Virtues of Surah Fatihah

Virtues of the Holy Quran

By

Shaikhul Hadith Maulana Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhelwi



PART 2

CONCLUDING SECTION

HADITH – 1



Hadhrat ‘ Abduk Malik bin Umair (Radhiyallaho anho) reports that Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam ) said, “In surah Fatihah thereis a cure for all ailments.”

The virtues of surah Fatihah are found in many ahadith. It is reported in one hadith, “ a Sahabi wasoffering nafl salaat; Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) called him, but since he was offering salaat he did not respond. After completing the salaat he went to Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), who asked him why he did not respond as soon as he was called. He submitted that he could not do so because he was offering salaat. Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) asked if he did not read the following verse in Qur’an:

Respond to the call of Allah and His Messenger whenever They call you.

Then Rasullullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said, “I tell you of a surah which is greatest, most virtuous in the Holy Qur’an. It is surah Al-Hamd (The first surah of the Qur’an), which has seven ayaat. These are the ‘Sab’ul Mathaani and represent the Grand Qur’an.” It is said by some Sufia that whatever there was in the earlier Divine Books is condensed in the Glorious Qur’an, and the contents of the Qur’an are condensed into ‘surah Fatihah; and that which is in surah Fatihah is found in Bismillaah and that which is in Bismillaah is to be found in its letter (ba). It is explained that (ba) is a co-ordinating conjunction and stands for uniting. Surely the ultimate aim is to effect union of a devotee with Almighty Allah. Some ‘Sufia’ have gone still further and have said that whatever there is in (ba) is to be found in its dot, which signifies the Unity of Allah – a thing which is indivisible as a dot.