You alone we worship, and to You alone turn for help.
You alone we worship and from You alone we seek help (and may we always).
Thee only we serve; to Thee alone we pray for succour.
Thee alone do we worship; and unto Thee alone do we turn for aid.
Thee alone do we worship and of Thee alone do we seek help,
You (Alone) we worship, and you (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything).
It is You we worship, and upon You we call for help.
You alone do we worship, and You alone do we turn for help
You we worship, and You we ask for help.
Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask for help.
You [alone] do we worship, and to You [alone] do we turn for help.
You (alone) we worship; and You (alone) we rely for help.
It is You we worship and You we ask for help.
(Lord), You alone We do worship and from You alone we do seek assistance
Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help.
Iyy<u>a</U>ka naAAbudu waiyy<u>a</U>ka nastaAAeen<b>u</b>
You alone we worship, and to You alone we turn for help.
Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek.
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
We worship and obey none except You; we associate no one with You, and from You alone do we ask for help in all our affairs. All goodness is in Your hand, and there is no helper except You.
We worship and obey none except You; we associate no one with You, and from You alone do we ask for help in all our affairs. All goodness is in Your hand, and there is no helper except You.
<p>The fourth verse اِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَاِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِيْنُ : “You alone we worship, and from You alone we seek help” has a double aspect, one of praise and another of prayer. A man's life is subject to three states of time -- past, present and future.<br/>The first two verses of the Surah, اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعٰلَمِيْنَ (All Praise belongs to Allah) and الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ, (the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful), remind man that, as far as his past and present are concerned, he owes everything to Allah alone, for it is Allah who created him out of nothing, endowed him with the best form in the universe, and with reason and intuition, and continues to sustain and nurture him in the present. The third verse: مٰلِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّيْنِ (Master of the Day of Judgment) tells him that in the future too he will have to depend on Allah alone, for on the Day of Requital one cannot possibly have a helper other than Allah. The three verses having made it clear that man is totally and absolutely dependent on Allah in all the three states of his life, it logically and naturally leads to the conclusion that Allah alone is worthy of being worshipped, for in Arabic the word ibadah (worship) connotes showing the utmost humility and submissiveness out of an intense respect and love for someone, and such an attitude of willing self-abasement cannot justly be adopted towards anyone except Allah. So, the phrase: اِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ (You alone we worship) expresses this very natural and logical conclusion. And once it has been understood that there is only one Being who can satisfy all our needs, it is equally natural and logical to turn for help in everything to Him alone. Hence the phrase اِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِيْنُ (to You alone we pray for help). Beside these two aspects, the fourth verse has another dimension as well. It teaches man not to worship anyone except Allah, not to consider anyone else as being really capable of satisfying his needs, and not to beg anyone else to satisfy these needs. It does not, however, go against this principle if, in praying to Allah, one mentions the name of a prophet or a man of Allah by way of a medium (wasilah) for drawing the mercy of Allah upon oneself.<br/>It may also be noticed that the phrase: اِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِيْنُ (to You alone we pray for help) does not mention the purpose for which help is being sought. According to most of the commentators, it generalizes the idea of the request to cover everything from acts of worship to all possible worldly or other-worldly concerns.<br/>Then, acts of worship (Ibadah) are not limited merely to prescribed prayers or fasting. Imam al-Ghazzali in his book Arba'in has enumerated ten forms which worship can take:-<br/>1. Prayers. <br/>2. Prescribed Alms-giving.<br/>3. Fasting.<br/>4. Hajj or pilgrimage to Makkah.<br/>5. Reciting the Holy Qur'an.<br/>6. Remembrance of Allah in all possible situations.<br/>7. Earning one's livelihood in accordance with the regulations of the Shariah.<br/>8. Fulfilling one's obligations towards one's companions and neighbors.<br/>9. Persuading people to act righteously and dissuading them from what is reprehensible and forbidden.