Introduction and Lesson One

أعُوذُ باللهِ من الشَّيطانِ الرَّجِيم
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

All praise is due to all, Lord of all that exists, the successful ending is for those who have Taqwa, May Allah send peace and blessings upon His servant and Messenger, our Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam), his family and upon all of his Companions.

The following is a short work to explain what every Muslim needs to know about the religion of Islam. I called it “Important Lessons for Every Muslim.” I ask Allah to cause the Muslims to benefit from it, and that He accepts it from me. Indeed, He is Most Generous.

Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah bin Baz

Lesson One

Surat Al-Fatihah and Other Short Surahs

أعُوذُ باللهِ من الشَّيطانِ الرَّجِيم
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

That is to say Audho Billahe minash Shaitanir-Rajim. (I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaitan).

Audho: I seek refuge, protection, and fortification in You, O Allah!

Billahe: The Lord of all things, the true God Who is worshipped Alone and He has no Partner.

Ash-Shaitan: Otherwise known as Iblis or the Devil, may Allah’s curse be upon him.

Ar-Rajim: The one who is stoned, repelled, and banished, banished from all mercy and good; he has no power to harm us, neither in our worldly affairs nor in our religion.


I seek refuge and fortification from Allah my Lord against Shaitan (Satan) the accursed, that he confuse me while I recite, or that he should make me go astray, to destruction and misery.

When the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) would stand up at night to pray, he would begin his prayer with Takbir then say:

أعُوذُ باللهِ السَّمِيعِ العَليم من الشَّيطانِ الرَّجِيم مِن هَمزِهِ ونَفخِهِ ونَفثِه

I take refuge with Allah, the All Hearing, the All-Knowing, from the accursed Shaitan – from his pride, his poetry and his madness. (It was recorded by the Sunan Compliers.)


Whenever one is about to recite the Qur'an - whether it is a chapter or more – it is Sunnah to first say “I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaitan.” It is also recommended to say this phrase when one is angry or when one has evils thoughts.

That is to say: Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim (In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful).



Before doing anything, I begin by naming and remembering Allah Almighty, seeking His help in everything, asking Him alone for support in all of my affairs. Indeed, He is the Lord, the One worshipped, His favors are many and great, His generosity is vast and His mercy encompasses all creatures.

The Exalted Word Allah: The possessor of divinity and the right to be worshipped over all creatures. It is the Name known and recognized to refer to the Lord, Glorious and Most High.

Ar-Rahman (the Most Beneficent): This is one of Allah’s Names. It is derived from Ar-Rahmah, or Mercy and it signifies its vastness. This name signifies a mercy that embraces all of creation for Allah Almighty creates them and provides for them, that is from the completeness of His Favors, which is why it is said, “O Rahman” over this world.”

Ar-Rahim (the Most Merciful): This is also one of Allah’s Names and it too is derived from Ar-Rahmah (mercy), signifying the greatness of His Mercy, but this time specially for the believers in the Hereafter. Allah Almighty says.

وَكَانَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَحِيماً

And He is Ever Most Merciful to the believers (Surah Al-Ahzab 33:43)

And that is why it is said, “O Rahim of the Hereafter.”



It is legislated for the worshipper, or one asking, to say, “In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful,” with his recitation of every Surah from the Book of Allah Almighty except for Surat At-Tawbah, in which case it is not recited. In the obligatory Salat one says it silently, even during the audible prayers. It is Sunnah for the worshipper to say Bismillah when eating and drinking, wearing clothes, entering and exiting the Masjid, sitting on a mount, and for every important . Just as it is obligatory for him to say Bismillah and Allahu Akbar when slaughtering (a sheep) or sacrificing a camel.




The following shall be the methodology in explaining the short Surahs that were chosen.

The Name of the Surah
The Subject of the Surah
Its relation to what is before it
Vocabulary
To summarize the meaning
The lesson from the Surah