Surah Fatihah Comprehends the Purposes of the Holy Qur’an

The Surah Fatihah briefly comprehends all the purposes of the Holy Qur’an. This is referred to in the
verse:

 O Prophet! We have bestowed upon thee the seven verses of the Surah Fatihah which briefly comprehend all the purposes of the Holy Qur’an and, in contrast with them, there is the Great Qur’an which sets out religious purposes in detail. -- al-Hijr, 15:88

For this reason, this Surah is known as the Mother of the Book and the Comprehensive Surah. It is the Mother of the Book because all purposes of the Holy Qur’an can be derived from it, and it is called the Comprehensive Surah as it briefly comprehends all types of learning contained in the Qur’an. It is for this reason that the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] has said that reciting Surah Fatihah, is like reciting the whole Qur’an. The Holy Qur’an and the Ahadith show that the Surah Fatihah is a mirror that displays the Qur’an. For instance, it is one of the purposes of the Holy Qur’an that it sets out all the perfect praise of God Almighty and states clearly the complete perfection that He possesses. This is briefly set forth in the Surah Fatihah in the verse:

 

Alhamdulillah. al-Fatihah, 1:2

which means that all types of perfect praise are established for Allah Who is comprehensive of all excellences and is worthy of every type of worship. The second purpose of the Holy Qur’an is that it manifests God's being the Perfect Fashioner and the Creator of the universe, and sets forth the beginning of the universe, and describes as a creation of God all that is part of the universe and proves the falsehood of those who are opposed to this. This purpose is set forth briefly in the phrase:

‘Lord of all the worlds’—al-Fatihah, 1:2

The third purpose of the Holy Qur’an is to establish the unearned grace of God and to set forth His general Mercy. This purpose is conveyed briefly in:

‘The Gracious’—al-Fatihah, 1:3

The fourth purpose of the Holy Qur’an is to establish that grace of God which follows upon effort and diligence. This is set forth in:

‘The Merciful’—al-Fatihah, 1:3

The fifth purpose of the Holy Qur’an is to set forth the true condition of the hereafter. This is comprehended in the phrase:

‘Master of the Day of Judgement’—al-Fatihah, 1:4

The sixth purpose of the Holy Qur’an is to set forth the sincerity and servitude and purification of the soul from that which is beside Allah, and the remedy of spiritual ills and the reform of moral qualities and the upholding of the Unity of God in worship. This is included briefly in the affirmation:

‘Thee alone do we worship.’—al-Fatihah, 1:5

The seventh purpose of the Holy Qur’an is to establish God as the true source of all action, and of all strength and benevolence, and help and steadfastness, and obedience and freedom from sin, and the acquisition of all the means of doing good, and the reform of the here and the hereafter, and to emphasise the need of seeking His help in all matters. This purpose is set forth briefly in the affirmation:

‘Thee alone do we implore for help.’—al-Fatihah, 1:5

The eighth purpose of the Holy Qur’an is to set forth the fine points of the straight path and to emphasise the need of seeking it through prayer and supplication. This is briefly included in supplication:

‘Guide us in the right path.’—al-Fatihah, 1:6

The ninth purpose of the Holy Qur’an is to set forth the way and manner of those who become the recipients of God's bounty and grace so that the hearts of the seeker after truth might be comforted. This purpose is included in:

‘…the path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings.’— al-Fatihah, 1:7

The tenth purpose of the Holy Qur’an is to set forth the qualities and way of those with whom God was displeased and of those who lost the way and fell into all sorts of innovations so that the seekers after truth should be warned of their ways. This purpose is included in:

‘…those who have not incurred displeasure, and those who have not gone astray.’ al-Fatihah, 1:7

These are the ten purposes that are set out in the Holy Qur’an and that are the roots of all verities. So they are all briefly mentioned in the Surah Fatihah.

[Brahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 1, pp. 580-585, footnote 11]