سُوْرَةُ الْفَاتِحَةِ
Surah Al-Faatiha (1) — Ayah 6
ٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٰطَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ ﴿6﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Guide us to the Straight Way.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
ٱهْدِنَا
ih'dinā
Guide us
ٱلصِّرَٰطَ
l-ṣirāṭa
(to) the path
ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ
l-mus'taqīma
the straight
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
6. Guide us on the Straight [13] Path.
[13]
What is the Straight Path?
The Straight Path is that straight way appointed by Allah Almighty which leads the servant to Allah. There is no crookedness, excess, or deficiency in it, and it can only be one, whereas false paths are countless. This very path has also been called the Rope of Allah by Allah Almighty, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has referred to it as «مَا اَنَا عَلَيْهِ وَاَصْحَابِيْ», and another interpretation of the Straight Path can be that it is the path of truth which has remained the same from our master Adam till the Day of Judgment and will remain so, and it is the very path of monotheism that was revealed to every prophet. The Noble Quran is filled with such verses in which people are encouraged to pray to Allah. And the first supplication ﴿اِهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيْمَ﴾ has come right in Surah Al-Fatiha, and then in some verses, the acceptance of supplication is also mentioned. Despite this, there is a group among Muslims, upon whom rationalism and Mu'tazilite thought are dominant, and who are accustomed to interpreting every miracle or extraordinary matter. They deny the acceptance of supplication because the acceptance of supplication is also related to unseen causes. Therefore, these gentlemen resort to strange and peculiar interpretations of such verses.
In the Indian subcontinent, the leader of this group was Sir Syed Ahmad Khan [1817ء تا 1898 ء]. He received higher education in the West and was deeply influenced by Western thoughts and ideologies, and the West could only be convinced of that which could be tested on the touchstone of reason and experience. To promote and establish Western thoughts and rationalism among Muslims, he took various measures, one of which was that he wrote the Tafsir al-Quran. In this tafsir, he writes regarding supplication:
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan's View on Supplication:
"When supplication is made from the heart, it is mostly answered, but people make a mistake in understanding the purpose of supplication and the meaning of its acceptance. They want that the purpose for which we pray should be fulfilled, and they understand the acceptance of supplication to mean the fulfillment of that purpose. Whereas this is a mistake; the means for achieving the purpose that Allah has appointed, that purpose is achieved only by the gathering of those means. But supplication is neither among those means nor does it gather those means. Rather, it stimulates that power which soothes the distress, calamity, and anxiety that arises from not achieving the purpose." [تفسير القرآن، ج 1ص 18]
From the above excerpt of Khan Sahib, two questions arise in the mind:
(1) If no apparent cause is visible, is Allah Almighty capable of creating a cause or not? In other words, is Allah the Creator of causes or not?
(2) Apart from apparent causes, are some hidden and unseen causes also possible, and can Allah, on the basis of supplication, create any apparent or hidden cause for the servant to achieve his purpose or not?
If the answer to these questions is in the negative, then indeed, according to Sir Syed Sahib's views, supplication has no effect, nor should it have any. In this case, the meaning of the acceptance of supplication remains only what Sir Syed Sahib is stating, that supplication is only related to inner experience and tranquility of the heart; nothing actually happens outwardly. But we see that the Quran strongly refutes this view of Sir Syed Sahib. For example, consider the following verses:
﴿فَدَعَا رَبَّهُ أَنِّي مَغْلُوبٌ فَانتَصِرْ فَفَتَحْنَا أَبْوَابَ السَّمَاءِ بِمَاءٍ مُّنْهَمِرٍ وَفَجَّرْنَا الْأَرْضَ عُيُونًا فَالْتَقَى الْمَاءُ عَلَىٰ أَمْرٍ قَدْ قُدِرَ﴾ [54: 10۔ 12]
"So Noah ؑ prayed to his Lord, 'I am weak. Now take revenge on them.' So We opened the gates of the sky with torrential water, and We caused the earth to burst forth with springs, so the waters met for a matter already decreed."
Now see, after supplication, the excessive rain from the sky, the springs of the earth joining to form a flood, and saving Noah by boarding him on the ark from the great distress—are all these inner experiences, or did these events actually occur?
Then at one place, Khan Sahib says, "Often supplication is made, but the need is not fulfilled, so it is clear that supplication is not the cause of achieving the purpose, otherwise this would not happen." [تهذيب الاخلاق، ماه ربيع الاول، 1313 ھ]
In this excerpt, the words "often" indicate that sometimes supplication does become the cause of achieving the purpose. This is exactly our point; as for the matter that sometimes it is not accepted, there are many obstacles to the acceptance of supplication, the details of which are beyond the scope here. We can also say that, like supplication, medicine also sometimes does not cure the illness, even though it is an apparent cause; however, sometimes it does become the cause of achieving the purpose.
