The honorable Surah Al-Fatihah contains seven Ayat including the praise and thanks of Allah, glorifying Him and praising Him by mentioning His most Beautiful Names and most high Attributes. It also mentions the Hereafter, which is the Day of Resurrection, and directs Allah’s servants to ask of Him, invoking Him and declaring that all power and strength comes from Him. It also calls to the sincerity of the worship of Allah alone, singling Him out in His divinity, believing in His perfection, being free from the need of any partners, having no rivals nor equals. Al-Fatihah directs the believers to invoke Allah to guide them to the straight path, which is the true religion, and to help them remain on that path in this life, and to pass over the actual Sirat (bridge over hell that everyone must pass over) on the Day of Judgment. On that Day, the believers will be directed to the gardens of comfort in the company of the Prophets, the truthful ones, the martyrs and the righteous. Al-Fatihah also encourages performing good deeds, so that the believers will be in the company of the good-doers on the Day of Resurrection. The Surah also warns against following the paths of misguidance, so that one does not end up being gathered with those who indulge in sin, on the Day of Resurrection, including those who have earned the anger and those who were led astray.
The Bounties are because of Allah, not the Deviations
Allah said,
صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ
The way of those upon whom you have bestowed Your grace
when He mentioned His favor. On mentioning anger, Allah said,
غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ
Not (that) of those who earned Your anger
without mentioning the subject, although it is He Who has sent down the anger on them, just as Allah stated in another Ayah,
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ تَوَلَّوْاْ قَوْماً غَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم
Have you (O Muhammad ) not seen those (hypocrites) who take as friends a people upon whom is the wrath of Allah (Al-Mujadila 14)
Also, Allah relates the misguidance of those who indulged in it, although they were justly misguided according to Allah’s appointed destiny. For instance, Allah said,
مَن يَهْدِ اللَّهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِ وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُ وَلِيًّا مُّرْشِدًا
He whom Allah guides, he is the rightly-guided; but he whom He sends astray, for him you will find no Wali (guiding friend) to lead him (to the right path) (Al-Kahf 17) and
مَن يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ وَيَذَرُهُمْ فِى طُغْيَـنِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ
Whomsoever Allah sends astray, none can guide him; and He lets them wander blindly in their transgression (Al-A’raf 186)
These and several other Ayat testify to the fact that Allah alone is the One Who guides and misguides, contrary to the belief of the Qadariyyah sect, who claimed that the servants choose and create their own destiny. They rely on some unclear Ayat avoiding what is clear and contradicts their desires. Theirs, is the method of the people who follow their lust, desire and wickedness. An authentic Hadith narrated,
إِذَا رَأَيْتُمُ الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَابَهَ مِنْهُ فَأُولئِكَ الَّذِينَ سَمَّى اللهُ فَاحْذَرُوهُمْ
When you see those who follow what is not so clear in it (the Qur’an), then they are those whom Allah has mentioned (refer to Al-i-‘Imran 7). Hence, avoid them.
The Prophet was referring to Allah’s statement,
فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ فى قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَـبَهَ مِنْهُ ابْتِغَآءَ الْفِتْنَةِ وَابْتِغَآءَ تَأْوِيلِهِ
So as for those in whose hearts there is a deviation (from the truth) they follow that which is not entirely clear thereof, seeking Al-Fitnah (polytheism and trials), and seeking for its hidden meanings (Al-i-‘Imran 7)
Verily, no innovator in the religion could ever rely on any authentic evidence in the Qur’an that testifies to his innovation. The Qur’an came to distinguish between truth and falsehood, and guidance and misguidance. The Qur’an does not contain any discrepancies or contradictions, because it is a revelation from the Most Wise, Worthy of all praise.