Page-41- Use of the word Surah (السورة) in the Quran: The arrangement of Ayats and Suras in the Quran was by directions of Rasul (Sm.):The number of Ayats, words, and letters of Sura Al-Fatihah:When Surah Fatiha is recited, Allah answers the reciter:

 3. وإذا أنزلت سورة أن أمنوا بالله وجاهدوا مع رسوله إستأذنك أولوا الطول منهم وقالوا ذرنا نكن مع القاعدين “Whenever a Surah is revealed describing that you put faith in Allah and do Jihad with His Rasul, those who have the ability and capacity (For Jihad) of them sought permission from you (Permission for being exempted from Jihad), and they said: leave us, we will be with those who will sit back at home.”  (At-Tawbah-86) Muhammad Ali As-Sabuni said in his Tafsir: “أولوا الطول منهم" أى أولوا الغنى ومال الكثير - أولوا الطول means- The wealthy people” (Ref.1)

4. وإذا ما أنزلت سورة فمنهم من يقول أيكم زادته هذه إيمانا فأما الذين أمنوا فزادتهم إيمانا وهم يستبشرون “And whenever a Surah is revealed, some of the Munafiqs say –who among you has this Sura increased Iman? Mumins get their Iman increased, while they get the good news.” (At-Tawbah-124) 5. وإذاما أنزلت سورة نظر بعضهم إلى بعض هل يرىكم من أحد ثم إنصرفوا صرف الله قلوبهم بأنهم قوم لايفقهون “Whenever a Surah is revealed, they look at each other, (saying) does anyone see you? Then they turn away. Allah turned their hearts away because they are the people who do not comprehend.” (At-Tawbah-127) 6. أم يقولون إفترىه قل فأتو بسورة مثله وأدعوا من إستطعتم من دون الله إن كنتم صادقين “Or they say, he has fabricated it, (O Prophet) you tell, bring a Surah like it, (compose a Surah) and call him who has the ability among you (To do it) except Allah if you are truthful.” (Yunus-38) 7. سورة أنزلناها وفرضناها وأنزلنا فيها أيات بينات لعلكم تذكرون “A Sura, I have revealed it and made it compulsory(Its rules and regulations), and I have revealed in it clear Ayats, so you can take admonition”. (Nur-1)

8. ويقول الذين أمنوا لولا نزلت سورة فإذا أنزلت سورة محكمة وذكر فيها القتال رأيت الذين فى قلوبهم مرض ينظرون إليك نظر امغشى عليه من الموت فأولى لهم

And Mumins say: Why is a Sura not revealed,(Which commands Jihad)? when a Surah Muhkamah (The Surah describes clearly the rules and regulations of Shariah is called “Surah Muhkamah”) is revealed, in which (Order of)  Jihad is mentioned, ( O Muhammad), you see the people who have disease in their hearts, they look at you with a fainted look for fear of death, That is better for them.  (Muhammad-20)

 9. أم يقولون إفترىه قل فأتوا بعشر سور مثله مفتريات وأدعوا من إستطعتم من دون الله إن كنتم صادقين

“Or do they say, he has fabricated it (The Quran). Say, O prophet, you bring ten fabricated  Surah like it and call him who has the ability among you (To do it) except Allah if you are truthful.”(Hud-13)

The arrangement of Ayats and Suras in the Quran was by directions of Rasul (Sm.):

Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Ibn Abu Bakr Al-Qurtubi described in his Tafsir that Makki Ibn Abu Talib Hum-Mush Ibn Muhammad Ibn Mukhtar Al-Qaysi Al-Qayrawani Al-Qurtubi described in his Tafsir: أن ترتيب الأيات فى السور ووضع البسملة فى الاوائل هو من النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم ولما لم يأمر بذالك فى أول سورة برأة تركت بلا بسملة هذا أصح ما قيل فى ذالك       

“The order of Ayats in the Surahs and to put Bismillah at the beginning of Surahs is from the Nabi(Sm.), and when he (Sm.) did not order to put Bismillah at the beginning of Surah Al-Bara’h, that surah was left without Bismillah. This is the most correct information that was said about the arrangement of Ayats and Surahs of the Quran.”(Ref.2)

The number of Ayats, words, and letters of  Sura Al-Fatihah:

Jarullah Abul Qasem Mahmud Ibn Umar Az-Zamakhshari described in his Tafsir:    وهى سبع ايات بالإتفاق

“There are seven Ayats in Sura Al-Fatiha by consensus of the Muslim Mujtahids.” (Ref.3)

Nazmuddin Umar Ibn Muhammad Ibn Ahmad An-Nasafi Al-Hanafi said: أية لكن أصحابنا رحمهم الله عدوا أنعمت عليهم s

“But the scholars of Hanafi Mazhab counted أنعمت عليهم as one Ayat of Sura Fatiha.”) While others counted Bismillah as the first Ayat of Sura Al-Fatiha).

