In the name of God, who is abundant in mercy and compassion! Praise be
to God, the Lord of the universe, the most merciful and compassionate,
the Sovereign of the day of judgment. Thee alone we worship, and from
Thee alone we seek help. Guide us to the right path--the path of them
to whom Thou hast been gracious--not of them with whom Thou art angry,
nor of them who have gone astray. Amen.[1]
[1] This opening chapter of the Koran--very short as it is--contains
the fundamental principles of the whole book--the doctrine of God, His
infinite mercy, the immortality of the soul, the rewards and
punishments of the world to come, and the duty of prayer, and
thanksgiving, and adoration, and obedience. It is a fair specimen of
all that is best in the "Revealed Book" of the Moslems, and is as
frequently repeated by them as the Lord's Prayer is by Christians.