Verses 2-4 suras “Fatiha”
الْحَمْدُ للّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ 2
الرَّحْمـنِ 3
مَالِكِ يَوْمِ 4
2. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds,
3. Gracious, Merciful,
4. To the Lord of the Day of Judgement!
In these first three verses of Surah Fatiha after the bismillah we see the following:
– “Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds ” – an indication of the Lord and Creator, who is the First and the Last.
– “The Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate ” is an indication of the beginning of creation, as we have seen: “ It was manifested existence through bismillah rrahmani rrahim “. And how rahmani rrahim (“Merciful, Compassionate”) stands at the beginning of the Book written – just as it stands at the beginning of the Book of Genesis.
– “To the Lord of the Day of Judgement ” is an indication of the end, of the Great Return.
That is, in these first verses of “Fatiha” there is an indication of the beginning and the end. The full circle of existence.
Now let us consider the first of these verses, that is, the second verse of Surah Fatiha: “Praise (hamd ) is for Allah, the Lord of the worlds ”. This verse begins with the word “praise” – al -hamd . Before the word hamd there is the definite article “al ” (al-hamd ), which means the exclusivity of praise, that is: all praise belongs to Allah.
The meaning of hamd , “praise,” is gratitude for something and satisfaction with something. And here is a point. In Arabic, there are two words for expressing praise – hamd and madh . Madh means to praise or extol someone or something for both voluntary and involuntary actions. But hamd , the word we are now examining, is used to express praise only for free and voluntary actions.
Consider this example: if someone has a beautiful face, in Arabic they are described using the word “madh,” not “hamd.” This is because facial beauty is not a product of one’s own actions but rather something inherent, bestowed by birth. It is not their merit that their face is beautiful. However, if someone possesses virtuous character, such as morality and generosity, they are deserving of praise in the form of “hamd.” These qualities are the result of their own choices and actions, not predetermined.
This distinction is evident in Surah Fatihah, where the word “hamd” is used. “Hamd Allah” means “Praise be to Allah,” acknowledging that the mercies He bestows upon all His creations are the result of His own free will. No one compelled Him to act this way, and no one could. “Murid,” one of Allah’s attributes, signifies “Wishful,” indicating that He creates and governs everything according to His own will. This is why we find the phrase “hamd Allah” in this context.
Sheikh Kulayni reported that Imam Sadiq (A) said:
Gratitude for the blessings – removal from the forbidden, but full gratitude – words: “ Praise be to Allah, Lord worlds “.
(“Al-Kafi ”, volume 2, p. 90).
Sheikh Ali ibn Isa reported that Imam Sadiq (A) said:
Once my father (A) lost his mount. He said: “If Allah returns it to me, I will give Him such gratitude that He will be pleased.” Not long after, the animal was found with all its trappings. When he mounted it and adjusted his clothes, he said, “Praise be to Allah,” and added nothing to it. Then he said, “I have left nothing out and I have omitted nothing: all kinds of praise are contained in these in words.”
Ali ibn Isa said: “He spoke the truth. The article ” al ” before the word “hamd ” (“praise” ) means that only Allah owns praise”.
(Kashfu l-gamma, vol. 2, p. 118).
Imam Reza (A) said:
People are required to read the Quran during prayer so that the Quran does not was forgotten and lost, but that it was preserved and studied. And its first surah is “Fatiha”, and Not any another surah, because other surahs do not contain the goodness and wisdom that are collected in this surah. The words ” praise be to Allah ” – this is the fulfillment of what Allah has obliged His creation to do regarding gratitude to Him for that which He gave them good things.
It was narrated from Imam Hussein (A) that a man came to the Commander of the Believers Ali (A) and asked: “Tell me about the words of Allah: “ Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds! ” What is their tafsir ?” He said: ““ Praise be to Allah ” means that Allah has made His slaves aware of some of His blessings in general, because they are not able to know all of them in their particulars, because their – more than can be counted or known. And He told them to say: “ Praise be to Allah ˮ — for what He has given us.
