Soor-ra-tool Faa-te-ha Chapter # 001 سُوۡرَةُ الفَاتِحَة
Verses of the Holy Qor-aan are quoted on this site with the numbers, the first set of three being the number of Soorah (Chapter) followed by the last set of three being the number of the verse. The numbers include بِسۡمِ اللهِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِيۡمِ as the verse #1 in every Soorah except the Soorah #9. The original Arabic word is shown first, or in Col #1. The phonetic transliteration in English is shown next, or in Col #2, and is based upon words commonly pronounced like bat, cat, sat → fate, gate, hate → bait, trait → bay, nay, say → be, he, she → bet, pet, wet → bit, fit, sit → cot, dot, rot → boot, hoot, root → bout, rout → but, cut, hut, ultimatum. The English equivalent to the Arabic words (shown first, or in Col #1) are provided next, or in Col #3. Some other alternates in English used in other translations are given last, or in Col #4.
The Holy Qor-aan 001:001 ○بِسۡمِ اللهِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِيۡمِ
Bay is-may il-laa-hay ir-rah-maa-nay ir ra-hee-m (= Bis-mil laa-hir rah-maa-nir ra-hee-m)
With the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful I begin.
(Beginning, commencing, starting)
- بِ — Bay … (is) — With (= The best translation of the word بِ is ‘with’)
- سۡمِ — Ism … (il) — The name of (= The way to be addressed or called)
- اللهِ — Laa-hay … (ir) — Allah (= The Almighty God; the One Only worthy of worship)
- الرَّحۡمٰنِ — Rah-maa-n … (ir) — The Most Beneficent (= adj., Compassionate. Gracious. None more than Him benefits. As n: The One Who fully, totally and wholly benefits all, to the maximum without any condition, limitation or restriction. The Greatest and Highest Benefactor Who wills goodness and mercy to all His creation)
- الرَّحِيۡمِ — Ra-heem — The Most Merciful (= adj., superlative form indicates the Greatest Merciful. Merciful Forever. The word floodlights that none more than Him shows kindness and mercy, again and again continually, incessantly and indefinitely like perpetually incoming ocean waves)
** Note: 001:001. This verse was revealed 114 times. It is the First (1st) in 113 of the 114 Chapters (Soorah) of the Holy Qor-aan. It’s not the 1st verse of Chapter 9 but has appeared twice in Chapter 27 — once as its 1st and again as its 31st (027:031).
This verse is numbered 1st (#001) of a Soorah on this site like many translators have done. Our numbering of verses differs from those who have ignored numbering the aforesaid as 1st.
A Hadeeth of the Holy Prophet s.a.w) lists 99 Names of Allah originated from the Holy Qor-aan and any Name not shown there but on the list is deduced from a verb or noun used there.
This verse names two Attributes of the Almighty God (059:025). This site provides the principal characteristics of Attributes concisely, but others may have verbalized them differently.
Translators have magnified the ordinary meanings of a word of an Attribute by using its superlative form and often adding prefixes like All, Ever, Forever, Most, Very, Well, etc.
For example, an Attribute in verse 004:111 has been translated as follows. * ‘Merciful’ by 5 authors: Maulana Muhammad Ali, Maulawi Sher Ali, Malik Ghulam Farid, Marmaduke Pickthall and N J Dawood. * Most Merciful’ by 3 authors: Abdulla Yusuf Ali, M Muhsin Khan and Taqi-ud-Din. * Ever Merciful’ by 2 authors: Muhammad Zafrulla Khan and Amatul Rahman Omar. * ‘All-compassionate’ by 1 author: John Arberry. * ‘All-Merciful’ by 1 author: Dr Ahmad Zidan.
Our Translation when compared with other works – printed, published and sold in the market — shows minor to major differences like the above in verses including 004:105.
Our Commentaries like Translations with Additions or Subtractions, Translations with Author’s Whims, Translations with Different Words, Translations with Inaccuracies and others furnish analytical, factual, grammatical and other intriguing critiques on some contents
