Sūrat al-⁠Fātiḥah, Verse 5

1. The Questions This Verse Raises §

Does placing “You alone” first convey exclusivity? §

The verse does not say, “We worship You.” It places the object first:

﴿إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ﴾

“You alone we worship.”

The majority of grammarians understood this order as conveying exclusivity: our worship belongs to You and to no one else. Al-Suyūṭī records this as the position of the majority, while al-Sāmarrāʾī and al-Maydānī apply it directly to this verse.^{⁠[41]⁠[42]⁠[43]}

There is a different assessment. Ibn al-Ḥājib maintained that placing the object first does not, by itself, always prove exclusivity, and Abū Ḥayyān agreed with him. Al-Sāmarrāʾī also cautions that this word order can serve purposes besides exclusivity.^{⁠[44]⁠[45]⁠[46]}

Conclusion §

The majority position is preferred here. The construction conveys exclusivity in this verse, even though placing an object first does not automatically produce that meaning in every Arabic sentence. The context, the repetition of إِيَّاكَ, “You alone,” and the subject of worship all reinforce the meaning: You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.^{⁠[47]⁠[48]⁠[49]}

Why is worship mentioned before seeking help? §

A servant needs Allah’s help before he can worship. Why, then, does the verse place worship first?

The order of the words follows the purpose of the servant’s life. Worship is the end for which he was created; seeking help is the means by which he fulfills it. Ibn Kathīr begins with this distinction. The servant first declares what he owes Allah, then asks for the help without which he cannot discharge that duty.^⁠[50]

There is also a relationship between the whole and one of its parts. Asking Allah for help is itself worship. The first clause therefore names the comprehensive duty, and the second gives particular attention to an act included within it. Alongside this general-to-particular movement, the order places Allah’s right before the servant’s need, the end before the means, and the more important matter before what serves it.^⁠[51]

Al-Zamakhsharī describes the two sides as what servants offer in drawing near to their Lord and what they ask and need from Him.^⁠[52] The declaration and the request belong together: the servant presents his devotion while acknowledging his dependence.

Ibn al-Qayyim’s reasons §

Ibn al-Qayyim develops this explanation through nine connected reasons:^⁠[53]

1. Worship is the end; seeking help serves that end. A person must know what he seeks help to accomplish. The verse names his purpose before his need for assistance.
2. The order reflects the opening names. Worship is connected with Allah’s divinity and His name الله, Allāh. Seeking help is connected with His lordship and His name الرب, al-Rabb. “Allah” precedes “Lord” at the opening, and worship precedes seeking help here.
3. The two clauses belong to the two portions of the sūrah. Worship completes the portion devoted to the Lord’s praise. Seeking help begins the servant’s requests, which continue with the plea for guidance.
4. Complete worship includes dependence, but a request for help may serve another purpose. Someone may seek Allah’s help to obtain a personal desire without making that desire an act of obedience. The act of asking Allah is worship, while the purpose for which help is requested may be an ordinary personal desire. Complete servanthood seeks His help in a life devoted to obedience.
5. Seeking help is itself part of worship. The wider category comes first, followed by the particular act that the servant especially needs.
6. Worship seeks Allah; asking for help seeks something from Him. In worship, the servant directs devotion to his Lord. In asking for help, he requests His aid. The servant’s first concern is to worship Allah and seek His pleasure. The aid he asks for serves that devotion; the benefit is not his highest end.
7. True worship requires sincerity, while help may be sought by the sincere and others. Calling upon Allah for a desired result does not by itself establish that all a person’s worship is sincere. The first clause declares the fuller commitment.
8. Worship fulfills Allah’s right; help is His gift enabling its fulfillment. Obedience thanks Him for His favor, while the ability to obey is itself another favor. As servanthood becomes more complete, Allah’s assistance increases. Help enables an act of worship, then further help enables the next, throughout the servant’s life.
9. Worship is for Allah; its accomplishment is through Allah. An act is for Him when it is devoted to Him and seeks His pleasure. It occurs through Him because it can happen only by His will and enabling. These are different relationships. Everything that occurs falls under His will, including the acts of believers and unbelievers, obedience and disobedience. Yet He loves and approves faith and obedience. Worship names what He loves; seeking help acknowledges the will and power through which it can be done. The verse gives priority to the purpose that pleases Him.^⁠[54]

These reasons explain priority without suggesting that the servant first worships unaided. Allah enables the commitment itself, then helps the servant to carry it out. The worshipper who recognizes this cannot treat further help as a debt Allah owes him.

Al-Ṭabarī’s explanation §

Al-Ṭabarī considers the dependence of worship upon help from another direction. The two are so closely connected that either can lead to mention of the other.

“You met my need and therefore treated me well”

and

“You treated me well and therefore met my need”

connect meeting a need with treating someone well. On that basis, he considers either order intelligible.^⁠[55]

He nevertheless rejects reading the verse as though its words needed to be mentally reversed. Its meaning is expressed in the order revealed. Al-Ṭabarī explains why either logical movement can be understood; the preceding explanations show why the revealed order is fitting. Worship remains the purpose named first; seeking help remains indispensable to it. And Allah knows best.

Whom does “You” address? §

The servant speaks to Allah, whose lordship, mercy, and judgment the preceding verses have declared. The direct address answers those who deny Allah’s existence: the Qurʾān teaches the servant to address the Lord who truly exists and knows him.^⁠[56]

Allah is with all creation through His knowledge and His encompassing awareness. No private conversation escapes Him, wherever its participants may be (58:7). He is also with the godfearing through His aid, support, and victory:

﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ مُحْسِنُونَ١٢٨﴾

“Allah is with those who fear Him and those who do good.” (16:128)

These two senses of being “with” belong to the explanation of the address: knowledge encompassing everyone, and particular help for His obedient servants.^⁠[57] The change from speaking about Allah to speaking to Him also awakens the reciter and listener. That rhetorical movement is examined below.

What kinds of servanthood does “we worship” affirm? §

Every creature belongs to Allah. Yet the Qurʾān also speaks of “His servants” as people distinguished by faith and obedience. The word servanthood therefore needs a distinction: being subject to Allah’s rule is not the same as willingly worshipping Him.

General servanthood, العبودية العامة (al-ʿubūdiyyah al-ʿāmmah), is the condition of all creation under His lordship. Allah creates, owns, governs, and has power over believer and unbeliever alike. No refusal to obey can remove a creature from that rule. The Qurʾān says:

﴿إِنْ كُلُّ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ إِلَّا آتِي الرَّحْمَنِ عَبْدًا٩٣﴾

“There is no one in the heavens and earth but that he comes to the Most Merciful as a servant.” (19:93)

Special servanthood, العبودية الخاصة (al-ʿubūdiyyah al-khāṣṣah), is willing devotion: love of Allah and obedience to His commands. This is what the believer declares in “You alone we worship.” The servants addressed with reassurance in 43:68–69 are identified as those who believed in His signs and submitted to Him. The servants praised in 39:17–18 listen to what is said and follow the best of it. Their distinguishing mark is a chosen response to their Lord.^⁠[58]

The distinction also explains Qurʾānic usage. An unrestricted expression attaching “servants” to Allah honors the people of His obedience. A qualification can widen the reference. In 25:17, for example, the words “these servants of Mine” refer to people who went astray; the demonstrative “these” identifies that particular group. Other passages speak broadly of all servants under Allah’s judgment. The wording and context show which kind of servanthood is intended.^⁠[59]

Knowledge and action within servanthood §

Willing devotion grows through knowing whom one worships and knowing how to worship Him. Ibn al-Qayyim distinguishes two fields of knowledge:

1. Knowledge of Allah: His essence, attributes, acts, and names, together with declaring Him above what does not befit Him.
2. Knowledge of His religion: what He commands through His revealed law, and the recompense He gives through reward and punishment. Knowledge of His angels and messengers is included in this account of the knowledge upon which worship rests.^⁠[60]

Action also has degrees. The people of the right hand fulfill the obligations, while engaging in permitted things, leaving some recommended acts, and sometimes doing what is disliked. The foremost who are brought near fulfill the obligations and leave the forbidden and disliked. They also avoid what is of no benefit for the Hereafter and exercise care concerning what might harm them.

Among the foremost are servants whose good intentions turn their permitted activities into obedience. Ibn al-Qayyim contrasts them with those at a lower degree who leave permitted activities to devote the time to worship. The higher degree he describes brings a good intention into the permitted activity itself, so that eating, resting, and other ordinary acts become means of drawing near to Allah. Within both broad ranks are degrees known only to Allah.^⁠[61]

Which worship is best? §

This question can be approached through different features of an act. Is its value measured by the difficulty it imposes, the worldly things it leaves behind, the good it brings to others, or its fitness for the duty of the moment?

Ibn al-Qayyim’s account presents four explanations. The first gives priority to what is hardest upon the soul, taking hardship as the measure of reward. The second gives priority to renouncing worldly attachments and being unconcerned with worldly possessions. The third gives priority to benefit that reaches others, such as serving the poor and attending to people’s needs.^⁠[62]

The fourth asks what pleases Allah at this time, in these circumstances. Its measure is the duty that now calls for fulfillment. When a guest arrives, attending to the guest’s rights takes precedence over a customary voluntary devotion. At ʿArafah, earnest supplication and remembrance take precedence over fasting that would weaken the pilgrim’s ability to make them. In circumstances calling for jihād, that duty takes precedence over customary night prayer or voluntary fasting; even the prescribed prayer is performed under its applicable rules for danger, rather than in the full manner used in safety.^⁠[63]

On this fourth explanation, the servant follows the changing responsibilities of worship. An act that is excellent in one situation gives way when another right becomes due. Its governing question is what obedience to Allah requires of the servant now.

Why was worship prescribed? §

A second question concerns the wisdom of worship itself. Ibn al-Qayyim’s account presents four explanations of this question, too.^⁠[64]

The first explanation returns the command to bare divine will. Asked why worship was prescribed, it answers that Allah willed it, while denying a wise purpose beyond that will. Its account stops at the fact of the command.

The second, associated with the Qadariyyah, does affirm a purpose: the servant’s benefit. It treats acts of worship as prices paid for reward, like work for which a laborer earns wages. The benefit received by the creature explains the command. It does not affirm wisdom as belonging to Allah in His own act of commanding. The question here concerns the wise purpose of His command, not a need for His servants to benefit Him.