And further in the same hadith:
Allah told us to say “ Praise be to Allah ” — for the blessings that He has bestowed upon us, and for that which He mentioned us as good in the books of the predecessors before we were born. And this makes it obligatory for Muhammad (S), the family of Muhammad and their Shiites gratitude to Allah for that which He has provided them with. The Messenger of Allah (S) said that when Allah sent Musa ibn Imran as a messenger and chose him as a savior, and opened the him the sea, and saved the people of Israel , and gave him the Torah and the scrolls, he said: “O Allah, You have bestowed upon me such a favor as You have not bestowed upon anyone before me . ” And Allah said to him: “O Musa! Do you not know that Muhammad is higher before Me than all My angels and all My creations?ˮ Then Musa (A) asked: “O my Lord! If Muhammad is higher before You than all Your creations, then Is there a family in Your sight that is higher than my family? And Allah said: “O Musa! Do you not know that the position of the family of Muhammad is next to the position of all the families of the prophets — What is the position of Muhammad himself among all the prophets? Musa (A) said: “O my Lord! If the family of Muhammad is such, then Is there a higher ummah before You than my ummah , which You have covered with the shadow of clouds, sent down to it manna and quails and opened before it sea with it ?ˮ Allah said: “O Musa! Do you not know that the position of the ummah of Muhammad is next to the position of all the ummahs – as the position of himself among all of Mine creations?ˮ .
Musa (A) said: “Oh, if I wish I could see them!
Allah said: “O Musa! You will not see them, because now is not the time for their appearance. However, you will see them in Paradise – The Paradise of Eden and Ferdaus, enjoying the blessings and gifts near Muhammad. Do you wish Do you want Me to make you hear their speech?
Musa (A) said: “Yes, O my Lord!”
Allah said: “Stand as before Me, slave to the Master, and tighten the belt of yours!ˮ .
And then our Lord called out: “O Ummah Muhammad! And they all answered, while they were in the loins of their fathers and mothers: “Here we are to You (labbayk ), O Allah! Here we are before You, and You have no companions! All praise and power belongs to you. You
And Allah, the Great and Holy One, made this answer the words that are spoken in Hajj. And then He called out: “O Ummah of Muhammad! My decision about you are like this: My mercy comes before My wrath, and My forgiveness – My punishment. I answered you before you called upon Me, and granted you before you asked Me. I will bring you into Paradise for the one who testifies that There is no god but Allah, the One, without partners, and what Muhammad – His slave and messenger, being truthful in his words and confirming them with his deeds, and What Ali ibn Abi Talib – his brother and successor after him, and will obey him so the same way as he obeyed the Messenger, and that the most pure Imams – the signs of Allah and the proofs of Allah after Muhammad and Ali. I will admit such a one to Paradise, even if his sins are like seaˮ .
When Allah sent Muhammad as a prophet, He said: “ You are not was at the side of the mountain when We called ˮ (28:46) — that is, they called upon your ummah . And then Allah said to Muhammad (S): “Say: Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds ˮ — for that which He has endowed me with from all these virtues, and He said to his ummah : “Say: Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds ˮ — for what He has given us from all these “advantages.”
(“Uyun akhbar ar-reza”, volume 1, p. 254).
There is such a moment here. We see that the Imam connects the words of the Surah “Fatiha” with the Messenger of Allah (S) and his Shiites. And the word hamd – praise – is cognate with the name of the Last Prophet – Muhammad (S). Muhammad – from hamd . Hamd means “praise”, and Muhammad – “praised”. The root is the same: h-m-d. And the hadith says: “His name in heaven is Ahmad (Ahmad means “the most praised”), and on earth – Muhammad (Muhammad simply means “praised”).
The Messenger of Allah (S) is the foundation of the foundations of the world of being, to which the world of the book corresponds (as we have already said). And therefore his name must correspond to the beginning of the Book, and this is hamd after bismillah : “Hamd to Allah, the Lord of the worlds .” And therefore he is Ahmad in heaven, that is, the same hamd , and the letter alif before him is to express unity, and in the planes of manifestation , mim was added to him at the beginning and mim was doubled in the middle, so that it turned out “Muhammad”. And the meaning of mim in his name is connected with the name Ali (A), because lam and ya are the last two letters of the name Ali (A), which make up 40 in abjad , and the meaning of the letter mim is also 40.
As for the first letter of the name “Ali”, the abjad of the word kun (“be”), that is, the world of amr expressed in this word, is 70. As He said: “ His command ( amr ) is such that He says to something: ‘Be’ (kun) – and that is it .”
