al-Fatiha

Al-Tibrisi, in his exegesis Mujma'ul-Bayan fee Tafsir al-Qur'an, provides ten names for the first chapter of the Holy Qur'an, namely Surat al-Fatiha:

1) al-Fatiha, the one that opens, for it is like a gate: when opened, it leads one to the Book of Allah;
2) al-Hamd, the praise, for its verses are clearly praising the Almighty;
3) Ummul- Kitab, the mother of the Book, for its status is superior to all other chapters of the Holy Qur'an, or like the war standard: it is always in the forefront;
4) al-Sab', the seven verses, for it is comprised of seven verses and the only one whose verses are seven, and there is no room here to elaborate on the merits of the number 7 especially since most readers of this book are already aware of such merits;
5) al-Mathani, the oft-repeated Chapter, for no other Chapter of the Holy Qur'an is repeated as often as this one;
6) al-Kafiya, the chapter that suffices and that has no substitute; you simply cannot replace its recitation with that of any other chapter of the Holy Qur'an in the first two rek'ats of the prayers, whereas it can substitute others;
8) al-Asas, the basis or foundation or bed-rock, a connotation of its being the foundation upon which the Holy Qur'an stands just as the Basmala ("Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim") is the foundation of the Fatiha;
9) al- Shifa, the healing, due to the fact that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has said that the Fatiha heals from all ailments except death; and
10) al-Salat, the prayers, or the basic requirement of the daily prayers, one without the recitation of which no prayer can be accepted, especially since the Prophet (pbuh) has quoted the Almighty saying,

"The prayers have been divided between Me and My servant: one half for Me, and one for him;" so when one recites it and says, "Alhamdulillahi Rabbil-'Alameen," the Almighty says, "My servant has praised Me." And when he says, ''Arrahmanir Raheem," the Almighty says, "My servant has praised Me." And when he says, "Maaliki YawmidDeen," Allah says, "My servant has exalted Me." And when he says, "Iyyaaka Na'budu wa iyyaaka nasta'een," Allah will say, 'This is a covenant between Me and My servant, and My servant shall be granted the fulfillment of his pleas." Then if he finishes reciting the Fatiha to the end, Allah will again confirm His promise by saying, 'This is for [the benefit of] My servant, and My servant will be granted the answer to his wishes.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is quoted by Abu Ali al-Fadl ibn al-Hassan ibn al-Fadl al-Tibrisi, may Allah have mercy on his soul, saying that one who recites al-Fatiha will be regarded by the Almighty as though he recited two-thirds of the Holy Qur'an and as though he gave by way of charity to each and every believing man and woman. "By the One in Whose hand my soul is," the Prophet (pbuh) continues, "Allah Almighty did not reveal in the Torah, the Gospel, or the Psalms any chapter like it; it is the Mother of the Book and al- Sab' al-Mathani (the oft-repeated seven verses), and it is divided between Allah and His servant, and His servant shall get whatever he asks; it is the best Sura in the Book of the most Exalted One, and it is a healing from every ailment except poison, which is death."

He (pbuh) is also quoted by al-Kaf'ami as saying, "He (Allah) bestowed it upon me as His blessing, making it equivalent to the Holy Qur'an, saying, 'And We have granted you al-Sab' al-Mathani and the Great Qur'an (Surat al-Hijr, verse 87).' lt is the most precious among the treasures of the 'Arsh."

Indeed, Allah, the most Sublime, has chosen Muhammad (pbuh) alone to be honored by it without doing so to any other Prophet or Messenger of His with the exception of Sulayman (Solomon), peace be upon him, who was granted the Basmala (see verse 30 of Surat al-Naml, Chapter of the Ant). One who recites it, being fully convinced of his following in the footsteps of Muhammad (pbuh) and his Progeny (as), adhering to its injunctions, believing in its outward and inward meanings, will be granted by Allah for each of its letters a blessing better than what all there is in the world of wealth and good things, and whoever listens to someone reciting it will receive one third of the rewards due to its reciter.