It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever performs a prayer in which Surah Al-Fatihah is not recited, that prayer is incomplete, incomplete, incomplete—it is not complete." (The narrator said) I said: O Abu Hurairah! Sometimes I am behind the Imam? So he (Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him) shook my hand and then said: O Persian! Recite it in your heart, because I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say that Allah said: I have divided the prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves, so half is for Me and half is for My servant, and My servant will have what he asks for. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: When the servant says «الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ» , Allah says: My servant has praised Me. When the servant says «الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ» , Allah the Exalted says: My servant has extolled Me. When the servant says «مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ» , Allah the Exalted says: My servant has glorified Me. When the servant says: «‏‏‏‏إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ» , then this is for the servant, and the servant will have what he asks for. When the servant says «اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ . صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ» ‏‏‏‏, then this is for the servant, and the servant will have what he asks for." (The compiler of this book, Imam) Abu al-Hasan (al-Qabisi) said: Our narrators (of the Muwatta) have shown confusion in the wording of this hadith, so I have recorded the wording of (Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Masrur) al-Dabbagh, except that this is according to the wording of Isa (ibn Miskin), and the copy was with al-Dabbagh, so this is the matter.