And the expression 70 is the letter ain , with which the name Ali begins ( the abjad of the letter ain is 70). And since Ali (A) is the expression of the universal Mashiyya and the amr of the Creator, then his name must begin with the letter ain .
Then in his name comes lam , the meaning of which is 30, and ya , the meaning of which is 10, as Allah said: “We promised Musa thirty nights, and We completed them with ten ” (7:142).
“And the term of his Lord was completed in forty nights ,” and this is the letter mim in the name “Muhammad,” the value of which is 40, and it is the sum of 30 and 10, that is, the letters lam and ya in the name “Ali.” And therefore the hadith says: “In the heavens he is Ahmad, and on earth Muhammad .”That is, on earth, two letters mim are added to his name “Ahmad” and it becomes “Muhammad.”
And in this case, the following tafsir of this verse is possible. Al -hamdu lillahi rabbi l- Alamin (” Hamd to Allah, the Lord of the worlds “) – that is, hamd belongs to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. This is hamd , which is the first Word in the hadith of Imam Baqir (A): ” Allah spoke the Word and made it light and created Muhammad and Ali from it .”
The verse says: al- hamdu li- llah – the preposition ” li ” here can be understood as expressing belonging. Hamd – to Allah.
It is the same as in the Surah “Prophets”, verses 19-20, we read: “And to Him ( lahu – the same preposition lam , expressing belonging) is the one in the heavens and on the earth .” And who is this – the one in the heavens and on the earth? Let’s look at the continuation of the verse: “And whoever is with Him – do not exalt themselves, neglecting to worship Him, and do not tire. They glorify Him night and day without ceasing .”
That is, those who are “Him” ( lahu , li- llah – belong to Him) – they are also those who are indahu (near Him), that is, in the greatest proximity ( qurb ) to Him. And they are the expression of Hamd , glorification, but they are this Hamd itself : “ they glorify Him night and day incessantly .” And “ night and day ” – that is, in the worlds of gheib and shahada , hidden and obvious.
So, this is the first Word or the first Light, the first Hamd , which li -llah , “belongs to Allah” and ‘inda Allah , “near Allah”, because it is His manifestation, that is, the expression of His Will, and from which the name Ahmad and Muhammad: this Hamd is to Allah. That is, Hamd here is the First Word, or the greatest name, or the greatest sign, or the first creation, or the first existence, or the first light, or the highest example, “ and to Allah is the highest example ” (16:60). Or, what is the same, the highest Tree, about which the Messenger of Allah (S) says: “ I am the tree, and Ali is its trunk (or base), Fatima is its branch, and the Imams are its branches .” And this is the banner of Hamda , about which the Messenger of Allah (S) says: “ On the Day of Judgement, I will be given the banner of praise ( hamda ), and Ali will be its bearer .”
All this is one and the same, and all this is Hamd , and this Hamd is to Allah ( li- llah ): “praise be to Allah ” ( al- hamdu) lillah ). And that is why there is a definite article “ al ” before hamd here . Al- hamd , that is, a certain hamd , this hamd , and not just any hamd .
And since this Hamd , this praise is the first Word from which all other words, that is, all other things, flow, then praise or hamd flows in all things – in everything that exists. As other verses of the Quran clearly state, for example, Surah Isra , verse 44: “ There is nothing that does not glorify Him with praise .” “Would not glorify Him with praise” – what praise, what hamd ? This very praise. Or, if we translate this verse literally: “ There is nothing that does not glorify Him through praise .” Through praise, through Hamd — the first word and greatest medium through which all things were created. Allah Himself attributed this Hamd, saying at the start of the Book: “Praise is for Allah.”
This is the same as what the 85th verse of Surah Hijr says: “ We created the heavens and the earth and what is between them only through truth .” THROUGH truth. And in The 73rd verse of Surah “Cattle”: “ He – He who created the heavens and the earth through truth . ” And in the 3rd verse of the Surah “Bees”: ” He created the heavens and the earth through truth . “
This is the truth through which the heavens and earth came into being. It is the source of all praise, through which everything glorifies Allah. This is the Greatest Intermediary, the Wali of Allah. “There is the Wilayat of Allah – the truth ” (18:44). “There” – that is, on these highest levels, from the feyz and rahmaniyya of which all other things and creations come. There is the Wilayat of Allah – the truth.
