1. All praise be to Allah, the most just ruler of the
worlds
2. The most beneficent and merciful
3. The Lord of the day of judgement
4. You alone we worship; you alone we ask for help.
5. Show us the straight path
6. The path of those whom you have favoured
7. Not (the path) of those who earn your anger or of those
who go astray
Notes:
Before the time of Prophet Mohammad, Arabs used the phrase
‘Bismillah’ only, which meant ‘In the name of Allah’. At that time
people believed that Allah was supposed not to be very responsive to personal
problems and prayers. But the prophet described God as the most beneficent and
merciful (Rahmaanir Rahim), quite sensitive to our problems and responsive to
our prayers. Such a perception of God was more conducive to develop an intimacy
and relationship with God and Islam grew into a great religion closely knitting
large sections of humanity.
1. In the first sentence of this prayer, the devotee
recognises the presence of the hand of God behind all that is successful and
praiseworthy. God’s grace is the main switch and man’s effort is the room
switch. Without the main switch on, putting on the room switch is of no avail.
It is interesting to note a similar conviction in the Bhagawad Gita
(18:78) and in the Bible (Book of Job etc).
2. The idea of the day of judgement is common to Hinduism
(Refer Chitragupta’s records of all our actions and the judgement by Yama)
as well as to Christianity (corroborated by modern discoveries in
parapsychology).
3. The sole dependence on God by the devotee is again a
common feature in the principal religions.
4. The straight path is also known as the narrow path in
Christianity and as the razor’s edge in Hinduism. It is difficult to walk
along it but the reward is worth all the effort. As the Gita says it is
like poison in the beginning and like nectar in the end.
5. The last part of this prayer is an echo of the last part
of Lord’s prayer in the Bible, which says ‘Lead us not into
temptation but deliver us from evil.’
