Little Minarets

The Opening · Surah 1 · 7 ayat · Qur'an 1:1–7

Surah Al-Fatiha

When: In every unit of every prayer, and as a dua any time

Listen, then say it with me

  1. بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

    Ayah 1Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim

    In the name of Allah, the Most Kind, the Most Merciful.

  2. ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ

    Ayah 2Alhamdu lillahi Rabbil-'alamin

    All praise is for Allah, Lord of all the worlds,

  3. ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

    Ayah 3Ar-Rahmanir-Rahim

    the Most Kind, the Most Merciful,

  4. مَـٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ

    Ayah 4Maliki yawmid-din

    Master of the Day of Judgment.

  5. إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

    Ayah 5Iyyaka na'budu wa iyyaka nasta'in

    You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.

  6. ٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٰطَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ

    Ayah 6Ihdinas-siratal-mustaqim

    Guide us along the straight path:

  7. صِرَٰطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ ٱلْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ

    Ayah 7Siratal-ladhina an'amta 'alayhim ghayril-maghdubi 'alayhim wa lad-dallin

    the path of those You have blessed, not of those who earned Your anger, nor of those who went astray.

Listen and repeat

Listen and repeat

Surah Al-Fatiha · 30 min

Learn Surah Al-Fatiha by heart with 30 minutes of gentle, repeated recitation. Tips for watching together · Watch on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

For parents & teachers

Teaching this surah

Because your child hears it in every prayer, Al-Fatiha is often learned by listening long before it is taught. Play the recitation video while coloring, and pray next to your child so they hear it aloud. Teach one ayah a week, always adding it to the ones already known, and let them say "Ameen" at the end. When it is learned, let them recite it for a grandparent: it is a big moment.

By age: Ages 3–5: one ayah a week, by listening and repeating. Ages 5 and up: the meaning of each ayah too.

About this surah

Al-Fatiha means "The Opening": it opens the Qur'an and it opens every prayer. Its seven ayat are recited in every unit of every salah ("there is no prayer for anyone who does not recite Al-Fatiha", Sahih al-Bukhari 756), so it is the surah every Muslim knows and the natural first surah for a child. It was revealed in Mecca. It begins with praise, then turns into a dua: guide us along the straight path.

Where it comes from

Learn next

More to learn by heart

  • قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ

    Surah Al-Ikhlas

    Qul huwallahu ahad

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  • اللَّهُمَّ افْتَحْ لِي أَبْوَابَ رَحْمَتِكَ

    Dua for entering the masjid

    Allahummaf-tah li abwaba rahmatik

    1 lineMuslim 713a

  • قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ

    Surah Al-Falaq

    Qul a'udhu bi-Rabbil-falaq

    5 ayatQur'an 113:1–5

Color while you learn

Coloring pages to go with it