Al-Fatiha

THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE QURAAN

The name of the chapter means 'The Opener', but has a lot of other meanings as well.

'The Opener' as it is the opening chapter of the Quraan, and secondly the daily formal prayers begin with the recitation of this chapter. Here it is:

Translation:

In the name of ALLAH, the Gracious, the Merciful.

All praise is due to ALLAH alone, Lord of all the worlds.

The Gracious, the Merciful.

Master of the Day of Judgment.

You alone do we worship and You alone do we implore for help.

Guide us in the straight path,

The path of those on whom You have bestowed Your favours, those who have not incurred Your displeasure and those who have not gone astray.

These are the words that the Almighty God has begun His final Book with, introducing Himself first, and note there that His first introduction to us is His being the MOST Merciful. We know that God gets angry and punishes too, but like at one point God told the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that His mercy overcomes His anger.

And as a sign of His mercy He Himself teaches us what is the best thing to ask Him for, and the best way to ask for it, and that is, guidance to live this life in the best manner, in a manner that pleases Him, and in turn get the favours and rewards that He has kept for us.

Now when we are really seeking this guidance, and go on to begin reading rest of the Quraan, God opens the doors of guidance for us. It opens our heart for what is to come ahead, and that guidance is only for those who truely are looking and searching for it and are open to it, shunning their preconceptions, and keeping any prejudice they have, aside.

May God guide us all, Aameen!

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Above is what I understood at my Quraan class, there have been volumes written explaining the depths of this first chapter of the Quraan. Plz see a detailed explanation of AlFatiha by IBN KAHEER

or Download the explanation of the whole Quraan@ Tafsir Ibn Kaheer Downloadable

This Week's Tenant

Right Religion is an interesting blog which has deep thoughtful discussions about all what is related to religion. You can visit and participate in topics about existance of God, His characteristics etc or you can go there with your suggestions and ideas which is what it asks for. And the author has described himself as a student searching for truth, and you can take part in his quest.

Plz visit (you can see the thumbnail on the right as well), share your views and let the author know what you think of his blog. May God guide us all to the truth Aameen!

And let me complete this post with something that God said in the Quraan, a simple and straightforward idea that He gives about Himself,

Say `He is God, the Only One ! ALLAH the Independent and Besought of all.

`HE begets not, nor, is HE begotten, And there is none like unto HIM.

[112: 1-4 - The Holy Quraan]

Peace to All,

I will be away for a few days till Sunday, going to meet and stay with my relatives for Eid. And I hope you people enjoy the days too. InshaAllah.

Leaving you with two beautiful verses from the Quraan:

"Those who turn to ALLAH in repentance, who worship HIM, who praise HIM, who go about in the land serving HIM, who bow down to HIM, who prostrate themselves in Prayer, who enjoin good and forbid evil, and who observe the limits set by ALLAH. And give glad tidings to those who believe". 9:111

Surely, all believers are brothers. So make peace between your brothers, and fear ALLAH that mercy may be shown to you. 49: 10

~*~ Happy Eid ~*~

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar

La ilaha IllAllahu WAllahu Akbar

Allahu Akbar, Walillahil Hamd

Allah is the Greatest, There is no God but He, And all praise is for Him alone.

HAJJ 2006

Watch the Muslim pilgrimage to Makkah Live from Saudi TV

Diary of the Hajj

Tenant

My tenant this week is about food, Kitchen Fun (you see the thumbnail on the right column) I also like the way this site is so beautifuly designed.

Go ahead and find yourself the best recipies. A WARNING follows though!

Must keep in mind the Islamic guidelines for eating the right kind of food, which is decent and healthy. As Islam strictly disallows consuming pork, wine / intoxicants in any form they may be, and meat not slaughtered islamically.

A lot of recipies at Kitchen Fun may have those ingredients. And we knowAllah disallows even a bite or a sip of those to be taken (unless ones life is in danger and there is no choice). I know you know this and would have avoided, but I think it was neccesary that I mention.

But ofcourse that is not so with all the recipies there, and i recommend that you visit there when you are really hungry, there are some really good and mouth-watering recipies, especially in the Veggies section, and try them, and leave a comment there as well, tell there I sent you.

I also want to convey here that what's unhealthy and bad is so for all, no matter where you belong, wheter Muslim, Chrisitian, Jew, hindu, aethiest or anyone else. What we eat is what we are.

Extending this a bit more, the number one reason why these few food are not allowed in Islam, is because God Himself forbade them, just as He did in the Bible and the Torah.

Among countless kinds of food that God has made for us, only a few He said you should not eat, it is both a test for us, and at the same time is in our favor, as those foods are REALLY unfitting to our health and hygiene. Science proves the same.

In the Quraan Allah says, addressing ALL mankind:

O you people, eat of what is on earth lawful and good, and do not follow the footsteps of Satan, for he is to you an avowed enemy. 11:168

here for all what God says about food in the Quraan.

and to the believers:

"He has only forbidden you carrion, blood, the flesh of swine and that on which any other name has been invoked besides that of God. But if one is forced by necessity, without wilful disobedience or transgressing due limits, then is he guiltless. For God is Oft-forgiving Most Merciful". 11:173

And in Bible He speaks of it too saying:

“And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clove-footed, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is UNCLEAN to you. Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.” Leviticus (11:7-8), (also Deut., 14:8)

A list of lawful and unlawful foods

Update: I found a book related to the topic, you may want to check it out.

English - What God said about Eating Pork Buy Today @ AL-Basheer.com