As-Sirât Al-Mustaqîm -  الصراط المستقيم

 

Literally: Sirât is a road. A path.

Literally: Mustaqîm is straight. Direct.

As a Qur’anic term: The right way which pleases Allah (jalla jalâluhu). Haqq way. Tawhîd. The bounds of Sharî’ah and Sunnah as-Saniyyah. The way of Islam. The way of the Prophets, awliyâ, Salîhîn and siddîqîn. (1:6) (11:56) (19:36) (36:61)

 

“Thus, the first way, which is indicated by, وَلاَ الضَّالِّينَ1 , is that of those who are sunk and stuck in nature and those who bear the thought of Naturalism. You felt the difficulty in passing to the haqiqah and the nûr in that way. The second way, which is indicated by, غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ2 is the way of those who perform ‘ibâdah to causes and those who ascribe creation and the effect to intermediaries, it is of those who open the way to the haqiqah of truths and ma’rifat of Al-Wâjib Al-Wujûd through the mind and intellect alone like the Peripatetic philosophers. As for the third way, which is indicated by, اَلَّذِينَاَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ 3 it is the luminous highway of the people of the Qur'an, who are the people of as-sirât al-mustaqîm. This way is the shortest, the easiest, the safest and it is open to everyone, and it is samawî, Rahmânî and luminous.” The Thirtieth Word – The First Aim

 

“Based on tawâtur, and universal, certain events and observations, human history and the sacred revealed scriptures relate in clear, definite fashion how on thousands of occasions succour arrived wondrously from the ghayb for the prophets who are the people of as-sirât al-mustaqîm, and how what they sought was given them exactly, and how on hundreds of occasions wrath and samawî blows were visited on their enemies, the deniers. This demonstrates conclusively and unmistakably that the universe and mankind within it have a Mutasarrif Who is Hakîm, ‘Âdil, Muhsîn, Karîm, ‘Azîz and Qahhâr, and a Rabb Who in various historical incidents wondrously bestowed victory and salvation on many of the prophets such as Nûh, Ibrâhîm, Mûsa, Hûd, and Sâlih (‘alayhimussalâm), and visited terrible samawî calamities on numerous dhâlims and deniers like the Thamud, 'Ad, and Pharaoh, as punishment in this world too for rebellion against the prophets.” The Rays ( 589 )

 

“In addition to corroborating the indication to Ghayb at the end of Surah al-Fath, the âyah, وَحَسُنَ اُولٰۤئِكَ رَفِيقًا  فَاُولٰۤئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ اَنْعَمَ اللهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَۤاءِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ 4  also elucidates what is meant by the people of as-sirât al-mustaqîm and the âyah صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ and describes the luminous, familiar, attractive large caravan travelling the lengthy road leading to eternity, and concisely and urgently urges the people of îmân and the conscious to join, follow, and accompany the caravan. In addition to its explicit meaning, like the âyahs at the end of Surah al-Fath, this âyah indicates through ma’nâ al-isharî and ma’nâ al-ramzî -called in ‘ilm al-balâghat (rhetoric) ma'aridu'l-kalâm and mustatba'at u't-tarâkib- the four Rightly-Guided Khalîfahs and Hasan (ra), the fifth Khalîfah. It gives news of the ghayb in several respects, as follows:

