فاتحه

Persian

Alternative forms

• فاتحة (fâtihat) (archaic)

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [fɑː.ti.ˈha]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [fɑː.t̪ʰe̞.ɦǽ]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [fɑː.t̪ʰe̞.ɦǽ]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [fɑː.t̪ʰi.jǽ]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [fɔː.t̪ʰi.jǽ]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [fɒː.t̪ʰe.ɦé]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [fɔ.t̪ʰi.ɦǽ]

Readings
Classical reading?	fātiha
Dari reading?	fāteha
Iranian reading?	fâtehe
Tajik reading?	fotiha

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Arabic فَاتِحَة (fātiḥa).

Noun

فاتحه • (fâtehe) (plural فواتح or فاتحه‌ها)

1. a beginning, exordium
2. funeral prayer; prayer for the deceased
3. (Dari) funeral, requiem (gathering held to honor and remember someone who has died)
4. (Dari) condolence (gathering held to comfort or support the friends and family of someone who died)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Arabic الْفَاتِحَة (al-fātiḥa).

Proper noun

فاتحه • (fâtehe)

1. al-Fātiḥa, the first chapter of the Quran
   • c. 1390, Shams-ud-Dīn Muḥammad Ḥāfiẓ, “Ghazal 382”, in دیوان حافظ‎^[1]:

     فاتحه‌ای چو آمدی بر سر خسته‌ای بخوان
     لب بگشا که می‌دهد لعل لبت به مرده جان

     fātiha'ē čū āmadī bar sar-i xasta'ē bixwān
     lab bugšā ki mē-dihad la'l-i lab-at ba murda jān

     When you arrive, read out a Fātiḥa on the head of the wounded one;
     Open your lips, for the ruby of your lips gives life to the corpse.

     (Classical Persian transliteration)
     (The reference is to the practice of reading out the Fātiḥa at funerals, here to the man who has been killed by unrequited love.)

Further reading

• Bulkin, Carleton (2012) “فاتحه”, in Dari-English/English-Dari practical dictionary, 2nd edition, New York: Hippocrene Books, →ISBN, →LCCN
• Dehkhoda, Ali-Akbar (1931–) “فاتحة”, in Dehkhoda Dictionary Institute, editors, Dehkhoda Dictionary (in Persian), Tehran: University of Tehran Press
• “فاتحه”, in The Wilson English - Dari Dictionary (Webonary), SIL International, 2013
• Hayyim, Sulayman (1934) “فاتحه”, in New Persian–English dictionary, Teheran: Librairie-imprimerie Béroukhim