Surah al-Fatihah, the opening

Surah al-Fatihah is the opening chapter of the Quran. It is seven short verses. It is recited in every rakah of every prayer. Without it, the rakah does not count (Sahih al-Bukhari 756). Learning it is not optional.

Do not let this scare you. It is short, and every reverting Muslim has learned it. Most people have it within a week of working on it.

The surah, word by word

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

— 1:1

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

All praise is for Allah, Lord of all worlds.

— 1:2

الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

The Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

— 1:3

مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ

Master of the Day of Judgment.

— 1:4

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.

— 1:5

اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ

Guide us to the straight path.

— 1:6

صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ

The path of those on whom You have bestowed favour, not of those who have earned Your anger, nor of those who have gone astray.

— 1:7

Transliteration (say this out loud)

• Bismillah ir-rahman ir-raheem.
• Alhamdulillahi rabbil alameen.
• Ar-rahman ir-raheem.
• Maliki yawm id-deen.
• Iyyaka na'budu wa iyyaka nasta'een.
• Ihdinas siratal mustaqeem.
• Siratal latheena an'amta alayhim, ghayril maghdoobi alayhim wa lad-dalleen.

At the end, you say ameen (so be it). Some schools say it out loud, some quietly. Both are valid.

How to learn it

• Listen to a reciter. Mishari Alafasy reciting Al-Fatihah slowly is on YouTube. Loop it for 20 minutes a day.
• Say it with them. Out loud, quietly, under your breath, whichever feels right.
• Break it into two or three verses per day. Do not try to memorise the whole thing in one go.
• Do not worry about perfect tajweed (pronunciation rules) in the first month. Just get the sounds close.

Once you have it, you have the core of every prayer for the rest of your life. The other chapters you will add are on top of this.