Pre-Islamic Arab Religion in Islam and Al-Fatiha: Difference between pages

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This article discusses the [[monotheism|monotheistic]] religion of [[Islam]] and its pre-Islamic [[paganism|pagan]] heritage.
== Arabic Text ==


==Worship at the Ka’aba==
'''1:1'''  <font size="3">بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ</font>


According to the [[hadith]], the [[Kaaba|Ka'aba]] in Mecca was a center of idol-worship, with the Ka'aba housing 360 idols:
'''1:2'''  <font size="3">الْحَمْدُ للّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ</font>


{{Quote| {{Bukhari|3|43|658}}|Narrated 'Abdullah bin Masud:
'''1:3'''  <font size="3">الرَّحْمـنِ الرَّحِيمِ</font>
The Prophet entered Mecca and (at that time) there were three hundred-and-sixty idols around the Ka’aba. He started stabbing the idols with a stick he had in his hand and reciting: "Truth (Islam) has come and Falsehood (disbelief) has vanished."}}


Prophet [[Muhammad]] discarded the 360 idols but retained for Islam, the Ka’aba with its [[Black Stone]], justifying it with the claim that [[Ibrahim|Abraham]] and [[Isma'il|Ishmael]] originally constructed it. However, there is no historical or archaeological evidence for the existence of the Ka’aba beyond a few hundred years before Muhammad's lifetime. In fact, Muhammad's own words disprove any connection he was attempting to make between Abraham, Ishmael and the Ka’aba.
'''1:4'''  <font size="3">مَـالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ</font>


The [[Qur'an]] says Abraham built it:
'''1:5'''  <font size="3">إِيَّاك نَعْبُدُ وإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ</font>


{{Quote|{{Quran|2|125}}| Remember We made the House a place of assembly for men and a place of safety; and take ye the station of Abraham as a place of prayer; and We covenanted with Abraham and Isma'il, that they should sanctify My House for those who compass it round, or use it as a retreat, or bow, or prostrate themselves (therein in prayer).}}
'''1:6'''  <font size="3">اهدِنَــــا الصِّرَاطَ المُستَقِيمَ</font>


Muhammed says it was built 40 years prior to the Temple at Jerusalem:
'''1:7'''  <font size="3">صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنعَمتَ عَلَيهِمْ غَيرِ المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّالِّينَ</font>


{{Quote| {{Bukhari|4|55|636}}|Narrated Abu Dhaar: I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Which mosque was built first?" He replied, "Al-Masjid-ul-Haram." I asked, "Which (was built) next?" He replied, "Al-Masjid-ul-Aqs-a (i.e. Jerusalem)." I asked, "What was the period in between them? He replied, forty years.}}
== Transliteration ==
The Temple at Jerusalem was built by Solomon around 958-951 BC. This implies that if Muhammad were to be believed, the Ka’aba must have been built approximately 998-991 BC. But Abraham lived around 2000 BC and both Abraham and Ishmael would have been dead by then.


If Muhammad is correct, then the Qur’an [and therefore [[Allah]]] is wrong. But if the Qur’an is correct in stating that Abraham and Ishmael built the Ka’aba, then Muhammad and the [[sahih]] hadith is wrong.
'''1:1''' ''Bi-smi-llāhi -r-raḥmāni -r-raḥīm(i)''


The Ka’aba has nothing to do with Abraham or Ishmael. It has a wholly pagan heritage. Egyptian Professor and foremost authority on Arabic literature, Dr. Taha Husayn, said the following:
'''1:2''' ''Al-ḥamdu -li-llāhi rabbi -l-`ālamīn(a)''


{{Quote||The case for this episode is very obvious because it is of recent date and came into vogue just before the rise of Islam. Islam exploited it for religious reasons.<ref>As quoted in Mizan al-Islam by Anwar al-Jundi, p. 170</ref>}}
'''1:3''' ''Ar-raḥmāni -r-raḥīm(i)''


Also, according to sahih hadith, Muhammad even considered dismantling it:
'''1:4''' ''Māliki yawmi -d-dīn(i)''


