Suratul Fatiha:

Bismillahir Rahmaneer Raheem

Suratul Fatiha Qur'an Majeed ki sab se pehli Surat hai, jis ki Ahadees mein badhi fazilat aaya hai. Fatiha
ke maani aagaz aur ibtidaa ke hain, is liye isey Al-Fatiha yani Fatihatul Kitab kaha jata hai. Is ke aur bhi
naam Ahadees se sabit hai, maslaan-Ummul Qur'an, As-sab-ul Masani, Al Qur'anul Azeem, As-Shifa, Ar-
Ruqiyah wagairah.
Is ka ek aham naam As-Salat bhi hai jaisa ki ek Hadees-e-Qudsee mein hai, Allah Taala ne farmaya:
‘QASAMTU AS-SALATA BAYNI WABAYNA ABDI’
Maine Salat(Namaaz) ko Apni aur Apne bandon ke darmiyan taqseem kar diya hai.
[Al Hadees, Saheeh Muslim, Kitab us-Salat] Murad Surah Fatiha hai.

[Ahsanul Bayan Fee Tafseer Maan’il Qur’an]

Is Surat ka naam Surah Fatihah hai, Fatihah kehte hain shuru karne wale ko, chunki Qur'an e Kareem
mein sab se pehle yehi Surat likhi gayi hai, is liye isey Surah Fatihah kehte hain aur is liye bhi ke
namaazon mein qiraat bhi isi se shuru hoti hai. Is ka naam Umm ul Kitab bhi hai, jamhoor yehi kehte
hain, Hasan Basri aur Ibn Sirin is ke qayel nahi woh kehte hain Lauhe mahfooz ka naam Ummul Kitab
hai. Hasan Basri ka qaul hai muhkam aayaton ko Ummul Kitab kehte hain. Tirmizi ki ek Saheeh Hadees
hai ke Rasool-Allah ‫ ﷺ‬ne farmaya: "ALHAMDULILLAHI RABBIL AALAMEEN" poori Surat tak yehi
Surat Ummul Qur'an hai aur Ummul Kitab hai aur Sab'ul Masani hai aur Qur'anul Azeem hai, is Surat ka
naam Suratul Hamd aur Surat as-Salat bhi hai. AnHazrat ‫ ﷺ‬farmate hain ki Allah Taala ne farmaya hai
Maine Salat (yani Surah Fatihah) ko apne aur apne bande ke darmiyan nisf nisf taqseem kar diya. Jab
banda kehta hai "ALHAMDULILLAHI RABBIL AALAMEEN" toh Allah Taala farmata hai Mere bande
ne Meri tareef ki, poori hadees tak....is Hadees se maloom huwa ki Surah Fatihah ka naam Salat bhi hai, is
liye ke is Surat ka namaaz mein padhna shart hai, is Surat ka naam Surat as-Shifa’ bhi hai. Darimi mein
Hazrat Abu saeed se marfooan riwayat hai ke Surah Fatihah har jeher ka shifa' hai aur is ka naam Surat
ar-Ruqyah bhi hai.
[Tafseer Ibn Kathir-Urdu]

This Surah is called

- Al-Fatihah, that is, the Opener of the Book, the Surah with which prayers are begun.
- It is also called, Umm Al-Kitab (the Mother of the Book), according to the majority of the scholars.

It is also called Al-Hamd and As-Salah, because the Prophet said that his Lord said,
‘QASAMTU AS-SALATA BAYNI WABAYNA ABDI’
The prayer (i.e., Al-Fatihah) is divided into two halves between Me and My servants.

Al-Fatihah was called the Salah, because reciting it is a condition for the correctness of Salah - the prayer.
Al-Fatihah was also called Ash-Shifa' (the Cure). It is also called Ar-Ruqyah (remedy),

[Tafseer Ibn Kathir-English]