The third, held by some Ṣūfīs and philosophers, explains worship through its effect upon the soul. Acts of devotion train and discipline it. In this account, that training is the principal explanation of worship’s wisdom and benefit.

The fourth is described as the way of those who follow Ibrāhīm and Muḥammad ﷺ and know Allah and His wisdom in His command, His law, and His creation. Its description joins knowledge of Allah to insight into what He intends through worship. Wise purpose is affirmed in His command and creation, and the worshipper seeks to understand and fulfill His revealed will.^⁠[65]

These are accounts of why worship was prescribed. The preceding four explanations concern which act deserves priority. One asks about the wisdom of the command; the other asks how the servant should act within it. And Allah knows best.

What do the two declarations require? §

“You alone we worship” affirms Allah’s exclusive right to worship, الألوهية (al-ulūhiyyah). “You alone we ask for help” affirms His lordship, الربوبية (al-rubūbiyyah), by entrusting the servant’s need to Him. Together they reject shirk in worship and reliance. Their sincerity must include belief, speech, and action, together with leaving shirk and the means that lead to it.^⁠[66]

This is the call of the messengers. Nūḥ, Hūd, Ṣāliḥ, Shuʿayb, and Ibrāhīm called their peoples to worship Allah. The Qurʾān gathers their common message:

﴿وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَسُولًا أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ﴾

“We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, saying, ‘Worship Allah and avoid false objects of worship.’” (16:36)

And it states:

﴿وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلَّا نُوحِي إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاعْبُدُونِ٢٥﴾

“We sent no messenger before you without revealing to him: ‘There is no deity except Me, so worship Me.’” (21:25)

Ibn Taymiyyah explains that requiring these words in prayer requires their meaning as well. They are acknowledgments and supplications, and each commits the servant to the act it expresses. It is not enough to recite the declaration while abandoning worship or refusing dependence upon Allah.^⁠[67]

He describes four possible conditions: fulfilling both obligations; attending to worship while neglecting the request for help; seeking help while neglecting worship; or abandoning both. This classification concerns how people respond to the two duties. Complete servanthood joins them. The believer asks for help to obey, and obeys while asking for help.^⁠[68]

Why does one worshipper say “we”? §

A person praying alone still says إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ, “You alone we worship,” rather than إِيَّاكَ أَعْبُدُ, “You alone I worship.” Why use a plural when only one person is speaking?

Ibn Kathīr gives three explanations. The first is belonging: the worshipper speaks as one of Allah’s servants. This is especially clear in congregational prayer, yet it remains true when he prays alone. Al-Sāmarrāʾī and al-Ḥarrālī likewise connect the plural to the communal character of prayer.^{⁠[69]⁠[70]⁠[71]}

The second concerns the honor of worship itself. On this explanation, the plural can express the dignity granted to the servant while he stands in worship. It does not authorize grand claims of “we” and “we have done” outside it. Even a vast gathering of people remains in need of Allah.^⁠[72]

The third concerns humility. “I worship” may sound like a claim that the speaker alone is fit to offer Allah His due. “We worship” places his act among the acts of Allah’s servants without praising its perfection.^{⁠[73]⁠[74]} Al-Zuḥaylī develops this point: conscious of his sins and shortcomings, the servant joins himself to the believers and seeks acceptance with them.^⁠[75]

The explanations bring together belonging, the honor of worship, and humility about one’s own performance. A believer stands before Allah personally, yet speaks as a member of the believing community. He remains responsible for his sincerity; the plural gives him no reason to claim that his worship is free of defects. And Allah knows best.

Why ask for help when Allah has already enabled the asking? §

The servant is already worshipping and already asking Allah for help. Has he not therefore received what he is asking for? Al-Ṭabarī answers that the request concerns what remains of the servant’s life. Help received yesterday does not remove the need for help today. The One who enabled the beginning is asked to sustain the obedience that follows.^⁠[76]

This continuing help is Allah’s bounty and kindness. It is not a debt acquired by the servant through the fact that he has been commanded to worship. Al-Ṭabarī makes the distinction clear by examining the doctrine of tafwīḍ: the claim that human acts are left to people’s independent power.

On the account he examines, imposing a duty would oblige Allah to give all the aid needed to perform or leave it. Withholding that aid would then count as injustice, whether the servant asked for help or remained silent. But if that premise were true, asking “O Allah, help us” would amount to asking “O Allah, do not wrong us.”

Al-Ṭabarī reports the agreement of Muslims that the first prayer is right and the second is wrong. The two requests cannot mean the same thing. Seeking help asks Allah for His favor; it does not suggest that He would otherwise be unjust.^⁠[77]

Allah’s decree and the servant’s real action §

The two halves of the verse also answer two opposite errors about human action. “You alone we ask for help” affirms that our acts remain within Allah’s power and will. The Qadariyyah taught that the servant creates his own act independently. If the act were entirely outside Allah’s power, why would the servant ask Him to enable it? The request itself acknowledges that its accomplishment is in His hands.^⁠[78]

Yet the verse says “we worship” and “we ask for help.” The servants themselves perform these acts. They have power, choice, and will; Allah’s enabling does not make their obedience an action they are compelled to perform without choice. This answers the Jabriyyah, an ancient heretical sect that taught compulsion. The servant truly worships and truly seeks help, while remaining dependent upon Allah.^⁠[79]

The verse therefore keeps responsibility and dependence together. Divine help is no excuse for abandoning effort, and human effort is no ground for claiming independence. And Allah knows best.

Can anyone reach a rank beyond worship? §

If worship is a path to nearness, might a person eventually reach a station where it is no longer required? Some Ṣūfīs claimed that such a rank existed and understood “certainty” in 15:99 as its attainment. The verse says:

﴿وَاعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَكَ الْيَقِينُ٩٩﴾

“Worship your Lord until certainty comes to you.” (15:99)

Here “certainty” means death. Al-Lāḥim reports the agreement of the recognized commentators on that meaning. The people of the Fire use the same word when describing the end of their denial:

﴿وَكُنَّا نُكَذِّبُ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ٤٦﴾

﴿حَتَّى أَتَانَا الْيَقِينُ٤٧﴾

“We used to deny the Day of Recompense, until certainty came to us.” (74:46–47)

At the death of ʿUthmān ibn Maẓʿūn رضي الله عنه, the Prophet ﷺ said:

أما عثمان فقد جاءه اليقين من ربه

“As for ʿUthmān, certainty has come to him from his Lord.”^⁠[80]

Death ends the servant’s present opportunity to fulfill these duties. A claimed spiritual attainment does not. Ibn al-Qayyim takes the explanation beyond death, distinguishing the obligations of this life from later forms of servanthood.

In the barzakh, the interval before resurrection, a person is questioned concerning whom he worshipped and what he said about the Messenger ﷺ. On the Day of Resurrection, the believers prostrate when creation is called to do so, while the unbelievers and hypocrites cannot. When people enter the abode of reward or punishment, the obligations of trial, التكليف (al-taklīf), end. The people of reward continue glorifying Allah without toil, as naturally as breathing.^⁠[81]

Servanthood continues, while its form changes. This gives no support to abandoning worship in the present life. Ibn al-Qayyim’s judgment upon the claimed spiritual exemption is explicit:

ومن زعم أنه يصل إلى مقام يسقط عنه فيه التعبد فهو زنديق كافر بالله وبرسوله

“Whoever claims that he reaches a station at which worship falls away from him is a zindīq, an unbeliever in Allah and in His Messenger.”^⁠[82]

He then states the reverse principle: as a servant advances in servanthood, his worship becomes greater. The messengers bore greater responsibilities than their communities, the messengers of firm resolve greater responsibilities than others, and people of knowledge greater responsibilities than those below them. Rank increases responsibility; it does not cancel it.^⁠[83] And Allah knows best.

How does al-Fātiḥah teach us to ask? §

The plea for guidance comes after praise, worship, and seeking help. By the time the servant says “Guide us,” he has praised Allah, declared his devotion to Him, and acknowledged his need. The order teaches an etiquette of supplication: approach the request by honoring the One asked and confessing your dependence upon Him.^⁠[84]

Confession and need alongside praise §

Al-Fātiḥah begins by praising Allah. Other Qurʾānic supplications show how confession and acknowledgment of need also prepare a request. Ādam and his wife begin with an admission:

﴿رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنْفُسَنَا وَإِنْ لَمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ﴾

“Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers.” (7:23)

Mūsā also names his fault before asking forgiveness:

﴿رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي﴾

“My Lord, I have wronged myself, so forgive me.” (28:16)

Yūnus, called Dhū al-Nūn, joins affirmation of Allah’s oneness and perfection to his own confession:

﴿لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ﴾

“There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers.” (21:87)

A request can also take the form of naming one’s need. Elsewhere Mūsā says:

﴿رَبِّ إِنِّي لِمَا أَنْزَلْتَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ﴾

“My Lord, I am in need of whatever good You send down to me.” (28:24)

The first three prayers acknowledge wrongdoing; Yūnus also affirms Allah’s oneness and glorifies Him. In the last prayer, Mūsā names his need for whatever good Allah gives. In al-Fātiḥah, praise and the declaration of worship prepare for the request upon which the servant’s life depends: guidance.^⁠[85]

Two means of drawing near §

The examples above show several ways of bringing a request before Allah. Turning specifically to al-Fātiḥah, Ibn al-Qayyim identifies two means of approach gathered in its opening. The first is through His names and attributes: the servant praises his Lord for who He is. The second is through servanthood and tawheed: the servant declares that he worships Allah alone and seeks His help. Both lead into the petition for guidance.^⁠[86]

The hadiths of the greatest Name show how praise and affirmation of Allah’s oneness can belong within a request. Buraydah رضي الله عنه relates that the Prophet ﷺ heard a man supplicate:

اللهم أسألك بأني أشهد أنك الله الذي لا إله إلا أنت الأحد الصمد، الذي لم يلد ولم يولد، ولم يكن له كفوا أحد

“O Allah, I ask You by my testimony that You are Allah, none deserves worship except You, the One, the Self-Sufficient, who neither begets nor is born, and to whom no one is equal.”^⁠[87]

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“By the One in whose hand is my soul, he has asked by His greatest Name, by which, when He is called, He answers, and when He is asked, He gives.”^⁠[88]

Anas رضي الله عنه relates another supplication:

اللهم إني أسألك بأن لك الحمد، لا إله إلا أنت المنان، بديع السماوات والأرض، يا ذا الجلال والإكرام، يا حي يا قيوم

“O Allah, I ask You by the fact that praise belongs to You, none deserves worship except You, the Bestower, Originator of the heavens and the earth, O Possessor of Majesty and Honour, O Living, O Self-Subsisting.”^⁠[89]

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“He has called upon Allah by His mighty Name, by which, when He is called, He answers, and when He is asked, He gives.”^⁠[90]

For the detailed examination of the greatest Name, see the Basmala. The hadiths here show the manner of asking: the supplicant turns to Allah through His oneness, names, and attributes. Al-Fātiḥah joins that praise to the servant’s declaration of worship.

