THE THREE VERSES IN FATIHA

when i was at my boarding school, a senior told me to attempt memorizing the translation to Surah al-Fatiha. it took me about three days, but i managed to memorize it up until now. throughout my years in the boarding school, i never understood why i was asked to remember it but as time passes by, i grew and self-reflected, i’ve realised the beauty of this Surah. Umm al-Kitab, the Mother of the Book, the Surah in which Rasulullah SAW has said to be “the cure to every poison” (Tabrani).

the verse that I wanted to highlight was “maliki yawmi’d-din” where Allah says that He is the Master, the Owner and the King of the Day of Judgement.  seeing the state of this country, how blessed are we to know that Allah SWT will be the one Judging, and not corrupt governments and selfish leaders that have manipulated and abused their power, placing innocent civilians in danger? How blessed we are to have Allah, al-adl, the Most Just, to be one to give everybody’s due rights and make sure no one (oppressor, tyrant, dictator and/or bully) escapes His wrath nor misses out on His reward?

but also understand how beautifully this Surah was created. because Allah SWT had managed to place “maliki yawmi'd-din" in between two very lovely reminders.

that 1) He is ar-Rahman (the Most Merciful) and ar-Rahim (the Most Compassionate), and thus even when our limited comprehension cannot explain why horrible things happen to decent people, cling to these two Beautiful Names of Allah! Keep in mind that Allah SWT loves us more than we love ourselves, and He never acts without reason and knowledge.

And 2) iyya kana'budu wa iyya kanasta'in - 'to You we worship, and to You we seek help'. Meaning, no matter how perplexing, upsetting, painful, or terrible our circumstance is, we must never lose confidence in Allah, stop worshipping Him and becoming His abd' (servant), and never stop seeking aid from Him, since it is only Allah SWT who may provide support in ways we cannot conceive. Everything is simple for Allah, so continue to ask Him.

So, even though it appears like life isn't going well at times, don't give up hope. Allah SWT has provided us with a plethora of tools to help us manage this wild, complicated, but yet beautiful world. He provided us with the Fatiha, the Solah, the Quran, Rasulullah SAW, and each other! I hope that Allah SWT blesses our Ummah abundantly, not only with peace and security, but also with love and gentleness. With tenacity and perseverance, but also with joy and good humour. With boldness and courage, but also with useful information and lovely akhlak. Ameen.

p/s: you can get the e-book version of the Surah alongside with myriad activities to do with your kids at iLuvQuran Online!

pp/s: don't forget to join in our Online Quran Festival! We've got a class going on tomorrow with one of our distinguished teacher, Ustaz Haziq! For more info, go on our Facebook profile @iLuvQuran