"The Straight Path in Islam: How to Live a Righteous Life According to the Qur'an".
"The Straight Path in Islam: How to Live a Righteous Life According to the Qur'an".
إهدنا صراط المستقيم
Guide us to the straight path
Dear Muslims:
اھد "Ihd" means to guide. نا "Na" means us. صراط "Siraat" means path, and مستقیم "mustaqim" means straight. The servant says to Allah: "Ihdina", O Allah ! Guide us.
صراط المستقيم "Siraat al-Mustaqim" refers to the straight path.
Dear Muslims!
You recite in your daily prayers: "O Allah, guide us to the straight path."
Do you understand what the straight path is? You just read that your Allah is the Lord of all the worlds. This means that He is the one who nurtures and develops all of creation, and you, too, are being nurtured and guided by Him. This is the straight path.
In the Qur'an, the "straight path" is mentioned as the path of righteousness and guidance, distinct from the paths of misguidance and sin. Allah says in the Qur'an:
اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ
صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ
Translation:
"Guide us to the straight path, the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked Your anger or of those who are astray."
Additionally, Allah explains the nature of the straight path in other parts of the Qur'an:
Surah Al-Baqarah (2:142):
وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِّتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا وَمَا جَعَلْنَا الْقِبْلَةَ الَّتِي كُنتَ عَلَيْهَا إِلَّا لِنَعْلَمَ مَن يَتَّبِعُ الرَّسُولَ مِمَّن يَنقَلِبُ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَيْهِ وَإِن كَانَتْ لَكَبِيرَةً إِلَّا عَلَى الَّذِينَ هَدَىٰهُ اللَّٰهُ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّٰهُ لِيُضِيعَ إِيمَانَكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّٰهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَؤُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ
Translation:
"And thus We have made you a just (middle) nation that you will be witnesses over the people and the Messenger will be a witness over you."
From the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), we find further clarification about the straight path:
حديث - صحيح مسلم:
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم:
"إن هذا القرآن هو حبل الله، وهو الصراط المستقيم.”
Hadith - Sahih Muslim:
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
"Indeed, this Qur'an is the rope of Allah, and it is the straight path.”
حديث - صحيح البخاري:
عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم:
"إن الله تعالى قسم الرحمة مئة جزء، فأبقى عنده تسعة وتسعين جزءًا، وأرسل إلى الأرض جزءًا واحدًا، فمنه يتراحم الخلائق، حتى أن الدابة لترفُع حافرها عن ولدها خشية أن تصيبه."
Hadith - Sahih al-Bukhari:
Abu Huraira narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"Allah has divided the mercy into 100 parts. He has kept 99 parts with Him and sent down 1 part to the earth. Out of this one part, the creatures love one another, so that even a horse may raise its hoof over its young one, lest it should harm it."
The love and mercy in creation, as expressed in this hadith, reflect Allah’s nurturing of His creation, which is part of being guided to the straight path—living in harmony with Allah’s will and showing mercy and kindness.
Your God is merciful, and He has hidden water in the oceans, electricity in the sky, gold in the stones, and oil in the earth. All of these are His mercies. You should seize them. This is the straight path. Your God is the Master of the Day of Judgment, and you should also practice justice every day, with both your friends and foes. You should become the master of justice every day. This is the straight path.
1. Allah’s Mercy and Creation:
Quran:
وَرَحْمَتِي وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ
“And My mercy encompasses all things.” (Quran 7:156)
Quran:
وَرَحْمَتِي قَابَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ
“And My mercy embraces all things.” (Quran 40:7)
Hadith:
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "إن الله كتب كتابًا قبل أن يخلق الخلق، وهو عنده فوق العرش: إن رحمتي سبقت غضبي."
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 'Allah wrote a book before He created the creation, and it is with Him above the Throne: 'My mercy precedes My anger.'"* (Sahih al-Bukhari)
2. Guidance to the Straight Path:
Quran:
اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ
"Guide us to the straight path." (Quran 1:6)
Quran:
إِنَّ هَذَا الْقُرْآنَ يَهْدِي لِلَّتِي هِيَ أَقْوَمُ
“Indeed, this Qur’an guides to that which is most suitable.” (Quran 17:9)
3. Mercy, Justice, and Fairness in Dealing with Others:
Quran:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ
“Indeed, Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin.” (Quran 16:90)
Hadith:
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "اعدلوا بين أولادكم، اعدلوا بين أولادكم."
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 'Be just with your children, be just with your children.'"* (Sahih Muslim)
Hadith:
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "إنما رَحِمَ اللَّهُ مَنْ يَرْحَمُ النَّاسَ."
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 'Allah shows mercy to those who show mercy to others.'"* (Sahih al-Bukhari)
The meaning is that you should always consider three principles: guidance, mercy, and justice, and live a life of righteousness in this world.
What does a righteous life look like?
It is:
"You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help." And "Guide us to the straight path," meaning you should worship only God.
And in every moment of hardship and distress, seek help only from God, and at all times remain active. Always be in pursuit and continually pray, “O God! Show us the straight path," meaning, first, "You alone we worship," and then, "You alone we ask for help," trusting only in His assistance. The last part of the prayer, "Guide us to the straight path," indicates that in Islam, first comes action, and alongside it, one must also pray to God. Unfortunately, many Muslims do not act; they only keep asking for help with their tongues, but not acting. Simply reciting prayers without action is never beneficial. The guidance of the Qur’an is that you should both work hard and pray for sustenance. Then, certainly, Allah will aid you.