Ibn al-Qayyim closes by describing guidance as the weightiest request and one of the greatest gifts. After the two means of approach, the servant asks for it. He calls the person who supplicates in this manner

حقيق بالإجابة

“worthy of an answer.”⁠^⁠[91]

The order of the sūrah teaches the worshipper how to bring his deepest need before Allah. And Allah knows best.

2. How the Commentators Read This Verse §

The following explanations examine the meanings of worship and reliance, and how the preceding praise prepares for direct address.

From submission to supplication §

Al-Ṭabarī (d. 310 AH / 923 CE) begins with the meaning of worship. One explanation transmitted from Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما describes it as affirming Allah’s oneness, fearing Him, and hoping in Him. Al-Ṭabarī does not deny those meanings, but he considers humility and submission more fundamental:

لَكَ اللَّهُمَّ نَخْشَعُ وَنَذِلُّ وَنَسْتَكِينُ، إِقْرَارًا لَكَ يَا رَبَّنَا بِالرُّبُوبِيَّةِ لَا لِغَيْرِكَ

“Before You, O Allah, we humble ourselves, lower ourselves, and submit, acknowledging Your Lordship, our Lord, and that of no one else.”

He prefers this explanation because the Arabic root of servanthood includes the sense of lowliness. A servant worships Allah by willingly lowering himself before his Lord.^{⁠[92]⁠[93]}

Al-Ṭabarī then reads verses 5 and 6 as one continuous prayer. The meaning runs as follows: We worship You alone, without partner, so help us to worship You and guide us to the straight path. Worship is therefore not an isolated declaration. It immediately becomes a request for the help and guidance needed to remain faithful to that declaration.^{⁠[94]⁠[95]}

The servant speaks the words Allah taught him §

Al-Ḥarrālī (d. 638 AH / 1240 CE), whose explanation is preserved by al-Biqāʿī, places this moment within the movement of the entire sūrah.

All of the Qurʾān is Allah’s speech, but some passages teach His creatures what they should say. The opening verses present Allah’s praise of Himself. Then, at

﴿إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ﴾

“You alone we worship,”

the words are placed upon the servant’s tongue.^⁠[96]

This explains why the verse feels both revealed and personal. The servant does not invent the proper way to address Allah. Allah teaches him how to praise, worship, seek help, and ask for guidance. The prayer is the servant’s speech, but its words and order are a divine gift.

Worship must involve the whole person §

Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 751 AH / 1350 CE) expands the declaration beyond the movement of the tongue. He explains that

﴿إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ﴾

“You alone we worship,”

rests upon four foundations:

1. The speech of the tongue, such as recitation, remembrance, and truthful words.
2. The speech of the heart, meaning what the heart recognizes, believes, and affirms.
3. The actions of the heart, such as love, sincerity, fear, hope, and reliance.
4. The actions of the body, including prayer, charity, service, and obedience.^⁠[97]

Worship is incomplete when these parts are separated. The tongue may speak while the heart is absent. The heart may claim love while the body refuses obedience. The body may perform an act while the intention seeks praise from people.

The verse gathers all four. “We worship” includes what the servant believes, intends, says, and does.

Ibn al-Qayyim treats seeking help in the same inward way. Reliance involves more than saying that Allah will help. It is:

حَالٌ لِلْقَلْبِ يَنْشَأُ عَنْ مَعْرِفَتِهِ بِاللَّهِ

“A condition of the heart that arises from its knowledge of Allah.”^⁠[98]

The more clearly the servant knows Allah’s power, wisdom, mercy, and control, the less his heart depends upon created means as though they acted independently. He still uses those means, but his inward reliance rests upon Allah.

The two clauses gather the religion §

Ibn Kathīr (d. 774 AH / 1373 CE) joins love to submission. Worship, in its religious sense, gathers the perfection of:

• love;
• submission; and
• fear.^⁠[99]

Submission without love may resemble forced obedience. Love without submission may remain an emotion that never governs conduct. Proper worship joins both, while fear prevents the servant from treating Allah’s commands carelessly.

Ibn Kathīr then states:

وَالدِّينُ يَرْجِعُ كُلُّهُ إِلَى هَذَيْنِ الْمَعْنَيَيْنِ

“The whole religion returns to these two meanings.”^⁠[100]

Those two meanings are worship and reliance. The servant gives his obedience to Allah and depends upon Allah to make that obedience possible. Every religious duty belongs under the first meaning, while every need for strength, guidance, sincerity, and perseverance belongs under the second.

The preceding verses prepare the servant to speak §

Al-Biqāʿī (d. 885 AH / 1480 CE) explains why the direct address begins at this precise point. The opening verses have already gathered four forces within the heart:

1. Allah’s worthiness to be praised;
2. love awakened by His care and mercy;
3. hope encouraged by His mercy; and
4. awe awakened by His rule over the Day of Recompense.^{⁠[101]⁠[102]}

Once these meanings have gathered, the servant is ready to turn directly toward Allah.

The praises that came before are therefore not a decorative introduction. They are the means by which the heart is prepared to ask. The servant first learns whom he is addressing. Only then does he say:

﴿إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ٥﴾

“You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.” (1:5)

Al-Biqāʿī summarizes the movement of the opening in four stages: it begins with Allah Himself, points to Him through His acts, rises to His attributes, and then returns to direct address of Him.^{⁠[103]⁠[104]}

The definitions explain what worship requires of the whole person. The account of the preceding praise explains how the sūrah prepares him to make that declaration. The grammar now shows how the declaration is formed.

3. Iʿrāb: Grammatical Structure§

Iʿrāb explains the grammatical role of each word and how the words form a complete sentence. The central feature of this verse is that إِيَّاكَ, “You alone,” appears before each verb.

The more ordinary order would be:

نَعْبُدُكَ وَنَسْتَعِينُكَ

“We worship You and ask You for help.”

Instead, the verse says:

﴿إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ٥﴾

“You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.” (1:5)

The words and their work §

The initial ن, nūn, in each verb expresses “we.” The second declaration is joined to the first, while each has its own verb and fronted object.^{⁠[105]⁠[106]}

Why use a detached pronoun? §

In نَعْبُدُكَ, “we worship You,” the final كَ, “You,” attaches to the verb. When the object comes first, that attached form cannot stand alone. Arabic uses إِيَّاكَ instead: a ضَمِيرٌ مُنْفَصِلٌ (ḍamīr munfaṣil), or detached pronoun.

Ibn ʿUthaymīn explains that the detached form follows from placing the object before the verb, and that this order conveys restriction.^⁠[107] Thus إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ directs worship to Allah alone. The same construction gives إِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ its own explicit object, so that seeking help receives the same separate emphasis.

The grammar identifies which verb governs each pronoun. The balāghah discussion below examines what their position and repetition contribute to the meaning.

What exactly are إِيَّا and the final كَ? §

The grammarians agreed about the role of the complete expression إِيَّاكَ in this verse. It functions as the fronted direct object. They offered different explanations of how the expression is constructed internally.

Ibn ʿĀshūr first states his preferred explanation:

وَالْأَظْهَرُ أَنَّ كَلِمَةَ إِيَّا جُعِلَتْ لِيَعْتَمِدَ عَلَيْهَا الضَّمِيرُ عِنْدَ انْفِصَالِهِ

“The more evident position is that the word إِيَّا was provided as a support upon which the pronoun rests when it stands detached.”^⁠[108]

On this explanation, إِيَّا provides the support that allows the pronoun to stand separately. The final كَ is the pronoun meaning “You.”

Ibn ʿĀshūr supports this conclusion by noting that إِيَّا regularly takes different pronoun endings:

• إِيَّايَ تَعْنِي, “You mean me.”
• إِيَّاكَ أَعْنِي, “I mean you.”
• إِيَّاهُمْ أَرْجُو, “I place my hope in them.”

The ending identifies the person intended, while إِيَّا allows that pronoun to appear independently before its verb.

After stating his preference, Ibn ʿĀshūr reports four other grammatical analyses. He does not name the holder of any of them.

These four positions are reported anonymously. They should not be assigned to particular grammarians through Ibn ʿĀshūr’s presentation.^⁠[109]

Al-Ṭabarī’s explanation §

Al-Ṭabarī likewise treats the كَ of إِيَّاكَ as the object pronoun that ordinarily attaches to the verb. It follows the verb in نَعْبُدُكَ, “we worship You.” When brought before it, إِيَّا gives that pronoun a form able to stand separately: إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ.^⁠[110]

He also examines an analogy with بَيْنَ, “between.” That word requires more than one side for its meaning to be complete. By contrast, إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ already forms a complete sentence. The repeated إِيَّاكَ is therefore not needed to supply a missing side of the first expression. It belongs to a new verb and gives the second declaration its own explicit object.^⁠[111]

How the clauses relate §

The first clause, إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ, “You alone we worship,” is a جُمْلَةٌ اسْتِئْنَافِيَّةٌ (jumlah istiʾnāfiyyah): it begins an independent declaration after the preceding praise.^{⁠[112]⁠[113]} The second, وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ, “and You alone we ask for help,” is a جُمْلَةٌ مَعْطُوفَةٌ (jumlah maʿṭūfah), joined to the first by وَ, “and.”^⁠[114]

The internal analyses of إِيَّا concern how the pronoun is formed. Its work in the verse is clear: each complete إِيَّاكَ is the object of the verb that follows. Allah is named first in each declaration, followed by what the servants direct to Him. And Allah knows best.

4. Ṣarf: Roots and Word Formation §

The two verbs share an initial ن, nūn, expressing “we,” but come from different roots. نَعْبُدُ comes from ع ب د, associated with worship and submission. نَسْتَعِينُ comes from ع و ن, associated with help and assistance.

