First: It is not an āyah of al-Fātiḥah or of any other sūrah; this is the opinion of Mālik.

Second: It is an āyah at the opening of every sūrah; this is the view of ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Mubārak.

Third: Al-Shāfiʿī held that it is an āyah in al-Fātiḥah, but wavered with regard to the remaining sūrahs. At times he said, “It is an āyah in every sūrah,” and at other times, “It is an āyah only in al-Fātiḥah.” All agree, however, that it is an āyah of the Qur’an in Sūrat al-Naml alone. Al-Shāfiʿī argued on the basis of a report transmitted by al-Dāraquṭnī, from Abū Bakr al-Ḥanafī, from ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd ibn Jaʿfar, from Nūḥ ibn Abī Bilāl, from Saʿīd ibn Abī Saʿīd al-Maqburī, from Abū Hurayrah, who related that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“When you recite ‘All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all realms,’ then recite, ‘In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful’; for it is the Mother of the Qur’an, the Mother of the Book, and the Seven Oft-Repeated, and ‘In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful’ is one of its verses.”

ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd ibn Jaʿfar narrated this ḥadīth as marfūʿ. He was deemed reliable by Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd, and Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn. Abū Ḥātim said of him, “He is essentially truthful,” though Sufyān al-Thawrī regarded him as weak and took issue with him. Nūḥ ibn Abī Bilāl is a well-known, trustworthy narrator. Ibn al-Mubārak’s evidence, on the other hand, rests on a single report.

Al-Shāfiʿī also cited what Muslim recorded from Anas, who said:

“One day, while the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—was among us, he nodded off briefly, then raised his head smiling. We asked, ‘What has made you smile, O Messenger of Allah?’ He replied, ‘Just now a sūrah has been revealed to me,’ and he recited: ‘In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful—Verily, We have granted you al-Kawthar; so pray to your Lord and sacrifice; indeed, the one who hates you is cut off.’”

He went on to relate the remainder of the ḥadīth, which will be presented in full under Sūrat al-Kawthar, God willing.

Fifth: The soundest of these opinions is that of Mālik, for the Qur’an cannot be established by solitary reports; its verification can only come through mass transmission that yields absolute certainty and admits of no dispute.

Ibn al-ʿArabī said: “It is enough for you that it…"