<br/>10. To follow the Sunnah, or the practice of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him)<br/>Therefore, not associating anyone with Allah in worship means that one should not love or fear or depend on anyone else as one loves , or fears or depends on Allah, nor should one repose one's hope in anyone else, nor should one consider obedience or submission or service to another as obligatory as the worship of Allah, nor make a votive offering or consecrate or dedicate anything to anyone or take a vow in the name of anyone similar to the way one does these things in the case of Allah, nor should one show complete self-abasement and total humility before anyone as one is required to do before Allah, nor should one engage in the particular God-oriented acts of worship for anyone other than Allah, acts which symbolize the farthest limits of self-abasement, such as, ruku and sajdah (the bowing and prostrating in salah).</p>
The fourth verse اِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَاِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِيْنُ : “You alone we worship, and from You alone we seek help” has a double aspect, one of praise and another of prayer. A man's life is subject to three states of time -- past, present and future.The first two verses of the Surah, اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعٰلَمِيْنَ (All Praise belongs to Allah) and الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ, (the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful), remind man that, as far as his past and present are concerned, he owes everything to Allah alone, for it is Allah who created him out of nothing, endowed him with the best form in the universe, and with reason and intuition, and continues to sustain and nurture him in the present. The third verse: مٰلِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّيْنِ (Master of the Day of Judgment) tells him that in the future too he will have to depend on Allah alone, for on the Day of Requital one cannot possibly have a helper other than Allah. The three verses having made it clear that man is totally and absolutely dependent on Allah in all the three states of his life, it logically and naturally leads to the conclusion that Allah alone is worthy of being worshipped, for in Arabic the word ibadah (worship) connotes showing the utmost humility and submissiveness out of an intense respect and love for someone, and such an attitude of willing self-abasement cannot justly be adopted towards anyone except Allah. So, the phrase: اِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ (You alone we worship) expresses this very natural and logical conclusion. And once it has been understood that there is only one Being who can satisfy all our needs, it is equally natural and logical to turn for help in everything to Him alone. Hence the phrase اِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِيْنُ (to You alone we pray for help). Beside these two aspects, the fourth verse has another dimension as well. It teaches man not to worship anyone except Allah, not to consider anyone else as being really capable of satisfying his needs, and not to beg anyone else to satisfy these needs. It does not, however, go against this principle if, in praying to Allah, one mentions the name of a prophet or a man of Allah by way of a medium (wasilah) for drawing the mercy of Allah upon oneself.It may also be noticed that the phrase: اِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِيْنُ (to You alone we pray for help) does not mention the purpose for which help is being sought. According to most of the commentators, it generalizes the idea of the request to cover everything from acts of worship to all possible worldly or other-worldly concerns.Then, acts of worship (Ibadah) are not limited merely to prescribed prayers or fasting. Imam al-Ghazzali in his book Arba'in has enumerated ten forms which worship can take:-1. Prayers. 2. Prescribed Alms-giving.3. Fasting.4. Hajj or pilgrimage to Makkah.5. Reciting the Holy Qur'an.6. Remembrance of Allah in all possible situations.7. Earning one's livelihood in accordance with the regulations of the Shariah.8. Fulfilling one's obligations towards one's companions and neighbors.9. Persuading people to act righteously and dissuading them from what is reprehensible and forbidden.10. To follow the Sunnah, or the practice of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him)Therefore, not associating anyone with Allah in worship means that one should not love or fear or depend on anyone else as one loves , or fears or depends on Allah, nor should one repose one's hope in anyone else, nor should one consider obedience or submission or service to another as obligatory as the worship of Allah, nor make a votive offering or consecrate or dedicate anything to anyone or take a vow in the name of anyone similar to the way one does these things in the case of Allah, nor should one show complete self-abasement and total humility before anyone as one is required to do before Allah, nor should one engage in the particular God-oriented acts of worship for anyone other than Allah, acts which symbolize the farthest limits of self-abasement, such as, ruku and sajdah (the bowing and prostrating in salah).
