Essence of the Holy Qur’an — Page 2
Essence of the Holy Qur’ ā n 2 misgivings of man. Ar-Ruqayyah (The Charm) signifies that it is not only a prayer to ward off disease but also provides protection against Satan and his followers and strengthens the heart of man against them. Al-Kanz (The Treasure) signifies that the S u rah is an inexhaustible storehouse of knowledge. Al-F a ti h ah Referred to in a Prophecy of the New Testament The best-known name of the S u rah, however, is Al-F a ti h ah. It is interesting to note that this very name occurs in a prophecy of the New Testament: "I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven. . . and he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea and his left foot on the earth" (Rev. 10:1, 2). The Hebrew word for 'open' is Fatoah which is the same as the Arabic word F a ti h ah. Again, "And when he (the angel) had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices" (Rev. 10:3, 4). "The seven thunders" represent the seven verses of this Chapter. Christian scholars say that the prophecy refers to the second advent of Jesus Christ, and this has been established by actual facts. The Holy Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement, Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, in whose person the prophecy relating to the second advent of Jesus has been fulfilled, wrote commentaries on this Chapter and deduced arguments of the truth of his claim from its contents and always used it as a model prayer. He deduced from its seven short verses Divine realities and eternal verities, which were not known before. It was as if the Chapter had been a sealed book until its treasures were laid bare by Hadrat Ahmad. Thus was fulfilled the prophecy contained in Rev. 10:4: "And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, 'Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered and write them not. '" The prophecy referred to the fact that Fatoah or Al-F a ti h ah would, for a time, remain a closed book, but that a time would come when treasures of spiritual knowledge contained in it would be laid bare. This was done by Hadrat Ahmad. Connection with the Rest of the Qur’ a n The S u rah forms, as it were, an introduction to the Qur’ a n. It is, in fact, the Qur’ a n in miniature. Thus at the very beginning of his study, the reader becomes familiar in broad outline with the subjects he should expect to find in the Holy Book. The Holy Prophet is reported to have said that Suratul- F a ti h ah is the most important Chapter of the Qur’ a n (Bukh a r i ). Subject-Matter The S u rah contains the essence of the entire Qur’ a nic teaching. It comprises, in outline, all the subjects dealt with at length in the body of the Qur’ a n. It starts with a description of the fundamental attributes of God, which form the pivot round which all the other Divine attributes revolve, and the basis of the working of the universe and of the relation between God and man. The four principal Divine attributes, Rabb (Creator, Sustainer and Developer), Ra h m a n (Gracious), Ra hi m (Merciful) and M a liki Yaumid-D i n (Master of the Day of Judgment) signify that after having created man, God endowed him with the