This Surah is a prayer taught by God to anyone starting this book. Placing it at the beginning highlights that to truly benefit from the Quran, one must first pray to the Lord of all worlds. People naturally pray for what they deeply desire, especially when they know only God can grant it.

By teaching this prayer at the start, God is guiding the reader to seek the right path with sincerity, approach the Quran as a truth-seeker, and acknowledge that true knowledge comes from Him. Before reading, one must seek His guidance.

This makes it clear that Surah Al-Fatiha is not just an introduction to the Quran but a prayer, with the Quran as its divine response. The servant prays, “O Lord, guide me,” and God answers, “Here is the guidance you seek.”