Surah Faatihah being called "the mother of the book"

Q: Why is Surah Faatihah called "the mother of the book"? What does it mean?

A: The Ulama explain that everything that starts off visibly starts off from the mother. Hence, the Quraan Shareef starts off with Surah Faatihah. 

Secondly, it is as though all the good that is contained in the Quraan Shareef is contained in this surah. The entire Quraan elucidates the greatness and the goodness of Surah Faatihah. The Quraan Shareef discusses 3 main topics, one is tauheed, the second is risaalat and the third is the aakhirat, and all these are contained in Surah Faatihah.

And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

Answered by:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)