all of it contains virtue. When it is said that such and such chapter possesses virtue, it has two meanings:

1.   Reciting this Sūrah (e.g. Sūrah al-Fātiḥah) grants you more reward in comparison to other Sūrahs.

2.   The themes of the Sūrah are greater in comparison to the others.

For example, Sūrah al-Lahab mentions how Abū Lahab was a disbeliever, and Sūrah al-Ikhlāṣ explains the Oneness of Allah. There is a great difference between the mentioning of the two. Remember, both Sūrahs are the word of Allah Almighty and are equal in this regard, but they differ in the matters they discuss. Similarly, the topics covered in Sūrah al-Fātiḥah are greater than that of the other Sūrahs.^[1]

The Most Superior Sūrah

Sayyidunā Abū Zayd رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ narrates:

I was walking with the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم through the streets of Madinah at night when we heard a sound coming from a house. It was a Companion رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ reciting Sūrah al-Fātiḥah in the tahajjud prayer. Upon hearing this, the Prophet   صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم stopped walking and listened to the recitation. When the Companion رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ finished reciting, the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, مَا فِی الْقُرْآنِ مِثْلُہَا “There is no Sūrah like it in the Quran.”^[2]

Facts about Sūrah al-Fātiḥah

Dear Islamic brothers! Sūrah al-Fātiḥah is a short chapter of the Quran. It contains 1 rukūꜤ, 7 verses, 27 words and 140 letters. Imam Mujāhid