<h2 class="title">The Linguistic and Religious Meaning of `Ibadah</h2><p>Linguistically, `Ibadah means subdued. For instance, a road is described as Mu`abbadah, meaning, `paved'. In religious terminology, `Ibadah implies the utmost love, humility and fear. </p><h2 class="title">The Merit of stating the Object of the Action before the Doer of the Act, and the Merit of these Negations</h2><p>"You...", means, we worship You alone and none else, and rely on You alone and none else. This is the perfect form of obedience and the entire religion is implied by these two ideas. Some of the Salaf said, Al-Fatihah is the secret of the Qur'an, while these words are the secret of Al-Fatihah, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ </div><p>(5 You we worship, and You we ask for help from.) </p><p>The first part is a declaration of innocence from Shirk (polytheism), while the second negates having any power or strength, displaying the recognition that all affairs are controlled by Allah alone. This meaning is reiterated in various instances in the Qur'an. For instance, Allah said, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">فَاعْبُدْهُ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَيْهِ وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِغَـفِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ</div><p>(So worship Him (O Muhammad ) and put your trust in Him. And your Lord is not unaware of what you (people) do.) (11:123), </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">قُلْ هُوَ الرَّحْمَـنُ ءَامَنَّا بِهِ وَعَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا</div><p>(Say: "He is the Most Gracious (Allah), in Him we believe, and in Him we put our trust.") (67:29), </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">رَّبُّ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ فَاتَّخِذْهُ وَكِيلاً </div><p>((He alone is) the Lord of the east and the west; La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). </p><p>So take Him alone as Wakil (Disposer of your affairs)), (73:9), and, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ </div><p>(You we worship, and You we ask for help from). </p><p>We should mention that in this Ayah, the type of speech here changes from the third person to direct speech by using the Kaf in the statement Iyyaka (You). This is because after the servant praised and thanked Allah, he stands before Him, addressing Him directly; </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ </div><p>(You we worship, and You we ask for help from). </p><p>So take Him alone as Wakil (Disposer of your affairs)), (73:9), and, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ </div><p>(You we worship, and You we ask for help from). </p><p>We should mention that in this Ayah, the type of speech here changes from the third person to direct speech by using the Kaf in the statement Iyyaka (You). This is because after the servant praised and thanked Allah, he stands before Him, addressing Him directly; </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ </div><p>(You we worship, and You we ask for help from). </p><h2 class="title">Al-Fatihah indicates the Necessity of praising Allah. It is required in every Prayer.</h2><p>The beginning of Surat Al-Fatihah contains Allah's praise for Himself by His most beautiful Attributes and indicates to His servants that, they too, should praise Him in the same manner. Hence, the prayer is not valid unless one recites Al-Fatihah, if he is able. The Two Sahihs recorded that `Ubadah bin As-Samit said that the Messenger of Allah said, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">«لَا صَلَاةَ لِمَنْ لَمْ يَقْرَأْ بِفَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ»</div><p>(There is no valid prayer for whoever does not recite Al-Fatihah of the Book.) </p><p>Also, it is recorded in Sahih Muslim that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">«يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى : قَسَمْتُ الصَّلَاةَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ عَبْدِي نِصْفَيْنِ، فَنِصْفُهَا لِي وَنِصْفُهَا لِعَبْدِي وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ، إِذَا قَالَ الْعَبْدُ:</div><div class="text_uthmani arabic">«الْحَمْدُ للَّهِ رَبّ الْعَـلَمِينَ يَوْمِ إِنَّ اللَّهُ يُؤْمِنُونَ كَفَرُواْ اللَّهُ يُؤْمِنُونَ غِشَـوَةٌ عَلَى الْمَغْضُوبِ يُنفِقُونَ اللَّهُ سَوَآء قُلُوبِهِمْ يُؤْمِنُونَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ قُلُوبِهِمْ تُنذِرْهُمْ يُوقِنُونَ اللَّهُ بِالْغَيْبِ سَمْعِهِمْ يُؤْمِنُونَ قُلُوبِهِمْ تُنذِرْهُمْ يَوْمِ أَمْ اللَّهُ لّلْمُتَّقِينَ قُلُوبِهِمْ بِمَآ اللَّهُ يُؤْمِنُونَ إِنَّ اللَّهُ يُؤْمِنُونَ كَفَرُواْ اللَّهُ الْمَغْضُوبِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ»</div><div class="text_uthmani arabic">، قَالَ اللهُ: أَثْنى عَلَيَّ عَبْدِي فَإذَا قَالَ:</div><div class="text_uthmani arabic">مَـلِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ ، قَالَ اللهُ: مَجَّدَنِي عَبْدِي، وَإِذَا قَالَ:</div><div class="text_uthmani arabic">إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ ، قَالَ: هذَا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ عَبْدِي، وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ، فَإِذَا قَالَ:</div><div class="text_uthmani arabic">اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ </div><div class="text_uthmani arabic">صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّآلِّينَ ، قَالَ: هذَا لِعَبْدِي، وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ»</div><p>(Allah said, `I divided the prayer into two halves between Myself and My servant, one half is for