the opening of his recitation of the surah. Rather, it is the opening of a letter written by Solomon, peace be upon him, and conveyed to us by Allah, Exalted is He; it therefore does not fall under this category.
Then he recites al-Fātiḥah …
His statement, “Then he recites al-Fātiḥah”: the definite article here denotes entirety; that is, he must recite it completely, in the proper order of its verses, words, letters, and vowel markings. If he recites only six of its verses, it is not valid. If he recites seven verses but omits, “nor of those who have gone astray,” it is not valid. If he recites all the verses and omits none of the words, but leaves out a letter—for example, by saying, “The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor,” while omitting the t—it is not valid.
Likewise, if he alters the vowel markings, the recitation is not valid if the error changes the meaning; otherwise, it is valid. However, it is not permissible for him deliberately to make such an error in pronunciation. An example of an error that changes the meaning is to say ahdinā, pronouncing the initial hamzah with a fatḥah, for the meaning then differs: it would mean, “Give it to us as a gift.” But ihdinā, with a connecting hamzah, means: “Guide us to it, grant us success in following it, and keep us firm upon it.”
If he says, “The path of those upon whom I have bestowed favor,” it is not valid, because the meaning differs: the bestowal of favor would then be attributed to the reciter rather than to Allah, Exalted is He.
An example of an error that does not change the meaning is to say al-ḥamdi lillāh, with the final d of al-ḥamd carrying a kasrah rather than a ḍammah.
If he says, “All praise is for Allah, Lord of all worlds,” without doubling the b in Rabb, it is not valid, because he has omitted a letter: a doubled consonant consists of two letters.
Therefore, he must recite it completely, with its verses, words, letters, and vowel markings. If he omits a verse, a letter, or a vowel marking that affects the meaning, it is not valid.