And ﴿the path of those﴾ is a substitute for the first. Umar ibn al-Khattab and Ibn al-Zubair read: "the path of whom You have bestowed Your grace upon." And "those" is the plural of "that," and its origin is "ladh," from which the yā' is omitted for the purpose of tanwīn, just as it is omitted from "‘amma" and "qāḍī." When the alif and lam entered it, the yā' was established. And "that" is an ambiguous noun that is deficient and needs a relative clause and a return, and it is constructed in its singular and plural forms, and it is declined in its dual form. Among the Arabs, there are those who decline its plural, saying in the nominative: "al-ladhūn." And "that" is written with one lām in both singular and plural forms for the sake of brevity due to its frequent usage.

People have differed regarding whom it refers to as those whom He has bestowed His grace upon. Ibn Abbas and the majority of the interpreters said that it refers to the path of the Prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous. They derived this from His saying, the Exalted: ﴿And if they had done what they were advised, it would have been better for them and a firmer position,﴾ [An-Nisa: 66] ﴿And then We would have given them from Us a great reward﴾ [An-Nisa: 67] ﴿And We would have guided them to a straight path﴾ [An-Nisa: 68] ﴿And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, those are with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed His grace, from the Prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions﴾ [An-Nisa: 69].

Thus, the verse necessitates that these are on a straight path, which is what is sought in the verse of praise. Ibn Abbas also said: the ones who have been bestowed grace upon are the believers. Al-Hasan ibn Abi al-Hasan said: the ones who have been bestowed grace upon are the companions of Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him. Makki and others reported from a group of interpreters that the ones who have been bestowed grace upon are the believers of the Children of Israel, as evidenced by His saying, the Exalted: ﴿O Children of Israel, remember My favor that I have bestowed upon you﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 40]. Ibn Abbas said: the ones who have been bestowed grace upon are the companions of Moses before they changed, and this and the previous statement are the same. Qatadah ibn Da'ama said: the ones who have been bestowed grace upon are the Prophets specifically. Makki reported from Abu al-'Aliyah that he said: the ones who have been bestowed grace upon are Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, Abu Bakr, and Umar, may Allah be pleased with them.

(p-89) The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: And what Al-Tabari reported from him has preceded, that he interpreted (the straight path) as that, and according to what Makki reported, it contradicts the first, and (the straight path) would be the way of Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, and Abu Bakr and Umar, may Allah be pleased with them. This is stronger in meaning, as naming their persons as a path is permissible.

The readers differed regarding the "hā'" in "‘alayhim". Hamzah read "‘alayhim" with a dammah on the hā' and a sukoon on the mīm. Likewise, he read "ladayhim" and "ilayhim" in the same manner. The others read all of them with a kasrah on the hā'. They also differed regarding the mīm. It was narrated from Nafi‘ that he allowed the choice between a dammah and a sukoon. It was narrated from him that he did not disapprove of the dammah on the mīm. This indicates that his reading was with a sukoon. Abdullah ibn Kathir would connect the mīm with a waw if the hā' before it was joined or broken, and he would read: "‘alayhimu" and "qulubihimu", and "sami‘ihimu", and "absarihim". Warsh read the hā' with a kasrah and the mīm with a waqf, except when the mīm meets an original alif, in which case he would add a waw in pronunciation, like his saying: "sawā'un ‘alayhim" [Al-Baqarah: 6]. Abu ‘Amr, Asim, Ibn ‘Amir, and Al-Kisai would break and stop the mīm. If the mīm met a silent letter, they differed. Asim, Ibn Kathir, and Nafi‘ would proceed with a kasrah on the hā' and a dammah on the mīm ( ‘alayhim al-dhillatu ) and "min dūnihimu imra’atayn" [Al-Qasas: 23] and similar to that. Abu ‘Amr would break the hā' and the mīm and say: "‘alayhim al-dhillatu" and "ilayhim ithnayn", and similar to that. Al-Kisai would join the hā' and the mīm together: "‘alayhim al-dhillatu" and "min dūnihimu imra’atayn". Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Musa said: All this difference in breaking or joining the hā' is only in the hā' that has a kasrah or a silent yā' before it. If it exceeds these two, there is no option for the hā' except the dammah. If there is no hā' before the mīm with a kasrah or a silent yā' before it, then only the dammah or the sukoon is permissible for the mīm, like in his saying: "minkum wa antum".

