Glimpsing the Source [1:1-5]
First comes that beautiful Surah, the Opening Chapter of Seven Verses, rightly called the Essence of the Book. It teaches us the perfect Prayer. For if we can pray aright, it means that we have some knowledge of God and His attributes, of His relations to us and His creation, which includes ourselves;  that we glimpse the source from which we come, and that final goal which is our spiritual destiny under God's true judgment: then we offer ourselves to God and seek His light. 

Yearnings of the Heart [1:6-7] 
Prayer is the heart of Religion and Faith but how shall we pray? What words shall convey the yearnings of our miserable ignorant hearts to the Knower of all? Is it worthy of Him or of our spiritual nature to ask for vanities, or even for such physical needs as our daily bread? The Inspired One taught us a Prayer that sums up our faith, our hope, and our aspiration in things that matter. We think in devotion of God's name and His Nature; we praise Him for His creation and His Cherishing care; we call to mind the Realities, seen and unseen; we offer Him worship and ask His guidance; and we know the straight from the crooked path by the light of His grace that illumines the righteous.