If you are one of those fortunate people who feel the need to discover the truth of their existence and the real purpose of life, then you have come to the right place! Welcome to the world of the Quran-the gift of Allah to mankind.
Today we embark upon our journey through the Quran with Surah Al-Fatihah, which literally means “the opening”.
~In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful~
How lovely it is to have a friend, a guide, support to whom you can entrust your affairs. Thus we begin our journey with Allah, knowing that He will be our constant companion and guide. We just need to have complete faith in Him.
Our faith in Allah is strengthened by acknowledging and appreciating the fact that He is our Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe and all the worlds. Therefore only Allah is worthy of our ultimate appreciation and gratitude:
~All praise is for Allah, the Rabb’ of the Worlds~
Normally we say these words so casually not realizing what it means. Just think of the word “Al-Alamin” and try to visualize the vast universe filled with the creation of Allah. Of course, our knowledge is limited and to imagine all of it in one glance is almost impossible. But just think how great that Rabb is, who not only made all of this out of nothing but also nurtures each and every creature and knows the details of each and everything. Obviously He is the most loving, the extremely compassionate and merciful:
~The Compassionate, the Merciful~
Without Allah’s mercy, we could not exist on this earth. Allah’s love and compassion fill our lives. And we have so much to be grateful for. But we have to remember that no matter how privileged we might be; this life will come to an end. All the blessings are only for this limited time. The only thing which is permanent is what deeds we do in this life. And on the day of judgment we will all be standing before Allah waiting for the announcement of our final result:
~Master of the Day of Judgment.~
This is it. The story of our life. It begins with recognizing Allah and being grateful to Him. Then we live our life with a positive attitude because Allah is Al-Rahman and Al- Rahim. And finally, there is the Day of Judgement where we are going to meet Allah. So what exactly is the purpose of our life? Allah answers in the following verse:}
~O’Allah! You alone we worship and You Alone we call on for help.~
When we say that we worship only Allah, it means that we will obey Him in all areas of our lives. But we cannot do so without Allah’s help.
That is why we are being taught to say: “Allah! Only you we ask for help.”
Remember that although people and places do make a difference. Still, they are just a medium. The real source of all goodness is Allah.
So we ask Him to help us attain the most desired of all things: guidance:}
~O’Allah! Guide us to The Right Way.~
Praying for guidance means that we ask Allah to show us the right way, and to enable us to walk in the right way. Until we reach our destination. What is the right way?
~The Way of those whom You have favored; not of those who have earned Your wrath, nor of those who have lost The Way.~
So our role models should be the people with whom Allah was pleased and He bestowed his blessings and favors on them. These are the Prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs, and the righteous.
Likewise, it is equally important to stop idealizing the people on whom Allah had sent His guidance but they earned His anger and punishment because they denied the truth and followed their own desires.
Similarly, we have to be careful not to be among the people who do not even bother to find the right way and just follow their own illusions and ideas about life. Thus ends the beautiful Surah Al-Fatehah which is an essence of our purpose of life as well as a prayer for the beginning of our journey through the Quran. May Allah accept our prayers (Amen).
