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English translation
910. Abû As-Sâ'ib - the freed slave of Hishâm bin Zuhrah - said: "I heard Abû Hurairah say: 'The Messenger of Allâh ﷺ said: 'Whoever offers a prayer in which he does not recite Umm Al-Qur'an (Al-Fâtihah), it is deficient, it is deficient, incomplete.'" I (Abû As-Sâ'ib) said: 'O Abû Hurairah, sometimes I am behind the Imâm.' He poked me in
the arm and said: 'Recite it to yourself, O Persian! For I heard the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ say: "Allāh says: 'I have divided prayer between Myself and My slave into two halves, and My slave shall have what he has asked for.'" The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: "Recite, for when the slave says: All the praises and thanks be to Allāh, the Lord of all that exists, Allāh says: 'My slave has praised Me.' And when he says: The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, Allāh says: 'My slave has extolled Me.' And when he says: The Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection), Allāh says: 'My slave has glorified Me' - and on one occasion He said: 'My slave has submitted to My power.' And when he says: You (alone) we worship, and You (alone) we ask for help (for each and everything), He says: 'This is between Me and My slave, and My slave shall have what he has asked for.' And when he says: 'Guide us to the straight way, the way of those on whom You have bestowed Your grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your anger, nor of those who went astray, He says: 'This is for My slave, and My slave shall have what he has asked for.'" (Sahih)
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Commentary
1. "It is deficient, it is not complete": and the prayer ought to be performed completely. It follows from the term Khidāj that it is such a deficiency that in
the event of the occurrence of this deficiency the prayer will be invalid. This is because this expression (Khidâj) is brought into usage to describe a she-camel who has cast her young one before the completion of the days of her gestation - when the young one has not yet been formed completely. It is merely flesh all over; it is a stillborn which cannot be called an offspring. In other words, the form of prayer in which Surat Al-Fâtihah is not recited resembles a mass of flesh which is of no use at all. This demonstrates that the recitation of Surat Al-Fâtihah is essential for the wholesomeness of prayer.
2. Recite it to yourself - to oneself, which means quietly, unheard by others - does not signify mere visualization or consciousness, because it is not termed a recital. And here the expression 'recite' is explicit.
3. "Divided between Myself and My servant," because the first half is praise of Allâh, and the second half is a request of Him.
