al-Fattāḥ ( "the opener") is one of the

names of Allah Names of God in Islam () are 99 names that each contain Attributes of God in Islam, which are implied by the respective names. These names usually denote his praise, gratitude, commendation, glorification, magnification, perfect attributes, ...

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

. It is mentioned in the

Qur'ān The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

and

Sunnah is the body of traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. The sunnah is what all the Muslims of Muhammad's time supposedly saw, followed, and passed on to the next generations. Diff ...

, amongst other places.

Linguistic meaning

The word for "Fattah" comes from the root word fataha (فتاحة). Fataha means to open, grant, explain, disclose, to make victorious or let out. The name of the first

surah A ''surah'' (; ; ) is an Arabic word meaning 'chapter' in the Quran. There are 114 ''suwar'' in the Quran, each divided into ayah, verses (). The ''suwar'' are of unequal length; the shortest ''surah'' (al-Kawthar) has only three verses, while ...

of the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

al-Fatiha Al-Fatiha () is the first chapter () of the Quran. It consists of seven verses (') which consist of a prayer for guidance and mercy. Al-Fatiha is recited in Muslim obligatory and voluntary prayers, known as ''salah''. The primary literal mea ...

, is based on this same root, and is generally translated as The Opener, or The Opening. The Arabic word miftâhî, translated as key, means that which opens or unlocks, is also based on this same root.

Deeper meaning

In his book, "''al-Maqsad al-Asna fi Sharah Asma' Allahu al-Husna''" (aka The best means in explaining Allah's Beautiful Names), Imam

al-Ghazali Al-Ghazali ( – 19 December 1111), archaically Latinized as Algazelus, was a Shafi'i Sunni Muslim scholar and polymath. He is known as one of the most prominent and influential jurisconsults, legal theoreticians, muftis, philosophers, the ...

translates al-Fattah as "He Who Opens all things". He goes on to explain that "He is the One by Whose Concern everything that is closed is opened, and (The One) by Whose guidance everything that is obscure is made manifest. At times He causes kingdoms to be opened (i.e, conquered) for His prophets, and He takes them out of the hands of His enemies..." Imam al-Ghazzali then quotes a few verses from the

to elaborate on this meaning. For example, he uses verse 48:1, "Lo! We have given thee, (O Muhammad), a signal victory (literally, opening)..." Imam al-Ghazzali chose to say that Allah causes kingdoms to be opened (i.e., conquered) for His prophets. The first ayat of

Surah A ''surah'' (; ; ) is an Arabic word meaning 'chapter' in the Quran. There are 114 ''suwar'' in the Quran, each divided into ayah, verses (). The ''suwar'' are of unequal length; the shortest ''surah'' (al-Kawthar) has only three verses, while ...

An-Nasr An-Nasr () is the 110th chapter (sūrah) of the Qur'an with 3 āyāt or verses. : ۝ WHEN the assistance of Allah shall come, and the victory; :۝ and thou shalt see the people enter into the religion of Allah by troops: :۝ celebrate the pra ...

states: "When there comes the Help of Allah and the 'fat-ha'", which some have translated into victory. This Surah was revealed referring to the

Conquest of Mecca The conquest of Mecca ( , alternatively, "liberation of Mecca") was a military campaign undertaken by Muhammad and Companions of the Prophet, his companions during the Muslim–Quraysh War. They led the early Muslims in an advance on the Quray ...

when the pagans of Mecca surrendered to the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, which proved to be a great victory for Islam.

Occurrence in the Quran

Allah Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...

regards Himself as "al-Fattah" in verse of the Quran. He paired this attribute with "al-Alim", The All Knowing. The verb of fataha is also used in various places in the Quran. One example, cited by Imam al-Ghazzali, is in verse which states: "That which Allah Openeth unto mankind of Mercy none can withhold it." Imam al-Ghazzali says: "At times He lifts the screen from the hearts of His friends and He opens to them the gates to the kingdom of His heaven and the Beauty of His Grandeur."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fattah Names of God in Islam