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The companion of the proofs narrated that some of them read "‘alayhimu" with a waw and two dammats, and some of them with two dammats and dropped the waw, and some of them with two kasrahs and added the yā', and some of them with two kasrahs and dropped the yā', and some of them with a kasrah on the hā' and a dammah on the mīm. He said: And that is narrated from the imams and leaders of the language. Ibn Jinni said: Ahmad ibn Musa narrated "‘alayhimu" and "‘alayhim" with a dammah on the mīm without elongation to the waw, and "‘alayhim" with a sukoon on the mīm. Al-Hasan and Amr ibn Fa'id read "‘alayhimi", and "‘alayhim" was read with a kasrah on the mīm without elongation to the yā', and Al-A‘raj read "‘alayhim" with a kasrah on the yā' and a dammah on the mīm without elongation. All these readings are with a dammah on the hā' except the last one, and for each one of them there is a reading with a kasrah on the hā' resulting in a total of ten readings.

And His saying, the Most High: "ghayri al-maghḍūbi ‘alayhim wa lā al-ḍāllīn". The readers differed regarding the rā' from "ghayri". Nafi‘, Asim, Abu ‘Amr, Ibn ‘Amir, Hamzah, and Al-Kisai read it with a khafḍ. Ibn Kathir read "ghayra" with a nasb, and it was narrated from him the khafḍ.

Abu Ali said: The lowering is of two types: either as a substitute for "those who," or as an attribute for the indefinite noun, as you say: I passed by a man other than you. And it has occurred here as an attribute for "those who" because "those who" here is not intended as their intent. The speech is like your saying: Indeed, I pass by a man like you and honor him. He said: (p-91) And the accusative in the opinion is of two types: either as a state, as if you said: You have favored them, not being angry with them, or as an exception, as if you said: except the angry ones. And it is permissible to have the accusative as: I mean, and this has been reported in this manner from Al-Khalil.

And what is argued by those who prefer the accusative is that "other" is an indefinite noun, so it is disliked to describe the definite noun with it. And the choice which is undoubtedly the case is the kasra, and it has been narrated from Ibn Kathir. The first of the two readings is what has not deviated from the consensus of the readers of the cities. Abu Bakr ibn Al-Sarraj said: "And what I have is that 'other' in this place, with what is added to it, is definite." And this is something in which there is consideration and ambiguity. Let it be understood from me what I say: Know that the ruling of every addition to a definite noun is that it should be definite. And "other" and "like" have become indefinite with their addition to the definites because of their meanings. For when you say: "I saw other than you," everything other than the addressee is other than him. Likewise, when you say: "I saw one like you," what is like him cannot be counted due to the multitude of aspects of similarity. Thus, they have become two indefinites because of the meaning. However, if something is definite with a single opposite and you intend to affirm it and deny its opposite, and the listener knows that, and you described it with "other" and added "other" to its opposite, then it is definite, like your saying: "You must have movement other than stillness." Likewise, His saying: "other than the angry ones," because the one who has favored him does not punish him except for the one who is angry with him. And the one who is not angry with him is the one who has favored him. So whenever "other" is in this state and is intended for this purpose, it is definite.)

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: Abu Bakr maintained "those who" at the limit of definition, and permitted its description with "other" for what he clarified about the definition of "other" in this place. And other than Abu Bakr stood with the indefiniteness of "other" and went towards bringing "those who" closer to the indefinite, as it is a common noun that is not specifically designated for a particular one. And on this, he permitted its description with the indefinite.