And what is this truth? Verse 53 of the Surah ” Yunus ” says: ” They ask you: Is it the truth? Say: “Yes, by my Lord, it is the truth, and you are not able (to) “to weaken .”
Ali (A) is central to our understanding. All hadiths and the sources of Ahlu Sunnah agree on this. Notice how the verses of the Quran interconnect and support each other, creating a unified system. Hamd is truth, truth is Hamd, and this is Wilayat. This is Bismillahi rrahmânir-rahim, the Sirat al-mustaqim, Muhammad, who originates from Hamd, and Ali, who follows Muhammad (S). This reflects the unity of Tawheed in all things and the Face of Allah, towards which all creation turns and praises Him.
Next, we see the word “Allah” in this verse. Alhamdu li- llah – ” Praise be to Allah “. “Allah”, as we have mentioned, “Lafzu l-Jalala” is the most exalted name of God. It originates from the word “Walah,” as attested in hadiths from the Imams. “Walah” signifies a state of bewilderment or mental shock. This implies the incomprehensibility of the Creator. Allah’s essence remains beyond human understanding, inducing a sense of “Walah”— confusion and amazement at His unknowability. Consequently, Allah is not understood through His essence but through His actions, His creations. Human beings grasp the Creator through His creations; He reveals Himself through them. His ultimate sign, proof, and most profound manifestation is Ahl ul-Bayt, the Light of Allah, or, as we’ve said, Hamd—praise to Allah. Thus, those who believe in Tawheed begin with praising Allah, recognizing this unity, this central point of Tawheed in everything.
And therefore, as we saw in the hadith from Imam Ali (A): “Praise be to Allah ˮ means that Allah has made His slaves aware of some of His blessings in general, because they are not able to know all of them in their particulars, because their – more than can be counted or known. And He told them to say: “ Praise be to Allah ˮ — for “what He has given us .” That is, in hamd Allah, as in a point, all the mercies are contained. Therefore, as we have seen, Imam Baqir (A) says that with the words hamd Allah he did not omit or add anything.
Rabbi l- alamin – “Lord of the worlds ”. The word “Lord” ( rabb ) in Arabic means the ruler who manages the affairs of His domain, the master, the owner of something. Rabb is the One who owns and manages everything in His possession.
And rabb here is the same as ” murabbi “, that is, “educator”, from the word ” rabba ” – to educate. Or it is better to translate it not as “educator” in the literal sense, but as someone who gradually brings something to perfection. This is murabbi , and this is rabb . That is, Allah brings His creation stage by stage, step by step to perfection, to full realization, and full realization is the endless worlds of Paradise, to which on the opposite side correspond the endless worlds of Hell.
Alamin is the plural of Aalam , meaning “world.” This word comes from “ Alimah ,” meaning “to know,” and literally means “that by which knowledge is obtained.” This is the literal meaning, and the applied meaning is “world.” The meaning of this connection between “knowledge” and “world” in Arabic is that every world is an ayah or sign of the Creator, that is, something that points to Him and by which knowledge of Him is acquired.
“Lord of the worlds “. What does “worlds” mean here? There is an opinion that the worlds here are just people. That is, “Lord of people”.
According to another opinion, the “worlds” are different types of creation, that is, angels, people, jinn, animals, plants, minerals.
But in reality, it follows from the hadiths that the “worlds” here are the totality of the worlds of creation in the literal sense. That is, all of creation in general – everything except the Creator. And this also follows from the general meaning of the Surah “Fatiha”, since, as we have already said, “Fatiha” encompasses everything that is in the Book, and the Book encompasses everything that is in the universe. And people, jinn, plants, animals represent only a part of the universe. “Fatiha” speaks about everything. About all the worlds.
There is our world, in which we, the descendants of Adam, live, and there are other worlds, where other creatures live – so to speak, parallel to us. Before us there were also other worlds, and after us there will be other worlds – and so on ad infinitum.
As reported in Saduq ‘s Tawhid from Jabir ibn Yazid :
I asked Imam Baqir (A) about the words of Allah: “ Did We fail in the first creation? But they are in doubt about the new creation ” (50:14). He said: “O Jabir! The hidden meaning ( tawil ) of this verse is that when Allah destroys this creation and this world, and the people of Paradise settle in Paradise and the people of the Fire settle in the Fire, He will create a new world, not like ours, and He will create a new creation, without distinction between male and female: they will worship Him in it and honor His unity; and He will create for them an earth, not like this earth, which will carry them, and heavens, not like these heavens, which will cast a shadow on them. Perhaps you think that Allah created only this world and perhaps you think that Allah did not create any mankind other than yours. But no! I swear by Allah, He created a thousand thousand worlds and a thousand thousand Adams (that is, a million), and you are in the last of these worlds and these Adams.”
