Surah Al Fatihah (Virtues and Themes)

Sūrah al-Fātiḥah and the Teachings of Murāqabah

Two things are necessary for murāqabah:

1. The recognition of Allah Almighty.

2. The recognition of one’s self.

If a person does not know who his Lord is, what His attributes are, and is not familiar with His majesty, such a person will become astray. There was once a king in Yemen who had been granted power, strength and wealth by Allah Almighty. He was given many blessings. His army continued to conquer lands, and his kingdom expanded. One day, he thought to himself: “Who is maintaining the perfect order of the universe? Who gives us the days and nights? Who has granted us this strength and power?”

He did not possess knowledge of Islam, and he repeatedly asked himself these questions. After several days of thinking, he reached the conclusion that the sun is maintaining the order of the universe. The days and nights come about because of the sun, and the sun causes the crops to grow. Therefore, the sun is the Creator. اَسْتَغْفِرُ اللہ! اَسْتَغْفِرُ اللہ! The unfortunate king fell victim to his baseless interpretations, and the devil tricked him into worshipping the sun.

The king did not recognise Allah Almighty; he was unaware of Allah’s attributes and did not know about His grand status. So, he was led astray by succumbing to his weak and inferior intellect. Hence, we learn that in order to perform muraqabah, it is essential to have recognition of Allah Almighty and be familiar with His attributes.

Sūrah al-Fātiḥah and the Attributes of Allah Almighty

Allah Almighty explains His attributes in the initial part of the Sūrah:

Important

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