{{Quote| {{Bukhari|1|3|128}}|Narrated Aswad: Ibn Az-Zubair said to me, "Aisha used to tell you secretly a number of things. What did she tell you about the Ka'ba?" I replied, "She told me that once the Prophet said, 'O 'Aisha! Had not your people been still close to the pre-Islamic period of ignorance (infidelity)! I would have dismantled the Ka'ba and would have made two doors in it; one for entrance and the other for exit." Later on Ibn Az-Zubair did the same.}}
'''1:5''' '' 'Iyyāka na`budu wa-'iyyāka nasta`īn(u)''


Worship at the Ka’aba and the kissing of the Black Stone are just the first of many practices adopted from 7<sup>th</sup> century paganism and repackaged within monotheistic Islam.
'''1:6''' ''Ihdinā -ṣ-ṣirāṭa -l-mustaqīm(a)''


==Veneration of the Black-stone==
'''1:7''' ''Ṣirāṭa -l-laḏīna 'an`amta `alayhim ġayri-l-maġḍūbi `alayhim wa-lā -ḍ-ḍāllīn(a)''<ref>Arabic text and original transliteration are from [[w:Al-Fatiha|Al-Fatiha]], accessed September 5, 2008.</ref>


The pagan gods of pre-Islamic Arabia were worshipped in the form of rectangular stones or rocks. For example, the pagan deity 'Al-Lat', mentioned in {{Quran|53|19}}, and believed by pre-Islamic pagans to be one of the daughters of Allah, was once venerated as a cubic rock at Ta'if in Saudi Arabia. An edifice was built over the rock to mark it apart as a house of worship.
== Word-for-Word Translation ==


{{Quote|Kitab Al-Asnam (The Book of Idols), p 14|Al-lat stood in al-Ta'if, and was more recent than Manah. She was a cubic rock beside which a certain Jew used to prepare his barley porridge (sawiq). Her custody was in the hands of the banu-'Attab ibn-Malik of the Thayif, who had built an edifice over her. [...]She is the idol which God mentioned when He said, "Have you seen Al-lat and al-'Uzza (Surah 53:19)?<ref>The Book of Idols, p 14; (translation of Kitab Al-Asnam ) by Hisham Ibn-Al-Kalbi, 819 CE, translated by Nabih Amin Faris, 1952</ref>}}
'''1:1''' In-name-GEN-of Allah-GEN-of the-merciful-GEN the-compassionate-(GEN)


{{Quote|Encyclopedia Britannica|"A principal sacred object in Arabian religion was the stone, either a rock outcropping or a large boulder, often a rectangular or irregular black basaltic stone… of numerous baetyls, the best known is the Black-stone of the Ka’aba at Mecca which became the central shrine object in Islam".<ref>Encyclopedia Britannica - Arabian Religions, p1059, 1979</ref>}}
'''1:2''' The-praise-NOM to-Allah-GEN lord-GEN-of the-world-PL-OBL


There is no denying that the Black Stone was one among many stones and idols venerated at the Ka’aba by the pre-Islamic pagans. The Black Stone was kissed during pre-Islamic pagan worship. Though Muhammad threw out 360 other objects at the Ka’aba, he retained this Black Stone and continued the practice of kissing it. It is this same stone that the pre-Islamic pagans once kissed, that Muslims kiss today when visiting Mecca.
'''1:3''' The-merciful-GEN the-compassionate-(GEN)


==Praying 5 Times Towards Mecca==
'''1:4''' Ruler-GEN-of day-GEN-of the-judgement-(GEN)


Pagans prior to Islam would pray five times per day towards Mecca.<ref>The Encyclopedia of Islam (edited by Eliade) P. 303FF</ref> Muhammad retained for Islam, this pre-Islamic practice, sanctioning it with a story of a night trip to heaven on a mythical beast called al-[[Buraq]]. In heaven, the Hadith tells us that Allah demanded 50 prayers per day per Muslim. Upon advice from Moses, Muhammed bargains with Allah and successfully reduces it to five prayers per day.
'''1:5''' ? serve-IMPF-2PL and-? <implore for help>-IMPF-2PL


