The Opening Chapter of the Quran

The Opening Chapter of the Quran The Opening Chapter of the Quran T here are 114 chapters in the Quran, some long and some short. The opening chapter, Al-Fatihah (The Opening), which serves as a preface to the Quran, comprises of only six short verses. The translation of this chapter is as follows: All praise is due to God, the Lord of the Universe; the Beneficent, the Merciful; Lord of the Day of Judgement. You alone we worship, and to You alone we turn for help. Guide us to the straight path: the path of those You have blessed; not of those who have incurred Your wrath, nor of those who have gone astray. (1:1-6) The first verse of this chapter is: “All praise is due to God, the Lord of the Universe.” This is the gist of the Quran. The basic message of the Quran is that man must be grateful to God, man must acknowledge God Almighty. Man must adopt a life that is God-oriented. Alhamdulillah covers all these spiritual values. God Almighty has created man as the superior form of life. He has provided him with all those favourable things that form the life-support system. He created the earth, which is the only planet favourable to human life. He gave man a mind with enormous potential. It is the miracle of the mind that man was able to create a civilization. All the sciences are but a product of the workings of the mind. In such a situation, it is but natural that man must acknowledge the Creator by saying, Alhamdulillah. Without this