Du`a – Essence of `Ibadat Part One - The Symbols and Secrets of Ummu'l-Kitab

The Symbols and Secrets of Ummu'l-Kitab

In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful

One of the names of the surah of Fatihah is Ummu'l-Kitab, which means the origin of the Book. This means that all the wisdoms of the wise Qur'an and the book of the universe are condensed in it. Or, in other words, the entire Qur'an is the Divine exegesis of the surah of Fatihah. Both these statements are correct, as God says: “Wa-innahu fi ummi'l-kitabi ladayna la-`aliyyun hakim (And it ‘the holy Qur'an’ is in the Ummu'l Kitab (surah of Fatihah) and that the Ummu'l-Kitab (in luminous existence) is with Us, which is the wise `Ali” (43:4). Thus it is an accepted fact for the wise people that, if the Qur'an on the one hand is condensed in the surah of Fatihah, on the other it is with the light of Mawlana `Ali. For, according to a Prophetic Tradition, the Fatihah is the external Ummu'l-Kitab, whereas the light of Mawlana `Ali is the internal Ummu'l- Kitab. For further elaboration of this point, see the last part of discourse 19 of Wajh-i Din.

The Fatihah being the origin of the Book means that it is the gist of the entire Qur'an. That is, what is elaborated in the Qur'an is condensed in it. In other words, the Fatihah is the condensed Book, whereas the Qur'an is the elaborated Book. Thus, the Fatihah is a comprehensive and all-embracing example of Divine guidance and the entire Qur'an is a compendium of the subsidiary examples of this guidance. Further, in a wisdom-filled way, the Fatihah is a list of necessary realities by carefully examining which every fortunate wise person can understand what God wills to teach His servants in His cherished Book. This means that one of the beauties of the Fatihah is that it is a complete list of Qur'anic subjects, as shown in the following:

Ma`rifat (Divine recognition)
Al-Hamd (praise and extollation of God)
Uluhiyyat (Divinity)
Rububiyyat (Divine providence)
`Alamin (worlds)
Physical mercy
Spiritual mercy
Kingdom of God
Time
Religion and Resurrection
Ikhlas (sincerity)
`Ibadat (worship)
Isti`anat (seeking help)
What should we pray for first?
Hidayat (guidance)
Sirat-i mustaqim (straight path)
Different paths
God's greatest favour
The people whom God has favoured
What is Divine ghadab (anger)?
Deviation.

In addition to these, there are other subjects, which are alluded to in the Fatihah. For instance, why does the dot come before alif, i.e. why did the Qur'an begin with the dot of Bismi'llah, whereas al-hamd begins with alif? Why is the first word of the wise Qur'an “bism”? What is the wisdom hidden in the composition of the Qur'anic letters ba' and sin making “bis”? What do the nineteen letters of “Bismi'llah” allude to? What do the seven verses of the Fatihah signify? What is the allusion of the quinqueliteral (five lettered) word al-hamd = alif (ا), lam (ل), ha' (ح), mim (م), and dal (د) in the beginning of Fatihah? However, as these realities are hidden in the depths of wisdom, there is no immediate necessity for ordinary people to search for or enquire about them, nor can this short book contain more elaboration than what has been said. Therefore, God willing, we will confine ourselves to explaining the above-mentioned subjects to a certain extent only.

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