Zoroastrians are also expected to recite their (kusti) prayers at least five times a day having first cleansed themselves by washing ([[ablution]]). So even today, this is not a practice unique to Islam.<ref>Bowker, John, The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions, New York, Oxford University Press, 1997, pp. 763-764</ref> But, contrary to the Muslims, they pray in the direction of the Sun (at each time of the day) and/or of the Holy Fire (if they are in a Fire Temple). <ref>Joseph H. Peterson - [{{Reference archive|1=http://www.avesta.org/ka/gahs.htm|2=2011-05-26}} GAHS (prayers for each period of the day)] - Avesta Zoroastrian Archives, accessed May 27, 2011</ref>
'''1:6''' Guide-IMPR-2S-OBJ-2PL the-path-ACC-of the-straight-ACC


==Fasting on the 10th of Muharram==
'''1:7''' Path-ACC-of the-<those who>-2M.PL favor-PERF-2M.S upon-OBJ-2M.PL <other than>-GEN  anger-PART-PASS-S-GEN upon-OBJ-2M.PL and-not the-<gone astray>-PL-OBL


Muhammad's pagan tribe, the Quraish, fasted on the 10<sup>th</sup> of Muharram. Though optional, Muhammad retained this pagan practice too. 
== English Translation ==


{{Quote| {{Bukhari|5|58|172}}|Narrated 'Aisha:  
'''1:1''' In the name of [[Allah]], the merciful and compassionate
'Ashura' (i.e. the tenth of Muharram) was a day on which the tribe of Quraish used to fast in the pre-lslamic period of ignorance. The Prophet also used to fast on this day. So when he migrated to Medina, he fasted on it and ordered (the Muslims) to fast on it. When the fasting of Ramadan was enjoined, it became optional for the people to fast or not to fast on the day of Ashura.}}


==Tawaf between Safa and Marwa==
'''1:2''' Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds


Doing Tawaf between Safa and Marwa is an Islamic ritual associated with the pilgrimage to Mecca. Safa and Marwa are two mounts, located at Mecca. This ritual entails Muslims walking frantically between the two mounts, seven times. This was originally a pagan pre-Islamic practice. Muhammad retained it for Islam, sanctioning it with yet another Qur'anic [[revelation]].<ref>"''Behold! Safa and Marwa are among the Symbols of Allah. So if those who visit the House in the Season or at other times, should compass them round, it is no sin in them. And if any one obeyeth his own impulse to good,- be sure that Allah is He Who recogniseth and knoweth.''" - {{Quran|2|158}}</ref>
'''1:3''' The merciful and compassionate


{{Quote| {{Bukhari|2|26|710}}|Narrated 'Asim:  
'''1:4''' Ruler of the day of judgment


I asked Anas bin Malik: "Did you use to dislike to perform Tawaf between Safa and Marwa?" He said, "Yes, as it was of the ceremonies of the days of the Pre-lslamic period of ignorance, till Allah revealed: 'Verily! (The two mountains) As-Safa and Al-Marwa are among the symbols of Allah. It is therefore no sin for him who performs the pilgrimage to the Ka'ba, or performs 'Umra, to perform Tawaf between them.' " (2.158)}}
'''1:5''' [It is thee] we serve and [it is thee] we implore for help


Clearly, the Hadith testifies that Muhammad merely adopted this pagan ceremony from the pre-Islamic "period of ignorance" and justified it with yet another convenient Qur'anic revelation.  
'''1:6''' Guide us to (or show us) the path of the straight (i.e., righteous)


A myth was also created about Hagar running between these two mounts in search of water until she found the [[Zamzam Well]]. Even if this story were true, why is this reason for people to run up and down between two mounts to please a god? This myth was not created to further justify the ritual, but for another reason; Muhammad was trying to market [[Zamzam]], owned by his family, as a money-making venture.
'''1:7''' Path of those whom you favor, not those who anger you and not those who have gone astray


