This is the of matter of debate whether this is the first ayah of the surah or second. We will consider this ayah the first ayah of Surah Fatiha.
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ
Since expressing gratitude does not necessitate or imply praise, the term "Alhamdulillah" encompasses all of these meanings. It is more than just a simple expression of gratitude.
Although Allah had commanded it to Ibrahim alayhi as-salaam to express his gratitude towards his father but he did not glorify him. In the same breath, Allah is deserving of praise and gratitude. Praise and appreciation are therefore blended in the phrase "Alhamdulillah."
Therefore, "All praise and thanks be to Allah" would be a proper translation of that section of the ayah. It is important to note that the verbal-noun "praise" is used here as a noun, not a verb (e.g., praise Allah). This delicate characteristic suggests permanence, as nouns suggest permanence and verbs suggest temporality and time limits. And this is fitting since Allah's worship is eternal; it existed before us, it exists today, and it will exist after us. Alhamdulillah is a declaration that all praise and gratitude are due to Allah alone and are not dependent on us.
Rabb of the Aalameen:
The following section, "Rabb of the Aalameen," has significant effects on our daily life. The word "Rabb" is typically rendered as "Master," however While master is a common translation for the Arabic word rabb, it does not accurately reflect the context of the Quran while being one of the closest nouns in English of Rabb. In this verse, the term "Rabb" is akin to the Arabic word "Huda," which denotes direction and guidance. This makes sense because a slave's initial response to his master would be to seek advice and guidance.Guidance is synonymous with the word "gift" in Arabic, Hadiya. For the Arabs, providing direction was a gift; nothing is more valuable to a beduin wandering in the desert than providing direction.
A statement of a master would be lacking without mentioning the slave they are in charge of. Similar to this, the next section of the ayah refers to the "slaves" as the Aalameen, which is a general plural that refers to all different kinds of created beings or things in the cosmos, but especially to humans and jinn.
The word "Rabb" is frequently used in the Quran in conjunction with the word "guidance" (), as in the phrases "Innani hadaani rabbi ila siratil mustaqim" and "sabbihisma rabbikal a'alaa." Their relationship would obviously be the topic of discussion.
If a master didn't give his slave any instructions, the slave might inquire as to what his owner wants him to accomplish because without direction, how can a slave be his master's slave? A slave cannot be a slave if they do not follow their master's instructions, which is guidance. Obedience is an action based on knowledge acquired through the master's instructions. Acting against that knowledge would lead to misdirection for the slave, and vice versa. This is why, after claiming Allah as our Rab, we immediately ask for direction.
"All praise and thanks be to Allah, the Master of all things and beings created by Him," would be a complex translation of this verse.
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