CHAPTER ONE

In this chapter, the written record of Muhammad’s oral teachings begins with the Islamic prayer, its petitions roughly equivalent to the Christian Lord’s prayer. It is recited several times in each of the five daily prayers and on many other occasions. In it Muhammad extols God as the compassionate, merciful and gracious Lord of the worlds. He recognizes God as the only One to be worshipped by Muslims and asks that God guide his people “on the straight path.”