2..Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the entire universe.

As we have already explained, the character of this surah is that of a prayer. The prayer begins with praise of the One to Whom our prayer is addressed. This indicates that whenever one prays one ought to pray in a dignified manner. It does not become a cultivated person to blurt out his petition. Refinement demands that our requests should be preceded by a wholehearted acknowledgement of...