And "those who have earned [Your] anger": the Jews, and "the misguided": the Christians. This is what Ibn Mas'ud, Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Al-Suddi, and Ibn Zayd said. This was narrated by Adi ibn Hatim from the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him. This is evident from the Book of Allah, the Most High, because the mention of Allah's anger towards the Jews is repeated in it, as in His saying: "And they have drawn upon themselves the wrath of Allah" and as in His saying, the Most High: "Say, 'Shall I inform you of a worse [thing] than that which is a penalty from Allah? It is the one whom Allah has cursed and with whom He has been angry, and He made from them apes and pigs'" [Al-Ma'idah: 60]. These Jews are indicated by His saying, the Most High: "And certainly you have known those among you who transgressed in the Sabbath, so We said to them, 'Be apes, despised'" [Al-Baqarah: 65]. And the anger upon them is from Allah, the Most High. The anger of Allah, the Most High, is expressed by manifesting upon them trials, punishments, humiliation, and similar things. This indicates that He has distanced them from His mercy to a confirmed and exaggerated extent. As for the Christians, their scholars were upon a religion before the coming of the Shari'ah of Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him. When it came, they went astray. As for those who are not their scholars, their misguidance has been established since their statements about Jesus, peace be upon him, diverged. Allah, the Most High, has said about them: "And do not follow the inclinations of a people who have gone astray before and have misled many and have strayed from the soundness of the way" [Al-Ma'idah: 77]. Al-Makki, may Allah have mercy on him, said in narration: The "no" in His saying: "and not the misguided" is to prevent the assumption that the misguided is an addition to "those who". He said: And it is said that it is an affirmation meaning 'not'. Al-Tabari narrated that the "no" is extra, and he said: It is here in the way that it is in the saying of the poet:

So I do not blame the eggs for not mocking...

He meant: that they mock. And in the saying of Al-Ahwasi:

And they will incline me in amusement that I do not love him ∗∗∗ And for amusement, there is a persistent caller who is not heedless.

And Al-Tabari said: He means, 'And they will incline me in amusement to love him.'

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The meaning of Al-Ahwasi's verse is: the intention of not loving him, so the "no" in it is established.

Al-Tabari said: And from it is His saying, the Most High: "What prevented you from prostrating?" [Al-A'raf: 12]. And it is permissible for the "no" to be in the meaning of omission, because it was preceded by denial at the beginning of the speech. Thus, the latter speech is appropriate to the first, as the poet said:

What pleased the Messenger of Allah was not their action ∗∗∗ and the good ones, Abu Bakr and Umar.

And Umar ibn Al-Khattab and Ubayy ibn Ka'b read: "not those who have earned [Your] anger and not the misguided." It was narrated from them regarding the "raa" that it is in the accusative and genitive in the two letters. Al-Tabari said: If someone says: Is not misguidance a characteristic of the Jews just as the Christians have anger upon them? Then why did He specify each group with the mention of a singular thing? It is said: They are like that, but Allah's designation for His servants is each group with what has been repeatedly mentioned about it, and He has understood their matter by it.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

And this is not sufficient. The saying regarding this is that the actions of the Jews, from their aggressions, their obstinacy, and their disbelief, along with their witnessing of the signs and their killing of the prophets, are matters that necessitate anger in our understanding. So, the Exalted One named what encompassed them as anger. The Christians did not experience anything of that. They only went astray from the very beginning of their disbelief, without anything occurring from them that would necessitate a specific anger due to their actions. Rather, it is that which encompasses every disbeliever, even if he strives. For this reason, the expression regarding the two groups has been established as mentioned.

And there is no connection in the expression with "the astray" for the Qadariyyah, in that they have led themselves astray. This is just like their saying: "The wall has fallen" and "The tree has moved," and the destroyer and the mover are not the same. Likewise, the Christians, Allah created misguidance in them, and they went astray by their earning.

