الفاتحة
Al-Fatiha
The Opener • 7 Ayahs
Meccanبِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
اللہ کے نام سے شروع جو بہت مہربان رحمت والا
ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ
سب خوبیاں اللہ کو جو مالک سارے جہان والوں کا،
ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
بہت مہربان رحمت والا،
مَٰلِكِ يَوۡمِ ٱلدِّينِ
روز جزا کا مالک،
إِيَّاكَ نَعۡبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسۡتَعِينُ
ہم تجھی کو پوجیں اور تجھی سے مدد چاہیں،
ٱهۡدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٰطَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقِيمَ
ہم کو سیدھا راستہ چلا،
صِرَٰطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنۡعَمۡتَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ غَيۡرِ ٱلۡمَغۡضُوبِ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ
راستہ ان کا جن پر تو نے احسان کیا، نہ ان کا جن پر غضب ہوا اور نہ بہکے ہوؤں کا
About Surah Al-Fatiha
Surah Al-Fatiha (الفاتحة) is the 1st chapter of the Holy Quran. It contains 7 verses and is a Meccan Surah.
Read with Urdu translation (Kanz ul Iman) and English translation (Sahih International). Listen to audio recitation by multiple world-renowned reciters including Mishary Alafasy, Sudais, Shuraim, Husary, and more.
About Surah Al-Fatiha
Al-Fatiha is the opening chapter of the Quran and the most-recited surah in daily prayers. It is a complete dua that summarizes the entire message of the Quran in seven short verses.
Number
1st surah
Verses
7
Revelation
Meccan
Meaning
The Opener
Why read it
Recited in every raka'ah of salah — the Shafi'i, Maliki, and Hanbali schools hold prayer is invalid without it; the Hanafi school holds it is obligatory (wajib) but an omission is compensated rather than invalidating the prayer outright.
Al-Fatihabenefits & Hadith references →Key point
Ihdinas-siraatal-mustaqeem — Guide us to the straight path (1:6)
Historical Context
Among the earliest full surahs revealed in Makkah. It is structured as a direct dialogue between the worshipper and Allah — a hadith qudsi in Sahih Muslim has Allah saying: "I have divided the prayer [Al-Fatiha] between Myself and My servant into two halves, and My servant shall have what he asks for," then walking through the surah verse by verse, assigning the praise in the opening verses to Allah and the plea for guidance in the closing verses to the worshipper.
Main Themes
Praise and Lordship (1:1-4)
Opens by naming Allah's attributes — Lord of the worlds, the Most Merciful, Master of the Day of Judgment — before a single request is made.
The pivot: worship and help (1:5)
"You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help" — the hadith qudsi above marks this as the midpoint, where the surah shifts from Allah's voice to the worshipper's plea.
The request for guidance (1:6-7)
A dua for the straight path, specified as the path of those Allah has favored, not those who earned anger or went astray — read in every single raka'ah of prayer.
Important Verses
1:2
"Lord of the worlds"
Al-hamdu lillahi Rabbil 'alamin — opens the Quran by grounding praise in Allah's role as sustainer of all creation, not just humanity.
1:5
The dialogue's midpoint
"You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help" — per the hadith qudsi in Sahih Muslim, this is where Allah's portion of the exchange ends and the servant's plea begins.
1:6-7
The core request
"Guide us to the straight path — the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray" — classical tafsir (Ibn Kathir) identifies the two negative categories as, respectively, those who had knowledge but didn't act on it, and those who acted without correct knowledge.
Hadith & Popular Descriptions
We include authenticity grading for each narration below — not every widely-repeated description of a surah comes from an equally strong source.
"The greatest surah in the Quran"
Abu Sa'id ibn al-Mu'alla reported the Prophet ﷺ telling him Al-Fatiha is "the seven oft-repeated verses (As-Sab' al-Mathani) and the Grand Quran which I have been given."
Sahih al-Bukhari — one of the most authentic hadith collections.
Prayer is "divided in two"
A hadith qudsi in which Allah describes dividing the recitation of Al-Fatiha between Himself and the worshipper, responding to each verse as it's recited.
Sahih Muslim.
Frequently Asked Questions about Surah Al-Fatiha
What is Surah Al-Fatiha about?
Al-Fatiha is the opening chapter of the Quran and the most-recited surah in daily prayers. It is a complete dua that summarizes the entire message of the Quran in seven short verses.
How many verses are in Surah Al-Fatiha?
Surah Al-Fatiha contains 7 verses (The Opener). It is the 1st surah of the Holy Quran.
Is Surah Al-Fatiha Makki or Madani?
Surah Al-Fatiha is a Makki surah — it was revealed in Makkah before the Hijrah.
What are the benefits of reading Surah Al-Fatiha?
Recited in every raka'ah of salah — the Shafi'i, Maliki, and Hanbali schools hold prayer is invalid without it; the Hanafi school holds it is obligatory (wajib) but an omission is compensated rather than invalidating the prayer outright.
Where can I read Surah Al-Fatiha with Urdu translation?
You can read Surah Al-Fatiha above with the full Arabic text, Urdu translation (Kanz ul Iman), and English translation (Sahih International), plus audio recitation.
Is prayer invalid without reciting Al-Fatiha?
The Shafi'i, Maliki, and Hanbali schools hold yes — it is a pillar of each raka'ah. The Hanafi school holds its recitation is obligatory (wajib) but an accidental omission is compensated through a prostration of forgetfulness (sujud sahw) rather than invalidating the prayer entirely.
Why is Al-Fatiha called "Umm al-Kitab" (Mother of the Book)?
Because classical scholars understood it to summarize the Quran's entire message in seven verses — praise of Allah, acknowledgment of the Hereafter, and the core human request for guidance.