2017 Class Notes by a 12th Grader
Last Sunday class we talked about different Surahs and I learned that Surah Fatiha was the first Surah that was completed. We read Surah Fatiha because the fifth line says, “show us the straight path.”
Basically in Surah Fatiha we praise God in the first few lines saying that ” all praise be to him—the most merciful the most gracious.” It’s basically one way of saying that when we want something from our parents we are nice to them and and praise them to make them feel good about themselves so they’ll be in good mood and give us what we want and just like that we praise God in Surah Fatiha and ask him to show us the right path.
Sarah Ikhlaas came down when a group of visiting Jews asked Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) about Islam because they wanted to compare their description of God to ours, so they asked if our God was male or female, what he eats and drinks basically his physical description and other things. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) didn’t have the answers at the moment so he told them that he’ll let them know, after few days Prophet Muhammad gathered everyone around and told them that he’ll recite 1/3 of Quran so he read Surah Ikhlaas for them which says “Say God is one the only one, God is eternal and Absolute,God has no children nor is he anyone’s child, and there is none like God” and told all the Muslims that Surah Ikhlaas is 1/3 of the Quran. Than he went to the Jews and told them that he found the answers for their questions, and proceeded to read Surah Ikhlaas.
Also we should recite Surah Ikhlaas three times before going to sleep because it’s equivalent to reading the whole Quran and we should share this blessing with everyone. Furthermore, Surah Naas and Surah Falaq are a bit similar in the sense of protection because there was a time when Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) started having dreams about black magic and stuff and it also shows that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was an ordinary man.
Also, Surah maaoon was revealed to tell people about caring for others and selfishness and that everyone would be held accountable for their actions. Overall, every Surah in Quran has a background story about their revelation and it’s important that we know them to truly understand the meaning of all the Surahs.