==Requirement of Ihram==
== Translation notes ==


Ihram is a state a Muslim enters into for his pilgrimage to Mecca. It involves a series of procedures like ritual washing, wearing 'Ihram garments', etc. Ihram was originally a pagan requirement for worshipping idols during pre-Islamic times. Muhammad retained this practice for Islam. Muslims assume Ihram to perform the Hajj or Umrah.
'''1:1''' In <font size="3">بِسْمِ اللّهِ</font>, "In the name of Allah", the [[w:basmala | basmala]], the word "the" is implied. This would read well as "By the name of Allah".
{{Quote| {{Bukhari|2|26|706}}|Narrated 'Urwa: I asked 'Aisha : ...But in fact, this divine inspiration was revealed concerning the Ansar who used to assume “Ihram” for worshipping an idol called “Manat” which they used to worship at a place called Al-Mushallal before they embraced Islam, and whoever assumed Ihram (for the idol), would consider it not right to perform Tawaf between Safa and Marwa.}}


==Circumambulation 7 Times==
'''1:2''' Arabic generally does not use the [[w:compula | copula]], so the subjunctive "be" is implied.
[[File:Kaaba tawaf and hindu marriage.jpg|thumb|260px|right|In the Islamic ritual of [[w:Tawaf|Tawaf]], Muslims go around the Kaaba 7 times.  


'''1:3''' This is a repetition of the last two words (not counting the definite articles) of 1:1.


In the Hindu marriage rite of [[w:Satphere|Satphere]], the married couple goes around a fire also 7 times. In both of these rituals, religious phrases are repeated during the [[w:circumambulation|circumambulation]].]]
'''1:4''' مَـالِكِ ("ruler") can also be translated as "slave-master". Its use of the genitive indicates that it is a continuation of '''1:3'''.  
[[w:circumambulation|Circumambulation]] is to go in circles around a particular object. In Islam, worshippers and pilgrims do this around the Ka'aba at Mecca. Pre-Islamic pagans used do it to please the moon god [[Hubal]], the 360 deities and Allah (who was merely one among the many deities worshipped there). Muhammad himself used to do it, even before the 360 idols inside the Ka'aba were removed.  
The correct translation of <font size="3">دِّين</font>, ''dīn'' is "judgement". Compare Hebrew ''dīn'', "judgement, justice, law" from the root ''dyn'', "to judge". The meaning of ''dīn'' as "faith" is unique to Arabic. Perhaps it is best understood as "law", as <font size="3">إﻣان</font>, '' 'imān'', from the root '' 'mn'', means "faith". The Hebrew word for "faith" comes from the same root.


Judaism and Christianity (the religions of those who are considered [[Islam and the People of the Book|People of the Book]]) do not practice ritual circumambulation to please God. Two other faiths which do are Hinduism and Buddhism, religions older than Islam and accused by Islam of “paganism” and practicing idolatry.
'''1:5''' Already we have an ambiguity in the Qur'an.  The words إِيَّاك ('īyāka) and وإِيَّاكَ (wa'īyāka) have no clear translation and no fewer than three variants. Arthur Jeffrey located several Qur'ans with different readings and one without any version of this sura.<ref>Jeffrey, Author, "[http://www.answering-islam.org/Books/Jeffery/fatiha.htm A Variant Text of the Fatiha]"'', The Muslim World'', Volume 29 (1939), pp. 158-162.</ref> One of the variants is the pair حِيَّاك (ḥīyāka) and وإِيَّاكَ (wīyāaka). "[These] seem all to be independent attempts to interpret the unvoweled, unpointed skeleton term ([[w:rasm |rasm]]) that stood in the original codex." (Jeffrey) The most likely translation is a 2nd person masculine singular emphatic accusative (emphatic object).


==Crescent Moon Symbol==
== Variant Texts ==
Hubal was the moon god worshiped at the Ka’aba. The [[crescent Moon|crescent moon]] was Hubal’s symbol. Muhammad's pagan grandfather Abd al-Muttalib almost slaughtered Muhammad's father Abdallah at the Ka’aba, to Hubal. From Ibn Hisham:


{{Quote||An arrow showed that it was 'Abdullah to be sacrificed. 'Abdul-Muttalib then took the boy to Al-Ka'bah with a razor to slaughter the boy. Quraish, his uncles from Makhzum tribe and his brother Abu Talib, however, tried to dissuade him. They suggested that he summon a she-diviner. She ordered that the divination arrows should be drawn with respect to 'Abdullah as well as ten camels. … the number of the camels (finally) amounted to one hundred. … They were all slaughtered to the satisfaction of Hubal.<ref>Ibn Hisham 1/151-155; Rahmat-ul-lil'alameen 2/89,90</ref>}}
As mentioned in '''Translation Notes, 1:5''', Arthur Jeffrey identified several variant texts of this sura. Each has a very different wording, but all express similar sentiments.


