الفاتحة
al-Fātiḥa
The opening surah of the Noble Quran.
What it means
Al-Fātiḥa is the first surah of the Quran, of seven verses. Its name means “the Opening”. It begins with praise of God, Lord of the worlds, and states the pledge “You alone we worship, and from You alone we seek help” (1:5). It closes with the prayer to be guided on the straight path (1:6–7). The Quran refers to “the seven oft-repeated verses” (15:87), which commentators relate to it.
Muslims recite al-Fātiḥa in every rakʿa of the prayer. The Prophet said that there is no prayer for one who does not recite the Opening of the Book (Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim). It is also recited at many other moments, including the opening of gatherings, and over the sick in supplication. It holds in brief the aims of the whole Quran.
Often misunderstood as
Sometimes called “the Lord’s Prayer of Islam”, which borrows a Christian category; the Muslim term is the Opening of the Book, recited within each prayer.
Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 42, listed as AL FĀTIḤAH. The definition is restated here.