THE SPIRITUAL CURE

Surah al-Fäli&ah is the greatest chapter of the Qur)än, its like is not föuncl in the rest of Qurän or in the previous scriptures. It is a light that was granted to Prophet Mohammed . which had not been granted to any other Prophet or Nles.senoer before him; indeed some of our predecessors stated that when this chapter was revealed, S/.zay(än let out a great cry of lament. It holds a central position in he daily prayer and hence the daily life of the Muslim. I he underlying theme of al-Fäli&ah is one of contemplation and serenity; pondering the qamcs and Attributes of Allah, pondering the creation, and acknowledging that He alone deserves praise and worship, that He Alone should be asked för help, that He Ilone should be feared and hoped in, that He Alone should be invoked, that there is ndeed a Day ofJudgment, and that guidance has come to us and we are required to ‘ollow it. It calls us to carefully scrutinise our relationship with our Lord: are we living tccording to the dictates of ‘none has the right to be worshipped save of Allah’ or not? Phis opening chapter, despite its brevity, calls man to fulfil the rights of r ravvl)icl, the •ight that Alläh has over us to worship Him Alone without any partners, in thirty places. r his chapter summarises succinctly the message of the whole Qur)än. lhing to the importance of this chapter, this commentary has been collated. It is a summary )fnumerous classical commentaries of the Qur)än, moreover a number of works dealing with [111711? were also referred to. uxegcsis ofa fathomless ocean such as the Book of Alläh can never be complete and it is a ;tudy that one undertakes throughout the course of his life. This commentary is but a tiny portion of the material available in exegesis to this chapter, much has been omitted, much has been summarised, but it should go some way in giving the reader a glimpse at the depth meaning found therein and at the extent of the efforts of our scholars, may Allah have mercy upon them all, in undertaking the momentous task of explaining the Qurän. truly indispensable…