Why al-Fatihah?
Al-Fatihah is recited in every unit of prayer, so it is the surah most worth perfecting. It also contains many of the rules you have learned. Read each verse, then check the points below.
Verse 1–3
- بِسْمِ اللَّهِ: the lam of Allah is light (after kasra).
- الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ: lam shamsiyya twice; the ra has fatha, so it is heavy; the small alif in الرَّحْمَٰنِ is a natural madd of 2 counts.
- الْحَمْدُ: lam qamariyya; a clear ح, not h.
- لِلَّهِ: light lam of Allah. رَبِّ: heavy ra, doubled ب.
- At the stops الرَّحِيمْ and الْعَالَمِينْ: madd 'arid lis-sukun (2, 4 or 6 – stay consistent).
Verse 4–5
- مَالِكِ: natural madd on the mim (Ḥafṣ reads it with the alif).
- الدِّينِ: lam shamsiyya.
- إِيَّاكَ: the shaddah on ي must be clearly doubled – "iyyāka".
- نَعْبُدُ: ب with sukun – qalqalah sughra. Also a clear ع.
- نَسْتَعِينُ: at the stop, madd 'arid.
Verse 6
- اهْدِنَا: when starting, the connecting hamza is read "i" – ihdinā. When continuing, the alif of نَا is not pronounced before الصِّرَاطَ.
- الصِّرَاطَ: ص and ط are always heavy; the ra (fatha) is heavy too.
- الْمُسْتَقِيمَ: lam qamariyya; heavy ق.
Verse 7
- أَنْعَمْتَ: nun before ع – izhar; mim before ت – izhar shafawi.
- عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ and عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا: mim sakinah stays clear (izhar shafawi), especially before و.
- غَيْرِ: ra with kasra – light.
- الْمَغْضُوبِ: heavy غ and ض; take care to pronounce ض correctly and not as د or ظ.
- الضَّالِّينَ: madd lazim, 6 counts.
After al-Fatihah it is sunnah to say "Āmīn", which is not part of the surah. Leave a short pause before it.
Typical mistakes in al-Fatihah
- Reading إِيَّاكَ without the shaddah.
- A light ص in الصِّرَاطَ (sounds like "sirāt").
- Pronouncing ض like ظ or د.
- Shortening الضَّالِّينَ.
Practice tip
Record yourself reciting al-Fatihah once a day for a week. Each day, check only one verse against this list. Ideally, read it to a qualified teacher – this is how tajweed has always been passed on.