al-Istiana bil-Fatiha ala Najah al-Umur
- Author died
- 909 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-ʻUbaykān
al-Istiʿānah bi-l-Fātiḥah ʿalā Najāḥ al-Umūr (Seeking Assistance Through al-Fātiḥah for the Success of Affairs) is a short treatise on the virtues of reciting Surat al-Fātiḥah to seek God's assistance and the fulfillment of needs, composed by the Damascene Hanbali scholar Ibn al-Mubarrad (d. 909 AH / 1503 CE; also given as 880 AH) . Bibliographical sources occasionally record its title with slight variation as al-Istiʿānah bi-l-Fātiḥah ilā Najāḥ al-Umūr .
Content and Structure
The work is organized as a traditional hadith tract (juzʾ) transmitting reports and traditions regarding the special properties and supplication benefits of Surat al-Fātiḥah :
- It begins with an opening narration with its chain of transmission traced to ʿAṭāʾ, stating: إذا أردت حاجة فاقرأ بفاتحة الكتاب حتى تختمها تقضى إن شاء الله ("If you seek the fulfillment of a need, recite the Opening of the Book until you finish it; it will be fulfilled, God willing") .
- It documents an elevated transmission received through ʿĀʾishah bint ʿAbd al-Hādī narrating the ḥadīth qudsī from Abu Hurayra in which God declares the division of the prayer between Himself and His servant: قسمت الصلاة بيني وبين عبدي ("I have divided the prayer between Myself and My servant..."), highlighting the verse إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ (You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help) and the divine promise: "This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he asked" .
- The tract discusses the inner secrets, healing virtues, and theological facets encapsulated within Surat al-Fātiḥah, affirming that its meanings refute false doctrines and provide remedies for spiritual ailments and guidance along the spiritual path .
Manuscripts and Publication
An autograph manuscript copied in Ibn al-Mubarrad's own handwriting is preserved in the Zahiriyya Library in Damascus under shelfmark no. 3165/2 .
The work was edited by Muḥammad Ziyād ʿUmar Tuklah and published in Riyadh by Maktabat al-Ubaykān (1st ed., 1421 AH / 2001 CE) as part of the compilation Jamharat al-Ajzāʾ al-Ḥadīthiyyah .
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