Tafsir Ibn Kathir- Surah 1. Al-Fathiha, Ayah 2, Part 02

Tafsir Ibn Kathir- Surah 1. Al-Fathiha, Ayah 2
(I have divided tafseer into parts for even single ayah
as it was looking long but please give your feedback if
this much long is okay or shall I post the full
explanation as dividing into many parts will take
forever to complete our tafseer… Please give your feedback …. Jazakum-Allah khair …) The Virtues of Al-Hamd Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal recorded that Al-Aswad bin
Sari` said, "I said, `O Messenger of Allah! Should I
recite to you words of praise for My Lord, the Exalted,
that I have collected' He said,
«ﺃَﻣَﺎ ﺇِﻥَّ ﺭَﺑَّﻚَ ﻳُﺤِﺐُّ ﺍﻟْﺤَﻤْﺪَ» (Verily, your Lord likes Al-Hamd.)''
An-Nasa'i also recorded this Hadith. Furthermore, Abu
`Isa At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah recorded
that Musa bin Ibrahim bin Kathir related that Talhah
bin Khirash said that Jabir bin `Abdullah said that the
Messenger of Allah said, «ﺃَﻓْﻀَﻞُ ﺍﻟﺬِّﻛْﺮِ ﻟَﺎ ﺇِﻟﻪَ ﺇِﻟَّﺎ ﺍﻟﻠﻪُ، ﻭَﺃَﻓْﻀَﻞُ ﺍﻟﺪُّﻋَﺎﺀِ ﺍﻟْﺤَﻤْﺪُﺩِﻟﻠﻪ » (The best Dhikr (remembering Allah) is La ilaha illallah
and the best supplication is Al-Hamdu Lillah.)
At-Tirmidhi said that this Hadith is Hasan Gharib.
Also, Ibn Majah recorded that Anas bin Malik said
that the Messenger of Allah said,
« ﻣَﺎ ﺃَﻧْﻌَﻢَ ﺍﻟﻠﻪُ ﻋَﻠَﻰ ﻋَﺒْﺪٍﻧِﻌْﻤَﺔً ﻓَﻘَﺎﻝَ : ﺍﻟْﺤَﻤْﺪُ ﻟﻠﻪِ، ﺇِﻟَّﺎ ﻛَﺎﻥَ ﺍﻟَّﺬِﻱ ﺃَﻋْﻄَﻰ ﺃَﻓْﻀَﻞَ ﻣِﻤَّﺎ ﺃَﺧَﺬَ» (No servant is blessed by Allah and says,`Al-Hamdu
Lillah', except that what he was given is better than
that which he has himself acquired.) Further, in his
Sunan, Ibn Majah recorded that Ibn `Umar said that
the Messenger of Allah said,
« ﺇِﻥَّ ﻋَﺒْﺪًﺍ ﻣِﻦْ ﻋِﺒَﺎﺩِ ﺍﻟﻠﻪِ ﻗَﺎﻝَ : ﻳَﺎ ﺭَﺏِّ ﻟَﻚَ ﺍﻟْﺤَﻤْﺪُ ﻛَﻤَﺎ ﻳَﻨْﺒَﻐِﻲ ﻟِﺠَﻠَﺎﻝِ ﻭَﺟْﻬِﻚَ ﻭَﻋَﻈِﻴﻢِ ﺳُﻠْﻄَﺎﻧِﻚَ . ﻓَﻌَﻀَﻠَﺖْ ﺑِﺎﻟْﻤَﻠَﻜَﻴْﻦِ ﻓَﻠَﻢْ ﻳَﺪْﺭِﻳَﺎ ﻛَﻴْﻒَ ﻳَﻜْﺘُﺒَﺎﻧِﻬَﺎ ﻓَﺼَﻌِﺪَﺍ ﺇِﻟَﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪِ ﻓَﻘَﺎﻟَﺎ : ﻳَﺎ
ﺭَﺑَّﻨَﺎ ﺇِﻥَّ ﻋَﺒْﺪًﺍ ﻗَﺪْ ﻗَﺎﻝَ ﻣَﻘَﺎﻟَﺔً ﻟَﺎ ﻧَﺪْﺭِﻱ ﻛَﻴْﻒَ ﻧَﻜْﺘُﺒُﻬَﺎ، ﻗَﺎﻝَ ﺍﻟﻠﻪُ، ﻭَﻫُﻮَ ﺃَﻋْﻠَﻢُ ﺑِﻤَﺎ ﻗَﺎﻝَ ﻋَﺒْﺪُﻩُ : ﻣَﺎﺫَﺍ ﻗَﺎﻝَ ﻋَﺒْﺪِﻱ؟ ﻗَﺎﻟَﺎ : ﻳَﺎ ﺭَﺏِّ ﺇِﻧَّﻪُ ﻗَﺎﻝَ : ﻟَﻚَ ﺍﻟْﺤَﻤْﺪُ ﻳَﺎ ﺭَﺏِّ ﻛَﻤَﺎ ﻳَﻨْﺒَﻐِﻲ ﻟِﺠَﻠَﺎﻝِ ﻭَﺟْﻬِﻚَ ﻭَﻋَﻈِﻴﻢِ ﺳُﻠْﻄَﺎﻧِﻚَ . ﻓَﻘَﺎﻝَ ﺍﻟﻠﻪُ ﻟَﻬُﻤَﺎ : ﺍﻛْﺘُﺒَﺎﻫَﺎ ﻛَﻤَﺎ ﻗَﺎﻝَ ﻋَﺒْﺪِﻱ، ﺣَﺘَّﻰ ﻳَﻠْﻘَﺎﻧِﻲ
ﻓَﺄَﺟْﺰِﻳﻪِ ﺑِﻬَﺎ.» (A servant of Allah once said, `O Allah! Yours is the
Hamd that is suitable for the grace of Your Face and
the greatness of Your Supreme Authority.' The two
angels were confused as to how to write these words.
