Ayah By Ayah

Surah Al Fatiha (The Opening)

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem

Alhamdu lillaahi Rabbil 'aalameen

Ar-Rahmaanir-Raheem

Maaliki Yawmid-Deen

Iyyaaka na'budu wa iyyaaka nasta'een

Ihdinas-Siraatal-Mustaqeem

Siraatal-lazeena an'amta 'alaihim ghayril-maghdoobi 'alaihim wa lad-daaalleen

Word By Word:

Bismillaah: In the name of Allah

Ar Rahmaan: The Merciful

Ar Raheem: The Compassionate

Alhamdu lillaahi: All praise and thanks be to Allah

Rabbi: Lord

Al 'aalameen: of the Universe

Ar-Rahmaan: The Merciful

Ar-Raheem: The Compassionate

Maalik: The Master

Yawm: The Day

Ad-Deen: Of Judgement

Iyyaaka: YOU Alone

na'budu: we worship

wa: and

Iyyaaka: YOU Alone

nasta'een: we ask for help!

Ihdina: Guide us

As-Siraata: The Path

Al-Mustaqeem: Of Straight

Siraata: The Path

Al-lazeena: Of Those

an'amta: YOU Bestow Favours

'alaihim: on them

ghayri: not

Al-maghdoobi: Those who earn wrath

'alaihim: on themselves

wa la: and not

Ad-daaalleen: Those who got astray

Translation:

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds;

Most Gracious, Most Merciful;

Master of the Day of Judgment.

Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek.

Show us the straight way,

The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray.

Ayah By Ayah:

Alhamdu lillaahi Rabbil 'aalameen, Ar-Rahmaanir-Raheem

The Arabic word Rabb, usually translated Lord, has also the meaning of cherishing, sustaining, bringing to maturity. Allah cares for all the worlds He has created. There are many worlds - astronomical and physical worlds, worlds of thought, spiritual world, and so on. In every one of them, Allah is all-in-all. We express only one aspect of it when we say: "In Him we live, and move, and have our being." The mystical division between (1) Nasut, the human world knowable by the senses, (2) Malakut, the invisible world of angels, and (3) Lahut, the divine world of Reality, requires a whole volume to explain it.

Maaliki Yawmid-Deen

God will be the Lord of the Day when all generations of mankind gather together on order to render an account of their conduct, and when each person will be finally rewarded or punished for his deeds. The description of God as Lord of the Day of Judgement following the mention of his benevolence and compassion indicates that we ought to remember another aspect of God as well-namely, that He will judge us all, that He is so absolutely powerful, that on the Day of Judgement no one will have the power either to resist the enforcement of punishments that He decrees or to prevent anyone from receiving the rewards that He decides to confer. Hence, we ought not only to love Him for nourishing and sustaining us and for His compassion and mercy towards us, but should also hold Him in awe because of His justice, and should not forget that our ultimate happiness or misery rests completely with Him. 

Iyyaaka na'budu wa iyyaaka nasta'een

On realizing in our souls Allah's love and care, His grace and mercy, and His power and justice (as Ruler of the Day of Judgement), the immediate result is that we bend in the act of worship, and see both our shortcomings and His allsufficient power. The emphatic form means that not only do we reach the position of worshipping Allah and asking for His help, but we worship Him alone and ask for His aid only. For there is none other than He worthy of our devotion and able to help us. Then plural "we" indicates that we associate ourselves with all who seek Allah, thus strengthening ourselves and strengthening them in a fellowship of faith 

Ihdinas-Siraatal-Mustaqeem

 If we translate by the English word "guide," we shall have to say: "Guide us to and in the straight Way." For we may be wandering aimlessly, and the first step is to find the Way; and the second need is to keep in the Way: Our own wisdom may fail in either case. The straight Way is often the narrow Way, or the steep Way, which many people shun (90:11). By the world's perversity the straight Way is sometimes stigmatized and the crooked Way praised. How are we to judge? We must ask for Allah's guidance. With a little spiritual insight we shall see which are the people who walk in the light of Allah's grace, and which are those that walk in the darkness of Wrath. This also would help our judgement.

Siraatal-lazeena an'amta 'alaihim

 Note that the words relating to Grace are connected actively with Allah; those relating to Wrath are impersonal. In the one case Allah's Mercy encompasses us beyond our deserts. In the other case our own actions are responsible for the Wrath - the negative of Grace, Peace, or Harmony. 

 ghayril-maghdoobi 'alaihim wa lad-daaalleen

Are there two categories? - those who are in the darkness of Wrath and those who stray? The first are those who deliberately break Allah's law; the second those who stray out of carelessness or negligence. Both are responsible for their own acts or omissions. In opposition to both are the people who are in the light of Allah's Grace: for His Grace not only protects them from active wrong (if they will only submit their will to Him) but also from straying into paths of temptation or carelessness. The negative ghayr should be construed as applying not to the way, but as describing men protected from two dangers by Allah's Grace.