Summary of Sayyid Qutb’s Reflections on Surah Al-Fatiha
Surah Al-Fatiha is a Makkan Surah with seven verses
١. بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِِ ◯
1. “In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful”
Beginning in the name of Allah is the etiquette that Allah revealed to His Prophet (peace be upon him) in the first revelation:
“Recite in the name of your Lord…” (Surah Al-‘Alaq: 1).
Allah is the True Existence, from whom all beings derive their existence, and with whose name everything should commence. Every action, movement, and direction should begin in His name.
Describing Allah at the outset as “the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful” encompasses all aspects and manifestations of mercy.
٢. ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَِ ◯
2. “All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds”
After beginning with Allah’s name and attributes, the verse turns to praising Him and acknowledging His absolute lordship over all existence.
“All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all worlds.”
Praise for Allah is the natural response of a believing heart upon remembering Him. It is both the beginning and the conclusion :
“And He is Allah, there is no god but He. To Him belongs all praise in the first and the last.” (Surah Al-Qasas: 70)
The latter part of the verse (Lord of the Worlds) represents a fundamental principle of the Islamic conception of faith. The absolute and comprehensive Lordship of God is one of the core doctrines of Islamic belief. The term “Rabb” signifies the Owner and the Disposer, and in the Arabic language, it is used to refer to a master and one who oversees the process of nurturing and reformation. This governance for the sake of guidance and development encompasses all worlds—meaning all of creation.
God, the Almighty, did not create the universe and then abandon it. Rather, He continually governs it, nurtures it, and watches over it. All realms and all beings exist under the constant care and supervision of Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
The connection between the Creator and His creation is perpetual, ongoing, and ever-present at every moment and in every condition. Many people throughout history have recognized God as the one Creator of the universe while simultaneously believing in multiple lords who control different aspects of life. This may seem strange or even laughable, yet it was a prevalent belief—and still persists. When Islam emerged, the dominant pagan beliefs across the world were filled with various deities that were considered minor gods alongside a supreme deity, according to their myths!
Thus, the declaration of divine Lordship in this surah and its extension to all realms marks a defining boundary between order and chaos in belief. It directs all existence toward one sovereign Lord, acknowledging His absolute authority, while shedding the burden of fragmented and conflicting deities. It also frees human conscience from the confusion of worshipping multiple gods and the distress of uncertainty between various divinities.
This also instills a deep sense of peace in the hearts of all creation—knowing that God’s care is unceasing, unwavering, and never absent. It stands in stark contrast to one of Aristotle’s highest philosophical conceptions, which asserted that God created the universe but no longer concerns Himself with it—for, according to Aristotle, God is too superior to think about anything other than Himself! Aristotle, regarded as one of the greatest philosophers with one of the sharpest intellects, promoted this view, which was considered the pinnacle of rational thought at the time.
However, when Islam arrived, the world was engulfed in a vast accumulation of beliefs, myths, philosophies, speculations, and illusions—a chaotic blend in which truth was entangled with falsehood, the authentic mixed with the fabricated, religion distorted by superstition, and philosophy intertwined with myth.
Amidst this intellectual and spiritual confusion, the human conscience wandered in darkness, lost in doubts, and unable to reach certainty.
Thus, Islam’s primary mission was to purify the concept of faith, to define a clear and unwavering understanding of God, His attributes, His relationship with creation, and creation’s relationship with Him.
This is why Islam established the doctrine of absolute, pure, and all-encompassing monotheism—free from any distortion or impurity, near or far. This pure monotheism became the foundation of Islamic belief, and Islam continued to refine it in human consciousness, meticulously eliminating every doubt and ambiguity surrounding the oneness of God.
Islam ensured that this understanding remained firm and unshakable, beyond the reach of any misconception in any form.
٣. ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِِ ◯
3. “The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful”
These attributes, which encompass all meanings, forms, and manifestations of mercy, are repeated here in the heart of the chapter as an independent verse. This repetition emphasizes the central feature of God’s universal Lordship and affirms the enduring bond between the Lord and His creation.
It is a bond of mercy and care that naturally inspires gratitude and praise. It is a connection built on reassurance and overflowing with love, for praise (hamd) is the instinctive response to tender and abundant mercy.
In Islam, the Divine Lord does not pursue His servants as an adversary or an enemy, unlike the Olympian gods in Greek mythology, who were depicted as being driven by whims and outbursts of anger. Nor does He plot vengeful schemes against them, as falsely portrayed in certain corrupted narratives in the Old Testament, such as the myth of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11.
٤. مَـٰلِكِ يَوۡمِ ٱلدِّينِِ ◯
4. “Master of the Day of Judgment”
This verse establishes a foundational belief in the Hereafter.
- “Master” signifies absolute authority and control.
- “Day of Judgment” refers to the day of ultimate justice and recompense.
Many people throughout history have believed in God as the Creator but denied the concept of an afterlife. The Qur’an highlights this contradiction:
“If you ask them, ‘Who created the heavens and the earth?’ they will surely say, ‘Allah.’” (Surah Luqman: 25)
Yet, they found it hard to believe in resurrection:
“They wonder that a warner has come to them from among themselves, and the disbelievers say, ‘This is something strange! When we have died and become dust, will we really be brought back? That is a distant return!'” (Surah Qaf: 2-3).
٥. إِيَّاكَ نَعۡبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسۡتَعِينُ ◯
5. “You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help”
And this is the fundamental creed that arises from the foundational principles set forth earlier in the surah: there is no worship except for Allah, and no seeking of help except from Him.
Here, too, lies a defining crossroads—a choice between absolute liberation from all forms of servitude and absolute enslavement to fellow human beings. This principle proclaims the birth of complete and comprehensive human freedom—freedom from enslavement to illusions, freedom from the bondage of oppressive systems, and freedom from the shackles of societal constraints.
٦. ٱهۡدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٲطَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقِيمَِ ◯
6. “Guide us to the straight path”
“Guide us to the Straight Path. The path of those whom You have blessed, not of those who have incurred Your wrath, nor of those who have gone astray.”
“Guide us to the Straight Path”—Lead us to the path that is direct and true, and grant us the steadfastness to remain upon it after recognizing it. Both knowledge of the path and adherence to it are fruits of God’s guidance, care, and mercy.
Turning to Allah for this guidance stems from the belief that He alone is the source of all help. This supplication is the most vital and foremost request a believer makes from their Lord, for guidance to the Straight Path is the key to success in both this life and the Hereafter—without a doubt.
In essence, this guidance aligns human nature with the divine order—the universal law of Allah, which harmonizes the movement of humanity with the movement of all creation, directing everything toward Allah, the Lord of all worlds.
٧. صِرَٲطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنۡعَمۡتَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ غَيۡرِ ٱلۡمَغۡضُوبِ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ ◯
And the nature of this Straight Path is further clarified in:
7. “The path of those You have blessed, not of those who earned Your anger, nor of those who went astray”
It is the path of those upon whom Allah has bestowed His grace—the path of those who have been guided to the truth and remained steadfast upon it.
It is not the path of those who recognized the truth but turned away from it, thereby deserving divine wrath. Nor is it the path of those who were lost in misguidance, never reaching the truth in the first place.
It is the path of the successful, the rightly guided, and those who have truly arrived at their destination.
References:
القرآن الكريم
في ظلال القرآن تأليف سيد قطب
https://islamport.com/l/tfs/738/16.ht