Beginning from the Dot

When setting out on a road, one first looks at where the foot is placed. Whoever opens al-Fatiha steps where speech begins to walk. That place is a letter, a dot resting beneath the letter.

The dot of the Ba

The first letter of the Basmala is Ba, and beneath the Ba rests a small dot. The commentary takes that dot as a sign of the Perfect Human, al-Insan al-Kamil. Speech begins from a point of the heart before the crowd of words. Whoever says "I begin" in truth descends to that small place within.

The dot is not a part of the line; the line flows from it. All words come as far as the door; only the dot enters.

Praise is our state

Praise is to praise and to be praised. The commentary does not let one detail fall: praise is our state. We give praise because we took a name and came forth, because we came to be. Before bearing a name, there was no one to give thanks. It also recalls that when Adam was created, his first word was praise. The first word is not a request but thanks.

To be able to say “to You,” one had to be. This sentence holds on at a subtle place: address is the first gift of being. To be able to speak, one must first be someone. The One who brought us into being and named us also gave us the saying of “to You.”

What is given is what is held

The commentary describes two Names through two acts: the One who shows mercy and the One who preserves. Being is not something given once and then let go; it is something held at every moment. To go on as beings that have taken a name is possible only through that holding. That is why what is asked is that the joy of being, granted as a grace, be made lasting and eternal.

The Day of Judgment, too, is the last station of this holding. According to the commentary, that day is the day when all the Names are gathered in HUWA; the day the servant grasps his servanthood and understands that there is no being other than Allah. On that day only refuge remains. The prayer “Protect us” is a preparation for that day of gathering.

We and You

The deepest place in al-Fatiha is where speech turns from “We” to “You” and an exchange is made. The commentary reads this exchange thus: the Creator speaks back and forth with the beings He created from Himself. What the Creator asks of the servants, and what the created asks of its Lord: al-Fatiha is the answer.

“We” is all the Names. “You” is the dot that symbolizes HUWA, the origin of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). All the Names turn toward that dot, for all of them came from there. The Human of the Age also appears from HUWA; in the heart that turns toward him, his name becomes manifest. The commentary ties this with a question: is not refuge in Him refuge in Huwa?

Then speech takes one more step: the one who worships is Himself, and the one whose help is sought is Himself. Everything is from the Real, from Himself to Himself. On the spiritual path, the most important point is to understand al-Insan, and through him to understand oneself.

The straight path and the seal

When saying “We,” what is meant are the qualities Allah has given us as being. To ask for the straight path is to ask Him to set those qualities right: may they not make us think of anything other than You. May they not lead us astray; may they not spoil the oneness within human being.

Further progress, according to the commentary, is given through al-Insan. That is why one must be with him.

Amin means affirmation. The commentary understands it thus: “I have set My seal on your request.” The prayer, as it closes, closes with a seal.

To where it began

At the very beginning there was a dot. In the end the commentary returns to it again: the dot that made us be, the dot that taught us to say “You,” the dot that carries us to the first word and the last seal. Al-Fatiha is a door that opens from a dot and closes at a dot.

To be a being that Allah desires is the greatest mercy. To affirm it is of great importance.