And it is clear that the number “million” is conditional. Here it is said “thousand thousand” simply as an indication of a multitude. Because in Arabic there is no number greater than a thousand. And when they said “thousand thousand”, it simply meant “very many”, “an infinite multitude”. For some of these countless worlds their Day of Judgement has come true, and they are now in Hell or in Paradise, and for others it will come true in the future, and so on – ad infinitum. And Hell and Paradise are also an endless chain of worlds, and not some boxes, as some imagine. These are endless worlds, and improvement, development and approach to Allah in Paradise will continue forever and will never be completed, and the same thing – in Hell, only exactly the opposite. And therefore the Messenger of Allah (S) is “mercy for the worlds ”, that is, for all worlds.
And about those who deny this and think that only our world exists, the verse says: “They are in doubt about the new creation ” (50:15).
Ali ibn Ibrahim Qummi narrated from Abu Basir, that Imam Sadiq (A) said:
“Praise be to Allah ” – that is, gratitude to Allah — “To the Lord of the worlds ” — To the Creator of creation.
Let us cite some more hadiths about the worlds from Burhan. It was narrated from Saad ibn Abdullah that Imam Reza (A) said:
“With Allah beyond this region – green chrysolite, which illuminates with green heaven”.
They asked him: “What is it? A “regionˮ ?”
He said: “The Region, The veil, and Allah is behind it — seventy thousand worlds, the number of inhabitants of which is greater than the number of people and jinn. And all of them curse such and such And such and such (first and second usurpers).
He also mentioned that Imam Reza (A) said:
“Allah created the green mountain that encompasses the near world from chrysolite, and the green of the heavens — from the green of this mountain. And He created a creation for which there is no duty like the duties of this creation, such as prayer. or zakat. And they all curse two people from this ummah (the first and second usurpers).” And he (Imam Reza, peace be upon him) called them by names.
He also narrated from Ajlan Abi Saliha:
I asked Imam Sadiq (A) about the code of Adam: “This world — Is this the vault of Adam? He said: “Yes, and Allah has many such vaults. Beyond this West of yours are ninety-nine Wests, where there are white lands full of inhabitants who are illuminated by the light of these lands. They do not disobey Allah even for the blink of an eye and they don’t know, created did Allah Adam or not, and while cursing such and such, such and such And such and such (the first, second and third usurpers) and renounce them.”
I asked him: “How? they curse such and such, such and such And such and such (the first, second and third usurpers) and disown them, even if they do not know what Allah has created “Adam?”
He said, “You know, “Do you know Iblis?”
I said, “No, except according to the reports about him.”
He said, “But weren’t you commanded to curse him and renounce him?”
I said, “Yes.”
He said, “So do They”.
Jabir ibn Yazid reported that Imam Baqir (A) said:
Behind this sun of yours there are forty suns, between the sun and the sun – forty years. There live many creatures who do not know, Allah created Adam or did not create. And behind this moon of yours there are forty moons, between the moon and the moon – forty years. There live numerous creatures who do not know that Allah created Adam. or did not do. And it was revealed to them as it was revealed to the bee, a curse on the first and the second (usurpers) at all times. And they were appointed to them angels who torment them when they do not curse their.
From Hasan ibn Abdussamad from Mufazzal ibn Umar that Imam Sadiq (A) said:
Allah created a thousand worlds, each of which is greater than the seven heavens and the seven earths, and the inhabitants of each They don’t know that there are other worlds besides theirs. And I – an argument above all them.
