The Straight Path
قُلْ كُلٌّ مُتَرَبِّصٌ فَتَرَبَّصُوا ۖ فَسَتَعْلَمُونَ مَنْ أَصْحَابُ الصِّرَاطِ السَّوِيِّ وَمَنِ اهْتَدَىٰ {135}
Say: ‘Everyone is awaiting, therefore wait, for soon you will come to known who is the companion of the Even Path and who is Guided’ [20:135]
محمد بن العباس، قال: حدثنا علي بن عبد الله بن راشد، عن إبراهيم بن محمد الثقفي، عن إبراهيم بن محمد بن ميمون، عن عبد الكريم بن يعقوب، عن جابر، قال: سئل محمد بن علي الباقر (عليهما السلام) عن قول الله عز و جل: فَسَتَعْلَمُونَ مَنْ أَصْحابُ الصِّراطِ السَّوِيِّ وَ مَنِ اهْتَدى، قال: «اهتدى إلى ولايتنا
Muhammad Bin Al Abbas, from Ali Bin Abdullah Bin Rashid, from Ibrahim bin Muhammad Al Saqafy, from Ibrahim Bin Muhammad Bin Maymoun, from Abdul Kareem Bin Yaqoub, from Jabir who said,
‘I asked Muhammad-asws Bin Al-Baqir-asws about the Words of Allah-azwj Mighty and Majestic: for soon you will come to known who is the companion of the Even Path and who is Guided’ [20:135]. He-asws said: ‘Guided to our-asws Wilayah’’.[1]
Also, صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ (Straight Path)
أَفَمَنْ يَمْشِي مُكِبًّا عَلَىٰ وَجْهِهِ أَهْدَىٰ أَمَّنْ يَمْشِي سَوِيًّا عَلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ {22}
Is one who walks (along with his face bent down) prone upon his face more guided, or one who walks upright on a Straight Path? [67:22]
Ali Bin Muhammad, from one of our companions, from Ibn Mahboob, from Muhammad Bin Al-Fazayl,
(It has been narrated) from Abu Al-Hassan Al-Maazy-asws (7th. Imam-asws) – ‘I asked him-asws about: Is one who walks prone upon his face more guided, or one who walks upright on a Straight Path? [67:22]. He-asws said: ‘Allah-azwj has Struck an example of the one who is away from the Wilayah of Ali-asws to be like the one who walks upon his face, not being guided in his affairs and Made the one who follows him-asws to be upon the Straight Path. And: the Straight Path [67:22] is Amir Al-Momineen-asws’.[2]
تفسير الإمام عليه السلام مع، معاني الأخبار الْمُفَسِّرُ بِإِسْنَادِهِ إِلَى أَبِي مُحَمَّدٍ الْعَسْكَرِيِّ ع فِي قَوْلِهِ اهْدِنَا الصِّراطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ قَالَ يَقُولُ أَدِمْ لَنَا تَوْفِيقَكَ الَّذِي بِهِ أَطَعْنَاكَ فِي مَاضِي أَيَّامِنَا حَتَّى نُطِيعَكَ كَذَلِكَ فِي مُسْتَقْبَلِ أَعْمَارِنَا
Tafseer Imam (Hassan Al-Askari-asws) (and the book) ‘Ma’any Al-Akhbar’ – The interpreter by his chain to Muhammad Al-Askari-asws regarding His-azwj Words: Guide us to the Straight Path [1:6] – i.e., perpetuate for us Your-azwj Inclination by which we obeyed You-azwj in our past days, until we obey You-azwj like that in our future lives.
وَ الصِّرَاطُ الْمُسْتَقِيمُ هُوَ صِرَاطَانِ صِرَاطٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَ صِرَاطٌ فِي الْآخِرَةِ فَأَمَّا الصِّرَاطُ الْمُسْتَقِيمُ فِي الدُّنْيَا فَهُوَ مَا قَصُرَ عَنِ الْغُلُوِّ وَ ارْتَفَعَ عَنِ التَّقْصِيرِ وَ اسْتَقَامَ فَلَمْ يَعْدِلْ إِلَى شَيْءٍ مِنَ الْبَاطِلِ
And the Straight Path [1:6] – are two paths – a path in the world and a path in the Hereafter. So, as for the Straight Path in the world, so it is what is reduced from the lofty (exaggeration), and higher than the derogation – and the Straight, so it does not incline towards anything from the falsehood.
وَ أَمَّا الطَّرِيقُ الْآخَرُ فَهُوَ طَرِيقُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ الَّذِي هُوَ مُسْتَقِيمٌ لَا يَعْدِلُونَ عَنِ الْجَنَّةِ إِلَى النَّارِ وَ لَا إِلَى غَيْرِ النَّارِ سِوَى الْجَنَّةِ
And the other path – is the path (taken by the) Momineen to the Paradise which is straight, not deviating away from the Paradise to the Fire, nor to (anywhere) other than the Paradise (which is) besides the Fire.
قَالَ وَ قَالَ جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الصَّادِقُ ع فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَ اهْدِنَا الصِّراطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ قَالَ يَقُولُ أَرْشِدْنَا إِلَى الصِّرَاطِ الْمُسْتَقِيمِ أَرْشِدْنَا لِلُزُومِ الطَّرِيقِ الْمُؤَدِّي إِلَى مَحَبَّتِكَ وَ الْمُبَلِّغِ إِلَى دِينِكَ وَ الْمَانِعِ مِنْ أَنْ نَتَّبِعَ أَهْوَاءَنَا فَنَعْطَبَ أَوْ نَأْخُذَ بِآرَائِنَا فَنَهْلِكَ.
He-asws said: ‘Ja’far-asws Bin Muhammad Al-Sadiq-asws said: ‘The Words of the Mighty and Majestic: Guide us to the Straight Path [1:6] – He (the speaker) is saying, ‘Guide us to the Straight Path, Guide us to the Necessitated Path, that leads to Your-azwj Love and reaches to Your-azwj Religion, and the preventer from us following our personal desires so we would (end up) being corrupted, or if we take to our opinions so we would be destroyed’.[3]
[1] تأويل الآيات 1: 323/ 24
[2] Tafseer Noor Al Saqalayn CH 1 – H 100
[3] Bihar Al-Anwaar – V 24, The book of Imamate, P 1 Ch 24 H 1