Going even deeper into 'The Opening'....
No simple literal translation can capture the magnificence
or the delicate nuances of these Arabic verses. Every word has multiple levels of meaning, and each line brings new insights
and inspirations with every reading. To begin to discover the deeper meanings of these verses, let's look at the deeper meanings
of the words, line by line:
(Pronunciation guide: i as in sit, a as
in bat, u as in put, â as the a in father, î as the ee in reel, û as the oo in moot.)
bismillâh
ir-rahmân ir-rahîm
bismillâh = for the glory of Allah, in the name of Allah, by means of
the Light of Allah
There are
three parts to this beautiful word: (see also the bismillah web page)
1) bi : by, for, by means of, with the aid of, through
(pointing towards the idea of what happens next)
2) ism : name, reputation, glory (root indicates light,
vibration, essence)
3) Allah
ir-rahmân = the beneficent, the merciful, the compassionate,
the One who continually showers all of creation with blessings, nourishment and prosperity
Root r-h-m: womb, kinship, mercy, compassion, tenderness requiring the exercise of beneficence.
ir-rahîm = the compassionate, the merciful, the One who gives
even more to those who live in loving harmony and righteousness
Root
r-h-m: womb, kinship, mercy, compassion, tenderness requiring the exercise of beneficence.
al-hamdulillâhi rabb il-âlamîn
al-hamdulillâhi = all praise is to Allah, all praise is for
Allah
hamd : praise, commendation,
laudation
continual praise with a feeling of pleasure, continual
praise for the sake of Allah (not for any specific action)
rabb = lord, master, owner, nourisher, cherisher, guardian
Root r-b-b: indicates the idea of fostering something in such a manner as to help
it to attain one condition after another until it reaches the goal of completion
il-âlamîn = all the worlds, all that exists, all that Allah
has created
(plural of 'alam)
ar-rahmân
ir-rahîm
ar-rahmân = the beneficent, the merciful, the compassionate,
the loving One who continually showers all of creation with blessings, nourishment and prosperity
Root r-h-m: womb, kinship, mercy, compassion, tenderness requiring the exercise of beneficence.
ir-rahîm = the compassionate, the merciful, the One who gives
even more to those who live in loving harmony and righteousness
Root
r-h-m: womb, kinship, mercy, compassion, tenderness requiring the exercise of beneficence.
mâliki yawm
id-dîn
mâliki = lord, master, owner, controller
Root m-l-k: to own, possess, acquire, control, rule, have dominion over,
lord over, to be master of.
yawm = day, age, era, time, a period of time, moment
id-dîn = religion, faith, creed, sovereignty, submission,
belief, accountability
Root d-â-n:
to be indebted, to owe, to be subject, be under someone's power, owe allegiance; to repay.
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen said: ,dîn means the light which is perfectly pure, dîn is what existed in the beginning, the "ancient thing"
which was with God originally and is always with Him.
iyyâka na`budu wa iyyâka nasta`în
iyyâka = to you and
only you, to you alone, unto thee only, unto thee and none other
iyyâ : with you , unto you
ka : you (2nd person
masculine singular suffix)
na'budu = we worship,
we serve, we adore
na: (imperfect prefix)
Root '-b-d: to serve, worship, adore, venerate, submit
u: (indicative suffix, 1st person plural)
wa = and, and also,
while, whilst, but, together, with
nasta'în = we seek help
from
Root '-A-n: to aid, to assistance, help
ihdina s-sirât
al-mustaqîm
ihdina = guide us, show us, lead us
Root h-d-y: guide, show, direct, be made aware, to be led back, to be rightly led with kindness until one
reaches the goal. This is also the root of al-Hâdî, the Guide, the Leader.
s-sirât = course, path, way
specifically, a path which is even, wide and can be easily
followed to the goal.
al-mustaqîm = straight, shortest, smooth, exact, right
Root q-m: get up. stand up, stand erect: make straight, correct, reform, lift up, resurrect,
appoint, arouse. This is also the root of al-Qayyûm, the Self-existing, the One who stands alone.
sirât al-ladhîna
an`amta `alayhim
ghayr il-maghdûbi
`alayhim wa la d-dâlîn
sirât = course, path, way
specifically, a path which is even, wide and can be easily
followed to the goal.
al-ladhîna = those who, whoever
some early manuscripts read man rather than al-ladhîna
an'amta = you have have bestowed grace, you have favored, you have blessed
Root n-`-m: to bestow favor, be graciously
disposed, to make comfortable, to take great pains; to live in comfort and luxury, life of ease
ta : you (subject,
2nd person masc sing)
'alayhim = unto them, upon them, over them
(prep) `alâ on, upon, over, toward, for
ghayr = unlike, different from, other than
il-maghdûbi = the recipient of anger, frustration, annoyance
Root gh-d-b: means to be cross, angry, irritated, furious, annoyed, enraged.
'alayhim = unto them, upon them, over them
(prep) 'alâ: on,
upon, over, toward, for
wa la = and not, nor, neither, not even
d-dâlîn = one who diverges from the goal,
one who goes astray, one who is diverted
Root
d-l-l: means to lose one's way, go astray, to err, to be misled, to be deceived.
Armed with these definitions and your own insight, you
can create your own poetic rendering of al-Fâtiha... just go through the Fâtiha word-by-word, inserting the
definition of each word that seems to speak to your heart, such as:
1) For the glory of
Allah, the Merciful One Who is endlessly Beneficent, and Who Graciously rewards those who live in Divine harmony,
2) every
manner of this praise and joyful gratitude is for the glory of Allah, the one Lord of all of creation,
3) the One who is
forever lovingly beneficent and who rewards those who surrender to a life of harmony and righteousness,
4) Owner of the
Moment of Awakening,
5) You alone do we adore and from You alone do we seek aid.
6) Guide us on the glorious path of
harmony and righteousness,
7) the way of those who have accepted your loving blessings and not the way of those who have
anger over them nor of those who have gone astray.
