It is impermissible to hold that the Companions regarded something that is not Qurʾan as Qurʾan; such a belief about them—may Allah be pleased with them—is untenable. Our scholars say: “This is our strongest proof for affirming it.” I reply: it is indeed as they say, yet the proof does not establish their further claim that it is a verse of al-Fatiha, as is obvious. Shaykh Ahmad Muhammad Shakir has dealt with this question thoroughly and fairly in his notes on al-Tirmidhi (2/19–25); consult them, for they are important. (1) i.e. “He exalted me.” (2) This report shows that the words ihdina … to the end of the surah make three verses, not two. The dispute turns on whether the basmala is part of al-Fatiha. The Shafiʿis and others say it is, so ihdina and what follows count as two verses. Malik and those who deny that the basmala belongs to al-Fatiha hold that ihdina and the remainder form three verses, citing this narration as evidence. The first party argue from Muslim’s wording, “This is for My servant.” The correct view has already been indicated above. (3) This is the conclusion of the preceding hadith of Abu Hurayra (p. 310). Its chains and variants have been given earlier. This ending comes only through the first two routes cited by the Two Shaykhs and others; the main wording is that of Imam Malik, while the additional phrases are found in Muslim and others. ——— (1) It has corroboration in a hadith of Jabir, reported by al-Sahmi in Tarikh Jurjan, no. 144.