Surah al-Fatiha is placed at the beginning of the Qur'an because it signifies the opening of knowledge and so the victory over ignorance. If, in the direction we are taking, there is no door, then we have reached our target -- we have won. Fatiha means to open, reveal, imbue, and conquer. This surah (chapter) is so named because if you follow it in your heart, you will be victorious. You will conquer and an opening will come to you.
Surah al-Baqarah scans the history of humankind from Adam to the time of the Prophet Muhammad. It contains a blueprint of how a community can live, how its members should behave as individuals, within their families, and in economic and social terms. It also gives guidance and prescriptions regarding inner and outer struggle and development.
ABOUT SHAYKH FADHLALLA HAERI
Acknowledged as a master of self-knowledge and a spiritual philosopher, Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri’s role as a teacher grew naturally out of his own quest for self-fulfillment.
He travelled extensively on a spiritual quest which led to his eventual rediscovery of the pure and original Islamic heritage of his birth, and the discovery of the truth that reconciles the past with the present, the East with the West, the worldly with the spiritual – a link between the ancient wisdom teachings and our present time.
A descendant of five generations of well-known and revered spiritual leaders, Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri has taught students throughout the world for over 30 years. A prolific author of more than thirty books relating to the universal principles of Islam, the Qur’an, and its core purpose of enlightenment, he is a gifted exponent of how the self relates to the soul, humankind’s link with the Divine, and how consciousness can be groomed to reflect our higher nature.
The unifying scope of his perspective emphasizes practical, actionable knowledge that leads to self-transformation, and provides a natural bridge between seemingly different Eastern and Western approaches to spirituality, as well as offering a common ground of higher knowledge for various religions, sects and secular outlooks.
Zahra Publications’ other eBooks are listed at http://www.zahrapublications.pub.