Just as the above âyah states through its ma’nâ as-sarîh that the caravan of the Prophets, the group of the Siddîqîn, the community of the Shahîds, the category of the Sâlihs, and the Tâbi’în are the people of as-sirât al-mustaqîm and those among mankind who receive elevated Ilahî ni’mahs, and are Muhsinîn’5 , so too it indicates in a manner predicting the ghayb that the best and most excellent of those groups are found in al-âlam of Islam, like this: it points to the heirs of the Prophets who follow on in succession through the mystery of the legacy of the nubuwwah of the Messenger of the âkhirzaman, and to the caravan of the Siddîqîn who follow on from the source of Siddiqiyyah of the Most Siddîq One, and to the convoy of the Shahîds, who are bound through the rank of Shahâdah to three of the Rightly-Guided Khalîfahs, and to the jamâ’ah of the Sâlihs, who are tied to it through the mystery of الصَّالِحَاتِ وَالَّذِينَ اٰمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا   and the categories of Tabi’în, who represented the mystery of  قُلْ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِى يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللهُ 6 ; and were in the company of the Sahâbahs and the Rightly-Guided Khalîfahs. So too, through its ma’nâ al-isharî, it gives news through the term and the وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ that Abu Bakr the Siddîq would succeed to Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram (asm) position after him, and would be Khalîfah, famous among the ummah with the title Siddîq and be the chief of the caravan of the Siddîqîn.” The Flashes ( 53 )

 

“الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ: Know that as-sirât al-mustaqîm is justice (‘adl) and is the summary of hikmah, ‘iffah and shajâ'ah which are the wasat in the three degrees of man's three powers (quwwa).

To explain: Allah (‘Azza wa jalla) housed rûh in man's body, which is changing, needy and exposed to dangers. He introduced three powers (quwwa) in it to preserve.

The First: al-quwwa ash-shahawiyyah al-bahîmiyyah, the power of animal appetites to attract benefits.

The Second: al-quwwa al-ghadhabiyyah as-sabui’yyah, the predacious power of anger to repulse harmful and destructive things.

The Third: al-quwwa al-aqliyyah al-malakiyyah, the power of mind pertaining to the malâikah to distinguish between benefit and harm.

However, since His hikmah necessitated that mankind should achieve perfection through the mystery of competition, Allah did not determine limits on these quwwas in fitrah, as He did on those of animals. He determined limits on them through the Sharî’ah that it prohibits ifrât and tafrît and orders the wasat. This is what is clearly ordered by the âyah فَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَٓا اُمِرْتَ 7 Since there is no fıtrî limitation in these three quwwas, three degrees occur in each: the degree of tafrît which is deficiency, the degree of ifrât which is excess and the degree of wasat which is ‘adl.

Tafrît in al-quwwa al-aqliyyah is gabâwah and foolishness, and its ifrât is jarbaza8 and over-meticulousness in trivialities and its wasat is hikmah9 . وَمَنْ يُؤْتَ الْحِكْمَةَ فَقَدْ اُو۫تِىَ خَيْرًا كَث۪يرًۜا 10 Know that just as these quwwas vary in these three degrees, so do each of their branches. For example, in the question of the creation of actions, the wasat is the madhab of ahl al-Sunnah between the Jabriyya and the Mu'tazila, and in the question of belief, the madhab of Tawhîd is the wasat between the denial of the attributes or existence of Allah (ta'til) and anthropomorphism (tashbîh). The examples can be made further on this analogy.

Tafrît in al-quwwa ash-shahawiyyah is extinction (khumud) which is having no longing for anything, while its ifrât is fujûr which is to desire whatever is encountered whether halal or haram. Its wasat is ‘iffah, which is desiring what is halal and shunning what is haram. Compare the branches of this quwwa such as eating, drinking, dressing so on with the root of this principal.

Tafrît in al-quwwa al-ghadhabiyyah is jabânah that is fear of what is not to be feared and having wahm. Its ifrât is tahawwur11 which is the source and father of despotism, domination and dhulm. And its wasat is shajâ'ah which is giving freely of one’s rûh with love and eagerness for the defence of the laws of Islam and the upholding of the Word of Tawhîd. Compare this same principle within each of its branches.