The Ka’aba, Islam's holiest shrine, has been a place where such pagan human sacrifices and slaughters have taken place for Hubal. When Muhammad founded Islam, he discarded Hubal. At the Battle of Badr, his enemy Abu Sufyan praised the high position of moon god Hubal, saying "O Hubal, be high". Muhammad asked his followers to yell back, "Allah is higher".<ref>"...''After that he started reciting cheerfully, "O Hubal, be high! (1) On that the Prophet said (to his companions), "Why don't you answer him back?" They said, "O Allah's Apostle What shall we say?" He said, "Say, Allah is Higher and more Sublime."''..." - ({{Bukhari|4|52|276}})</ref>
== Commentary ==


Is moon-god Hubal no longer "higher"? Is Islam completely free of the 'moon' influence? Take a closer look at mosques all over the world, and you are likely to find Hubal’s symbol, the crescent moon, positioned at a high point of the mosque. As with the Cross for Christianity and the Star of David for Judaism, the Crescent moon is today a universal symbol for Islam.  
Several lines of evidence converge to show that this was a prayer prepended to the Qur'an, perhaps to be said before reading it. This prayer was composed orally before the pointing of the Qur'an, and changed over time before being forgotten. This prayer may not have been included in the recension that produced the current longest-to-shortest ordering of the suras. When the Qur'an was pointed the pronunciation had been forgotten, which explains the ambiguity of 1:5.


It may ''not'' be a deliberate effort to worship Hubal. And yet, interestingly, through Islam, the pagan prayer of Muhammad's enemy Abu Sufyan at Badr has been answered, "O Hubal be high".  
'''The lines of evidence to support this hypothesis are:'''
 
'''1.''' Unlike every other surah, Allah is in the second person. That is, Allah is spoken to. It would be bizarre for the supposed divine author of a revelatory work to speak to himself, particularly, to pledge to serve and seek help from himself.
 
'''2.'''  The major textual variations indicate that this surah was recorded after the period of "revelation". Moreover, they indicate that this surah fell into disuse and its pronunciation had to be reconstructed.
 
'''3.''' This surah violates the longest-to-shortest organization rule.
 
One variant lacks the [[w:basmala | basmala]], so it is unlikely to have originated in this surah.
 
The [[hadith]] literature make negative references to the Jews and Christians in connection with this surah.<ref>Sunan Abi Dawood, narrated by Adi ibn Hatim</ref><ref>Sunan al-Tirmidhi, narrated by Adi ibn Hatim</ref> Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan and Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali incorporate this within their translation. Ayah 6-7 thus reads;
 
''Guide us to the Straight Way. The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger (such as the Jews), nor of those who went astray (such as the Christians)''.
 
Dr. Mark Durie, the author of ''The Third Choice: Islam, Dhimmitude and Freedom'', comments:
 
{{Quote|1=|2=“The best-known chapter of the Quran is al-Fatihah ‘The Opening’. This sura is recited as part of all the mandatory daily prayers – the salat –and repeated within each prayer. A faithful Muslim who said all their prayers would recite this sura at least seventeen times a day, and over five thousand times a year.<BR>. . .<BR>
This is a prayer asking Allah’s help to lead the believer along the ‘straight path’. As such it is true to the heart of Islam’s message of guidance.
 
But who are those who are said to have earned Allah’s wrath, or gone astray from the straight path? Who are these people who deserve to be stigmatized in every Muslim’s prayers, each day, hundreds of thousands of times in many Muslims’ lifetimes?
 