And Ayyub Al-Sakhtiyani read: "the astray" with a hamzah that is not prolonged, as if he fled from the meeting of two consonants, and this is a language. Abu Zayd narrated that he heard Amr ibn Ubaid reading: "So on that Day, no one will be asked about his sin, neither man nor jinn," and I thought he had made a mistake until I heard from the Arabs "da'ba" and "sha'ba." Abu Al-Fath said: And upon this language is the saying of Kuthayyir:

When the highlands turned red with the 'abith.

And the saying of another:

And for the earth, as for its blackness, it was covered with whiteness, and as for its whiteness, it turned black.

The people have unanimously agreed that the number of verses in Surah Al-Fatiha is seven verses: "the worlds": the verse "the Most Merciful": the verse "the Day of Judgment": the verse "We seek help": the verse "the Straight Path": the verse "You have bestowed favor upon them": the verse "and not the astray": the verse.

And we have mentioned in the tafsir of "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful" what has been reported of weak disagreement regarding that.

(The saying regarding Ameen)

Abu Huraira and others narrated from the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, that he said: "When the imam says: 'and not the astray,' say: Ameen, for the angels in the heavens say: Ameen. Whoever's saying coincides with the saying of the angels, his previous sins will be forgiven." It was narrated that "when Gabriel, peace be upon him, taught the Prophet, peace be upon him, the Opening of the Book at the time of its revelation, when he recited it, he said to him: Say Ameen." And Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "Ameen is the seal of the Lord of the worlds; it seals the supplication of His believing servant." It was narrated that "the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, heard a man supplicating and said: It is obligatory if he seals it. A man said to him: With what should he seal it, O Messenger of Allah? He said: 'With Ameen.'"

And the meaning of "Ameen" according to most of the scholars is: O Allah, respond, or answer, O Lord, and similar to this, as said by Al-Hasan ibn Abi Al-Hasan and others. Ahmad ibn Yahya Thalab and others have confirmed this. Some said: It is a name from the names of Allah, the Exalted. This has been narrated from Ja'far ibn Muhammad, Mujahid, and Hilal ibn Yasaf. It has also been narrated that "Ameen" is the name of a seal with which the books of the people of Paradise, which are taken by faith, are stamped.

The implication of these reports is that every supplicant should say: "Ameen" at the end of his supplication. Likewise, every reader of Al-Hamd outside of prayer should do so, but not aloud in the recitation. As for in prayer, some scholars said that every person praying, whether an imam, an individual, or a follower, should say it if he has recited or heard it. Malik said in [p-97] Al-Mudawwana: The imam does not say "Ameen", but he says it behind him and they keep it silent, while the individual says it. It has been narrated from Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, that the imam says it quietly or aloud. It has also been narrated from him that the imam does not say it aloud. Ibn Habib said: He says it, and Ibn Bakir said: He has a choice.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This disagreement is only regarding the imam, and there is no disagreement regarding the individual or the follower. Except Ibn Nafi' said in the book of Ibn Harith: The follower does not say it unless he hears the imam say: "and not the misguided ones", and if he is far away and cannot hear him, then he does not say it. Ibn Abdus said: He should strive to match the extent of the recitation and say: "Ameen".

And it is a word constructed on the opening vowel due to the meeting of two consonants. It seems that the opening with the 'ya' is lighter than other vowel sounds. Among the Arabs, some say: "Ameen" and prolong it, as in the poet's saying:

Ameen Ameen, I do not accept one until I convey it twice, Ameen.

And among the Arabs, some say it briefly, as in the poet's saying:

He distanced himself from me when I asked him, Ameen, may Allah increase the distance between us.

People have differed in the meaning of the Prophet's saying, blessings and peace be upon him: "Whoever's 'Ameen' coincides with the 'Ameen' of the angels". It has been said: In the response, and it has been said: In the purity of intention, and it has been said: In the timing. The most likely meaning is that whoever coincides in timing with a pure intention and turns to Allah with a sound heart, the response will then follow, for whoever is in this state is on the straight path.