Al-Fatiha

From WikiIslam

Contents 1 Arabic Text 2 Transliteration 3 Word-for-Word Translation 4 English Translation 5 Translation notes 6 Variant Texts 7 Commentary 8 See also 9 References

[edit] Arabic Text

1:1 بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

1:2 الْحَمْدُ للّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

1:3 الرَّحْمـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

1:4 مَـالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ

1:5 إِيَّاك نَعْبُدُ وإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

1:6 اهدِنَــــا الصِّرَاطَ المُستَقِيمَ

1:7 صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنعَمتَ عَلَيهِمْ غَيرِ المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّالِّينَ

[edit] Transliteration

1:1 Bi-smi-llāhi -r-raḥmāni -r-raḥīm(i)

1:2 Al-ḥamdu -li-llāhi rabbi -l-`ālamīn(a)

1:3 Ar-raḥmāni -r-raḥīm(i)

1:4 Māliki yawmi -d-dīn(i)

1:5 'Iyyāka na`budu wa-'iyyāka nasta`īn(u)

1:6 Ihdinā -ṣ-ṣirāṭa -l-mustaqīm(a)

1:7 Ṣirāṭa -l-laḏīna 'an`amta `alayhim ġayri-l-maġḍūbi `alayhim wa-lā -ḍ-ḍāllīn(a)

[edit] Word-for-Word Translation

1:1 In-name-GEN-of Allah-GEN-of the-merciful-GEN the-compassionate-(GEN)

1:2 The-praise-NOM to-Allah-GEN lord-GEN-of the-world-PL-OBL

1:3 The-merciful-GEN the-compassionate-(GEN)

1:4 Ruler-GEN-of day-GEN-of the-judgement-(GEN)

1:5 ? serve-IMPF-2PL and-? <implore for help>-IMPF-2PL

1:6 Guide-IMPR-2S-OBJ-2PL the-path-ACC-of the-straight-ACC

1:7 Path-ACC-of the-<those who>-2M.PL favor-PERF-2M.S upon-OBJ-2M.PL <other than>-GEN anger-PART-PASS-S-GEN upon-OBJ-2M.PL and-not the-<gone astray>-PL-OBL

[edit] English Translation

1:1 In the name of Allah, the merciful and compassionate

1:2 Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds

1:3 The merciful and compassionate

1:4 Ruler of the day of judgment

1:5 [It is thee] we serve and [it is thee] we implore for help

1:6 Guide us to (or show us) the path of the straight (i.e., righteous)

1:7 Path of those whom you favor, not those who anger you and not those who have gone astray

[edit] Translation notes

1:1 In بِسْمِ اللّهِ, "In the name of Allah", the basmala, the word "the" is implied. This would read well as "By the name of Allah".

1:2 Arabic generally does not use the copula, so the the subjunctive "be" is implied.

1:3 This is a repetition of the last two words (not counting the definite articles) of 1:1.

1:4 مَـالِكِ ("ruler") can also be translated as "slave-master". Its use of the genitive indicates that it is a continuation of 1:3. The correct translation of دِّين, dīn is "judgement". Compare Hebrew dīn, "judgement, justice, law" from the root dyn, "to judge". The meaning of dīn as "faith" is unique to Arabic. Perhaps it is best understood as "law", as إﻣان, 'imān, from the root 'mn, means "faith". The Hebrew word for "faith" comes from the same root.

1:5 Already we have an ambiguity in the Qur'an. The words إِيَّاك ('īyāka) and وإِيَّاكَ (wa'īyāka) have no clear translation and no fewer than three variants. Arthur Jeffrey located several Qur'ans with different readings and one without any version of this sura.^[1] One of the variants is the pair حِيَّاك (ḥīyāka) and وإِيَّاكَ (wīyāaka). "[These] seem all to be independent attempts to interpret the unvoweled, unpointed skeleton term (rasm) that stood in the original codex." (Jeffrey) The most likely translation is a 2nd person masculine singular emphatic accusative (emphatic object).

[edit] Variant Texts

As mentioned in Translation Notes, 1:5, Arthur Jeffrey identified several variant texts of this sura. Each has a very different wording, but all express similar sentiments.

[edit] Commentary

Several lines of evidence converge to show that this was a prayer prepended to the Qur'an, perhaps to be said before reading it. This prayer was composed orally before the pointing of the Qur'an, and changed over time before being forgotten. This prayer may not have been included in the recension that produced the current longest-to-shortest ordering of the suras. When the Qur'an was pointed the pronunciation had been forgotten, which explains the ambiguity of 1:5.

The lines of evidence to support this hypothesis are:

1. Unlike every other sura, Allah is in the second person. That is, Allah is spoken to. It would be bizarre for the supposed divine author of a revelatory work to speak to himself, particularly, to pledge to serve and seek help from himself.

2. The major textual variations indicate that this sura was recorded after the period of "revelation". Moreover, they indicate that this sura fell into disuse and its pronunciation had to be reconstructed.

3. This sura violates the longest-to-shortest organization rule.

One variant lacks the basmala, so it is unlikely to have originated in this sura.

[edit] See also

• The Origins of the Quran (by Ibn Warraq)
• Organization of the Qur'an

[edit] References

The Arabic text and original transliteration are from Al-Fatiha, accessed September 5, 2008.