نَعْبُدُ: worship and submission §

The family is عَبَدَ, “he worshipped”; يَعْبُدُ, “he worships”; and عِبَادَةً, ʿibādah, the مصدر (maṣdar) naming the action of worship. Lisān al-ʿArab records:

وَعَبَدَ اللَّهَ يَعْبُدُهُ عِبَادَةً وَمَعْبَدًا وَمَعْبَدَةً: تَأَلَّهَ لَهُ

“He worshipped Allah, worshipping Him with worship: he devoted worship to Him.”^⁠[115]

The change from يَعْبُدُ to نَعْبُدُ changes “he worships” to “we worship.” The underlying meaning of submission remains. Al-Zajjāj, quoted in Lisān al-ʿArab, explains the verse:

أَيْ نُطِيعُ الطَّاعَةَ الَّتِي يُخْضَعُ مَعَهَا

“That is, we obey with an obedience accompanied by submission.”

He then states the linguistic principle:

وَمَعْنَى الْعِبَادَةِ فِي اللُّغَةِ الطَّاعَةُ مَعَ الْخُضُوعِ

“Worship in the language means obedience together with submission.”^⁠[116]

The familiar example

طَرِيقٌ مُعَبَّدٌ

“a road made level,”

makes that sense concrete. Repeated treading has pressed the road down and made it easy to travel. Al-Ṭabarī and Ibn Kathīr also use

بَعِيرٌ مُعَبَّدٌ

“a camel made submissive.”

These examples establish the root’s sense of lowering and submission.^{⁠[117]⁠[118]}

Worship of Allah joins willing submission to love, reverence, and obedience. The root sense,

التَّذَلُّلُ وَالْخُضُوعُ

“humbling oneself and submitting,”

thus helps explain the word without exhausting its religious meaning. That fuller meaning includes every inward and outward word and deed Allah loves and approves.^⁠[119]

نَسْتَعِينُ: seeking aid §

The root ع و ن gives عَوْنٌ, “help” or “aid.” The verb اِسْتَعَانَ means “he sought help,” and يَسْتَعِينُ means “he seeks help.” With the initial ن, it becomes نَسْتَعِينُ, “we seek help.” Ibn ʿUthaymīn defines the act directly:

الِاسْتِعَانَةُ طَلَبُ الْعَوْنِ

“Seeking help means asking for aid.”^⁠[120]

The request recognizes a need and turns to the One whose aid is sought. In the verse, its object is Allah.

Why does the root’s و become a long ī sound? §

The middle letter of ع و ن is و, wāw. In نَسْتَعِينُ, it no longer appears as an unchanged written wāw: the word has a long ī sound. Arabic grammar calls this إِعْلَالٌ (iʿlāl), an alteration involving a weak letter. The letters و and ي are called weak letters because they can change or disappear as a root takes different word forms.

Lisān al-ʿArab gives the family:

وَتَقُولُ: أَعَنْتُهُ إِعَانَةً وَاسْتَعَنْتُهُ وَاسْتَعَنْتُ بِهِ فَأَعَانَنِي

“You say: I aided him; I sought his aid; I sought help through him; and he aided me.”^⁠[121]

It expressly states

وَإِنَّمَا أُعِلَّ اسْتَعَانَ

“The verb اِسْتَعَانَ underwent weak-letter alteration.”⁠^⁠[122]

The simple three-letter verb that would underlie this family is not ordinarily used. The derived forms nevertheless belong to the root ع و ن and follow its pattern of weak-letter change.

Ṣarf explains the formation of these two actions: worshipping and seeking help. Their sincerity, exclusivity, and relationship to one another depend on the verse’s context and construction. That construction is the subject of balāghah.

5. Balāghah: Rhetorical Analysis §

Placing إِيَّاكَ before the verb §

The first device is تَقْدِيمُ الْمَفْعُولِ (taqdīm al-mafʿūl), placing the object before its verb. The second is التَّكْرِيرُ (al-takrīr), repetition of that object. Comparing three constructions makes their separate work visible:

Al-Sāmarrāʾī uses the ordinary order to show what the Qurʾānic construction adds. Stating that one worships Allah is not, by itself, the same as denying worship to everything else. Here the fronted wording supplies that exclusion.^⁠[123]

Restriction §

الْحَصْرُ (al-ḥaṣr), restriction, and الِاخْتِصَاصُ (al-ikhtiṣāṣ), exclusive specification, describe the effect. Al-Lāḥim defines restriction as:

إِثْبَاتُ الْحُكْمِ لِلْمَذْكُورِ وَنَفْيُهُ عَمَّا عَدَاهُ

“Affirming the ruling for what is mentioned and denying it of everything else.”^{⁠[124]⁠[125]}

Applied here, worship belongs to Allah and is denied to every rival; ultimate dependence belongs to Him and is denied to everything else. Ibn al-Qayyim gives the force of the construction:

لَا نَعْبُدُ إِلَّا إِيَّاكَ وَلَا نَسْتَعِينُ إِلَّا بِكَ

“We worship none but You, and we seek help from none but You.”^⁠[126]

The earlier grammatical discussion established the qualification: fronting can serve other purposes in other Arabic sentences. The context, repetition, and parallel clauses make the restrictive meaning clear in this verse.

Attention and reverence §

Placing إِيَّاكَ first also directs attention to Allah before mentioning the servant’s action. Al-Lāḥim describes this as

لِلِاهْتِمَامِ

“for emphasis and special attention.”⁠^⁠[127]

A worshipper can become absorbed in the quantity of his worship, his discipline, or his comparison with others. The verse gives the One worshipped priority in the words themselves.

A further reason concerns reverence:

لِئَلَّا يَتَقَدَّمَ ذِكْرُ الْعَبْدِ وَالْعِبَادَةِ عَلَى الْمَعْبُودِ

“So that mention of the servant and the worship does not precede the One worshipped.”^⁠[128]

This is أَدَبٌ (adab) in address. Allah is mentioned before the worshipper, his act, and his need. The sentence’s order expresses the humility of its meaning.

Why is إِيَّاكَ repeated? §

Fronting gives each object prominence; repetition ensures that each act has its own object. Al-Sāmarrāʾī explains that the second إِيَّاكَ expressly restricts the seeking of help.^⁠[129] Al-Ālūsī, quoted by him, points out the opening left by إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَنَسْتَعِينُ. Without the second pronoun, the final verb could be heard as a general statement about asking for help without specifying from whom it is sought.

Repeating the pronoun removes that opening. Worship has its own declaration, إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ, and seeking help has its own, إِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ. Neither relies upon a loosely understood attachment to the other.

Ibn al-Qayyim’s illustration §

Ibn al-Qayyim compares two ways of addressing a king:

إِيَّاكَ أُحِبُّ وَأَخَافُ

“You I love and fear.”

And:

إِيَّاكَ أُحِبُّ وَإِيَّاكَ أَخَافُ

“You alone I love, and You alone I fear.”^⁠[130]

In the second form, each feeling is separately directed to the person addressed. The same repetition gives each declaration in the verse its own force. Al-Ṭabarī calls the repetition أَفْصَحُ, “more eloquent,” while acknowledging that omission would be grammatically possible.^⁠[131]

Why Verse 6 uses another order §

The next verse says:

﴿ٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٰطَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ٦﴾

“Guide us to the straight path.” (1:6)

It does not place “us” first as verse 5 places “You” first. That difference serves the request. To put “us” first with the same restrictive force would ask for guidance for us and no one else. Al-Sāmarrāʾī uses the example

إيانا اهدنا

to explain why that meaning is improper.^⁠[132]

In verse 5, excluding others from worship and ultimate reliance is precisely the point: these belong to Allah alone. In verse 6, excluding other people from guidance would distort the prayer. The order changes because the meaning required has changed.

Turning from description to direct address §

The third principal device is:

الِالْتِفَاتُ (al-iltifāt)

A deliberate shift from one form of address to another.

The opening verses speak about Allah:

• ﴿ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ﴾

  • “All praise belongs to Allah.”

• ﴿رَبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ﴾

  • “Lord of all worlds.”

• ﴿ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ﴾

  • “The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.”

• ﴿مَٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ﴾

  • “Owner of the Day of Judgment.”

Verse 5 suddenly speaks to Him:

﴿إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ٥﴾

“You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.” (1:5)

Instead of continuing in the third person, “He,” the speaker turns to the second person, “You.” The change awakens the listener and prevents the speech from proceeding in one unchanging pattern.^⁠[133]

Why does the verse turn to direct address here? §

Two explanations consider the turn from praise to direct address.

Ibn Kathīr explains the first purpose:

لِأَنَّهُ لَمَّا أَثْنَى عَلَى اللَّهِ فَكَأَنَّهُ اقْتَرَبَ وَحَضَرَ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى

“After praising Allah, it is as though he has drawn near and presented himself before Allah Most High.”^{⁠[134]⁠[135]}

Al-Zamakhsharī explains the second purpose.^⁠[136] The preceding descriptions teach the servant who Allah is, while praise prepares the servant to stand before Him. Recognition leads to nearness, and nearness leads to direct address.

Al-Maydānī connects the two explanations:

فَالثَّنَاءُ يَحْسُنُ فِيهِ الْإِعْلَانُ الْعَامُّ، وَهَذَا يُلَائِمُهُ أُسْلُوبُ الْحَدِيثِ عَنِ الْغَائِبِ، وَالْعِبَادَةُ وَالدُّعَاءُ يَحْسُنُ فِيهِمَا مُوَاجَهَةُ الْمَعْبُودِ الْمَدْعُوِّ بِالْخِطَابِ

“Praise is fittingly proclaimed openly, and speaking about someone in the third person suits that purpose. Worship and supplication, however, are fittingly expressed by directly addressing the One who is worshipped and called upon.”^⁠[137]

The language moves from speaking about Allah’s attributes to worshipping Him and asking Him directly. Praise prepares for the petition. And Allah knows best.

Is this kind of shift normal Arabic? §

Al-Ṭabarī establishes that movement between third-person speech and direct address is an accepted feature of eloquent Arabic. He cites several examples and treats the Qurʾān itself as the strongest proof.

