Translation of the Meanings of the Noble Qur'an - English Translation - Dr. Waleed Bleyhesh Omary * - Translations’ Index
Translation of the meanings Ayah: (1) Surah: Al-Fātihah
Al-Fātihah
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
[3] Allah (الله) is God’s most unique Name, grandly referred to as Lafẓ al-Jalālah (The Word of Majesty). It occurs in the Qur’an 2,697 times in 85 of its 114 suras. Allah is considered the Almighty’s Supreme Name (al-Ism al-Aʿẓam) by Abū Ḥanīfah (quoted in al-Ṭaḥāwī, Sharḥ Mushkil al-Āthār, 1: 1616). According to the vast majority of scholars Allah is linguistically unique in that it is originally a proper and underived noun (cf. al-Shawkānī, Nayl al-Awṭār: 1: 18). None other than the Almighty is named by it: “Do you know any other of a Name like His?” (19: 65) In Abrahamic religions, i.e. Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the concept of God basically has the same referent. He is unlimited with regards to knowledge (omniscience), power (omnipotence), existence (omnipresence) and benevolence. However, there are points of departure regarding how each religion perceives God. The most outstanding of which is that Islam Believes in a One and Only God without the slightest form of Association (cf. 3: 64):“Say: He is God, Unique. *God is the Oft-Beseeched. *He begot none, nor was He begotten. *None is equal to Him” (Sura al-Ikhlāṣ, Q. 112). Additionally, God in Islam has unique Names and Attributes and in accordance with Muslim belief (ʿaqīdah) the Muslim conception of God is not anthropomorphic in the slightest form: “Nothing is like Him; He is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing”. (42: 11)
[4] The ‘Most Beneficent’ and the ‘Most Merciful’ here stand for the Arabic ar-Raḥmān and ar-Raḥīm, respectively. They are both intensive forms derived from the noun raḥmah, mercy. Whilst they both denote the trait of mercy, semantically, however, they are different; ar-Raḥmān is more intensive than ar-Raḥīm (cf. Ibn Manẓūr, Lisān al-ʿArab, root: r ḥ m). According to exegetes, ar-Raḥmān’s Mercy encompasses all creatures, whereas ar-Raḥīm’s is reserved only for Believers (cf. 33:43, al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, al-Shinqiṭī, al-Saʿdī). The extent of God’s Mercy is highlighted in the following tradition: Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “God has one hundred mercies. He sent down one of them on humans, jinn, animals and venomous creatures. Through it they show mercy to each other, and through it wild beasts show mercy to their young. God has reserved ninety-nine mercies with which He bestows mercy on his servants on the Day of Judgement” (al-Bukhārī: 6000; Muslim: 2752).
[4] The ‘Most Beneficent’ and the ‘Most Merciful’ here stand for the Arabic ar-Raḥmān and ar-Raḥīm, respectively. They are both intensive forms derived from the noun raḥmah, mercy. Whilst they both denote the trait of mercy, semantically, however, they are different; ar-Raḥmān is more intensive than ar-Raḥīm (cf. Ibn Manẓūr, Lisān al-ʿArab, root: r ḥ m). According to exegetes, ar-Raḥmān’s Mercy encompasses all creatures, whereas ar-Raḥīm’s is reserved only for Believers (cf. 33:43, al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, al-Shinqiṭī, al-Saʿdī). The extent of God’s Mercy is highlighted in the following tradition: Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “God has one hundred mercies. He sent down one of them on humans, jinn, animals and venomous creatures. Through it they show mercy to each other, and through it wild beasts show mercy to their young. God has reserved ninety-nine mercies with which He bestows mercy on his servants on the Day of Judgement” (al-Bukhārī: 6000; Muslim: 2752).
Arabic explanations of the Qur’an:
Translation of the meanings Ayah: (1) Surah: Al-Fātihah
Translation of the Meanings of the Noble Qur'an - English Translation - Dr. Waleed Bleyhesh Omary - Translations’ Index
Translation of the meanings of the Noble Qur’an into English - in progress - translated by Dr. Walid Bleihesh Al-Omari.