The six extremes are thus dhulm and the three wasat are ‘adl which is as-sirât al-mustaqîm and is to act in accordance with  فَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَٓا اُمِرْتَ 12 Whoever passes along this way will cross the bridge suspended over the Fire.”  The Sign of Miraculousness-24

 

“اِهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ Yes, just as the shortest way among paths leading from one place to another, and the shortest of lines drawn from one distant point to another, is the straightest and most mustaqîm; in exactly the same way, the straightest and most mustaqîm of spirituality and ma’nawî paths and interior ways are the shortest and easiest. For example, all the comparisons in the Risale-i Nur between the ways of îmân and kufr demonstrate decisively that the way of îmân and tawhîd is extremely short, direct, mustaqîm, and easy, while the ways of kufr and denial are extremely lengthy, difficult, and dangerous. That is to say, there can not be the haqiqah of kufr and the shirk in this mustaqîm universe with hikmah, which everything is driven down the easiest and shortest path, and the haqiqah of îmân and tawhîd are as necessary and wâjib in the universe as the sun.

Also, the most comfortable, beneficial, and the shortest and safest way in human morality is in the istiqâmah which is in as-sirât al-mustaqîm. For example, if al-quwwa al-aqliyyah deviates the wasat which is the hikmah and the easy, beneficial istiqâmah, by ifrât, it falls to a harmful jarbaza and by tafrît, it falls to a calamitous stupidity and is prey to all sorts of difficulties on their lengthy paths.

And if al-quwwa al-ghadhabiyyah does not follow the shajâ'ah which is the boundary of istiqâmah, it descends through ifrât, into the most injurious, oppressive tahawwur and arrogance, or through tafrît it descends into an abased, painful jabânah and timidity, and as the penalty for the error of deviating from the istiqâmah, suffers continuous torments of the conscience.

And if al-quwwa ash-shahawiyyah loses the safe istiqâmah of ‘iffah, by ifrât it falls into a calamitous, shameful fujûr and debauchery, by tafrît it falls into khumud, that is, deprives of the pleasure and taste of ni’mahs and suffers the torments of that ma’nawî sickness.

Thus, like these, in personal life and social life, in all their ways, the istiqâmah is the easiest, shortest, and most beneficial. And if as-sirât al-mustaqîm is lost, those ways will be full of trouble, and lengthy and harmful.

That is to say, اِهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ 13 is a comprehensive and wide-reaching du'â and ‘ubûdiyyah, so it indicates a proof of tawhîd, instruction in hikmah, and moral training.” The Rays ( 587 )

 

“Since by disposition, Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm was created in a most equable state and in the most perfect form, his actions and quiescence were on moderation and istiqâmah. His biography (Siyar as-Saniyyah) definitely shows that in all his actions he was on istiqâmah and moderation, and abstained from ifrât and tafrît.

Yes, since Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm completely conformed to the command فَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَٓا اُمِرْتَ14 , istiqâmah is definitely seen in all his acts, words and states. For example, by being free of stupidity (gabâwah) and deceptive intelligence (jarbaza)15 , which are the ifrât and tafrît of al-quwwa al-aqliyyah that of its corruption and dhulm, his quwwa al-aqliyyah always acted on the point of hikmah16 , which is the boundary of justice (wasat) and means of istiqâmah. So too, by being free of having no fear of anything ma’nawî nor material (tahawwur) and being free of cowardice, which are the corruption, ifrât and tafrît of al-quwwa al-ghadhabiyyah, his quwwa al-ghadhabiyyah always acted with sacred shajâ'ah, which is the means of istiqâmah and the boundary of justice (wasat) of quwwa al-ghadhabiyyah. And so too, by being purified of extinction (khumud)17 and desiring whatever is encountered whether halal or haram (fujûr), which are the corruption, ifrât and tafrît of al-quwwa ash-shahawiyyah, his quwwa ash-shahawiyyah always took ‘iffah, which is the means of istiqâmah of that power (quwwa), as a guide, at the degree of maximum innocence. And so on... In all his Sunnah as-Saniyyah, his fıtrî conduct, and injunctions of his Sharî’ah, he willed the boundary of istiqâmah and abstained from ifrât and tafrît, wastefulness and prodigality, which are dhulm and darkness. He absolutely abstained from wastefulness and took frugality as his guide even in his speech and in eating and drinking. Thousands of books have been written concerning the details of this haqiqah.” The 11th Flash-11th Subtle Point