What are the essential features of reciting Sura al-Fatiha in the prayer as a medium to be closer to Allah Most High? The Fatiha is calling out to Allah. It is a conversation with Allah, our Creator, our Lord, the All-Knowing, and the All-Powerful. True prayer brings about success and a transformation of character. As stated in the Qur’an:
“Successful indeed are the believers. Those who humble themselves in their prayer.” [23:1-2]
When you are deeply engrossed in frequent supplications, your heart melts and flows like water at the threshold of Allah Most High. You are so absorbed in Allah that all stray thoughts are silenced. You seek Allah’s help and grace. You achieve such a single-mindedness of purpose that a kind of ecstasy and tenderness of heart arises, and the door of success is opened for you. Through this, the love of this world grows cold because two loves cannot occupy the same place simultaneously.
The Opening Prayer
Prayer is not just an action but an expression of faith. The Qur’an commands that you establish prayer “for My remembrance.” Continuing on Habib Hasan al-Bahr al-Jifri’s Sifat Salat al-Muqarrabin, Shaykh Faraz identifies and explores the various dimensions of Surah al-Fatiha and its impact on our overall being in the prayer. The recitation of Surah al-Fatiha and the beginning verse is to affirm the recognition of and gratitude to Allah Most High. As Abu Madyan says, “You and all the existence were it not for him will be effaced and perished.” It is to know we owe our existence to Allah Most High.
And when we say this, al-Rahman al-Rahim, it is to reiterate the extraordinary mercy and majesty of Allah. It is to utter and understand the sole center of devotion is Allah Most High. The affirmation of slavehood is to acknowledge there is none who is sought but Allah Most High. it is to affirm all our attributes, intelligence, will, resolve, power comes through Allah Most High. Every succeeding Aya of this Sura contains a universe of meanings and moving on the other Aya is to seek guidance as to the fruit of recognizing the Lordship of Allah Most High. This sentence manifests our utter neediness and reliance on God for directing us towards the right guidance and true path. Asking Allah for the preservation, sustenance, protection of the faith is to manifest our utter dependence on Him.
It is to understand and comprehend the path of Allah’s Messenger and all other prophets is the true path of ultimate light and felicity. And abstaining from the path of those on whom is God’s wrath. It is to seek Allah’s protection and stay away from those who are ignorant, heedless, and distracted. It is inevitably significant to understand the gift of God through his mercy to recite his speech in our prayer and Allah is addressing me through a text which even mountains were unable to withhold. As Habib al-Jibri mentions, “reciting any surah or some verses of the Qur’an means to behold Allah in His speech”. Understand the metaphysical presence of God and His address to you through the recitation of the Qur’an.
It is to make us conscious to renew our covenant with Allah Most High. The key in the recitation of the Quran in the prayer is to mean it before one recites it and you will see the prayer transformed. To also reinforce the idea that this Surah primarily addresses the strong inner spiritual need of all human beings, provided we care to maintain our fitrah-centric inner goodness.
Source: https://seekersguidance.org/articles/featured-articles/fatiha-closeness/