In 10:22, the discourse moves from addressing people directly to speaking about them:

﴿حَتَّىٰ إِذَا كُنتُمْ فِي ٱلْفُلْكِ وَجَرَيْنَ بِهِم بِرِيحٍ طَيِّبَةٍ﴾

“Until, when you are aboard the ships and they sail with them in a pleasant wind.” (10:22)

The passage begins with “you” and then turns to “them.” Al-Ṭabarī calls this Qurʾānic evidence

“the truest word and the firmest proof.”⁠^⁠[138]

Ibn ʿĀshūr describes al-iltifāt as

“a fine art among the forms of eloquent Arabic composition.”

He records two definitions:

The difference appears in unusual cases such as التَّجْرِيدُ (al-tajrīd), speaking to oneself as though addressing another person. That case counts as al-iltifāt under al-Sakkākī’s definition but not under the majority definition.^{⁠[139]⁠[140]}

The difference does not affect this verse. The movement from speaking about Allah to addressing Him directly qualifies under both definitions.

Ibn Jinnī calls this freedom to move between forms of speech

شَجَاعَةَ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ

(shajāʿat al-ʿArabiyyah)

“the boldness of Arabic.”

The eloquent speaker is not confined to one rigid pattern. He may turn from one form to another when the meaning calls for it.^{⁠[141]⁠[142]}

Al-Ṭabarī also quotes a poetic witness that he attributes to Labīd b. Rabīʿah:

بَاتَتْ تَشَكَّى إِلَيَّ النَّفْسُ مُجْهِشَةً

وَقَدْ حَمَلْتُكِ سَبْعًا بَعْدَ سَبْعِينَا

“My soul spent the night complaining to me, choked with tears, though I have borne you for seven years beyond seventy.”

The first half speaks about the soul: “the soul complained to me.” The second half addresses that same soul directly: “I have borne you.” Al-Ṭabarī cites this movement as another example of al-iltifāt.

The line illustrates the Arabic construction, but its attribution to Labīd is not secure. In his apparatus note, ʿAbd Allāh al-Turkī reports Ibn Sallām’s judgment:

وَلَا اخْتِلَافَ فِي أَنَّ هَذَا مَصْنُوعٌ

“There is no disagreement that this was fabricated.”^⁠[143]

The line may illustrate the device, but it should not be confidently presented as Labīd’s poetry. The attribution problem does not affect the argument. Al-Ṭabarī’s Qurʾānic example establishes the accepted Arabic usage.

Leaving the purpose of help unstated §

The fourth principal device is:

الإِطْلَاقُ (al-iṭlāq)

Leaving an expression unrestricted rather than confining it to one particular case.

The verse says:

﴿وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ﴾

“And You alone we ask for help.”

It does not say, “We ask You for help with worship,” “with hardship,” or “with the affairs of this world.” The purpose for which help is sought is left unstated.

Al-Sāmarrāʾī explains that the unrestricted wording embraces everything for which help may be sought, whether it concerns this world or the Hereafter.

He also relates al-Ālūsī’s observation. If the words referred only to help with worship, al-Fātiḥah would leave the servant’s need for Allah’s help in all other matters unstated.^⁠[144]

The verse therefore includes help in:

• worship and obedience;
• resisting sin;
• enduring hardship;
• making sound decisions;
• earning a lawful living;
• caring for others; and
• reaching the good of the Hereafter.

Its breadth does not mean that every desired outcome is promised. It also does not remove the duty to use lawful means. It means that no effort succeeds independently of Allah, and no area of life lies outside the servant’s need for Him.

The servant’s need reaches every part of life. The verse gives that need a direct and unrestricted expression, while reserving ultimate dependence for Allah.

6. Qirāʾāt §

The ten canonical readers have no variant specific to this verse. Ibn al-Jazarī records the differences of al-Fātiḥah in al-Nashr, but lists no variant for 1:5.^⁠[145]

The familiar wording is therefore shared among the ten:

﴿إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ٥﴾

“You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.” (1:5)

Several forms are reported beyond the ten. They must be separated from the canonical qirāʾah and from linguistic forms that no one is reported to have recited.

The reported forms at a glance §

These forms do not stand at the same level as the qirāʾah transmitted by the ten. Ibn Jinnī’s al-Muḥtasab expressly examines qirāʾāt outside the canonical body. Al-Bannāʾ likewise states that the four reciters beyond the ten form

قِسْمٌ اتُّفِقَ عَلَى شُذُوذِهِ

“a class whose irregular status is agreed upon.”⁠^{⁠[150]⁠[151]}

وَأَيَّاكَ: changing the opening vowel §

Al-Faḍl al-Raqāshī is reported to have read the second occurrence as:

وَأَيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

“And You alone we ask for help.”

The change is in the opening vowel of إِيَّاكَ. The canonical form begins with an i sound, while this form begins with an a sound.

Ibn Jinnī explains:

فَأَمَّا فَتْحُ الْهَمْزَةِ فَلُغَةٌ فِيهَا

“As for pronouncing the hamzah with an a sound, it is an Arabic dialect used in this word.”^⁠[152]

The form is therefore linguistically recognized, but linguistic validity by itself does not make a qirāʾah canonical. It remains a reported qirāʾah beyond the ten.

إِيَاكَ: lightening the doubled letter §

ʿAmr b. Fāyid is reported to have pronounced both occurrences of إِيَّاكَ with a light yāʾ instead of the doubled yāʾ found in the canonical qirāʾah.

Ibn Jinnī suggests why a reader might have lightened it:

كَرِهَ اجْتِمَاعَ التَّضْعِيفِ مَعَ ثِقَلِ الْيَاءَيْنِ وَالْهَمْزَةِ وَالْكَسْرَةِ

“He found the combination of doubling, two yāʾs, the hamzah, and the i vowel too heavy.”^⁠[153]

This explains the possible motive for the pronunciation. It does not establish it as an accepted Arabic dialect. Ibn Jinnī states:

لَمْ نَرَ لِذَلِكَ أَثَرًا فِي اللُّغَةِ وَلَا رَسْمًا، وَلَا مَرَّ بِنَا فِي نَثْرٍ وَلَا نَظْمٍ

“We have found no trace of this in the language or its written usage, nor have we encountered it in prose or poetry.”^⁠[154]

His judgment is precise. He does not deny that the qirāʾah was attributed to ʿAmr b. Fāyid. He denies that the lightened pronunciation can be defended as an established feature of Arabic on the available linguistic evidence.

Ibn Jinnī then examines the form that would result if إِيَا were treated as an independently derived word. He compares its pattern with words such as رِضًا, “contentment,” حِجًا, “intelligence,” and حِمًى, “a protected enclosure.” He also mentions إِيَاةُ الشَّمْسِ and أَيَاءُ الشَّمْسِ, both meaning “the radiance of the sun.”^⁠[155]

That analysis explains a possible word formation. It does not turn the qirāʾah into one of the ten.

يُعْبَدُ: changing “we worship” to “is worshipped” §

Al-Bannāʾ records from al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī:

إِيَّاكَ يُعْبَدُ

“You are worshipped.”

The canonical wording نَعْبُدُ means “we worship.” The reported form يُعْبَدُ is مبني للمفعول (mabnī li-l-mafʿūl), a passive form meaning “is worshipped.”

Al-Bannāʾ explains the construction:

اسْتَعَارَ ضَمِيرَ النَّصْبِ لِلرَّفْعِ وَالْتَفَتَ، إِذِ الْأَصْلُ أَنْتَ تُعْبَدُ

“He used the object pronoun in place of the subject pronoun and shifted the form of address, since the underlying expression would be: ‘You are worshipped.’”^⁠[156]

The qirāʾah preserves the declaration that worship belongs to Allah, but expresses it through an unusual passive construction. Al-Ḥasan is one of the reciters beyond the ten, whom al-Bannāʾ classifies as irregular.

نِسْتَعِينُ: changing the opening vowel §

Al-Bannāʾ records from al-Aʿmash, through al-Muṭawwiʿī:

وَإِيَّاكَ نِسْتَعِينُ

“And You alone we ask for help.”

The difference concerns the first vowel of the verb:

• نَسْتَعِينُ (nastaʿīnu) begins with an a sound.
• نِسْتَعِينُ (nistaʿīnu) begins with an i sound.

Al-Bannāʾ describes the latter pronunciation:

لُغَةٌ مُطَّرِدَةٌ فِي حَرْفِ الْمُضَارَعَةِ بِشَرْطِهِ

“A regular Arabic dialect affecting the imperfect prefix under its recognized conditions.”^⁠[157]

The pronunciation is therefore linguistically explainable. Its classification nevertheless remains irregular because it is transmitted from al-Aʿmash, one of the four reciters beyond the ten, rather than as a qirāʾah of the ten.

Forms That Are Not Reported Qirāʾāt §

Two kinds of material must not be added to the table of transmitted qirāʾāt.

1. هِيَّاكَ and هَيَّاكَ §

Ibn Jinnī lists four Arabic forms of the word:

• إِيَّاكَ
• أَيَّاكَ
• هِيَّاكَ
• هَيَّاكَ

He explains:

وَالْهَاءُ بَدَلٌ مِنَ الْهَمْزَةِ

“The hāʾ stands in place of the hamzah.”⁠^⁠[158]

The last two are linguistic forms used to illustrate the substitution of one letter for another. No reciter is named as having recited the Qurʾānic verse with هِيَّاكَ or هَيَّاكَ. They are therefore forms of the Arabic word, not transmitted Qurʾānic qirāʾāt.

2. Al-Zajjāj’s explanation of إِيَّا §

Al-Zajjāj interpreted إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ as:

حَقِيقَتَكَ نَعْبُدُ

“Your very reality we worship.”

He connected إِيَّا with الْآيَةُ, “a sign.” This is an explanation of the word’s possible derivation, not a different way of reciting the verse.

Ibn Jinnī rejects that derivation according to the majority position:

عَلَى قَوْلِ الْكَافَّةِ فَاشْتِقَاقُهُ فَاسِدٌ، لِأَنَّ الْأَسْمَاءَ الْمُضْمَرَةَ لَا اشْتِقَاقَ فِي شَيْءٍ مِنْهَا

“According to the position of the generality, this derivation is unsound, because pronouns are not derived in this manner.”^⁠[159]

The discussion concerns the origin and analysis of the pronoun. It does not concern a variant recitation.

Conclusion §

1. The ten canonical readers have no variant specific to Verse 5.

2. Four forms are reported beyond the ten, each with its exact reader and source.

3. A form may be valid Arabic without becoming a canonical Qurʾānic qirāʾah.

4. A linguistic form or proposed derivation must not be presented as a qirāʾah unless an authorized work names someone who recited it.

