When we establish our daily contact with God
almighty, we implore Him seventeen times a day
to guide us in the Straight Path / Al-Serat Al-Mustaqeem.
This is what chapter one, The Key/Al-Fatihah, is
all about ; a desperate prayer for the Most
Gracious, the Master, the One we worship and ask
for help, to guide us in the straight path,
then, an informative sign of that path follows
in 1:7 - it is for the blessed not the doomed
strayers:
[1:1] In the name of GOD,
Most Gracious, Most Merciful.*
[1:2] Praise be to GOD,
Lord of the universe.
[1:3] Most Gracious, Most
Merciful.
[1:4] Master of the Day
of Judgment.
[1:5] You alone we
worship; You alone we ask for help.
[1:6]
Guide us in the right path
( written as
the straight path/ Al
Serat Al Mustaqeem in the Arabic text);
[1:7] the path
of those whom You blessed; not of those
who have deserved wrath, nor of the strayers.
In an attempt to recognize and define the
straight path of those fortunate ones whom God
blessed (1:7), the following reminders come
across clear and straightforward:
- God's message is generally the
mean that places those who choose to be on a
straight path on its beginning:
[81:27] This is
a message for all the people.
[81:28] For
those who wish to go straight
(yastaqeem
in Arabic text, a verb derivative from the same
word to march straight).
Fortunately, God spelled out for us the essence
of His message in a straightforward manner, and
indicated to us that it has been one and the
same since Noah ; worship God alone. Therefore,
once we choose to denounce all forms
of idolatry, and devote our life and worship to
God alone, we qualify to be guided to the
straight path of God:
One God/One Message/One Religion
[21:25] We did
not send any messenger before you
except with the
inspiration: "There is no god except
Me; you shall worship Me alone."
[16:36] We have sent a
messenger to every community, saying,
"You shall worship GOD, and avoid idolatry."
......
Submission: The Only Religion
[3:19] The
only religion approved by GOD is "Submission."
Ironically, those who have received the
scripture are the ones who dispute this fact,
despite the knowledge they have received, due to
jealousy. For such rejectors of GOD's
revelations, GOD is most strict in reckoning.
Only One Religion Approved by God
[3:85] Anyone who
accepts other than Submission as his
religion, it will not be accepted from him, and
in the Hereafter, he will be with the losers.
In fact, before we were even brought on earth,
the Most Merciful made us all witness Him as our
only Lord and Master, and we made a covenant
with Him that we will worship Him alone. The
message has been in our hearts before we were
even born:
We Are Born With Instinctive Knowledge
About God*
[7:172] Recall that your
Lord summoned all the descendants of Adam, and
had them bear witness for themselves:
"Am I not your Lord?" They all said,
"Yes. We bear witness."
Thus, you cannot say on the Day of
Resurrection, "We were not aware of this."
[7:173] Nor
can you say, "It was our parents who
practiced idolatry, and we simply followed in
their footsteps. Will You punish us because of
what others have innovated?"
[7:174] We
thus explain the revelations, to enable the
people to redeem themselves.*
The Devil is the Other Alternative
[36:60]
Did I not covenant with you, O Children of
Adam, that you shall not worship the devil?
That he is your most ardent enemy?
[36:61]
And that you shall worship Me alone?
This is the right path
( straight path
in Arabic text).
God even narrated for us some perfect history
about some of His messengers confirming that all
what they were commissioned to do is to deliver
that one message and invite to that
Monotheistic Straight Path. His narration is for
those who wish to take heed:
Hood said:
[11:54] "We believe
that some of our gods have afflicted you
with a curse." He said, "I bear witness
before GOD, and you bear witness as well,
that I disown the idols you have
set up-
[11:55]
"beside Him. So, give me your
collective decision, without delay.
[11:56] "I have put
my trust in GOD, my Lord and your Lord.
There is not a creature that He does not
control. My Lord is on the
right path (straight
path in Arabic text).
Abraham said:
[19:42] He said to
his father, "O my father, why do you worship
what can neither hear, nor see, nor help you
in any way?
[19:43] "O my
father, I have received certain knowledge
that you did not receive. Follow me, and
I will guide you in a straight path.