Me and one half for My servant. My servant shall have what he asks for.' When the servant says, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">الْحَمْدُ للَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ </div><p>(All praise and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of all that exists.), Allah says, `My servant has praised Me.' When the servant says, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ </div><p>(The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful), Allah says, `My servant has praised Me.' When the servant says, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">مَـلِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ </div><p>(The Owner of the Day of Recompense), Allah says, `My servant has glorified Me.' If the servant says, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ </div><p>(You we worship, and You we ask for help), Allah says, `This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he asked.' If the servant says, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ - صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّآلِّينَ </div><p>(Guide us to the straight path. The path of those on whom You have bestowed Your grace, not (that) of those who have earned Your anger, nor of those who went astray), Allah says, `This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he asked.') </p><h2 class="title">Tawhid Al-Uluhiyyah</h2><p>Ad-Dahhak narrated that Ibn `Abbas said, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ</div><p>(You we worship) means, "It is You whom we single out, Whom we fear and Whom we hope in, You alone, our Lord, and none else. </p><h2 class="title">Tawhid Ar-Rububiyyah</h2><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ</div><p>(And You we ask for help from), to obey you and in all of our affairs." Further, Qatadah said that the Ayah, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ </div><p>(You we worship, and You we ask for help from) "Contains Allah's command to us to perform sincere worship for Him and to seek His aid concerning all of our affairs." Allah mentioned, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ</div><p>(You we worship) before, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ</div><p>(And You we ask for help from), because the objective here is the worship, while Allah's help is the tool to implement this objective. Certainly, one first takes care of the most important aspects and then what is less important, and Allah knows best. </p><h2 class="title">Allah called His Prophet an `Abd</h2><p>Allah called His Messenger an `Abd (servant) when He mentioned sending down His Book, the Prophet's involvement in inviting to Him, and when mentioning the Isra' (overnight journey from Makkah to Jerusalem and then to heaven), and these are the Prophet's most honorable missions. Allah said, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِى أَنْزَلَ عَلَى عَبْدِهِ الْكِتَـبَ</div><p>(All praise and thanks be to Allah, Who has sent down to His servant (Muhammad ) the Book (the Qur'an)) (18:1), </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَأَنَّهُ لَّمَا قَامَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ يَدْعُوهُ</div><p>(And when the servant of Allah (Muhammad ) stood up invoking Him (his Lord ـ Allah in prayer)), (72:19) and, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">سُبْحَانَ الَّذِى أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلاً</div><p>(Glorified (and Exalted) be He (Allah) (above all that they associate with Him) Who took His servant (Muhammad ) for a journey by night) (17:1). </p><h2 class="title">Encouraging the Performance of the Acts of Worship during Times of Distress</h2><p>Allah also recommended that His Prophet resort to acts of worship during times when he felt distressed because of the disbelievers who defied and denied him. Allah said, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">وَلَقَدْ نَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ يَضِيقُ صَدْرُكَ بِمَا يَقُولُونَ - فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَكُنْ مِّنَ السَّـجِدِينَ - وَاعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَكَ الْيَقِينُ </div><p>(Indeed, We know that your breast is straitened at what they say. So glorify the praises of your Lord and be of those who prostrate themselves (to Him). And worship your Lord until there comes unto you the certainty (i.e. death)) (15:97-99). </p><h2 class="title">Why Praise was mentioned First</h2><p>Since the praise of Allah, Who is being sought for help, was mentioned, it was appropriate that one follows the praise by asking for his need. We stated that Allah said, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">«فَنِصْفُهَا لِي وَنِصْفُهَا لِعَبْدِي، وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ»</div><p>(One half for Myself and one half for My servant, and My servant shall have what he asked.) </p><p>This is the best method for seeking help, by first praising the one whom help is sought from and then asking for His aid, and help for one's self, and for his Muslim brethren by saying. </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ </div><p>(Guide us to the straight path.) </p><p>This method is more appropriate and efficient in bringing about a positive answer to the pleas, and this is why Allah recommended this better method. </p><p>Asking for help may take the form of conveying the condition of the person who is seeking help. For instance, the Prophet Moses said, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">رَبِّ إِنِّى لِمَآ أَنزَلْتَ إِلَىَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ</div><p>(My Lord! Truly, I am in need of whatever good that You bestow on me!) (28:24). </p><p>Also, one may first mention the attributes of whoever is being asked, such as what Dhun-Nun said, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">لاَّ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ أَنتَ سُبْحَـنَكَ إِنِّى كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّـلِمِينَ</div><p>(La ilaha illa Anta (none has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allah)), Glorified (and Exalted) be You (above all that they associate with You)! Truly, I have been of the wrongdoers) (21:87). </p><p>Further, one may praise Him without mentioning what he needs.</p>