5. The familiar wording remains the qirāʾah transmitted by the ten:

   ﴿إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ﴾

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

Ibn Jinnī closes his discussion with a principle that explains this care:

وَيَنْبَغِي لِلْقُرْآنِ أَنْ يُخْتَارَ لَهُ، وَلَا يُخْتَارَ عَلَيْهِ

“What is strongest in the language should be chosen in service of the Qurʾān. Nothing should be preferred over the Qurʾān itself.”^⁠[160]

Notes §

1. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb fī Tafsīr al-Istiʿādhah wa-l-Basmalah wa-Fātiḥat al-Kitāb, p. 248, on the Lord’s portion and the servant’s portion; Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ, no. 395, the hadith qudsi he cites. ↩︎

2. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 263–266. Ibn al-Qayyim’s account is quoted at pp. 263–265; the Qurʾānic pairing of worship and reliance follows at pp. 265–266. ↩︎

3. Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm, 1/134. ↩︎

4. Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm, 1/134. ↩︎

5. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 252–254, citing Ibn Taymiyyah, Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā, 10/149, for the comprehensive definition of worship. ↩︎

6. Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm, 1/134. ↩︎

7. Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān, 1/159–160. The athar from Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما is conveyed through Abū Rawq and al-Ḍaḥḥāk; the explanation of worship through humility and submission is al-Ṭabarī’s own. ↩︎

8. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 256. ↩︎

9. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 256–257. ↩︎

10. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 257–258, on 2:112. ↩︎

11. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 261–262. ↩︎

12. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 263–266. Ibn al-Qayyim’s account is quoted at pp. 263–265; the Qurʾānic pairing of worship and reliance follows at pp. 265–266. ↩︎

13. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb fī Tafsīr al-Istiʿādhah wa-l-Basmalah wa-Fātiḥat al-Kitāb, p. 248, on the Lord’s portion and the servant’s portion; Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ, no. 395, the hadith qudsi he cites. ↩︎

14. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 263–266. Ibn al-Qayyim’s account is quoted at pp. 263–265; the Qurʾānic pairing of worship and reliance follows at pp. 265–266. ↩︎

15. Al-Sāmarrāʾī, Maʿānī al-Naḥw, 2/89, quoting al-Suyūṭī, Hamʿ al-Hawāmiʿ, 1/166, for the majority position and the assessments of Ibn al-Ḥājib and Abū Ḥayyān. Al-Sāmarrāʾī’s own qualification is that fronting predominantly conveys restriction but can serve other purposes. ↩︎

16. Al-Maydānī, al-Balāghah al-ʿArabiyyah, 1/537. He classifies the construction as قصر الصفة على الموصوف، وهو قصر حقيقي, “restriction of the attribute to the one described, and a real restriction.” ↩︎

17. Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm, 1/136. He treats the honor of servanthood, its relation to messengership, and the question of worship for reward as separate matters. His illustration of honor includes an anonymous line:

    لا تدعني إلا بيا عبدها … فإنه أشرف أسمائي

    “Call me by nothing but ‘O her servant,’ for it is the noblest of my names.” The line illustrates how belonging to someone beloved can make a title honorable. ↩︎

18. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 258–260; al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ, no. 3445, from ʿUmar رضي الله عنه, cited in al-Lāḥim’s note at p. 259. ↩︎

19. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 254–255. ↩︎

20. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 255–256. ↩︎

21. Al-Lāḥim introduces the saying with ولهذا يقال, “and so it is said,” without naming its author: al-Lubāb, p. 256. It is a circulated saying, not a hadith. ↩︎

22. Ibn Taymiyyah, al-Jawāb al-Ṣaḥīḥ li-man baddala dīn al-Masīḥ, 2/407, answering the claim, put at 2/406, that the Prophet ﷺ confirmed the books as his opponents hold them: وقد تبين أن محمدا ﷺ لم يصدق شيئا من دينهم المبدل والمنسوخ، ولكن صدق الأنبياء قبله وما جاءوا به "it has been made clear that Muḥammad ﷺ did not confirm anything of their altered and abrogated religion, but confirmed the prophets before him and what they brought"; and he adds وأثنى على من اتبعهم لا على من خالفهم أو كذب نبيا من الأنبياء "and he praised those who followed them, not those who opposed them or denied a prophet." Ibn al-Qayyim states the same distinction at Hidāyat al-Ḥayārā, p. 242: والتوراة التي أنزلها الله على موسى بريئة من ذلك "and the Torah that Allah sent down upon Mūsā is free of that." al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān, 8/486, glosses the confirming at 5:48 the same way: أنزلناه بتصديق ما قبله من كتب الله التي أنزلها إلى أنبيائه "We sent it down confirming what preceded it of the books of Allah which He sent down to His prophets." On the same verse Ibn Kathīr, 3/128, glosses مهيمن "muhaymin": فهو أمين وشاهد وحاكم على كل كتاب قبله "it is trustee and witness and judge over every book before it." ↩︎

23. Ibn ʿĀshūr, al-Taḥrīr wa-l-Tanwīr, 6/221, at 5:48: فهو مؤيد لبعض ما في الشرائع مقرر له "it is a supporter of some of what is in the earlier laws and an affirmer of it", of every ruling whose benefit did not vary with the variation of nations and ages, وهو بهذا الوصف مصدق، أي محقق ومقرر "and in this respect it is muṣaddiq, that is, verifying and affirming"; and, in the same sentence, وهو أيضا مبطل لبعض ما في الشرائع السالفة وناسخ لأحكام كثيرة "and it is also an invalidator of some of what is in the earlier laws, and an abrogator of many rulings", of everything whose benefits were partial and temporary. He treats the two senses of مصدق "muṣaddiq" at 7/370 to 371 as well, and neither of them is a certification of the wording as it now stands. ↩︎

24. Safi Kaskas, The Qur’an with References to the Bible, al-Fātiḥah, note 6, quoting Luke 4:8. Kaskas attaches the reference to 1:2, “Lord of the worlds”; its command to worship and serve God alone is the point compared here. The Biblical wording is quoted from his book. ↩︎

25. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 261–262. ↩︎

26. Ibn ʿUthaymīn, Tafsīr al-Fātiḥah wa-l-Baqarah, 1/14. ↩︎

27. Ibn ʿUthaymīn, Tafsīr al-Fātiḥah wa-l-Baqarah, 1/15. ↩︎

28. Ibn ʿUthaymīn, Tafsīr al-Fātiḥah wa-l-Baqarah, 1/15. ↩︎

29. See note 17. ↩︎

30. Ibn ʿĀshūr, al-Taḥrīr wa-l-Tanwīr, 1/180. The four grammatical positions following his own preferred analysis are anonymous. The three-level ranking of worship quoted on this page is al-Rāzī’s. ↩︎

31. See note 17. ↩︎

32. Ibn ʿĀshūr, al-Taḥrīr wa-l-Tanwīr, 1/180. The four grammatical positions following his own preferred analysis are anonymous. The three-level ranking of worship quoted on this page is al-Rāzī’s. ↩︎

33. Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm, 1/136, for the Bedouin’s words and the answer حولها ندندن, “Our supplications revolve around that.” Sāmī al-Salāmah’s editorial note cites Aḥmad, al-Musnad, 3/474; Abū Dāwūd, al-Sunan, no. 792; and Ibn Ḥibbān, Ṣaḥīḥ, no. 514, through al-Aʿmash, Abū Ṣāliḥ, and Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه. The takhrīj is the editor’s, not Ibn Kathīr’s. ↩︎

34. See note 17. ↩︎

35. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 321–322, benefits 30 and 32. The verse is quoted anonymously. For the supplication he cites Aḥmad, al-Musnad, 5/42, from Abū Bakrah رضي الله عنه. His body text adds “nor to any of Your creation,” but his own note states that this phrase is absent from the cited hadith. The supplication printed here uses only the wording his citation supports; no grading is supplied in that note. ↩︎

36. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 321–322, benefits 30 and 32. The verse is quoted anonymously. For the supplication he cites Aḥmad, al-Musnad, 5/42, from Abū Bakrah رضي الله عنه. His body text adds “nor to any of Your creation,” but his own note states that this phrase is absent from the cited hadith. The supplication printed here uses only the wording his citation supports; no grading is supplied in that note. ↩︎

37. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 321–322, benefits 30 and 32. The verse is quoted anonymously. For the supplication he cites Aḥmad, al-Musnad, 5/42, from Abū Bakrah رضي الله عنه. His body text adds “nor to any of Your creation,” but his own note states that this phrase is absent from the cited hadith. The supplication printed here uses only the wording his citation supports; no grading is supplied in that note. ↩︎

38. Ibn ʿUthaymīn, Tafsīr al-Fātiḥah wa-l-Baqarah, 1/13. ↩︎

39. Ibn al-Qayyim, Madārij al-Sālikīn, 1/106–107, quoted by al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 262. ↩︎

40. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 327–328, benefit 42. The opening praise is the ground for singling Allah out in worship, seeking help, and asking for guidance. ↩︎

41. Al-Sāmarrāʾī, Maʿānī al-Naḥw, 2/89, quoting al-Suyūṭī, Hamʿ al-Hawāmiʿ, 1/166, for the majority position and the assessments of Ibn al-Ḥājib and Abū Ḥayyān. Al-Sāmarrāʾī’s own qualification is that fronting predominantly conveys restriction but can serve other purposes. ↩︎

42. See note 16. ↩︎

43. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 249–250. ↩︎

44. Al-Sāmarrāʾī, Maʿānī al-Naḥw, 2/89, quoting al-Suyūṭī, Hamʿ al-Hawāmiʿ, 1/166, for the majority position and the assessments of Ibn al-Ḥājib and Abū Ḥayyān. Al-Sāmarrāʾī’s own qualification is that fronting predominantly conveys restriction but can serve other purposes. ↩︎

45. See note 16. ↩︎

46. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 249–250. ↩︎

47. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 249–250. ↩︎

48. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 249, note 7. The definition of restriction is the author’s own note. ↩︎

49. Al-Sāmarrāʾī, Lamasāt Bayāniyyah, pp. 41–43. His discussion includes the explanations quoted from al-Ālūsī concerning the repeated object and the unrestricted request for help. ↩︎

50. Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm, 1/135; the final explanation of the plural continues onto 1/136. ↩︎

51. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 263–266. Ibn al-Qayyim’s account is quoted at pp. 263–265; the Qurʾānic pairing of worship and reliance follows at pp. 265–266. ↩︎

52. Al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, 1/10, quoted by al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 266. ↩︎

53. Ibn al-Qayyim, Madārij al-Sālikīn, 1/100–102, quoted by al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 263–265. The reasons are grouped for explanation here; Ibn al-Qayyim’s passage is not a numbered list. ↩︎

54. Ibn al-Qayyim, Madārij al-Sālikīn, 1/100–102, quoted by al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 263–265. The reasons are grouped for explanation here; Ibn al-Qayyim’s passage is not a numbered list. ↩︎

55. Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān, 1/162–163. ↩︎

56. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 314, benefits 25–26, citing Abū Ḥayyān, al-Baḥr al-Muḥīṭ, 1/25. He distinguishes Allah’s encompassing knowledge, with 58:7, from His help and support of the godfearing, with 16:128. He also draws the general lesson that a purposeful change in the manner of speech can renew attention. ↩︎

57. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 314, benefits 25–26, citing Abū Ḥayyān, al-Baḥr al-Muḥīṭ, 1/25. He distinguishes Allah’s encompassing knowledge, with 58:7, from His help and support of the godfearing, with 16:128. He also draws the general lesson that a purposeful change in the manner of speech can renew attention. ↩︎

58. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 314–316, benefit 27. His Qurʾānic witnesses for special servanthood include 43:68–69; 39:17–18; 25:63; and 15:39–42. General servanthood is illustrated by 19:93; 25:17; 39:46; and 40:31, 48. The reference to 25:17 in his note for “the servants of the Merciful” is a citation error; that phrase is at 25:63. ↩︎

59. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 314–316, benefit 27. His Qurʾānic witnesses for special servanthood include 43:68–69; 39:17–18; 25:63; and 15:39–42. General servanthood is illustrated by 19:93; 25:17; 39:46; and 40:31, 48. The reference to 25:17 in his note for “the servants of the Merciful” is a citation error; that phrase is at 25:63. ↩︎

60. Ibn al-Qayyim, Madārij al-Sālikīn, 1/134–135, quoted by al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 316–317. The continuation on p. 317 completes the comparison between leaving permitted activities for worship and making those activities themselves acts of obedience through intention. ↩︎

61. Ibn al-Qayyim, Madārij al-Sālikīn, 1/134–135, quoted by al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 316–317. The continuation on p. 317 completes the comparison between leaving permitted activities for worship and making those activities themselves acts of obedience through intention. ↩︎

62. Ibn al-Qayyim, Madārij al-Sālikīn, 1/110–115, summarized by al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 317. The examples of jihād, receiving a guest, and supplication at ʿArafah develop the fourth explanation. ↩︎

63. Ibn al-Qayyim, Madārij al-Sālikīn, 1/110–115, summarized by al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 317. The examples of jihād, receiving a guest, and supplication at ʿArafah develop the fourth explanation. ↩︎

64. Ibn al-Qayyim, Madārij al-Sālikīn, 1/115–122, summarized by al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 318. This is a second classification, concerning worship’s wisdom and benefit. ↩︎

65. Ibn al-Qayyim, Madārij al-Sālikīn, 1/115–122, summarized by al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 318. This is a second classification, concerning worship’s wisdom and benefit. ↩︎

66. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 318–320, benefit 28, quoting Ibn Taymiyyah, Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā, 14/8, and referring to 14/10, 36. The individual prophetic calls are at 7:59, 65, 73, 85; 11:50, 61, 84; 23:23; and 29:16. He also cites 23:51–52, which joins righteous action, the unity of the messengers’ religion, and fear of their one Lord. The four conditions concern responses to the obligations, not a claim that complete accepted worship can dispense with Allah’s help. ↩︎

67. See note 66. ↩︎

68. See note 66. ↩︎

69. Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm, 1/135; the final explanation of the plural continues onto 1/136. ↩︎

70. Al-Sāmarrāʾī, Lamasāt Bayāniyyah, pp. 41–43. His discussion includes the explanations quoted from al-Ālūsī concerning the repeated object and the unrestricted request for help. ↩︎

71. Al-Ḥarrālī, quoted by al-Biqāʿī, Naẓm al-Durar, 1/34–37. The explanation beginning at 1/34 closes with انتهى, “ended,” at 1/37; the words belong to al-Ḥarrālī. ↩︎

72. Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm, 1/135; the final explanation of the plural continues onto 1/136. ↩︎

73. Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm, 1/135; the final explanation of the plural continues onto 1/136. ↩︎

74. See note 17. ↩︎

75. Wahbah al-Zuḥaylī, al-Tafsīr al-Munīr, 1/56. ↩︎

76. Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān, 1/161–162. The reported agreement concerning the two supplications is his own statement at 1/162. ↩︎

77. Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān, 1/161–162. The reported agreement concerning the two supplications is his own statement at 1/162. ↩︎

78. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 322–323, benefits 33–34. He also cites the early saying that affirming the two clauses frees a person from both compulsionism and Qadarism; his reference is al-Jaṣṣāṣ, Aḥkām al-Qurʾān, 1/23. ↩︎

79. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 322–323, benefits 33–34. He also cites the early saying that affirming the two clauses frees a person from both compulsionism and Qadarism; his reference is al-Jaṣṣāṣ, Aḥkām al-Qurʾān, 1/23. ↩︎

80. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 320–321, benefit 29. The hadith of ʿUthmān ibn Maẓʿūn is in al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ, nos. 1243 and 3929. The subsequent explanation and quoted judgment are Ibn al-Qayyim’s, from Madārij al-Sālikīn, 1/130–131, quoted there. His passage expressly ends taklīf in the abode of reward and punishment, while affirming the continuing glorification of Allah by the people of reward. ↩︎

81. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 320–321, benefit 29. The hadith of ʿUthmān ibn Maẓʿūn is in al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ, nos. 1243 and 3929. The subsequent explanation and quoted judgment are Ibn al-Qayyim’s, from Madārij al-Sālikīn, 1/130–131, quoted there. His passage expressly ends taklīf in the abode of reward and punishment, while affirming the continuing glorification of Allah by the people of reward. ↩︎

82. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 320–321, benefit 29. The hadith of ʿUthmān ibn Maẓʿūn is in al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ, nos. 1243 and 3929. The subsequent explanation and quoted judgment are Ibn al-Qayyim’s, from Madārij al-Sālikīn, 1/130–131, quoted there. His passage expressly ends taklīf in the abode of reward and punishment, while affirming the continuing glorification of Allah by the people of reward. ↩︎

83. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 320–321, benefit 29. The hadith of ʿUthmān ibn Maẓʿūn is in al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ, nos. 1243 and 3929. The subsequent explanation and quoted judgment are Ibn al-Qayyim’s, from Madārij al-Sālikīn, 1/130–131, quoted there. His passage expressly ends taklīf in the abode of reward and punishment, while affirming the continuing glorification of Allah by the people of reward. ↩︎

84. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 323–324, benefit 35; see al-Jaṣṣāṣ, Aḥkām al-Qurʾān, 1/23, cited there. Mūsā’s confession is 28:16; the p. 324 reference giving 28:24 for it is an error. His separate prayer of need is 28:24. Al-Lāḥim also quotes these anonymous lines about praise addressed to a benefactor:

    أأذكر حاجتي أم قد كفاني ... حياؤك إن شيمتك الحياء
    إذا أثنى عليك المرء يومًا ... كفاه من تعرضه الثناء

    “Shall I speak my need, or does your modesty suffice? / Modesty is your nature. / When someone praises you, / his praise suffices in place of asking.” The illustration concerns how praise may convey a request. ↩︎

85. See note 84. ↩︎

86. Ibn al-Qayyim, Madārij al-Sālikīn, 1/46–47, quoted by al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 324–326. ↩︎

87. Buraydah’s hadith: al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 325, with the oath and the wording translated here; he cites Abū Dāwūd 1493, al-Tirmidhī 3475, Ibn Mājah 3857, and Ibn Ḥibbān 888–889, among others. Abū Dāwūd 1493 has “the Name which, when He is asked by it, He gives, and when He is called by it, He answers”; no. 1494 explicitly has “His greatest Name.” Al-Tirmidhī grades the hadith ḥasan gharīb. Al-Albānī, Ṣaḥīḥ Sunan Abī Dāwūd, no. 1341, grades the isnad ṣaḥīḥ and records the assessments of Ibn Ḥibbān, al-Ḥākim, al-Dhahabī, and al-Tirmidhī. See the Basmala’s detailed discussion of the greatest Name, note 178. ↩︎

88. See note 87. ↩︎

89. Anas’s hadith: Abū Dāwūd, al-Sunan, no. 1495, for the supplication and answer quoted here; also Ibn Mājah 3858 and al-Tirmidhī 3544. Al-Tirmidhī calls the hadith gharīb through this isnad and mentions other asanid from Anas. Al-Albānī, Ṣaḥīḥ Sunan Abī Dāwūd, no. 1342, grades the hadith ṣaḥīḥ, considering its asanid together; this is not a grade of al-Tirmidhī’s isnad alone. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 325, conveys the hadith and reports al-Ḥākim’s, al-Dhahabī’s, and al-Albānī’s assessments. See the Basmala, note 179. ↩︎

90. See note 89. ↩︎

91. Ibn al-Qayyim, Madārij al-Sālikīn, 1/46–47, quoted by al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 324–326. ↩︎

92. Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān, 1/159–160. The athar from Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما is conveyed through Abū Rawq and al-Ḍaḥḥāk; the explanation of worship through humility and submission is al-Ṭabarī’s own. ↩︎

93. Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān, 1/166. ↩︎

94. Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān, 1/159–160. The athar from Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما is conveyed through Abū Rawq and al-Ḍaḥḥāk; the explanation of worship through humility and submission is al-Ṭabarī’s own. ↩︎

95. Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān, 1/166. ↩︎

96. Al-Ḥarrālī, quoted by al-Biqāʿī, Naẓm al-Durar, 1/34–37. The explanation beginning at 1/34 closes with انتهى, “ended,” at 1/37; the words belong to al-Ḥarrālī. ↩︎

97. Ibn al-Qayyim, Madārij al-Sālikīn, 1/126, quoted by al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 254, on the four foundations of worship. ↩︎