[19:44] "O my
father, do not worship the devil. The devil
has rebelled against the Most Gracious.
[19:45] "O my father,
I fear lest you incur retribution from the
Most Gracious, then become an ally of the
devil."
Jesus said:
[3:50] "I confirm
previous scripture - the Torah - and I
revoke certain prohibitions imposed upon
you. I come to you with sufficient proof
from your Lord. Therefore, you shall observe
GOD, and obey me.
[3:51] "GOD
is my Lord and your Lord;* you shall
worship Him alone. This is the
right path (straight
path in Arabic text)."
Muhammad said:
[6:153]
This is my path - a straight one.
You shall follow it, and do not follow
any other paths, lest they divert you
from His path. These are His
commandments to
you, that you may be saved.
[6:161]
Say, "My Lord
has guided me in a straight path - the
perfect religion of Abraham, monotheism.
He never was an idol worshiper."
[6:162]
Say, "My Contact Prayers (Salat),
my worship practices, my life and my
death, are all devoted
absolutely to GOD alone,
the Lord of the universe.
[6:163] "He has
no partner. This is what I am commanded
to believe, and I am the first to
submit."
[6:164]
Say, "Shall I seek other
than GOD as a lord, when He is the Lord
of all things? No soul benefits except
from its own works, and none bears the
burden of another. Ultimately, you
return to your Lord, then He informs you
regarding all your disputes."
- So, Quran, the scripture proven to be the
only authenticated one, contains the message
of worshiping God alone to humanity. It also
details all the straightforward
commandments that would grant us our
righteousness and our salvation, thus, it is
declared by God to be the manual of His
Straight Path:
The Quran: God's Message
to the Jews and Christians
[5:15] O people
of the scripture, our messenger has come
to you to proclaim for you many things
you have concealed in the scripture, and
to pardon many other transgressions you
have committed. A beacon
has come to you from GOD, and a
profound scripture.
[5:16]
With it, GOD
guides those who seek His approval. He
guides them to the paths of peace, leads
them out of darkness into the light by
His leave, and guides them in a
straight path.
[6:126] This
is the straight path to your Lord.
We have explained the
revelations for people who take heed.
[6:127] They have
deserved the abode of peace at their Lord; He is
their Lord and Master, as a reward for their
works.
[3:101] How can you
disbelieve, when these revelations
of GOD have been recited to you, and His
messenger has come to you? Whoever
holds fast to GOD will be guided in the right
path (straight
path in Arabic text) .
[42:52] Thus, we
inspired to you a revelation
proclaiming our commandments.
You had no idea about the scripture, or
faith. Yet, we made this a beacon to guide
whomever we choose from among our servants.
Surely, you guide in a straight path.
[42:53]
The path of GOD, to whom
belongs everything in the heavens and
everything on earth. Absolutely, all matters
are controlled by GOD.
- God leads those who choose Him by virtue of
their belief to the guidance of His Straight
Path:
[4:175] Those who
believe in GOD, and hold fast to Him,
He will admit them into mercy from Him, and
grace, and will guide them to Him in a straight
path.
[22:54] Those who are
blessed with knowledge will recognize the truth
from your Lord, then believe in it, and their
hearts will readily accept it. Most
assuredly, GOD guides the believers in the right
path (straight
path in Arabic).
[10:25] GOD
invites to the abode of peace,
and guides whoever wills (to be
guided) in a straight path.
In conclusion, God alone, His one message of
Submission to Him alone, His one perfect
monotheistic religion, His commandments in His
scriptures to worship Him alone and attain
righteousness, all together, constitute
the straight paths for salvation. God placed
such knowledge in our hearts before our descend
to earth. We made a covenant to adopt the
straight path - we are reminded by that covenant
in the Quran. Humans and Jinns are offered
all the means to find the straight path, and all
the means to stay on it with no ambiguity,
subjectivity, or injustice. The choice is always
ours.
[2:148] Each of you
chooses the direction to follow;
you shall race towards righteousness. Wherever
you may be, GOD will summon you all. GOD is
Omnipotent.
[29:69] As for
those who strive in our cause, we will surely
guide them in our paths. Most assuredly, GOD is
with the pious.
Peaceful Friday, salaam, and God bless.