The Linguistic and Religious Meaning of `IbadahLinguistically, `Ibadah means subdued. For instance, a road is described as Mu`abbadah, meaning, `paved'. In religious terminology, `Ibadah implies the utmost love, humility and fear. The Merit of stating the Object of the Action before the Doer of the Act, and the Merit of these Negations"You...", means, we worship You alone and none else, and rely on You alone and none else. This is the perfect form of obedience and the entire religion is implied by these two ideas. Some of the Salaf said, Al-Fatihah is the secret of the Qur'an, while these words are the secret of Al-Fatihah, إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ (5 You we worship, and You we ask for help from.) The first part is a declaration of innocence from Shirk (polytheism), while the second negates having any power or strength, displaying the recognition that all affairs are controlled by Allah alone. This meaning is reiterated in various instances in the Qur'an. For instance, Allah said, فَاعْبُدْهُ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَيْهِ وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِغَـفِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ(So worship Him (O Muhammad ) and put your trust in Him. And your Lord is not unaware of what you (people) do.) (11:123), قُلْ هُوَ الرَّحْمَـنُ ءَامَنَّا بِهِ وَعَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا(Say: "He is the Most Gracious (Allah), in Him we believe, and in Him we put our trust.") (67:29), رَّبُّ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ فَاتَّخِذْهُ وَكِيلاً ((He alone is) the Lord of the east and the west; La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). So take Him alone as Wakil (Disposer of your affairs)), (73:9), and, إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ (You we worship, and You we ask for help from). We should mention that in this Ayah, the type of speech here changes from the third person to direct speech by using the Kaf in the statement Iyyaka (You). This is because after the servant praised and thanked Allah, he stands before Him, addressing Him directly; إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ (You we worship, and You we ask for help from). So take Him alone as Wakil (Disposer of your affairs)), (73:9), and, إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ (You we worship, and You we ask for help from). We should mention that in this Ayah, the type of speech here changes from the third person to direct speech by using the Kaf in the statement Iyyaka (You). This is because after the servant praised and thanked Allah, he stands before Him, addressing Him directly; إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ (You we worship, and You we ask for help from). Al-Fatihah indicates the Necessity of praising Allah. It is required in every Prayer.The beginning of Surat Al-Fatihah contains Allah's praise for Himself by His most beautiful Attributes and indicates to His servants that, they too, should praise Him in the same manner. Hence, the prayer is not valid unless one recites Al-Fatihah, if he is able. The Two Sahihs recorded that `Ubadah bin As-Samit said that the Messenger of Allah said, «لَا صَلَاةَ لِمَنْ لَمْ يَقْرَأْ بِفَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ»(There is no valid prayer for whoever does not recite Al-Fatihah of the Book.) Also, it is recorded in Sahih Muslim that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said, «يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى : قَسَمْتُ الصَّلَاةَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ عَبْدِي نِصْفَيْنِ، فَنِصْفُهَا لِي وَنِصْفُهَا لِعَبْدِي وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ، إِذَا قَالَ الْعَبْدُ:«الْحَمْدُ للَّهِ رَبّ الْعَـلَمِينَ يَوْمِ إِنَّ اللَّهُ يُؤْمِنُونَ كَفَرُواْ اللَّهُ يُؤْمِنُونَ غِشَـوَةٌ عَلَى الْمَغْضُوبِ يُنفِقُونَ اللَّهُ سَوَآء قُلُوبِهِمْ يُؤْمِنُونَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ قُلُوبِهِمْ تُنذِرْهُمْ يُوقِنُونَ اللَّهُ بِالْغَيْبِ سَمْعِهِمْ يُؤْمِنُونَ قُلُوبِهِمْ تُنذِرْهُمْ يَوْمِ أَمْ اللَّهُ لّلْمُتَّقِينَ قُلُوبِهِمْ بِمَآ اللَّهُ يُؤْمِنُونَ إِنَّ اللَّهُ يُؤْمِنُونَ كَفَرُواْ اللَّهُ الْمَغْضُوبِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ»، قَالَ اللهُ: أَثْنى عَلَيَّ عَبْدِي فَإذَا قَالَ:مَـلِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ ، قَالَ اللهُ: مَجَّدَنِي عَبْدِي، وَإِذَا قَالَ:إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ ، قَالَ: هذَا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ عَبْدِي، وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ، فَإِذَا قَالَ:اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّآلِّينَ ، قَالَ: هذَا لِعَبْدِي، وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ»(Allah said, `I divided the prayer into two halves between Myself and My