ٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٰطَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ
19:37; 36:62; 42:53, 54.
Important Words:
اھد (guide) is derived from ھدی. ھداه means: he guided him. ھداه الطریق or ھداه الی الطریق or ھداه للطریق means, he showed him the right path and made it known to him. ھدی فلانا means: he led the way for him. The word ھدی is also sometimes used intransitively. They say ھدی الرجل i.e. the man became rightly guided. The infinitive form الھدی is generally used in three different senses:
(1) to show the right path,
(2) to lead to the right path,
(3) to make one follow the right path (Aqrab, Mufradat & Baqa).
In the Quran, the word has been used in all these different senses. Thus, in the Quran we read:
(1) وھدینٰه النجدین i.e. We showed him the two highways of good and evil. (90:11).
(2) والذین جاھدوا فینا لنھدینھم سبلنا i.e. Those who strive in Our cause, We will assuredly lead them to Our ways. (29:70).
(3) الحمد للّٰه الذی ھدٰنا لھذا i.e. All praise belongs to Allah Who has guided us to this (His Paradise), which means: He made us follow the right path till we reached Heaven (7:44).
In another place, the Quran says:
والذین اھتدوا زادھم ھدی meaning: those who accept His guidance, God increases them in guidance and leads them on to higher and higher stages of it, till they reach their destination (47:18).
صراط (path) is also written with س. It means a path which is even and can be trodden without difficulty (Mufradat).
مستقیم (right) is derived from قام i.e. he stood up erect, or he stood still. استقام means: it became straight and even; it had the right direction. مستقیم therefore means: straight, undeviating and without any crookedness; right; rightly directed (Mufradat & Lane).
Commentary:
The prayer taught in this short verse is so perfect and so comprehensive that it has no parallel in any other religion. In the first place, the verse teaches that paths are of two kinds: (1) even and straight, and (2) uneven and crooked, and the attention of a true believer is drawn to the fact that he should always be on the look out to take the straight path and reject the crooked one.
Again, sometimes a man is shown the right path but is not led up to it, or, if he is led up to it, he fails to stick to it and follow it to the end. The prayer embodied in this verse requires us not to be satisfied with being shown a path, or even with being led up to it, but ever to go on following it till we reach the destination.
Another aspect of this wonderful prayer is that it is not confined to things spiritual or to things of this world only, but covers the entire field of human requirements, both spiritual and temporal. This makes the prayer truly comprehensive. A Christian prays only for his "daily bread," but a Muslim is enjoined to make his prayer cover the entire field of his requirements, material or spiritual. Moreover, as hinted above, this prayer is not confined to man’s present requirements but extends to his future requirements also. It is a wonderful prayer, which even a non-Muslim may use without contravening any of his religious views. In fact, many non-Muslims have used this prayer and benefited from its marvellous efficacy.
It has been objected that Muslims offer this prayer in their daily Prayers and their constant prayer for the right path shows that they have not yet found it. This objection springs from sheer ignorance. As already explained, this verse teaches a Muslim to pray not only that God may show him the right path, not merely that He may lead him to it, but that He may enable him to go on praying till he reaches the goal. In fact, man needs God’s help at every step and at every moment, and it is imperative that he should ever be offering to God the supplication embodied in the verse. Constant praying, therefore, is not only unobjectionable, it is absolutely necessary. To say that the repetition of this comprehensive prayer is futile is simply absurd. As long as we have unfulfilled requirements, unsatisfied needs and unattained goals, we stand in need of this prayer; and what prayer can be more comprehensive and pithier than this?
19:37; 36:62; 42:53-54.
The prayer covers the entire field of man’s needs—material and spiritual, present and future. The believer prays for being shown the straight path—the shortest path. Sometimes a man is shown the right and straight path but is not led up to it, or, if he is led up to it, he fails to stick to it and follow it to the end. The prayer requires a believer not to be satisfied with only being shown a path, or even with being led up to it, but ever to go on following it till he reaches the destination, this being the significance of Hidayah which means, to show the right path (90:11), to lead to the right path (29:70) and to make one follow the right path (7:44), (Mufradat & Baqa’). In fact, man needs God’s help at every step and at every moment, and it is imperative that he should ever be offering to God the supplication embodied in the verse. Constant praying, therefore, is necessary. As long as we have requirements unfulfilled and needs unsatisfied and goals unattained, we stand in need of p