“ The attribute of mercy in Ar-Raḥím points out the error of the Vedic doctrine which teaches that the Divine Being is unable to give manifold and unlimited reward for limited acts of man and that therefore his salvation, even when it has been earned after going through innumerable states of life, must be shortlived, for Ar-Raḥím signifies the Merciful Being Who multiplies rewards to an unlimited extent. ”

“ The Bismilláh is the quintessence of the chapter Fatiḥáh, in the same manner as the latter is the quintessence of the Qur-án itself. By commencing every important affair with the Bismilláh the Muslim in fact shows in the midst of his everyday life affairs that the right attitude of the human mind towards the Great Mind of the universe is that it should always seek a support in the Mighty One who is the source of all strength, and thus Divine Unity finds expression in the practical life of man in a manner unapproached anywhere else in the history of religion. ”

“ So great is His love that He requires no compensation for its exercise, as the Christian doctrine of atonement teaches, and so great is His mercy that He can make the deeds of man bear an unbounded fruit, and the gift of His salvation is therefore permanent and not temporary, as taught by the Vedic religion. ”

“ And how peaceful the end of one who departs from this world not only with the satisfaction that he had achieved the great goal of his life and raised his friends and followers to the highest position to which man can aspire, but with even a greater satisfaction than that, that he had not taken revenge upon his oppressors, but had forgiven them without uttering a word of reproof, and even interceded on their behalf! ”

“ The attribute of loving beneficence in Ar-Raḥmán is a refutation of the doctrines of atonement and sonship, as it directs attention to the fact that benefits are conferred on man by the Divine Being without exacting any compensation from him, Ar-Raḥmán being the Beneficent Lord whose manifold blessings are conferred on man without his ever having done anything to deserve them. ”

“ Thus the attribute of mercy in Ar-Raḥmán is manifested before man comes into existence in the creation of things that are necessary for his life here, and therefore without his having deserved them, while the same attribute in Ar-Raḥím is manifested when man has done something to deserve it. ”

“ That some nations had some such form which they prefixed to their writings cannot be denied, but the mere existence among any other people, as the Jews or the Sabeans or the Zoroastrians, of any expression which they prefixed to their writings does not show that the Holy Prophet had borrowed the idea from here or there. ”

“ For the Qur-án is a Book which declares the glory of Allah and teaches the right way to man, and both these themes find expression in the Fátihah. The fundamental principles of faith, the prime attributes of the Divine Being, which are the basis of all other attributes, the relations which ought to hold between man and his Creator, are all contained in their essence in the seven short sentences of which this wonderful chapter is made up. ”

“ Islam has never claimed that what it preached was never preached to the world before; on the other hand, it lays claim to purifying and making perfect the old doctrines (5:3) . Even the words Bakhsháishgar and Dádár, meaning respectively the Pardoner and the Just, make no approach to the beauty of the two fundamental attributes of love and mercy made manifest in the words Ar—Raḥmán and Ar-Raḥím. ”

“ The Holy Prophet made the Arabs realize by the case of the two peoples whom they knew well how men sometimes desert the right or the middle path, leaning to either extreme, the Jews rejecting Jesus Christ, a righteous servant of God, as a liar, while the Christians went to the other extreme and raised that same mortal to the dignity of Godhead. ”

“ Islam inculcated that the middle path was to be followed, neither leaning to the side of hatred nor being excessive in love, because the former brings down Divine wrath as it did in the case of the Jews and the latter leads a man astray as it led the Christians. ”

“ The attributes referred to are those which disclose Allah's all-encompassing beneficence and care, and His unbounded love for all of His creatures, and the ideal to which the soul is made to aspire is the highest to which man can rise, the path of righteousness, the path of grace, and the path in which there is no stumbling. ”

“ Again, shirk, or the setting up of equals with the Divine Being, is of four kinds, viz. a belief in the plurality of gods, a belief that other things may possess the perfect attributes of the Divine Being, a belief that any thing may be related to him, and a belief that others may do what is ascribable only to the Divine Being. ”

“ The statement that nothing is independent of Him aims at the correction of the error of those who consider certain things, such as matter and soul, to have existed independently of the Creator. This doctrine prevails in India, and could not have been known to the Holy Prophet, for it was not known to any of the religions with which he came in direct contact. ”

“ Hence, النفّٰثٰت في العقد are really those who put evil suggestions into the resolution of men or into the management of their affairs. Note that naffás̲át are not necessarily women; the word equally applies to al-jamá'át, or companies of men (Rz) . ”

“ The reference in the Lord of the daybreak is no doubt to the gradual manifestation of the truth and the triumph of the cause of the Holy Prophet. ↑ Ghásiq is derived from ghasaq, which signifies intense darkness (Rgh) , and hence ghásiq signifies the night when the shafaq (or redness in the horizon after sunset) disappears (S, O, Q-LL) , hence darkness in which there is no ray of light, and stands for the dark difficulties with which an affair is sometimes attended—difficulties through which a man is unable to see his way. ”

“ As a complete chapter it may be said to be the last revelation of the Holy Prophet, and, coming down at Mecca, it showed how those wonderful prophecies, announced in utter loneliness and helplessness, were now fulfilled at Mecca by the Prophet visiting that sacred city with over a hundred thousand followers.
↑ The great victory which had come, and been followed by the conversion of Arabs in companies, was the conquest of Mecca in the year 8 a.h., while the next year was the year of deputations from Arab tribes embracing Islam one after another. ”

“ Revealed at Mecca
(3 verses)
General remarks.
This chapter speaks of the great Divine Help and victory (from which it receives its title) with which the Holy Prophet's endeavours in the cause of truth were crowned. According to I'Ab it was an indication of the Holy Prophet's approaching end (Bkh) . And Ibn-i-'Umar is reported as saying that this chapter was revealed during the last pilgrimage of the Holy Prophet, and that he lived only eighty days after its revelation (AH) . Hence, though classed with the Medinian revelation, it was actually revealed in Mecca. ”