Quranic References:
Seeking help from Allah in times of distress:
وَإِذَا مَرِضْتُ فَهُوَ يَشْفِينِ
(Surah Ash-Shu'ara, 26:80)
Translation: "And when I am ill, it is He who cures me."
The importance of action and prayer:
وَقُلِ اعْمَلُوا فَسَيَرَىٰ اللَّهُ عَمَلَكُمْ وَرَسُولُهُ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ
(Surah At-Tawbah, 9:105)
Translation: "And say, 'Do [as you will], for Allah will see your deeds, and [so will] His Messenger and the believers."
Prayer for guidance (Saying "Guide us to the straight path"):
اِهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ
(Surah Al-Fatiha, 1:6)
Translation: "Guide us to the straight path."
Tawakkul (Trusting in Allah after effort):
وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ
(Surah Ghafir, 40:60)
Translation: "And your Lord says, 'Call upon Me; I will respond to you.'"
Ahadith References:
Action and prayer together:
"اعْقِلْهَا وَتَوَكَّلْ"
(Sunan At-Tirmidhi, 2517)
Translation: "Tie your camel and trust in Allah."
The connection between prayer and effort:
"إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَحِبُّ إِذَا عَمِلَ أَحَدُكُمْ عَمَلًا أَنْ يُتْقِنَهُ"
(Sahih Muslim, 1987)
Translation: "Indeed, Allah loves that when anyone of you does a work, he does it perfectly."
Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, the first prayer the Qur’an has taught you is to ask Allah for guidance on the straight path. This means that you should always be in motion, in search of success. You must understand that the Qur’an you are reading is the straight path; the principles it teaches are the ones known as "Sirat al-Mustaqim." Just as a traveler walks on a straight, clear road and easily reaches his destination, similarly, if you act upon the teachings of the Qur’an, you will quickly and easily reach your destination.
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions demonstrated this by experience. When the Prophet (PBUH) arrived in this world, the Arabs were steeped in ignorance, idolatry, poverty, disunity, fornication, and alcohol, and the kings of Iran and Rome had enslaved them. However, when they followed the principles set forth by the Qur’an, they became the owners of honor in both this world and the hereafter. Today, Muslims are subjugated to others and have become weak in wealth, education, and trade, only because they have abandoned the principles of the Qur’an. If you return to being God-fearing, honest, hardworking, trustworthy, and prudent, you will once again regain the dignity and honor of this world and the hereafter, and Allah will certainly assist you.
Dear Muslims, "Sirat" means the path, and "al-dhin" means those people. "Alladhina an'amta" means those whom You have bestowed Your grace upon, while "ghayr" means others, and "maghdub" refers to those upon whom God's wrath has descended, like the people of Prophet Musa (Moses), the Jews. "Wa-dhalin" refers to those who are lost or misguided, like the people of Prophet Isa (Jesus), the Christians.
Dear Muslims, in yesterday's lesson, you were taught the prayer of "Ihdina sirat al-mustaqim" (O Allah, guide us to the straight path). Today, Allah has conveyed through this verse, the description of the straight path. The translation of this verse is that the straight path is the path of those whom You have favored, not the path of those upon whom Your wrath has descended, nor the path of the misguided. This means that every person should strive in prayer and action to live like the righteous and avoid the way of those who have been distanced from Your mercy due to their misdeeds and sins.
Dear Muslims, this verse tells us that there are only three types of people in the world: Maghdub (those who go beyond the limits), Dhalin (those who fall short of the limits), and Al-Ladhina An'amta (those who are favored). For example, those who go beyond the limits are the corrupt, criminals, and thieves, while those who fall short are the miserly, cowardly, and deceptive people. The verse advises not to associate with these two groups but to adopt the middle path in deeds, ethics, beliefs, business, and everything else. Only then can a person achieve progress and success.
Dear Muslims, this is a very important question that you have raised. In reality, we pray in our prayers for guidance and to avoid the path of those who have gone astray or have exceeded their limits, yet in our daily lives, we often find ourselves working for the very people or systems we pray to avoid. This shows a contradiction between our spirituality and practical life.
Islam teaches us to strive for Allah’s pleasure in all aspects of our beliefs, character, and life. Our social, economic, and political decisions should align with our faith. If we only ask for guidance in prayer but follow un-Islamic principles in the rest of our lives due to societal pressures or environmental factors, it creates a contradiction.
We need to purify our hearts and strengthen our actions. Until we create harmony between our beliefs and actions, we cannot fully benefit from Allah’s guidance. It is important that we align our practical life with the teachings of Islam, and this is only possible when we strive to follow Allah’s path even after our prayers.
There is no doubt that this is challenging, but with Allah’s help, we can overcome it if we purify our hearts and approach it with sincerity.
Dear Muslims, this is the result of the weakness of our hearts and faith, as we have abandoned the principles of the Quran. For this reason, non-Muslim nations have taken control of countless countries around the world. And now you must have heard that the Arab Muslims are being expelled from the land of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is our first Qibla. Meanwhile, the Jewish nation is being settled there. In other words, you had prayed to be protected from the Christians and Jews, yet now you are falling under the rule of these very nations. The weaknesses and destruction of humankind are a consequence of your failure to remember the teachings of the Quran.
Dear Muslims, the translation of Surah Al-Fatiha is complete. In it, you have been given three lessons. First, that wherever in the universe Allah's sovereignty, mercy, and justice are at work, seek its guidance, gain your share, and praise Allah's strength and glory. Second, that by becoming slaves of Allah's law and relying only on His help, create a place for yourselves to live freely. Third, that by walking the path of moderation, always recognize and protect humanity from nations that exceed or fall short of boundaries.
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