Different Translations of Al-Fatihah

Below are 6 different translations of the first surah of the Qur'an, Al-Fatihah. Interesting how different each one is, and each one communicates a different tone. This surah is the least controversial of pretty much any other surah, so the difference in translation is not that big. So you can imagine that some surah, which are controversial, are translated very, very differently.

Sahih International

In the name of Allah , the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

[All] praise is [due] to Allah , Lord of the worlds -

The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful,

Sovereign of the Day of Recompense.

It is You we worship and You we ask for help.

Guide us to the straight path -

The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray.

Muhsin Khan 

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists).

The Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

The Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)

You (Alone) we worship, and you (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything).

Guide us to the Straight Way

The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace , not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger (such as the Jews), nor of those who went astray (such as the Christians).

Pickthall 

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds,

The Beneficent, the Merciful.

Master of the Day of Judgment,

Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask for help.

Show us the straight path,

The path of those whom Thou hast favoured; Not the (path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray.

Yusuf Ali 

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds;

Most Gracious, Most Merciful;

Master of the Day of Judgment.

Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek.

Show us the straight way,

The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray.

Shakir 

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.

The Beneficent, the Merciful.

Master of the Day of Judgment.

Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help.

Keep us on the right path.

The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favors. Not (the path) of those upon whom Thy wrath is brought down, nor of those who go astray.

Dr. Ghali

In The Name of Allah, The All-Merciful, The Ever-Merciful.

Praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds.

The All-Merciful, The Ever-Merciful.

The Possessor of the Day of Doom.

You only do we worship, and You only do we beseech for help.

Guide us in the straight Path.

The Path of the ones whom You have favored, other than that of the ones against whom You are angered, and not (that of) the erring. (It is customary to say "amin" "amen" at the end of this Surah).

Why Muslims Use Arabic All The Time

I'm sure many non-Muslims wonder why Muslims use the word "Allah" instead of God when they are English speakers. Let me answer that question! Alright, so the word "god" means deity, right? Well, the name "God" has more than one meaning and can mean deity, as well as the name of the one true God. The reason Allah is used is because the name "Allah" is exactly that: a name. It is not another word for "god." "Allah" is the name for the one true god.

So, for example, when talking about the god of the Torah, "Allah" would be a correct term to use for God. When talking about the god of the Bible, "Allah" would be a correct term to use for God. When talking about the god of the Qur'an, "Allah" would be a correct term to use for God. Does this make sense? There is no exact word translation for "Allah" is English, although when the word "God" is used, it's the same idea. I hope this is making sense to everyone!

Let me try another example: Let's say you have a son. You call him "Son" sometimes because he is your son. The more direct, personal way to address him would be "Adam." Adam directly refers to your son alone, because the word son is a general term, and can mean anyone's son.

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Now, let me delve into my problem with Muslims using Arabic terms all the time, even if they aren't Arab (which most Muslims are not) & even if their first language is not Arabic.

So, I'm sure everyone is familiar with the saying "Allahu akbar," which most Muslims use in prayer and everyday life. This means, "Allah is the greatest." Other terms used often are "alhumdulillah" which means "praise be to Allah," "subhanaallah" which means "glory be to Allah," and "inshaallah" which means "Allah willing."

So, why do you hear these terms from English-speaking Muslims in everyday life? Why do they find it necessary to speak these sayings in Arabic? Is it because the Qur'an was written in Arabic? If so, do these Muslims believe that Arabic is superior in any way?

Allah is closer to you than your jugular vein. If you pray in Arabic, and you have no idea what the f*ck you are saying, how can you appreciate your prayer? How can you genuinely MEAN your prayer if you don't know the meaning of the words you are saying? Even if you vaguely know the meaning, or the gist of your Arabic prayer, it is not even CLOSE to being as powerful as your prayer in your native language.

Back to the question: why do Muslims feel the need to use Arabic in their everyday language? Some answers to this could be that they want to keep the integrity of the Qur'an intact because there will be much less confusion and mistranslation if it stays in Arabic.

My reply would be, so if you say "Praise Allah" or "Praise be to Allah," are you misrepresenting Islam? Are you corrupting Islam? Are you defacing Allah? Things mean MUCH more to you personally when in your native tongue.

Now, if you are using Arabic words because you love Arabic and think it's beautiful and love the sound, etc, etc, etc, then there is no issue. But I do not feel that most Muslims use these Arabic terms because they love the language. I bet if I asked, a lot would say something about how the prophet Mohammed said this in Arabic, so they want to be like him. Or even, they might not know WHY they use Arabic!

Any thoughts???