Themes as heaven and hell, morality and ethics,
forgiving, gratitude and trust, and our ability to cope with adversities and
misfortunes, show the timelessness of this prayer. Themes like low self-worth offer
the readers tools to work towards more understanding of their inner being and to
cope with the strive for earthly perfection from our demanding society. This book shows how Sura al-Fatiha opens up as a
loving, forgiving and practical guide for deepening one’s inner life, for
working towards a healthy and realistic self-image and for other forms of application
in daily life. Stories from different traditions enliven the text and
some short excursions to other spiritual traditions show the universality and
timelessness of the themes Sura al-Fatiha touches upon. A chapter on spiritual
practice in relation to the prayer can serve the readers to add one or more
lines of Sura al-Fatiha to their own regular spiritual practice. Working
with Sura al-Fatiha is not studying some old prayer, but is studying oneself
through timeless wisdom that transcends the culture the prayer was received in.
As the author says in his foreword: ‘It is our strong conviction that tolerance
and acceptance will grow when we take interest in the prayers of other faiths
and traditions. We dedicate this book to this goal.’

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