Why is the First Surah Named Surah Fatiha? Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed

Why is the First Surah Named Surah Al-Fatiha?

When you have a lot of names for someone, it is generally because you have a lot of love for them. So Allah has all of these names for Surah Fatiha. A few of them we can find in the Qur'an and Hadith.

The Name: Al-Fatiha

Amongst them is Al-Fatiha itself. Why is it called Al-Fatiha? And what does Al-Fatiha indicate for us?

One of the reasons why it's called Al-Fatiha is the obvious — because it opens up the Qur'an. It's the opener of the Qur'an.

Another reason why it's called Al-Fatiha is because it opens up our prayer. And our prayer is the most pivotal part of our worship. So it's the opener of our prayer.

Another reason why it's called Al-Fatiha is because it was the first Surah revealed in its entirety. We had Iqra, the first five verses. Then after that we had Al-Muzzammil, the first 12 verses. And we had Al-Muddaththir, the first 7 verses or so. And then after that, according to some Mufassirun, Surah Al-Fatiha was revealed as an entire Surah. So it was the first entire Surah to be revealed.

Al-Fatiha as a Conqueror and Opener

But the most interesting reason why it's called Al-Fatiha — which I want everyone to leave with hopefully — is because it is truly a Fatiha for us. Fatiha means an opener, a conqueror. Al-Fatiha is a conqueror for us. Al-Fatiha is an opener for us. It is the light at the end of the tunnel — which is not the light of an oncoming train. It's true light.

"When the help of Allah comes, victory comes with it." The help of Allah and victory are synonymous. And the help of Allah is dependent and predicated upon our relationship with Him. The help of Allah is founded within our relationship with Him.

So it is a Fatiha. Because when we open up the Qur'an — as a youngster, as an adult, as a mother, as a father — and we engage with the first Surah in the Qur'an, and we're thinking to ourselves that nobody knows the dark moments that I'm going through, no one knows what I'm dealing with in the most internal ways, and I open up Al-Fatiha — we are to know that this is an opening for us. This is the way out from our struggles.

The Qur'an is a source. Allah is a source.

"There has come to you from your Lord an admonition and a healing for what is in the breasts." It is a source of wisdom and advice. It is a source of cure and comfort — not only of emotional diseases, but also physical diseases.

شِفَاءٌ لِّمَا فِي الصُّدُورِ — I'm feeling jealousy, read Al-Fatiha. I'm feeling a sense of animosity, read Al-Fatiha. I'm feeling a sense of pride, read Al-Fatiha.

شِفَاءٌ لِّمَا فِي الصُّدُورِ — It's an opener for us in every difficulty. It allows us to see that there is hope.