(1–7) “In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. * All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all worlds, * the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful, * Master of the Day of Judgment. * You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help. * Guide us to the straight path— * the path of those You have blessed, not those who have incurred wrath, nor those who have gone astray.”

“In the name of Allah” means: I begin with every name of Allah Most High, because the word “name” is a singular noun in a possessive construction and thus encompasses all the [most beautiful] names. “Allah” is the One worshiped, who alone deserves to be singled out in worship because He possesses the attributes of divinity, which are attributes of perfection. “The Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful” are two names indicating that He Most High possesses vast and tremendous mercy, which encompasses everything and extends to every living being. He has ordained it for the God-fearing who follow His prophets and messengers. They receive His mercy in the fullest sense, while all others have (1) a share of it.

Know that one of the principles agreed upon by the righteous predecessors and leading scholars of this nation is belief in Allah’s names and attributes and in all that those attributes entail.

Thus, they believe, for example, that He is the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful, possessing the mercy by which He is characterized and which extends to those who receive it. Every blessing is therefore an effect of His mercy. The same applies to all the other names. Regarding the All-Knowing, it is said that He is All-Knowing and possesses knowledge through which He knows [through it] everything; and that He is All-Powerful and possesses power by which He has power over everything.

“All praise belongs to Allah” [is] praise of Allah for His attributes of perfection and for His deeds, all of which proceed from either grace or justice. Complete praise therefore belongs to Him in every respect. “Lord of all worlds”: the Lord is the One who nurtures all the worlds—that is, everything besides Allah—by creating them, equipping them with what they need, and bestowing upon them tremendous blessings without which they could not survive. Every blessing they possess is from Him Most High.

His nurturing of creation is of two kinds: general and special.

The general kind consists of His creating all creatures, providing for them, and guiding them to what serves their interests and enables them to survive in this world.

The special kind is His nurturing of His close servants: He nurtures them through faith, grants them success in attaining it, perfects it for them, and removes the diversions and obstacles that stand between them and it. Its essence is to nurture them by granting success in every good and safeguarding them from every evil. Perhaps this [meaning] is the secret behind most prophetic supplications employing the title “Lord,” for everything they seek falls under His special lordship.

Thus, the words “Lord of all worlds” indicate that He alone creates, governs, and bestows blessings; that His self-sufficiency is perfect; and that all created beings are utterly dependent upon Him in every respect.

“Master of the Day of Judgment”: the Master is the One characterized by sovereignty, among whose effects are that He commands and forbids, rewards and punishes, and disposes of those under His dominion in every manner. Sovereignty is here specifically connected to the Day of Judgment—the Day of Resurrection, when people will be recompensed for their deeds, whether good or evil—because on that day the perfection of His sovereignty, justice, and wisdom will become fully manifest to creation, while all ownership by created beings will cease. On that day, [even] kings and subjects, slaves and free people, will be equal.

They will all submit to His greatness, bow before His might, await His recompense, hope for His reward, and fear His punishment. This is why that day is mentioned specifically, although He is the Master of the Day of Judgment and of every other day.

His words, “You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help,” mean: we single You out alone in worship and in seeking help. Placing the object first expresses exclusivity: it affirms the ruling for the one mentioned and denies it of all others. It is as though one were saying: We worship You and worship none besides You; we seek Your help and seek the help of none besides You.

He placed (2) worship before seeking help because this gives precedence to the general over the specific and, more importantly, gives precedence to His right Most High over the right of His servant.

“Worship” is a comprehensive term encompassing every outward and inward deed and statement that Allah loves and is pleased with. “Seeking help” means relying upon Allah Most High to obtain benefits and repel harm, while trusting Him to bring that about.

Worshiping Allah and seeking His help are the means to everlasting happiness and salvation from every evil. There is no path to salvation except through fulfilling both. Worship is only truly worship when it conforms to what was conveyed by the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and is performed solely for Allah’s sake. It becomes worship through these two conditions. Seeking help is mentioned after worship, even though it is included within it, because the servant needs Allah Most High’s help in every act of worship. Unless Allah helps him, he cannot attain what he seeks by fulfilling the commands and avoiding the prohibitions.

Allah Most High then says: “Guide us to the straight path,” meaning: show us, direct us, and grant us success in following the straight path. It is the clear way that leads to Allah and His Paradise, and it consists of knowing the truth and acting upon it. Thus, guide us to the path and guide us along the path. Guidance to the path means adhering to Islam and abandoning all other religions, while guidance along the path encompasses guidance concerning every detail of religion, in both knowledge and practice. This supplication is therefore among the most comprehensive and beneficial supplications for the servant. Because of his profound need for it, a person is required to supplicate Allah with it in every unit of his prayer.

This straight path is “the path of those You have blessed”: the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs, and the righteous. It is “not” the path “of those who have incurred wrath,” who knew the truth but abandoned it, such as the Jews and others like them; nor is it the path “of those who have gone astray,” who abandoned the truth through ignorance and misguidance, such as the Christians and others like them.

Despite its brevity, this surah ⦗40⦘ contains what no other surah of the Quran contains. It encompasses the three categories of tawhīd (affirming Allah’s oneness). His oneness in lordship is derived from the words “Lord of all worlds.”

His oneness in divinity—which means singling Allah out in worship—is derived from the name “Allah” and from the words “You alone we worship.” His oneness in His names and attributes means affirming for Allah Most High the attributes of perfection that He affirmed for Himself and that His Messenger affirmed for Him, without denying them, equating them with created attributes, or likening them to such attributes. This is indicated by the words “All praise,” as explained above. The surah also affirms prophethood in the words “Guide us to the straight path,” because such guidance is impossible without the divine message.

It affirms recompense for deeds in the words “Master of the Day of Judgment,” and that recompense will be administered with justice, because “judgment” here means just recompense.

It also affirms the divine decree and that the servant is a true agent of his deeds, contrary to the Qadariyya and the Jabriyya. Indeed, the words “Guide us to the straight path” refute all people of innovation [and misguidance], because the straight path consists of knowing the truth and acting upon it, whereas every innovator [and misguided person] opposes this.

It also teaches that devotion must be sincerely dedicated to Allah Most High in both worship and seeking help, as expressed in the words “You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.” All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all worlds.