98. Ibn al-Qayyim, Madārij al-Sālikīn, 1/106–107, quoted by al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 262. The definition of reliance quoted here is in Ibn al-Qayyim, Madārij al-Sālikīn, ‘The divisions of people concerning worship and seeking help,’ 1/103 in the pagination reproduced by Islamweb. ↩︎

99. Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm, 1/134. ↩︎

100. Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm, 1/134. ↩︎

101. Al-Biqāʿī, Naẓm al-Durar, 1/32–33. ↩︎

102. Al-Biqāʿī, Naẓm al-Durar, 1/33. ↩︎

103. Al-Biqāʿī, Naẓm al-Durar, 1/32–33. ↩︎

104. Al-Biqāʿī, Naẓm al-Durar, 1/33. ↩︎

105. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 249. In his account, the analysis taking إِيَّا as the pronoun and كَ as a marker of address is assigned to al-Akhfash and adopted by al-Zamakhsharī. That named attribution comes from al-Lāḥim; Ibn ʿĀshūr’s four analyses in note 30 remain anonymous. ↩︎

106. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 261. ↩︎

107. Ibn ʿUthaymīn, Tafsīr al-Fātiḥah wa-l-Baqarah, 1/13. ↩︎

108. Ibn ʿĀshūr, al-Taḥrīr wa-l-Tanwīr, 1/180. The four grammatical positions following his own preferred analysis are anonymous. The three-level ranking of worship quoted on this page is al-Rāzī’s. ↩︎

109. Ibn ʿĀshūr, al-Taḥrīr wa-l-Tanwīr, 1/180. The four grammatical positions following his own preferred analysis are anonymous. The three-level ranking of worship quoted on this page is al-Rāzī’s. ↩︎

110. Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān, 1/163–165. ↩︎

111. Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān, 1/163–165. ↩︎

112. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 249. In his account, the analysis taking إِيَّا as the pronoun and كَ as a marker of address is assigned to al-Akhfash and adopted by al-Zamakhsharī. That named attribution comes from al-Lāḥim; Ibn ʿĀshūr’s four analyses in note 30 remain anonymous. ↩︎

113. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 261. ↩︎

114. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 261. ↩︎

115. Ibn Manẓūr, Lisān al-ʿArab, entry عبد, quoting al-Zajjāj for the definition of worship as obedience with submission. ↩︎

116. Ibn Manẓūr, Lisān al-ʿArab, entry عبد, quoting al-Zajjāj for the definition of worship as obedience with submission. ↩︎

117. Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān, 1/159–160. The athar from Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما is conveyed through Abū Rawq and al-Ḍaḥḥāk; the explanation of worship through humility and submission is al-Ṭabarī’s own. ↩︎

118. Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm, 1/134. ↩︎

119. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 252–254, citing Ibn Taymiyyah, Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā, 10/149, for the comprehensive definition of worship. ↩︎

120. Ibn ʿUthaymīn, Tafsīr al-Fātiḥah wa-l-Baqarah, 1/14. ↩︎

121. Ibn Manẓūr, Lisān al-ʿArab, entry عون. ↩︎

122. Ibn Manẓūr, Lisān al-ʿArab, entry عون. ↩︎

123. Al-Sāmarrāʾī, Lamasāt Bayāniyyah, pp. 41–43. His discussion includes the explanations quoted from al-Ālūsī concerning the repeated object and the unrestricted request for help. ↩︎

124. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 249–250. ↩︎

125. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 249, note 7. The definition of restriction is the author’s own note. ↩︎

126. Ibn al-Qayyim, Madārij al-Sālikīn, 1/102–103, quoted by al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 250. ↩︎

127. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 249. In his account, the analysis taking إِيَّا as the pronoun and كَ as a marker of address is assigned to al-Akhfash and adopted by al-Zamakhsharī. That named attribution comes from al-Lāḥim; Ibn ʿĀshūr’s four analyses in note 30 remain anonymous. ↩︎

128. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 249. In his account, the analysis taking إِيَّا as the pronoun and كَ as a marker of address is assigned to al-Akhfash and adopted by al-Zamakhsharī. That named attribution comes from al-Lāḥim; Ibn ʿĀshūr’s four analyses in note 30 remain anonymous. ↩︎

129. Al-Sāmarrāʾī, Lamasāt Bayāniyyah, pp. 41–43. His discussion includes the explanations quoted from al-Ālūsī concerning the repeated object and the unrestricted request for help. ↩︎

130. Ibn al-Qayyim, Madārij al-Sālikīn, 1/102–103, quoted by al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 250. ↩︎

131. Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān, 1/163–165. ↩︎

132. Al-Sāmarrāʾī, Maʿānī al-Naḥw, 2/88. His printed example is إيانا اهدنا; its restrictive implication is “Guide us and no one else.” ↩︎

133. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 250–251, drawing on al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, 1/10. ↩︎

134. Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm, 1/135; the final explanation of the plural continues onto 1/136. ↩︎

135. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, p. 252, citing Ibn Kathīr and al-Zamakhsharī for the two explanations of the turn to direct address. ↩︎

136. Al-Lāḥim, al-Lubāb, pp. 250–251, drawing on al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, 1/10. ↩︎

137. Al-Maydānī, al-Balāghah al-ʿArabiyyah, 1/492. ↩︎

138. Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān, 1/156, on 10:22. ↩︎

139. Ibn ʿĀshūr, al-Taḥrīr wa-l-Tanwīr, 1/178–180. ↩︎

140. Ibn ʿĀshūr, al-Taḥrīr wa-l-Tanwīr, 1/180. The four grammatical positions following his own preferred analysis are anonymous. The three-level ranking of worship quoted on this page is al-Rāzī’s. ↩︎

141. Ibn ʿĀshūr, al-Taḥrīr wa-l-Tanwīr, 1/178–180. ↩︎

142. Ibn ʿĀshūr, al-Taḥrīr wa-l-Tanwīr, 1/180. The four grammatical positions following his own preferred analysis are anonymous. The three-level ranking of worship quoted on this page is al-Rāzī’s. ↩︎

143. ʿAbd Allāh al-Turkī, editorial note to al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān, 1/156, quoting Ibn Sallām, Ṭabaqāt Fuḥūl al-Shuʿarāʾ, 1/61. The judgment upon the line attributed to Labīd belongs to Ibn Sallām and is conveyed by al-Turkī, not by al-Ṭabarī. ↩︎

144. Al-Sāmarrāʾī, Lamasāt Bayāniyyah, pp. 41–43. His discussion includes the explanations quoted from al-Ālūsī concerning the repeated object and the unrestricted request for help. ↩︎

145. Ibn al-Jazarī, al-Nashr fī al-Qirāʾāt al-ʿAshr, 1/271–273, the chapter on al-Fātiḥah. ↩︎

146. Ibn Jinnī, al-Muḥtasab, 1/39–41. Its subject is the qirāʾāt outside the canonical readings, as indicated by its title. The linguistic explanations and concluding principle belong to Ibn Jinnī. ↩︎

147. Ibn Jinnī, al-Muḥtasab, 1/39–41. Its subject is the qirāʾāt outside the canonical readings, as indicated by its title. The linguistic explanations and concluding principle belong to Ibn Jinnī. ↩︎

148. Al-Bannāʾ, Itḥāf Fuḍalāʾ al-Bashar fī al-Qirāʾāt al-Arbaʿata ʿAshar, p. 163, for al-Ḥasan’s and al-Aʿmash’s forms; p. 14 for al-Muṭawwiʿī’s transmission from al-Aʿmash and the classification of the four readers beyond the ten. Al-Ḍabbāʿ’s apparatus specifies the dialect’s condition: the ḥarf al-muḍāraʿah is ن or ت, and either the present verb has a fatḥah on its middle root letter while the past has a kasrah, or the past form has more than three letters and begins with hamzat al-waṣl. His note separately records variation in three places: كي تقر عينها, “so that her eye may be comforted,” and ولا تضحى, “nor be exposed to the sun,” in Ṭā Hā; and وألا تطغوا, “so that you do not transgress,” in al-Raḥmān. In another apparatus note at p. 163, he conveys al-Qasṭallānī’s qualification of the passive construction: using the pronoun of النصب (al-naṣb) in the place of the pronoun of الرفع (al-rafʿ) is permissible, but direct address within the same clause would call for إياك تعبد, “You are worshipped.” Al-Qasṭallānī therefore questions the explanation through iltifāt. These notes have no mark identifying them as additions by the later annotator, Anas Mihra. ↩︎

149. See note 148. ↩︎

150. Ibn Jinnī, al-Muḥtasab, 1/39–41. Its subject is the qirāʾāt outside the canonical readings, as indicated by its title. The linguistic explanations and concluding principle belong to Ibn Jinnī. ↩︎

151. See note 148. ↩︎

152. Ibn Jinnī, al-Muḥtasab, 1/39–41. Its subject is the qirāʾāt outside the canonical readings, as indicated by its title. The linguistic explanations and concluding principle belong to Ibn Jinnī. ↩︎

153. Ibn Jinnī, al-Muḥtasab, 1/39–41. Its subject is the qirāʾāt outside the canonical readings, as indicated by its title. The linguistic explanations and concluding principle belong to Ibn Jinnī. ↩︎

154. Ibn Jinnī, al-Muḥtasab, 1/39–41. Its subject is the qirāʾāt outside the canonical readings, as indicated by its title. The linguistic explanations and concluding principle belong to Ibn Jinnī. ↩︎

155. Ibn Jinnī, al-Muḥtasab, 1/39–41. Its subject is the qirāʾāt outside the canonical readings, as indicated by its title. The linguistic explanations and concluding principle belong to Ibn Jinnī. ↩︎

156. See note 148. ↩︎

157. See note 148. ↩︎

158. Ibn Jinnī, al-Muḥtasab, 1/39–41. Its subject is the qirāʾāt outside the canonical readings, as indicated by its title. The linguistic explanations and concluding principle belong to Ibn Jinnī. ↩︎

159. Ibn Jinnī, al-Muḥtasab, 1/39–41. Its subject is the qirāʾāt outside the canonical readings, as indicated by its title. The linguistic explanations and concluding principle belong to Ibn Jinnī. ↩︎

160. Ibn Jinnī, al-Muḥtasab, 1/39–41. Its subject is the qirāʾāt outside the canonical readings, as indicated by its title. The linguistic explanations and concluding principle belong to Ibn Jinnī. ↩︎