Supplication for Guidance to The Straight Path: Quranic Supplications 25
During Ramadan 2023, Sheikh Faraz Rabbani gave a series of daily video talks on supplications in the Quran. This series of articles are drawn from those talks and the related eBook. This article is about seeking guidance to the straight path. The video series can be viewed here.
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
مَـٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
ٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٰطَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ
صِرَٰطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ ٱلْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ
“In the Name of Allah Most Merciful and Compassionate: All praise is Allah’s, Lord of all Worlds of Beings, Most Merciful and Compassionate, Master of the Day of Reckoning: You alone we humbly adore and in You alone we seek help. Guide us the Straight Way: The way of those You have divinely blessed, who have not then incurred wrath, or utterly lost the way.” [Quran, 1:1-7]
Surat al-Fatiha as an entire Surah is a supplication. It is a school in how to call upon Allah Most High. It teaches us that when we begin to call upon Allah, we begin by affirming who our Lord is and by praising God.
By saying: ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ – “All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds.” ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ – “The All-Merciful, the Particularly Caring.” مَـٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ – “The Master of the Day of Reckoning.” إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ – “It is You alone, we humbly adore.” وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ – “And it is You alone that we utterly rely upon.” And then we call upon Allah to “Guide us the Straight Way,” – ٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٰطَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ.
Surat al-Fatiha as a whole is, therefore, a dua. We make it in every single prayer, so we should mean the comprehensive meanings of Surat al-Fatiha in every prayer. Do not let any prayer pass you by except that you gather your resolve in asking and imploring Allah when you make this dua.
Whenever There Is Need
Anytime you have difficulty or need one of the supplications that you can recite is Surat al-Fatiha. You have an exam coming, recite Surat al-Fatiha. Why? Because when we say “Guide us to the path that is straight,” that is the path of all the good of this life leading to ultimate good, and all the ultimate good of the next life seeking Allah thereby.
You can make it before anything. Someone is sick, recite the Fatiha. You go to someone’s grave and you want to pray for them. Sometimes we have no words that come to us in prayer. You can recite the Fatiha, but strive to mean it.
This is one of the great gifts. All the meanings of the Quran are in the Fatiha. You can spend a lifetime learning about the meanings of the opening chapter of the Quran. But a lifetime would prove short.
Mean it and ask Allah by those meanings because it is of the best of supplications.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of all the worlds.