He also narrated from Muhammad ibn Muslim:
I asked Imam Sadiq (A) about the inheritance of knowledge. Is it is it a collection of words or tafsir (explanation) of everything? He said: “Allah has two cities: in the East and in the West. In them, people who do not know, Allah created Iblis or not. We meet them every day, and they ask us about what they need, and about prayers ( dua ), and we teach them. And they ask us about our Qaim : when will he come. They worship Allah a lot and strive for His sake. If If you saw them, you would count them would not worship anything. A man from their numbers can be prayed for during the month and not to raise their head from prostration ( sajdah ). Their food – glorification of Allah, their clothes – righteousness, their faces are illuminated with light. When they see someone from us ( Ahl ul -Bayt), surround us, crowd around us and take barakat (grace) for themselves from the footprints of our feet. The sound of their prayers resounds like the sound of a hurricane. Among them are people who never take off their weapons from since they began to wait for our Qaim , and they call upon Allah to reveal him to them. They live for a thousand years. If If you saw them, you would see them righteousness, tranquility and striving for what brings us closer to Allah. When we do not come to them, they think that it is because of our dissatisfaction with them, and they wait for those times when we come to them. They stand on their feet without getting tired, and read the Book of Allah as we have taught them. Among the things we teach them is that if If you heard this, you wouldn’t believe it and would have rejected it. They ask us about what they read in the Koran and don’t understand, and when we explain it to them, their breasts open. They want us to stay among them all the time, because they know that what we teach them is a great mercy from Allah. They are ready to fight alongside the Imam when he comes, armed for this and pray to Allah to make them among those who will help through these are religions Allah.
Among them there are old and young, and whenever a young man sees an old man, he sits down in front of him like a slave, and does not get up until he orders him to. If the Imam orders them something, they are here they do this, waiting for another order from him. If they would have fallen upon what is between the East and the West of this world has been destroyed would do it in one hour. They have swords of iron, but not the same hardware as yours: if one of they will be hit with such a sword on the rock, it will split. The Imam will carry them to India, Deylam, Rum , Barbar and Fars and to what is between Jabarsa and Jabalka , and this – two cities, one of them in the East, the other in the West. They will not come to the people any religions other than by calling them to Islam, recognition of the prophethood of Muhammad (S), tawhid and wilayat Ahl ul -Bayt. The one who will answer them. – they will leave him, and who will not answer – they will kill him, so there will be no one left between East and West who is not believed would.
(Basairu darajat, p. 448).
Shaykh Mufid reported from Abdussamad ibn Ali:
to Imam Sajjad (A) and the Imam (A) asked him: “Who are you?” He said: “I am an astrologer.” The Imam (A) looked at him and said: “Not to tell do you know about a man who, from the time you came here, visited fourteen worlds, each of which in three times larger than this near world, and “And he did not move from his place?” He asked: “Who is this?” The Imam (A) said: “It is I. If you wish, I will inform you about what you eat and hide in your “at home.”
(“Ichthysas, p. 319).
“To the Gracious, the Merciful ” ( ar- rahmani rrahim ) – we have already discussed the meaning of these names of Allah in the previous part, when we talked about bismillah . Here these names are repeated again, because they are connected with praise of Allah: ” Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds ” – and then it is specified which Lord: ” The Merciful, the Compassionate “. That is, Allah is the rabb or murabbi of the worlds, bringing them to perfection through his rahmaniya and rahimiya , through His mercy and His compassion. He brought all creations from non-existence to existence – and this was an expression of the fact that he is Rabb , and that He is the Merciful, the Compassionate. And then He immersed all these creations in His mercy and granted them everything they need, and this was also an expression of the same thing.
Let us revisit the question we explored earlier. Atheists and critics of religion often ask: “How can a merciful God condemn His creations to eternal torment in Hell? Is God not more compassionate than a mother to her child? Could a mother ever cast her child into the fire, forever?”
The common assumption is that God is offended by disobedience and punishes those who defy Him. This is an anthropomorphic projection onto the Creator. However, the Quran and Islamic teachings do not support such a notion. The idea of God being offended by disobeying Him and punishing His creations is a human construct with no basis in reality.
The true explanation for the concept of eternal Hell is distinct. God, as the eternal provider of His creations, embodies His eternal and absolute power. This is His attribute, fayadh, which means “giver of phase” or “bestower of endowment.” Faze is a complex concept that encompasses mercy, goodness, and endowment.
Since God is the eternal provider, once a creation comes into existence, it will never cease to exist. What has been created will endure eternally, and God will continue to provide for it according to its inherent qualities. The provision of creation aligns with its inherent nature.”You will be rewarded for what you did ” (66:7), ” We did not oppress them, but they were oppressors ” (2:57), ” He will reward them for their description ” (6:139) – that is, as they described themselves. We have already given this example many times in this cycle: if light falls on a mirror, it will be reflected from it in accordance with the qualities of the mirror itself. If a beautiful person stands in front of a crooked mirror, he will be reflected in it as an ugly person. If white light falls on a black mirror, he will become black.