They ascended to Allah and said, `O our Lord! A
servant has just uttered a statement and we are unsure how to record it for him.' Allah said while
having more knowledge in what His servant has said,
'What did My servant say' They said, `He said, `O
Allah! Yours is the Hamd that is suitable for the grace
of Your Face and the greatness of Your Supreme
Authority.' Allah said to them, `Write it as My servant has said it, until he meets Me and then I shall reward
him for it.) Al before Hamd encompasses all Types of Thanks
and Appreciation for Allah The letters Alif and Lam before the word Hamd serve
to encompass all types of thanks and appreciation for
Allah, the Exalted. A Hadith stated,
«ﺍﻟﻠَّﻬُﻢَّ ﻟَﻚَ ﺍﻟْﺤَﻤْﺪُ ﻛُﻠُّﻪُ، ﻭَﻟَﻚَ ﺍﻟْﻤُﻠْﻚُ ﻛُﻠُّﻪُ، ﻭَﺑِﻴَﺪِﻙَ ﺍﻟْﺨَﻴْﺮُ ﻛُﻠُّﻪُ، ﻭَﺇِﻟَﻴْﻚَ ﻳُﺮْﺟَﻊُ ﺍﻟْﺄَﻣْﺮُ ﻛُﻠُّﻪُ» (O Allah! All of Al-Hamd is due to You, You own all
the ownership, all types of good are in Your Hand and
all affairs belong to You.) The Meaning of Ar-Rabb, the Lord Ar-Rabb is the owner who has full authority over his
property. Ar-Rabb, linguistically means, the master or
the one who has the authority to lead. All of these
meanings are correct for Allah. When it is alone, the
word Rabb is used only for Allah. As for other than
Allah, it can be used to say Rabb Ad-Dar, the master of such and such object. Further, it was reported that
Ar-Rabb is Allah's Greatest Name. The Meaning of Al-`Alamin Al-`Alamin is plural for `Alam, which encompasses
everything in existence except Allah. The word `Alam
is itself a plural word, having no singular form. The
`Alamin are different creations that exist in the
heavens and the earth, on land and at sea. Every
generation of creation is called an `Alam. Al-Farra` and Abu `Ubayd said, "`Alam includes all that has a
mind, the Jinns, mankind, the angels and the devils,
but not the animals.'' Also, Zayd bin Aslam and Abu
Muhaysin said, `Alam includes all that Allah has
created with a soul.'' Further, Qatadah said about,
﴿ﺭَﺏِّ ﺍﻟْﻌَـﻠَﻤِﻴﻦَ﴾ (The Lord of the `Alamin), "Every type of creation is
an `Alam.'' Az-Zajjaj also said, "Alam encompasses
everything that Allah created, in this life and in the
Hereafter.'' Al-Qurtubi commented, "This is the correct
meaning, that the `Alam encompasses everything that
Allah created in both worlds. Similarly, Allah said, ﴿ ﻗَﺎﻝَ ﻓِﺮْﻋَﻮْﻥُ ﻭَﻣَﺎ ﺭَﺏُّ ﺍﻟْﻌَـﻠَﻤِﻴﻦَ - ﻗَﺎﻝَ ﺭَﺏُّ ﺍﻟﺴَّﻤَـﻮَﺕِ ﻭَﺍﻻٌّﺭْﺽِ ﻭَﻣَﺎ ﺑَﻴْﻨَﻬُﻤَﺂ ﺇِﻥ ﻛُﻨﺘُﻢْ ﻣُّﻮﻗِﻨِﻴﻦَ ﴾ (Fir`awn (Pharaoh) said: "And what is the Lord of the
`Alamin'' Musa (Moses) said: "The Lord of the
heavens and the earth, and all that is between them,
if you seek to be convinced with certainty'')
(26:23-24). Why is the Creation called `Alam `Alam is derived from `Alamah, that is because it is a
sign testifying to the existence of its Creator and to
His Oneness.'' .