Surah al-Fatihah: The Greatest Duʿa

✨ بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ ، اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِيْنَ ، الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ ، مٰلِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّيْنِ ، إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِيْنُ ، اِهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيْمَ ، صِرَاطَ الَّذِيْنَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّآلِّيْنَ.

Translation :

In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very Merciful. All praises and thanks are for Allah, the Lord of all the worlds, The All-Merciful, The Very Merciful, Master of the Day of Judgement. You Alone we worship, You Alone we ask for help. Guide us on the Straight Path, the path of those whom You have favoured, not of those who incur (Your) anger nor of those who have gone astray. (1:1-7)

Transliteration :

Bismi-llāhi-r-Raḥmāni-r-Raḥīm. Alḥamdu-lillāhi Rabbi-l-ʿālamīn, ar-Raḥmāni-r-Raḥīm, Māliki yawmi-d-dīn, iyyāka naʿbudu wa iyyāka nastaʿīn, ihdina-ṣ-Ṣirāṭa-l-Mustaqīm, ṣirāṭa-lladhīna anʿamta ʿalayhim ghayri-l-maghḍūbi ʿālayhim wa la-ḍ-ḍāllīn.

Sūrah al-Fātiḥah is the most powerful duas

We often read Sūrah al-Fātiḥah, but we sometimes forget that it is one of the most powerful and comprehensive du’ās.

This du‘ā’ is so amazing because:

We are taught the ‘adab’ (etiquette) of making du’ā’: Praise Him with His Most Beautiful Names and Attributes, express our servitude to Him and THEN ask Him.

We are asking Allah for ‘guidance’ as it can only come from Him. When we are guided by Allah, He helps us to obey Him and to stop sinning. When this happens, we are saved from all evil in this world and the hereafter.

We might think to ourselves: ‘We are already guided. Why do we need to keep repeating this du‘ā’?’ Sometimes we may know the truth but we are not able to act upon it. Or we may act upon it, but we may lack sincerity in our actions. Or maybe it doesn’t conform to the Sunnah of the Messenger ﷺ. And more importantly, today we might be upon ‘guidance’, but what about tomorrow? ‘

Guide us on the straight path’ is a du‘ā’ for all of the above AND firmness on the path. We are asking Allah to keep us firm on this path (al-ṣirāt al-mustaqīm) so that we can pass over the bridge (Ṣirāṭ) in the hereafter as smoothly and as quickly as possible.