[http://tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=1&tid=523 Ibn Kathir’s commentary] explains the meaning of this verse as follows:
 
These two paths are the paths of the Christians and Jews, a fact that the believer should beware of so that he avoids them. … the Jews abandoned practicing the religion, while the Christians lost the true knowledge. This is why ‘anger’ descended upon the Jews, while being described as ‘led astray’ is more appropriate of the Christians. … We should also mention that both the Christians and the Jews have earned the anger and are led astray, but the anger is one of the attributes more particular of the Jews. Allah said about the Jews, ‘Those (Jews) who incurred the curse of Allah and His wrath’ (Sura 5:60). The attribute that the Christians deserve most is that of being led astray, just as Allah said about them, ‘Who went astray before and who misled many, and strayed (themselves) from the right path’ (Sura 5:77).
 
Ibn Kathir goes on to cite a hadith in which Muhammad clarified the meaning of this sura:
Imam Ahmad recorded that ‘Adi bin Hatim said, … he [Muhammad] said: ‘Those who have earned the anger are the Jews and those who are led astray are the Christians.’
 
The verse from Sura 5 which Ibn Kathir refers to concerning Jews is:
 
Shall I tell you of a recompense with Allah, worse than that? Whomsoever Allah has cursed, and with whom He is wroth, and made some of them apes and swine, and worshippers of idols – they are worse situated, and have gone further astray from the right way. (Sura 5:60)
 
And the verse concerning Christians:
 
People of the Book, go not beyond the bounds in your religion, other than the truth, and follow not the caprices of a people who went astray before, and led astray many, and now again have gone astray from the right way. (Sura 5:77)
 
It is remarkable that the daily prayers of every Muslim, part of the core of Islam, include a rejection of Christians and Jews as misguided and objects of Allah’s wrath.”
 
To be genuine and effective, reconciliation between Muslims and those they refer to as 'People of the Book' (Jews and Christians), requires that Al-Fatihah and its meaning be discussed openly.  That devout Muslims are daily declaring before Allah that Christians have gone astray and Jews are objects of divine wrath, must be considered a matter of central importance for interfaith relations. This is all the more so because the interpretation of verse 7 which relates it to Christians and Jews is soundly based upon the words of Muhammad himself.  As Al-Fatihah is the daily worship of Muslims, and represents the very essence of Islam itself, the meaning of these words cannot be ignored or glossed over.<ref>[{{Reference archive|1=http://markdurie.blogspot.com/2009/12/greatest-recitation-of-surat-al-fatiha.html|2=2011-07-25}} The greatest recitation of Surat Al-Fatiha] - MarkDurie.com, December 2, 2009</ref>}}
 
{{Core Scripture}}


==See Also==
==See Also==
* [[The Origins of the Quran|The Origins of the Qur'an]]
* [[Organization of the Quran|Organization of the Qur'an]]


{{Hub4|Paganism|Islam and Paganism}}
==External Links==
* [[The Origins of the Quran|The Origins of the Qur'an]]


==External Links==
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iti-dplakf4 The Greatest Recitation of Surat Al-Fatiha - Fahd Al Kanderi] ''- Youtube video by Muslim''
*[http://www.answering-islam.org/Silas/pagansources.htm The Pagan Religious Sources of Islam] ''- Answering Islam''
*[http://www.answering-islam.org/Books/Zwemer/Animism/index.htm The Influence of Animism on Islam] ''- Online book by Samuel M. Zwemer, F.R.G.S.''


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


[[Category:Islam and Paganism]]
[[Category:Qur'an]]
[[ru:Языческие_истоки_Ислама]]

Revision as of 16:55, 10 April 2014

Arabic Text

1:1 بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

1:2 الْحَمْدُ للّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

1:3 الرَّحْمـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

1:4 مَـالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ

1:5 إِيَّاك نَعْبُدُ وإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

1:6 اهدِنَــــا الصِّرَاطَ المُستَقِيمَ

1:7 صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنعَمتَ عَلَيهِمْ غَيرِ المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّالِّينَ

Transliteration

1:1 Bi-smi-llāhi -r-raḥmāni -r-raḥīm(i)

1:2 Al-ḥamdu -li-llāhi rabbi -l-`ālamīn(a)

