Importance, Virtues and Meaning of Surah Al Fatihah

Surah Al-Fatihah was revealed in Makkah and it consists of 7 Aya and 25 words.

There is no end to learning about Surah Al Fatihah. It is the most important Surah in the Quran, and we recite it many times daily in our prayers. We’ll try to understand the importance of this Surah in the light of different Hadiths.

Meaning of Surah Al-Fatihah:

1. The beginning of Surah Al-Fatihah contains Allah's praise for Himself by His most beautiful attributes and indicates to His servants that they too, should praise Him in the same manner.
2. It also mentions the Hereafter, which is the Day of Resurrection, and directs Allah's servants to ask of Him, invoking Him and declaring that all power and strength comes from Him.
3. It also calls to the sincerity of the worship of Allah alone, singling Him out in His divinity, believing in His perfection, being free from the need of any partners, having no rivals nor equals.
4. Al-Fatihah directs the believers to invoke Allah to guide them to the straight path, which is the true religion, and to help them remain on that path in this life, and to pass over the actual Sirat (bridge over hell that everyone must pass over) on the Day of Judgment.
5. It also encourages performing good deeds, so that the believers will be in the company of the good-doers on the Day of Resurrect ion. The Surah also warns against following the paths of misguidance, so that one does not end up being gathered with t hose who indulge in sin, on the Day of Resurrect ion, including t hose who have earned the anger and those who were led astray. 
6. The whole Surah Al-Fatihah is a comprehensive dua/supplication so it is recommended to say Amin after finishing the recitation of Al-Fatihah.  Ameen means, "O Allah! Accept our invocation.'' 

Mother of Quran / The Book:

Surah Al-Fatiha or Surat Al-Fatihah, also known as ‘Ummul Quran’ and ‘Ummul Kitab’ meaning the ‘Mother of Quran’ and ‘Mother of the Book’ respectively, is the first Surah of Quran. It is called Umm Al-Kitab, because it lays the foundation to the entire Quran as Quran starts with it and also prayer is started by reciting it.

Hazrat Abu Hurayrah (R.A) said that the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) said:

“Al-Hamdulillah is Umm Al-Quran and Umm Al-Kitab (the Mother of the Book) and the seven oft-repeated.” (Tirmidhi: 3124)

Prayer is invalid without its recitation:

Following Hadiths shows the importance of reciting Surah Al Fatiah during prayer / salah. If you do not recite it in your prayer, then your prayer is incomplete and Allah does not accept incomplete prayers.

It was narrated that Aishah (R.A) said:

“I heard the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) say: ‘Every prayer in which the Ummul-Kitab (the Mother of the Book) is not recited is deficient.’” (Sunan Ibn Majah: 840)

 It was narrated by Ubada bin As-Samit (R.A) that Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.) said:

"Whoever does not recite Al-Fatiha in his prayer, his prayer is invalid." (Sahih Al-Bukhari: 756)

Allah responds to the believer:

How often do you talk to Allah? How often do you share your joys and sorrows with the almighty? What if I told you about the Surah in the Quran, where Allah responds to every verse you recite? A Surah, which you recite multiple times every single day, but you probably haven’t realized the magnanimity of it yet. Yes the Surah I am referring to you is Surah Al Fatihah in which Allah reply to you with every aya you recite. During prayer when you recite it, Allah replies as it is evident from the following Hadith:

As narrated by Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A) that the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) said:

"….... Allah, the Most High said: I have divided the Salat between Myself and My slaves into two halves. Half of it is for Me, and half of it for My slave, and My slave shall have what he asks for. My slave stands and says: All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of All that exists." So Allah, the Most High says: "My slave has expressed his gratitude to Me." He says: "The Merciful, the Beneficent. So he says: "My slave has praised Me." He says: Owner of the Day of Reckoning. He says: "My slave has glorified Me. And this is for Me, and between Me and My slave: It is You alone whom we worship and it is You alone from whom we seek aid" until the end of the Surah "This is for My slave and My slave shall have what he asks for." So he says: Guide us to the straight path. The path of those upon whom You have bestowed your favor, not those with whom is Your wrath, now those who are astray." (Sunan An-Nasai: 910)

Cure for Snake Sting/Poison/Pain/Illness:

It is Narrated by Hazrat Abu Said Al-Khudri (R.A) that:

Some of the companions of the Prophet (S.A.W.) came across a tribe amongst the tribes of the Arabs, and that tribe did not entertain them. While they were in that state, the chief of that tribe was bitten by a snake (or stung by a scorpion). They said, (to the companions of the Prophet (S.A.W.), "Have you got any medicine with you or anybody who can treat with Ruqya?" The Prophet's companions said, "You refuse to entertain us, so we will not treat (your chief) unless you pay us for it." So they agreed to pay them a flock of sheep. One of them (the Prophet's companions) started reciting Surat-al-Fatiha and gathering his saliva and spitting it (at the snake-bite). The patient got cured and his people presented the sheep to them, but they said, "We will not take it unless we ask the Prophet (whether it is lawful)." When they asked him, he smiled and said, "How do you know that Surat-al-Fatiha is a Ruqya? Take it (flock of sheep) and assign a share for me." (Sahih Al-Bukhari: 5736)
 

This hadith shows that Surah Al-Fatihah can also be used to cure snake bite which can also be reflect in the fact that the Surah can give you relive in extreme pain. This narration shows that Surah Fatiha was used by the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) in order to cure a person who was bitten by a snake, thus the Surah can effectively be used for this purpose.

It is narrated by Hazrat Abdul-Aziz bin Suhaib (R.A) that:

"Thabit Al-Bunani and I entered upon Anas bin Malik, and Thabit said: 'O Abu Hamzah! I am suffering from an illness. So Anas said: 'Shall I not recite the Ruqyah (one of the names of Surah Al-Fatihah) of the Messenger of Allah over you?' He said: 'Why, yes.' He said: 'O Allah! Lord of mankind, removed the harm, and cure (him). Indeed You are the One Who cures, there is none who cures except you, a cure that leaves no disease.'"  (Timidhi: 973)

The Hadith proves that health is from Allah and being healthy or sick, in every condition and in every situation, one has to pray to Allah alone, as only Allah has the power to cure the sick.

The readers of this Surah come under the protection of Allah, the greatest protector in this world. Recite this Surah regularly and get rid of all kinds of fears.

Reciting this Surah, one gets a way to get the favor of Allah. The Surah is really effective to light up the spirit of faith in the heart of a Muslim.

Conclusion:

To sum it up, Surah Al Fatiha is a powerful prayer between us and our Lord, where we invoke His most beautiful names, attest to His sovereignty, seek His help and guidance and ask Him to shower His blessings upon us.

So the next time you recite this Surah, remind yourself that for every verse you recite, Allah is responding to you right at that moment.