Al-Fatiha word by word (verses 1 to 4)

Al-Fatiha ("The Opening") is the first surah of the Qur'an. It is recited in every unit (rak'a) of the prayer. It has seven verses; in the reading of Hafs, the most widespread, the basmala is its first verse.

Verse 1 (1:1): بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ • بِسْمِ bis-mi: in the name of. The sukun is on the س. • اللَّهِ il-laa-hi: of Allah. Join them: "bismillaahi". After a kasra, the lam of the name of Allah is light; after a fatha or a damma, it is full. • الرَّحْمَٰنِ ar-raḥ-maa-ni: the Most Merciful. ر is a sun letter (shadda), small alif = long "aa". • الرَّحِيمِ ar-ra-ḥii-mi: the Most Compassionate. When stopping: "ar-raḥiim".

Verse 2 (1:2): الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ • الْحَمْدُ al-ḥam-du: the praise. ح is a moon letter: the lam is heard. • لِلَّهِ lil-laa-hi: belongs to Allah. • رَبِّ rab-bi: Lord. Shadda on the ب. • الْعَالَمِينَ al-ʿaa-la-mii-na: of the worlds. When stopping: "al-ʿaalamiin".

Verse 3 (1:3): الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ The same two names as in verse 1.

Verse 4 (1:4): مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ • مَالِكِ maa-li-ki: Master, Sovereign. • يَوْمِ yaw-mi: of the day. "aw" with waw carrying sukun. • الدِّينِ ad-dii-ni: of the Recompense. د is a sun letter. When stopping: "ad-diin".

The general meaning of these verses: we begin in the name of Allah, we recognise that all praise belongs to Him, that He is the Lord of all that exists, full of mercy, and the Master of the Day of Judgement.

The Arabic text on this page should be checked against the mushaf. To listen to the recitation, open the surah on the site's Qur'an page (block below).

Understanding the lesson

Explanation Al-Fatiha is called "the Mother of the Book" and "the seven oft-repeated verses" (15:87); the Prophet ﷺ described it as the greatest surah of the Qur'an (Bukhari 4474). It is recited at least seventeen times a day in the obligatory prayers. Understanding what we say in it changes the prayer.

The basmala: beginning "in the name of Allah" means asking His help and blessing for what we do. Ar-Raḥmaan and Ar-Raḥiim both come from the root ر ح م, mercy. Many scholars explain that Ar-Raḥmaan expresses an immense mercy that reaches all creatures, and Ar-Raḥiim a mercy that reaches the believers in particular; other explanations exist. [À VÉRIFIER: explanation chosen by the imam]

Al-ḥamd is praise given with love and gratitude. Rabb means the Master, the One who creates, provides, cares for and nurtures. Al-ʿaalamiin means all the worlds: humans, jinn and everything that exists other than Allah. Yawm ad-diin is the Day of Recompense, when everyone will receive according to their deeds. In the hadith qudsi of the divided prayer, when the servant says "al-ḥamdu lillaahi rabbi l-ʿaalamiin", Allah says: "My servant has praised Me." (Muslim 395)

A note on reading: in the reading of Hafs, مَالِكِ (maaliki, "Master") is read with an alif; in other authentic readings, such as that of Warsh, widespread in North Africa, it is read مَلِكِ (maliki, "King"): this is not a mistake. [À VÉRIFIER: reading taught at the centre]

Common mistakes: pronouncing the lam of الرَّحْمَٰنِ; reading الْحَمْدُ with a light h (ه) instead of ح; not doubling the ب of رَبِّ; reading الْعَالَمِينَ with a plain "a" instead of ع.

Lessons to draw • Take a few seconds before the prayer to remember the meaning of what you are about to recite. • Begin your actions with "bismillaah": eating, going out, studying, working. • Thank Allah in good times and in hard ones: al-ḥamdu lillaah is not only for good news. • Remembering the Day of Recompense gives weight to everyday choices. • Recite Al-Fatiha to a teacher until it is right: it is the surah you will recite most in your life.

Key points • Al-Fatiha: 7 verses, recited in every rak'a. • Verses 1 to 4: the name of Allah, His praise, His mercy and the Day of Recompense. • Every rule in the course appears here: shadda, sun and moon letters, long vowels, stopping.

The main message Al-Fatiha begins by recognising who Allah is: the Lord of the worlds, full of mercy, the Master of the Day of Recompense. Reading it well is starting every prayer well.