1:3 Ar-raḥmāni -r-raḥīm(i)

1:4 Māliki yawmi -d-dīn(i)

1:5 'Iyyāka na`budu wa-'iyyāka nasta`īn(u)

1:6 Ihdinā -ṣ-ṣirāṭa -l-mustaqīm(a)

1:7 Ṣirāṭa -l-laḏīna 'an`amta `alayhim ġayri-l-maġḍūbi `alayhim wa-lā -ḍ-ḍāllīn(a)[1]

Word-for-Word Translation

1:1 In-name-GEN-of Allah-GEN-of the-merciful-GEN the-compassionate-(GEN)

1:2 The-praise-NOM to-Allah-GEN lord-GEN-of the-world-PL-OBL

1:3 The-merciful-GEN the-compassionate-(GEN)

1:4 Ruler-GEN-of day-GEN-of the-judgement-(GEN)

1:5 ? serve-IMPF-2PL and-? <implore for help>-IMPF-2PL

1:6 Guide-IMPR-2S-OBJ-2PL the-path-ACC-of the-straight-ACC

1:7 Path-ACC-of the-<those who>-2M.PL favor-PERF-2M.S upon-OBJ-2M.PL <other than>-GEN anger-PART-PASS-S-GEN upon-OBJ-2M.PL and-not the-<gone astray>-PL-OBL

English Translation

1:1 In the name of Allah, the merciful and compassionate

1:2 Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds

1:3 The merciful and compassionate

1:4 Ruler of the day of judgment

1:5 [It is thee] we serve and [it is thee] we implore for help

1:6 Guide us to (or show us) the path of the straight (i.e., righteous)

1:7 Path of those whom you favor, not those who anger you and not those who have gone astray

Translation notes

1:1 In بِسْمِ اللّهِ, "In the name of Allah", the basmala, the word "the" is implied. This would read well as "By the name of Allah".

1:2 Arabic generally does not use the copula, so the subjunctive "be" is implied.

1:3 This is a repetition of the last two words (not counting the definite articles) of 1:1.

1:4 مَـالِكِ ("ruler") can also be translated as "slave-master". Its use of the genitive indicates that it is a continuation of 1:3. The correct translation of دِّين, dīn is "judgement". Compare Hebrew dīn, "judgement, justice, law" from the root dyn, "to judge". The meaning of dīn as "faith" is unique to Arabic. Perhaps it is best understood as "law", as إﻣان, 'imān, from the root 'mn, means "faith". The Hebrew word for "faith" comes from the same root.

1:5 Already we have an ambiguity in the Qur'an. The words إِيَّاك ('īyāka) and وإِيَّاكَ (wa'īyāka) have no clear translation and no fewer than three variants. Arthur Jeffrey located several Qur'ans with different readings and one without any version of this sura.[2] One of the variants is the pair حِيَّاك (ḥīyāka) and وإِيَّاكَ (wīyāaka). "[These] seem all to be independent attempts to interpret the unvoweled, unpointed skeleton term (rasm) that stood in the original codex." (Jeffrey) The most likely translation is a 2nd person masculine singular emphatic accusative (emphatic object).

Variant Texts

As mentioned in Translation Notes, 1:5, Arthur Jeffrey identified several variant texts of this sura. Each has a very different wording, but all express similar sentiments.

Commentary

Several lines of evidence converge to show that this was a prayer prepended to the Qur'an, perhaps to be said before reading it. This prayer was composed orally before the pointing of the Qur'an, and changed over time before being forgotten. This prayer may not have been included in the recension that produced the current longest-to-shortest ordering of the suras. When the Qur'an was pointed the pronunciation had been forgotten, which explains the ambiguity of 1:5.

The lines of evidence to support this hypothesis are:

1. Unlike every other surah, Allah is in the second person. That is, Allah is spoken to. It would be bizarre for the supposed divine author of a revelatory work to speak to himself, particularly, to pledge to serve and seek help from himself.

2. The major textual variations indicate that this surah was recorded after the period of "revelation". Moreover, they indicate that this surah fell into disuse and its pronunciation had to be reconstructed.

