Sūrat al-Fatiha, Sūrah No. 1. Revealed in Makkah and Madīnah, 7 verses.
This Sūrah is the first complete Sūrah to be revealed to the Prophet a. It is known as
Ummul Kitab, or mother of the book. The word al-Fatiha means the opening, as it is the Sūrah with which the Quran opens. Sūrat al-Fatiha was revealed twice, once in
Makkah and then again in Madīnah and is thus known al-Mathani.
There are very many merits of this Sūrah. Imam Ali (a) quotes the Prophet a as saying: that it is a treasure in the Divine Throne (‘Arsh), which has exclusively been given to the Prophet a. Jibrā’īl told the Prophet a that this Sūrah prevented punishment of Allah from coming down on the Muslim nation. It is also a Sūrah of healing.
The Sūrah can be divided into two sections: the praise of God and the needs of His servants. Its main themes are praise of One God, His qualities, worship and asking for help and guidance from Allah.
There is much written and discussed about this great Sūrah. To learn more about it listen to some of the Tafsīr sessions on it, at: https://academyofislam.com/resources-/sura-1-al-fatiha-7-verses