Count the obligatory units (rak'as): Fajr 2, Dhuhr 4, 'Asr 4, Maghrib 3, 'Ishâ' 4.
That makes seventeen units a day, and al-Fâtiha is recited in every one of them.
Seventeen is the minimum: each voluntary prayer you add is one more Fâtiha.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “There is no prayer for the one who does not recite the Opening of the Book.”
Al-Fâtiha means “the Opening”: it opens the Qur'an, and it opens each unit of your prayer.
Abû Sa'îd ibn al-Mu'allâ (may Allah be pleased with him) was praying when the Prophet ﷺ called him.
He did not answer. Afterwards he said: “O Messenger of Allah, I was praying.”
The Prophet ﷺ reminded him of a verse: “Respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you.”
Then he said: “I will teach you the greatest sûra in the Qur'an before you leave the mosque.”
As the Prophet ﷺ was about to leave, Abû Sa'îd reminded him. He answered: “Al-hamdu lillâhi Rabbi l-'âlamîn.”
“It is the seven oft-repeated verses, and the great Qur'an that I was given.”
And We have certainly given you seven of the oft-repeated verses and the great Qur'an.
Seven verses, repeated in every unit of every prayer: the name fits it well.
In the hadith of Muslim, it is also called Umm al-Qur'ân, “the Mother of the Qur'an”.
The commentators explain “mother” as the base: the meanings of the whole Qur'an come back to these seven verses.
In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
Is the basmala a verse of al-Fâtiha? The scholars differ. In the Hafs reading, it is counted as verse 1.
“In the name of Allah” leaves a verb unsaid: I read, I eat, I begin, in the name of Allah.
Before al-Fâtiha, it means: I begin this reading with the name of Allah, seeking His blessing.
One hadith gives you the map of these seven verses.
The Prophet ﷺ said that Allah says: “I have divided the prayer between Me and My servant into two halves,
“and My servant will have what he asks for.”
First you praise Allah. At the center, a verse “between Me and My servant”. At the end, your request.
There is one sûra you recite every day, at least seventeen times.
Do you know what you are saying each time?
Seventeen times a day, you recite the greatest sûra of the Qur'an.
Tonight, at 'Ishâ', recite al-Fâtiha a little slower than usual, and count its seven verses.