3. This surah violates the longest-to-shortest organization rule.

One variant lacks the basmala, so it is unlikely to have originated in this surah.

The hadith literature make negative references to the Jews and Christians in connection with this surah.[3][4] Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan and Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali incorporate this within their translation. Ayah 6-7 thus reads;

Guide us to the Straight Way. The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger (such as the Jews), nor of those who went astray (such as the Christians).

Dr. Mark Durie, the author of The Third Choice: Islam, Dhimmitude and Freedom, comments:

“The best-known chapter of the Quran is al-Fatihah ‘The Opening’. This sura is recited as part of all the mandatory daily prayers – the salat –and repeated within each prayer. A faithful Muslim who said all their prayers would recite this sura at least seventeen times a day, and over five thousand times a year.
. . .

This is a prayer asking Allah’s help to lead the believer along the ‘straight path’. As such it is true to the heart of Islam’s message of guidance.

But who are those who are said to have earned Allah’s wrath, or gone astray from the straight path? Who are these people who deserve to be stigmatized in every Muslim’s prayers, each day, hundreds of thousands of times in many Muslims’ lifetimes?

Ibn Kathir’s commentary explains the meaning of this verse as follows:

These two paths are the paths of the Christians and Jews, a fact that the believer should beware of so that he avoids them. … the Jews abandoned practicing the religion, while the Christians lost the true knowledge. This is why ‘anger’ descended upon the Jews, while being described as ‘led astray’ is more appropriate of the Christians. … We should also mention that both the Christians and the Jews have earned the anger and are led astray, but the anger is one of the attributes more particular of the Jews. Allah said about the Jews, ‘Those (Jews) who incurred the curse of Allah and His wrath’ (Sura 5:60). The attribute that the Christians deserve most is that of being led astray, just as Allah said about them, ‘Who went astray before and who misled many, and strayed (themselves) from the right path’ (Sura 5:77).

Ibn Kathir goes on to cite a hadith in which Muhammad clarified the meaning of this sura: Imam Ahmad recorded that ‘Adi bin Hatim said, … he [Muhammad] said: ‘Those who have earned the anger are the Jews and those who are led astray are the Christians.’

The verse from Sura 5 which Ibn Kathir refers to concerning Jews is:

Shall I tell you of a recompense with Allah, worse than that? Whomsoever Allah has cursed, and with whom He is wroth, and made some of them apes and swine, and worshippers of idols – they are worse situated, and have gone further astray from the right way. (Sura 5:60)

And the verse concerning Christians:

People of the Book, go not beyond the bounds in your religion, other than the truth, and follow not the caprices of a people who went astray before, and led astray many, and now again have gone astray from the right way. (Sura 5:77)

It is remarkable that the daily prayers of every Muslim, part of the core of Islam, include a rejection of Christians and Jews as misguided and objects of Allah’s wrath.”

To be genuine and effective, reconciliation between Muslims and those they refer to as 'People of the Book' (Jews and Christians), requires that Al-Fatihah and its meaning be discussed openly. That devout Muslims are daily declaring before Allah that Christians have gone astray and Jews are objects of divine wrath, must be considered a matter of central importance for interfaith relations. This is all the more so because the interpretation of verse 7 which relates it to Christians and Jews is soundly based upon the words of Muhammad himself. As Al-Fatihah is the daily worship of Muslims, and represents the very essence of Islam itself, the meaning of these words cannot be ignored or glossed over.[5]
This page is featured in the core article, Islam and Scripture which serves as a starting point for anyone wishing to learn more about this topic
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See Also

External Links

References

  1. ↑ Arabic text and original transliteration are from Al-Fatiha, accessed September 5, 2008.
  2. ↑ Jeffrey, Author, "A Variant Text of the Fatiha", The Muslim World, Volume 29 (1939), pp. 158-162.
  3. ↑ Sunan Abi Dawood, narrated by Adi ibn Hatim
  4. ↑ Sunan al-Tirmidhi, narrated by Adi ibn Hatim
  5. ↑ The greatest recitation of Surat Al-Fatiha - MarkDurie.com, December 2, 2009
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