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Showing posts with label Al Fattah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Al Fattah. Show all posts

Tuesday 9 July 2019

99 Attributes of Allah: Al Fattah - The Opener


Al Fattah " الْفَتَّاحُ " is one of the most powerful attributes of Allah, which literally means the Opener - the Opener of sealed hearts to the ultimate truth. The One who opens for His slaves the closed worldly and religious matters. And that is why the first chapter / surah of the Holy Qur'an is called Surah Al Fatihah - the Opener, for this surah opens up an entire reservoir of wisdom to the man to ponder upon. Lucky are those who ponder over every word of the Holy Qur'an and find truth, guidance and learn a way of life that gives them piece of mind and solace. Something that would save them from the torrents of hell and provide them coolness of the paradise.

The word for "Fattah" ,comes from the root word fataha (فتح). Fataha, the verb, which  means to open, grant, explain, disclose, to make victorious or let out. The Arabic word miftâhî, translated as key, means that which opens or unlocks, is also based on this same root. Thus the attribute has following classical Arabic connotations:
  • to open, unlock, unfold
  • to make victorious
  • to reveal, inform, explain, make clear
  • to judge, decide
  • to grant, permit
This attribute has been used along with the attribute Al Aleem in Surah Saba, Chapter 34, verse 26:
قُلۡ يَجۡمَعُ بَيۡنَـنَا رَبُّنَا ثُمَّ يَفۡتَحُ بَيۡنَـنَا بِالۡحَـقِّ ؕ وَهُوَ الۡـفَتَّاحُ الۡعَلِيۡمُ‏ 
Say: “Our Lord will bring us together and then He will rightly judge between us. He is the Great Judge, the All-Knowing.”

It also means He is the Judge to arbitrate between two opposites; Truth fullness and falsehood, guided or misguided, reward and punishment, virtues and sins . The One who is the judge of what shall be opened. That means on the Day of Judgment, He alone will the Judge and will open up what has been hidden in the bosoms of men and what they have been trying to hide all along their lives. And the day when He will open up the truth and those who have been denying it will be left with nothing but remorse.

When the attribute is used in the scene of opening, unlocking, it means it is only Allah alone Who can untie the knotted hearts and minds to allow a man to see the truth by seeing the signs of Al Fattah all around him. In fact it is His guidance that what was closed is opened and the unclear is made clear. For it is He Who holds the keys to victory and success and opens the material and spiritual doors to success. The One who reveals the solution to all problems. With His guidance, doors of repentance are opened for sinners, oppressed people are helped, doors of hope are opened for hopeless people, the world is closed and the hereafter is opened thanks to the manifestation of this name.

And it is He Who widely opens the gates of sustenance and brings down rain to bring life back to dead lands, Who grants victory and support for His prophets whom He sends to various lands so that the light of the truth may shine therein, and so that He may purge their souls from evil intentions. 

Here it would be pertinent to quote a verse from Surah Al Anfal, Chapter 8, verse 19. The verse was raveled in the context of a prayer that arch enemy of Islam Abu Jahl had prayed before leaving Makkah for the first ever encounter between the pagans of Makkah and Muslims at Badr. The unbelievers held the covering of the Ka'bah and prayed: 'O god! Grant victory to the better of the two parties.' Abu Jahl, in particular invoked god's judgement: 'O god! Grant victory to the one who is in the right and cause humiliation to the wrong-doer.' 

Though their gods did not answer, and they could not have answered anyway, Allah answered these prayers fully and the outcome of the battle clearly pointed to the party which was in the right.


اِنۡ تَسۡتَفۡتِحُوۡا فَقَدۡ جَآءَكُمُ الۡفَتۡحُ​ۚ وَاِنۡ تَنۡتَهُوۡا فَهُوَ خَيۡرٌ لَّـكُمۡ​ۚ وَ اِنۡ تَعُوۡدُوۡا نَـعُدۡ​ۚ وَلَنۡ تُغۡنِىَ عَنۡكُمۡ فِئَتُكُمۡ شَيۡـئًـا وَّلَوۡ كَثُرَتۡۙ وَاَنَّ اللّٰهَ مَعَ الۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ 


(Tell the unbelievers:) 'If you have sought a judgement, then surely a judgement has come to you. And if you desist from disobedience, it is all the better for you. But if you revert to your mischief, We will again chastise you; and your host, howsoever numerous, will never be of any avail to you. Know well, Allah is with the believers.

The judgement came in the most humiliating defeat of the pagans of Makkah by a handful of Muslims, due only the graciousness of Allah.

Likewise, from Al Fattah we also deduce victory Fat-ha. In Surah Al Nasr [110:1], the very first verse was revealed after the Victory against the pagans and fall of Makkah:

اِذَا جَآءَ نَصۡرُ اللّٰهِ وَالۡفَتۡحُۙ‏  
When the help comes from Allah, and victory (is granted),

And this was just the beginning of many victories yet to come after the conquest of Makkah by the Prophet:  the victory against the Jews when their strongest fort of Khyber fell, spread of Islam to Iran during the times of Caliph Umar, Jerusalem by Salahuddin Ayyubi, Istanbul by Sultan Muhammad and all of the other conquests took place by the manifestation of Allah's name Fattah. Muslims remained victorious so long they held strongly together and relied religiously on Allah's help. But when they got disunited, they lost the Ottoman Empire and today remain scattered and disillusioned. 

May Allah bestow upon the gift of helping each other by opening our arms and doors to mend the broken relations, get united once again and spread peace and love for everyone. Aameen

You may refer to our post "99 Attributes of Allah" for complete list of 99 attributes of Allah Almighty with meaning and explanation.

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