Medicine is used to relieve physical pain, and until the pain is relieved, the patient can never find comfort, and the scope of supplication is much broader than that of medicine. Supplication is made both to avert harm and to bring benefit. Moreover, it is used for both material and spiritual or mental ailments. Then, until such ailments are removed by the effect of supplication or new causes are provided, how can the heart find comfort?
[13]
What is the Straight Path?
The Straight Path is that straight way appointed by Allah Almighty which leads the servant to Allah. There is no crookedness, excess, or deficiency in it, and it can only be one, whereas false paths are countless. This very path has also been called the Rope of Allah by Allah Almighty, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has referred to it as «مَا اَنَا عَلَيْهِ وَاَصْحَابِيْ», and another interpretation of the Straight Path can be that it is the path of truth which has remained the same from our master Adam till the Day of Judgment and will remain so, and it is the very path of monotheism that was revealed to every prophet. The Noble Quran is filled with such verses in which people are encouraged to pray to Allah. And the first supplication ﴿اِهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيْمَ﴾ has come right in Surah Al-Fatiha, and then in some verses, the acceptance of supplication is also mentioned. Despite this, there is a group among Muslims, upon whom rationalism and Mu'tazilite thought are dominant, and who are accustomed to interpreting every miracle or extraordinary matter. They deny the acceptance of supplication because the acceptance of supplication is also related to unseen causes. Therefore, these gentlemen resort to strange and peculiar interpretations of such verses.
In the Indian subcontinent, the leader of this group was Sir Syed Ahmad Khan [1817ء تا 1898 ء]. He received higher education in the West and was deeply influenced by Western thoughts and ideologies, and the West could only be convinced of that which could be tested on the touchstone of reason and experience. To promote and establish Western thoughts and rationalism among Muslims, he took various measures, one of which was that he wrote the Tafsir al-Quran. In this tafsir, he writes regarding supplication:
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan's View on Supplication:
"When supplication is made from the heart, it is mostly answered, but people make a mistake in understanding the purpose of supplication and the meaning of its acceptance. They want that the purpose for which we pray should be fulfilled, and they understand the acceptance of supplication to mean the fulfillment of that purpose. Whereas this is a mistake; the means for achieving the purpose that Allah has appointed, that purpose is achieved only by the gathering of those means. But supplication is neither among those means nor does it gather those means. Rather, it stimulates that power which soothes the distress, calamity, and anxiety that arises from not achieving the purpose." [تفسير القرآن، ج 1ص 18]
From the above excerpt of Khan Sahib, two questions arise in the mind:
(1) If no apparent cause is visible, is Allah Almighty capable of creating a cause or not? In other words, is Allah the Creator of causes or not?
(2) Apart from apparent causes, are some hidden and unseen causes also possible, and can Allah, on the basis of supplication, create any apparent or hidden cause for the servant to achieve his purpose or not?
If the answer to these questions is in the negative, then indeed, according to Sir Syed Sahib's views, supplication has no effect, nor should it have any. In this case, the meaning of the acceptance of supplication remains only what Sir Syed Sahib is stating, that supplication is only related to inner experience and tranquility of the heart; nothing actually happens outwardly. But we see that the Quran strongly refutes this view of Sir Syed Sahib. For example, consider the following verses:
﴿فَدَعَا رَبَّهُ أَنِّي مَغْلُوبٌ فَانتَصِرْ فَفَتَحْنَا أَبْوَابَ السَّمَاءِ بِمَاءٍ مُّنْهَمِرٍ وَفَجَّرْنَا الْأَرْضَ عُيُونًا فَالْتَقَى الْمَاءُ عَلَىٰ أَمْرٍ قَدْ قُدِرَ﴾ [54: 10۔ 12]
"So Noah ؑ prayed to his Lord, 'I am weak. Now take revenge on them.' So We opened the gates of the sky with torrential water, and We caused the earth to burst forth with springs, so the waters met for a matter already decreed."
Now see, after supplication, the excessive rain from the sky, the springs of the earth joining to form a flood, and saving Noah by boarding him on the ark from the great distress—are all these inner experiences, or did these events actually occur?
Then at one place, Khan Sahib says, "Often supplication is made, but the need is not fulfilled, so it is clear that supplication is not the cause of achieving the purpose, otherwise this would not happen." [تهذيب الاخلاق، ماه ربيع الاول، 1313 ھ]
In this excerpt, the words "often" indicate that sometimes supplication does become the cause of achieving the purpose. This is exactly our point; as for the matter that sometimes it is not accepted, there are many obstacles to the acceptance of supplication, the details of which are beyond the scope here. We can also say that, like supplication, medicine also sometimes does not cure the illness, even though it is an apparent cause; however, sometimes it does become the cause of achieving the purpose.
Medicine is used to relieve physical pain, and until the pain is relieved, the patient can never find comfort, and the scope of supplication is much broader than that of medicine. Supplication is made both to avert harm and to bring benefit. Moreover, it is used for both material and spiritual or mental ailments. Then, until such ailments are removed by the effect of supplication or new causes are provided, how can the heart find comfort?