God’s justice and wisdom dictate that He does not empower darkness through light or light through darkness. It is impossible. Darkness is strengthened by darkness, and light is strengthened by light. Therefore, those who choose the path of darkness will be forever supported by darkness, which is Hell. Conversely, those who choose the path of light will be forever supported by light, which is Paradise. The fire they endure is the fire they kindled themselves through their actions and intentions.
When asked if God is more merciful than a mother to her child, the answer is yes, but the fault lies not with the mother but with the child. A mother would never throw her child into fire, that’s true. But what if the child becomes something else, losing the qualities that define a child? Then it is no longer a child but something different.
Regarding the question of eternal Hell for temporary sins, the Messenger of Allah addressed this in a hadith reported by Shaykh Saduq in “Tawhid.”
“A Jew came to the Messenger of Allah (S) and asked: “If your Lord does not commit injustice, then how can He place (some people) in Hell forever, while their (earthly) sins were only temporary?”
The Messenger of Allah (S) replied: “He will place them in Hell according to their intention ( niyyah ). Whoever Allah knows that if he had remained in the worldly life until its end, he would have committed disobedience to Allah, He will place him in the Fire forever according to his intention. And his intention here is worse than his deeds. And in the same way, He will place the one whom He places in Paradise forever, because his intention was such that if he had remained in the worldly life from the beginning to the end, he would not have committed disobedience to Allah, and his intention is better than his deeds .”
So the answer is that in the system of worlds created by the Almighty, the creatures are tested enough for the perfect proof to be fulfilled upon them. And the Creator knows that if this test were to last forever, their disobedience would also be eternal. Therefore, He will send them to Hell forever.
“To the Lord of the Day of Judgement ” ( maliki yawmi ddin ). Malik means “Lord”, “King”. Yaum means “day”. Din has the meaning of “religion”, “law” on the one hand, and “judgment” on the other, and here it is used in this second meaning. So, ” Lord of the Day of Judgment “.
As we have already said, these three verses, which make up the first half of Surah Fatiha, point us to everything that exists in the universe, as well as the relationship of this universe to Allah the Most High. “ Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate ” is the beginning of the universe. He is the Lord of the worlds, the Creator of the worlds, leading the worlds to perfection, managing the worlds, and through His Mercy and Compassion these worlds began and came into being.
And “Lord of the Day of Judgement ” is an indication of the purpose of creation, its completion, the fulfillment of what it was created for – reaching perfection. That is, these three verses seem to say: Allah is the One Who created the creation, and He is the One Who brought it to perfection, and to Him be praise.
As it is said in the prophetic hadith: “May Allah have mercy on the man who knows where he came from and where he goes.” That is, the one who knows where he came from, and this is the mercy of Allah. Or, which is the same, Hamd Allah, Praise. We all came from the Mercy or Hamd Allah, because the Mercy of Allah brought us from non-existence to existence.
And further, such a person also knows where he is going, and this is the great Resurrection and the worlds of Paradise that follow the Resurrection, the opposite reflection of which are the worlds of Hell that exist for those who, in this journey of theirs through existence, rejected that very mercy of Allah and turned this mercy for themselves into its opposite, that is, anger. This is similar to how a black mirror turns the light of the Sun into its opposite – into darkness. The Sun is the same, its light is the same. But the mirror itself, thanks to its qualities, turns this light into its own opposite, that is, into darkness. And so it is with the creatures: with their acquired qualities, they turn the mercy of Allah, which acts for everyone and which is always the same, into its opposite – into anger.
Imam Reza (A) says (reported in Saduq’s Faqih) : The words “Praise be to Allah” are an expression of gratitude for the blessings He has bestowed upon us. “To the Lord of the worlds” emphasizes the unity of God, acknowledging Him as the Creator and Ruler, with no other worthy of worship. “To the Lord of the Day of Judgment” affirms the belief in the afterlife, including the resurrection, judgment, and eternal reward or punishment. It underscores Allah’s sovereignty over all aspects of existence, both in this world and the hereafter..
