

to the Christians.

Law: The Alphabets د, and . are similar in character, but because of the

similarity of some characters, they cannot be regarded as being same.

Thus, if ا��*/"ب � ��0 is recited, in other words if it is recited with a . instead

of a د,with intent, then this is ‘Tahreef’, i.e. changing the meaning of

Qur’an and this is Kufr, and if it is read otherwise (meaning the intent of

reading incorrectly was not there) then in this case it is impermissible.

Law: To make such a person an Imaam, who reads . instead of د, is

impermissible. [Muheet-e-Burhani]

Regarding Saying Aameen

� .Aameen” means, let it be so, or accept it“ آ+ �

Law: This word (i.e. Aameen) is not Qur’an.

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Law: To say Aameen after completion of Surah Faateha is Sunnat,

whether one is in Namaaz or out of Namaaz.

Law: The Madhab of Imaam Azam Abu Hanifa ◌ is that Aameen

should be said softly in Salaah. It is this which is evident after studying

and researching all the Hadith (in this regard), meaning that the correct

way is to say Aameen silently. In the narrations with regards to ‘Jahr’ (i.e.

saying the Aameen aloud), only the narration of Waa’il is Sahih (correct).

In this narration, the word

1 �2

�

� and it does not prove with certainty that

it should be read aloud. It is just as the probability of ‘Jahr’, but even

stronger than this is the probability of (rule of) Madd Hamza. Thus, this

narration is not a (valid) argument for proving ‘Jahr’. As for the other

narrations which have the words ‘Jahr’ or ‘Rafa’, then there is difference

of opinion with regards to its chain of transmission. With the exception of

this, those narrations are ‘Bil Ma’na’ (meaning agreed upon in concept or

based on meaning), and the perception of the ‘Raawi’ (Narrator) is not

Hadith. Thus to recite the ‘Aameen’ softly is more correct.

This Translation is Dedicated To

Huzoor Taajush Shariah Allama Mufti

Mohammed Akhtar Raza Khan

Qaadiri Azhari

&

Huzoor Muhadith e Kabeer Hazrat Allama

Zia ul Mustafa Qaadiri Amjadi