Surah Al-Faatiha (1) — Ayah 6

(Ayah 6) ➊ One meaning of guidance is to show the way with gentleness and kindness, as Allah Almighty addressed the Prophet ﷺ saying: «وَ اِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِيْۤ اِلٰى صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيْمٍ» [ الشوری : ۵۲ ] "And indeed, you surely guide to a straight path." This type of guidance can be done by Allah Almighty, His Messenger, and other people as well. The second meaning of guidance is granting the ability to walk upon the path; this is only within the power of Allah Almighty, as Allah addressed His Messenger saying: «اِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِيْ مَنْ اَحْبَبْتَ وَ لٰكِنَّ اللّٰهَ يَهْدِيْ مَنْ يَّشَآءُ» [ القصص : ۵۶ ] "Indeed, you do not guide whom you love, but Allah guides whom He wills." {’’الصِّرَاطَ ‘‘} Its root is {’’سِرَاطٌ‘‘}, which is derived from {’’سَرَطَ يَسْرُطُ سَرَطًا، سَرَطَانًا (ن، ع) ‘‘}, the letter "seen" has been replaced with "sad," and its meaning is "to swallow." {’’سِرَاطٌ‘‘} means a clear path, because the one who walks upon it disappears just as swallowed food disappears. {’’ الْمُسْتَقِيْمَ ‘‘ ’’قَامَ يَقُوْمُ‘‘} is an active participle from the form "istif‘al," which is originally {’’مُسْتَقْوِمٌ‘‘}, and its meaning is the same as {’’قَامَ يَقُوْمُ‘‘}. The addition of letters emphasizes the meaning, making it an absolutely straight path.

➋ In the previous verse, from {’’ اِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِيْنُ ‘‘}, the question arises: what help do you seek? Allah Almighty taught the answer: say, "O Lord! We need Your guidance at every moment of life and in every action, because if You do not show us, we, being unjust and ignorant, cannot know what the right path is regarding anything. Even if we come to know, due to the weaknesses of our souls—desires, anger, envy, greed, miserliness, arrogance, etc.—and because of Satan and other enemies, it is not possible to walk and remain steadfast on that right path without Your enabling grace. Therefore, our request is that in every action and every moment, grant us the ability to know the straight path and to walk upon it."

➌ Some people mention a question here: when we are already upon guidance, then what is the meaning of requesting guidance? They answer that the purpose is: keep us firm upon guidance. This meaning is also correct, but just think for yourself that a person has to make a decision at every moment regarding what to do in a particular matter; a slight slip can take him very far away, so to say that we are always and in every matter upon guidance is a very bold claim. Therefore, acknowledging this reality that without Allah’s guidance we can fall into misguidance at any step, it is necessary to keep asking Allah for guidance at all times.

➍ By {’’ الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيْمَ ‘‘} is meant the religion of Islam, because this is the clear, pure, and straight path that leads to Allah and to Paradise. Allah Himself has clarified this: « قُلْ اِنَّنِيْ هَدٰىنِيْ رَبِّيْۤ اِلٰى صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيْمٍ دِيْنًا قِيَمًا مِّلَّةَ اِبْرٰهِيْمَ حَنِيْفًا وَ مَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِيْنَ (161) قُلْ اِنَّ صَلَاتِيْ وَ نُسُكِيْ وَ مَحْيَايَ وَ مَمَاتِيْ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعٰلَمِيْنَ (162) لَا شَرِيْكَ لَهٗ وَ بِذٰلِكَ اُمِرْتُ وَ اَنَا اَوَّلُ الْمُسْلِمِيْنَ » [ الأنعام : ۱۶۱ تا ۱۶۳ ] “Say: Indeed, my Lord has guided me to a straight path, an established religion, the way of Abraham, inclining toward truth, and he was not among those who associate others with Allah. Say: Indeed, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. He has no partner, and this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims (those who submit).” Nawwas bin Sam’an (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that he said: “Allah has given the example of the straight path. On both sides of this path are two walls, in which there are open doors. Curtains are hanging over these doors, and at the gate of this path there is a caller who says: ‘O people! All of you enter this path and do not deviate.’ And a caller is calling from above the path’s edge. When a person wants to open any of these doors, he says: ‘Woe to you! Do not open it, for if you open it, you will enter it.’ So {’’ الصِّرَاطَ ‘‘} (that path) is Islam, and the two walls are the limits set by Allah, and the open doors are the things forbidden by Allah, and the caller at the beginning of the path is the Book of Allah, and the caller from above the path’s edge is Allah’s admonisher in the heart of every Muslim.” [ مسند أحمد : 182/4، ۱۸۳، ح : ۱۷۶۵۲۔ ترمذی : ۲۸۵۹، قال ابن کثیر حسن صحیح و صححہ الألبانی والسیوطی ] It is clear that the straight path is Islam, which is present with us in the form of the Book and the Sunnah, so when someone leaves the Book and Sunnah and follows a personality or a group, he departs from the straight path, and then it is not possible for him to reach the intended destination of Paradise in any way, until he leaves all those crooked paths and comes to the clear, wide, bright, and straight path of the Book and Sunnah.

➎ In {’’ الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيْمَ ‘‘}, the entirety of Islam and its rulings have been encompassed; the rest of the Qur'an and Sunnah are its details.