BB00455: Tafsir-i-Suratu’l-Fatiha

Date: 1259 (late) [1843-1844]

“In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. Praise be to God, Lord of all worlds, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful, Master of the Day of Judgment. Thee do we worship and Thine aid do we seek. Guide us on the straight path, the path of those whom Thou hast favored, not of those who have incurred Thy wrath, nor of those who have gone astray.” [Q1:1-7]

In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

This blessed Surah contains seven definitive verses in the sight of God:

The first verse is the Book of Muhammad, may God’s peace be upon him and his family, wherein God hath ordained the laws of existence that hath no beginning and no end, and it is the Paradise of Heaven. God hath made its shade for those who believe in his prophethood and enter therein through it.

The second is the Book of Ali, peace be upon him, wherein God hath ordained the laws of absolute sovereignty pertaining to him, and it is the Paradise of Unity. God hath made its shade for those who acknowledge his sovereignty.

The third is the Book of Fatima, may God’s blessings be upon her, wherein God hath ordained all that is for her and upon her, and it is the Paradise of Delight. God hath made its shade for those who believe in her and love her, having recognized her as she truly is, as she appeared to those who know her through Him. Thus is that Paradise made lawful unto them.

The fourth is the Book of Hassan, peace be upon him, wherein are written his laws and the laws of his followers who have entered the depths of Oneness in the shelter of his love, and it is the Paradise of Eden and the Pole of Paradise, having no boundaries. God hath made its shade for those who acknowledge his succession to his father, peace be upon them both.

The fifth is the Book of Hussein, peace be upon him—may my soul be sacrificed for him—wherein are the laws concerning himself, even unto the name of his murderer—may he be cursed and punished. It is the Paradise of Station, and God hath made its shade for those who acknowledge Hussein’s sovereignty, who perform his visitation, who weep and cause others to weep for his affliction.

The sixth is the Book of Ja’far ibn Muhammad, peace be upon them both, wherein is written whatsoever God hath willed concerning him, and it is the Paradise of Immortality.

The seventh is the Book of Musa ibn Ja’far, peace be upon them both, wherein is written all that God hath willed concerning him, and it is the Paradise of Refuge. God hath made its shade for those who acknowledge the sovereignty of the Imam, peace be upon him.