servant, one half is for Me and one half for My servant. My servant shall have what he asks for.' When the servant says, الْحَمْدُ للَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ (All praise and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of all that exists.), Allah says, `My servant has praised Me.' When the servant says, الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ (The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful), Allah says, `My servant has praised Me.' When the servant says, مَـلِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ (The Owner of the Day of Recompense), Allah says, `My servant has glorified Me.' If the servant says, إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ (You we worship, and You we ask for help), Allah says, `This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he asked.' If the servant says, اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ - صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّآلِّينَ (Guide us to the straight path. The path of those on whom You have bestowed Your grace, not (that) of those who have earned Your anger, nor of those who went astray), Allah says, `This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he asked.') Tawhid Al-UluhiyyahAd-Dahhak narrated that Ibn `Abbas said, إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ(You we worship) means, "It is You whom we single out, Whom we fear and Whom we hope in, You alone, our Lord, and none else. Tawhid Ar-Rububiyyahوَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ(And You we ask for help from), to obey you and in all of our affairs." Further, Qatadah said that the Ayah, إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ (You we worship, and You we ask for help from) "Contains Allah's command to us to perform sincere worship for Him and to seek His aid concerning all of our affairs." Allah mentioned, إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ(You we worship) before, وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ(And You we ask for help from), because the objective here is the worship, while Allah's help is the tool to implement this objective. Certainly, one first takes care of the most important aspects and then what is less important, and Allah knows best. Allah called His Prophet an `AbdAllah called His Messenger an `Abd (servant) when He mentioned sending down His Book, the Prophet's involvement in inviting to Him, and when mentioning the Isra' (overnight journey from Makkah to Jerusalem and then to heaven), and these are the Prophet's most honorable missions. Allah said, الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِى أَنْزَلَ عَلَى عَبْدِهِ الْكِتَـبَ(All praise and thanks be to Allah, Who has sent down to His servant (Muhammad ) the Book (the Qur'an)) (18:1), وَأَنَّهُ لَّمَا قَامَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ يَدْعُوهُ(And when the servant of Allah (Muhammad ) stood up invoking Him (his Lord ـ Allah in prayer)), (72:19) and, سُبْحَانَ الَّذِى أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلاً(Glorified (and Exalted) be He (Allah) (above all that they associate with Him) Who took His servant (Muhammad ) for a journey by night) (17:1). Encouraging the Performance of the Acts of Worship during Times of DistressAllah also recommended that His Prophet resort to acts of worship during times when he felt distressed because of the disbelievers who defied and denied him. Allah said, وَلَقَدْ نَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ يَضِيقُ صَدْرُكَ بِمَا يَقُولُونَ - فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَكُنْ مِّنَ السَّـجِدِينَ - وَاعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَكَ الْيَقِينُ (Indeed, We know that your breast is straitened at what they say. So glorify the praises of your Lord and be of those who prostrate themselves (to Him). And worship your Lord until there comes unto you the certainty (i.e. death)) (15:97-99). Why Praise was mentioned FirstSince the praise of Allah, Who is being sought for help, was mentioned, it was appropriate that one follows the praise by asking for his need. We stated that Allah said, «فَنِصْفُهَا لِي وَنِصْفُهَا لِعَبْدِي، وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ»(One half for Myself and one half for My servant, and My servant shall have what he asked.) This is the best method for seeking help, by first praising the one whom help is sought from and then asking for His aid, and help for one's self, and for his Muslim brethren by saying. اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ (Guide us to the straight path.) This method is more appropriate and efficient in bringing about a positive answer to the pleas, and this is why Allah recommended this better method. Asking for help may take the form of conveying the condition of the person who is seeking help. For instance, the Prophet Moses said, رَبِّ إِنِّى لِمَآ أَنزَلْتَ إِلَىَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ(My Lord! Truly, I am in need of whatever good that You bestow on me!) (28:24). Also, one may first mention the attributes of whoever is being asked, such as what Dhun-Nun said, لاَّ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ أَنتَ سُبْحَـنَكَ إِنِّى كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّـلِمِينَ(La ilaha illa Anta (none has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allah)), Glorified (and Exalted) be You (above all that they associate with You)! Truly, I have been of the wrongdoers) (21:87). Further, one may praise Him without mentioning what he needs.