Islamic Manual

The reality of Fatiha

What it actually means to "do Fatiha" for someone who has died: reciting the Qur'an or another good deed and sending its reward to their soul.

You may have heard grown-ups say they are going to "do Fatiha" for someone who has died. Here is what that actually means.

The word "Fatiha" means to open or to begin. The very first surah of the Qur'an is called Al-Fatiha because it comes first. Over time, people started using the word "Fatiha" for something a bit different: reading some of the Qur'an, or doing another good deed, and then asking Allah to give the reward for it to someone, usually someone who has died. Because Surah Al-Fatiha is almost always part of this reading, the whole thing came to be called "Fatiha" too.

One way people do this

  1. Recite Surah Al-Fatiha once.
  2. Recite Surah Al-Ikhlas (Qul huwa Allahu Ahad) a few times: three, five, seven or eleven times.
  3. Send blessings (durud) on the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
  4. Then say something like: "O Allah, please send the reward of this reading to the soul of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, to the souls of the Prophets and the Awliya, to the soul of [the person's name], and to the souls of everyone in the Muslim Ummah."

"Fatiha" is a familiar word in everyday practice, and it is worth being clear about what it actually refers to.

The word Fatiha means "to open" or "to begin". The first surah of the Qur'an is named Al-Fatiha because it is the opening chapter. In common usage, however, "Fatiha" has come to mean something broader: reciting the Qur'an, or a few selected verses, with the intention of sending the reward (thawab) of that recitation to someone. Because Surah Al-Fatiha is usually part of what is recited, the practice as a whole picked up the name "Fatiha".

The real substance of Fatiha, then, is this: reciting the whole Qur'an or part of it, or performing some other good deed, and then giving (isal, "sending on") the reward of that deed to someone else.

The example given

  1. Recite Surah Al-Fatiha once.
  2. Recite Surah Al-Ikhlas (Qul huwa'llahu ahad) three, five, seven, or eleven times.
  3. Send durud (blessings) on the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
  4. Then say: "May the reward of this recitation and this good deed be sent to the soul of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the souls of the Prophets and the Awliya, and to the soul of [name of person], and to the souls of all the members of the Muslim Ummah."

The term "Fatiha", as used in common practice around the deceased, needs distinguishing from the surah of the same name, though the two are closely connected.

Literally, Fatiha means "an opening" or "a beginning"; the first surah of the Qur'an bears the name for exactly that reason: it opens the muṣḥaf. In ordinary usage, though, "Fatiha" denotes the wider practice of reciting the Qur'an, or a portion of it, with the intention of directing (isāl) its reward (thawāb) to a particular soul or souls. Because Surah al-Fatiha is habitually included in what is recited on such occasions, the practice as a whole has taken on its name.

Its true substance, stated plainly: someone recites the whole Qur'an, or part of it, or performs some other good deed, and then transfers the reward of that deed to another, living or, as is usual in this context, deceased.

The worked example given in the source

  1. Recite Sūrat al-Fātiḥah once.
  2. Recite Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ (Qul huwa'llāhu aḥad) three, five, seven, or eleven times.
  3. Send durūd upon the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
  4. Say: "May the reward of this recitation and this good deed be sent to the soul of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the souls of the Prophets and the Awliyāʾ, and to the soul of [name], and to the souls of all the members of the Muslim Ummah."

Terms on this page

fatiha

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