Nazmuddin Umar Ibn Muhammad Ibn Ahmad An-Nasafi Al-Hanafi also said:

وهى خمس وعشرون كلمة ومئة وثلاث وعشرون حرفا"   وليست فيها سبعة أحرف : ألثاء- والجيم والخاء والزائ والشين والظاء والفاء        

وفى بعض الأثار أن الحكمة فيها : أن الثاء من الثبور والجيم من الجحيم والخاء من الخوف والزائ من الزقوم والشين من الشقاوة والظاء من الظلمة والفاء من الفراق –ومعتقد هذه السورة وقارئها على التعظيم والحرمة أمن من هذه السبعة                                                                     

 “There are 25 words and 123 letters in Sura Al-Fatiha, 07 letters are not in this Surah. They are- At-tha, Al-jeem, Al-Kha, Az-Za, Ash-Sheen, Az-Zua, and Al-Fa”. And it is described in some Hadiths – The Hikmah (Wisdom/mystery) in it is – indeed “At-tha” is from “At-Thabur” –destruction, “Al-Jeem” is from “Jaheem”- Jahannam, “Al-Kha” is from “Al-khawof” –fear, “Az-Za” is from “ Az-Zaqqum” -a thorny plant in Jahannam, “Ash-Sheen” is from “Ash-Shaqawah”-  naughtiness/wickedness, “Az-Zua” is from “Az-Zulmah”-darkness and “Al-Fa” is from “Al-Feraq”- parting. The believer in this surah and its reciter on respect and sanctity are safe from these seven things.”(Ref.4)

When Surah Fatiha is recited, Allah answers the reciter:

“This Sura is divided into two halves. The first half is praise (ثناء)   and the second half is prayer (دعاء) or Dua.

عن أبى هريرة رضى الله تعالى عنه قال فإنى سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول : يقول الله تعالى قسمت الصلاة بينى وبين عبدى نصفين فإذا قال العبد ألحمد لله رب العلمين قال الله تعالى حمدنى عبدى وإذا قال العبد ألرحمن الرحيم قال الله تعالى أثنى على عبدى وإذا قال العبد مالك يوم الدين قال الله تعالى مجدنى عبدى وإذا قال العبد إياك نعبد وإياك نستعين قال الله تعالى هذا بينى و بين عبدى نصفان وإذا قال العبد إهدنا الصراط  المستقيم صراط الذن أنعمت عليهم غير المغضوب عليهم ولا الضالين قال الله تعالى هذا لعبدى ولعبدى ما سأل          

   On the authority of Abu Hurairah (R.), he said, “Surely I heard Allah’s Rasul (Sm.) saying: Allah the almighty says: I divided Salah between me and my servant into two halves. When the servant says- ألحمد لله رب العلمين, Allah the almighty says: my servant has praised me. When the servant says- ألرحمن الرحيم, Allah the almighty says: my servant has extolled me. When the servant says- مالك يوم الدين, Allah the almighty says: my servant has glorified me. When the servant says- إياك نعبد وإياك نستعين, Allah the almighty says: this is two halves between me and my servant. When the servant says- إهدنا الصراط المستقيم صراط الذن أنعمت عليهم غير المغضوب عليهم ولا الضالين, Allah the almighty says: this is for my servant and my servant will have what he asked for.”(Sahih Muslim, كتاب الصلاة, Hadith no-878(

References :( المراجع)

1. صفوة التفاسير Author, Muhammad Ali As –Sabuni, Volume-10, and Page-554.

2. Al-Jameu Li-Ahkamil Qur’an, Author- Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Ibn Abu Bakr Al-Qurtubi, Verified by – Dr. Abdullah Ibn Abdul Muhsin At-Turki, Volume-1, page no-97, and first edition 2006, Ar - Resalah publishers, Beirut, Lebanon.

3. ألكشاف عن حقائق غوامض التنزيلوعيون الأقاويل فى وجوه التأويل, Author- Jarullah Abul Qasem Mahmud Ibn Umar Az-Zamakhshari ,Volume-1, Page -99

4.فى التفسير   ألتيسير Page-50, Volume-1, Author-Nazmuddin Umar Ibn Muhammad Ibn Ahmad An-Nasafi Al-Hanafi.

5. ألتيسير فى التفسير, Volume-1, page-73, Author- Abu Hafs Najmuddin Umar Ibn Muhammad Ibn Ahmad An-Nasafi Al-Hanafi

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