Bismillahi-r-Rahmani-r-Rahim
Al-hamdu-li-llahi-r-Rabbi-l-alamin
Ar-Rahmani-r-Rahim
Maliki yaumi-d-din
Iyyaka na’budu wa iyyaka nasta’in
Ihdina-s-sirata-l-mustaqim
As-sirata-l-ladhina an ‘amta alayhim
Ghayri-l-maghdubi alayhim
wa la-d-daalin
I take refuge with Allah the All-Merciful
from the principle of rebellion and negativity
In the name of Allah Most High
Who is Tenderly Compassionate, Infinitely Merciful
Perfect praise flows to Allah alone, Lover and Sustainer of all Worlds,
Most intimately called Rahman and Rahim,
Presiding magnificently over the Day of Divine Awakening.
O Lord, we worship only You and rely upon You alone.
Reveal Your Direct Path, the mystic way of those who,
through Your Mercy, have received and truly assimilated Your sublime Guidance,
Those who never wander from the spiritual path
and therefore never experience Your awesome Correction.
Sura Fatiha, the opening sura of Holy Quran, is called the “Mother of the Book” for it is said to contain the spiritual power and blessing of the entire Quran.
Through this recitation, we mystically ascend through the boundless realms of revelation with seven steps of light—the seven verses of Sura Fatiha, which are the seven heavens and the seven levels of the self. Reaching the seventh mystical plane and sealing the confirmation of all revelation with the ecstatic cry amin, we can no longer be aware of our individual existence, for this would be idolatry, the elevation of created multiplicity to the level of uncreated Unity. Crushed in the all-powerful embrace of Sura Fatiha, permeated with its mystery, sparkling with its secrets, flowing like a healing spring with its Living Water, we enter the original Night of Power experienced by the holy Prophet, the Implanter of the Glorious Quran in the Heart of Humanity, may the infinite blessing of Sura Fatiha always be his.
- Shaykh Nur al-Jerrahi, Atom
Following is an interpretation of Sura Fatiha given by Nur al-Jerrahi on his In the Spirit radio show, soon after his first visit to Shaykh Muzaffer in Istanbul.
May we live simply by reliance on the power of the Holy Name of Allah, Who is complete Love, overflowing with Compassion and Grace. May our spontaneous praise and gratitude be directed to Allah alone, the Ultimate Source of the unfolding of all worlds—Allah, who is complete Love, overflowing with Compassion and Grace—and who is master of the spiritual discipline of all beings, bringing them all to their time of Truth. Only to You O Allah do we offer the full commitment of our lives, and from your infinite power alone do we seek the strength that we need. Lead us not along the circuitous paths of those who are wandering away from their Source, but lead us along the direct path to the highest illumination, the path of return traveled by those saints and sages who have been blessed by awakening fully to your Holy Presence. Ya Allah, Ya Allah, Ya Allah.