52-65

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

To explain: Allah (‘Azza wa jalla) housed the rûh in man's changing and needy body exposed to dangers. He entrusted three powers (quwwa) to the rûh to ensure its preservation.

The First: al-quwwa ash-shahawiyyah al-bahîmiyyah, the power of animal appetite 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 that pertains to the malâikah to distinguish between benefit and harm.

However, in accordance with His hikmah that necessitates mankind achieving perfection through the mystery of competition, Allah did not determine limits on these powers in man’s fitrah as He did on the powers of animals. Through Sharî’ah, He determined limits on them and prohibited ifrât and tafrît and ordered the wasat. This is what is clearly ordered by the âyahفَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَٓا اُمِرْتَ 1. Since there is no fıtrî limitation in these three powers, 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 justice (‘adl).

Here, the degrees of al-quwwa al-aqliyyah:

1. Tafrît in al-quwwa al-aqliyyah is gabâwah and foolishness.

2. Its ifrât is deceptive jarbaza and over-meticulousness in trivial matters.

3. Its wasat is hikmah.2 وَمَنْ يُؤْتَ الْحِكْمَةَ فَقَدْ اُو۫تِىَ خَيْرًا كَث۪يرًۜا 3

Know that just as these powers vary in these three degrees, so does each of their branches. For example, in the discussion on the creation of actions4, the wasat is the madhab of ahl al-Sunnah5 between the Jabriyya6 and the Mu'tazila7. And, about 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 expanded according to this analogy.

The degrees of al-quwwa ash-shahawiyyah:

1. Tafrît in al-quwwa ash-shahawiyyah is khumud, which is having no longing for anything.

2. Its ifrât is fujûr, which is to desire whatever is encountered, whether halal or haram.

3. Its wasat is ‘iffah, which is desiring what is halal and shunning away what is haram.

Compare the branches of this quwwa, such as eating, drinking, clothing, and so on, with the root of this principle.

The degrees of al-quwwa al-ghadhabiyyah:

1. Tafrît in al-quwwa al-ghadhabiyyah is jabânah, which is fear of what is not to be feared and having wahm.

2. Its ifrât is tahawwur8, which is the source and father of despotism, domination and dhulm.

3. 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 upholding the Word of Tawhîd.

Compare its branches with it.

Thus, these six ifrât degrees are dhulm and the three wasat are justice (‘adl), which is as-sirât al-mustaqîm and is to act in accordance withفَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَٓا اُمِرْتَ 9 . Whoever passes along this bridge of as-sirât al-mustaqîm will cross the bridge of sirât suspended over the Fire.

صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ10: Know that the pearls of the Qur'an are not positioned on one string but in multiple embroideries emerging from strings weaved with different relationships that occur through closeness and distance, being apparent and hidden because after the conciseness, the basis of the miraculousness is the embroideries like these.

For example, the phrase اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ in صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ has a relationship with اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ because ni’mah is the indication of hamd and its companion. And it is related to رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ because the perfect tarbiyyah is through the continual bestowal of ni’mahs. It is also related to الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ because the prophets, the shahîds and sâlihîn are a rahmah bestowed on the ‘âlam and the evident exemplars of rahmah. It is also related to 11 مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ because religion (dîn) is the perfect ni’mah. It is also related to 12 نَعْبُدُ because they are the imams in ‘ibâdah. It is also related to 13 نَسْتَعِينُ because they have been honoured with success. It is also related to 14 اِهْدِنَاbecause according to the mystery of فَبِهُدٰيهُمُ اقْتَدِهْۜ15, they are the finest models. It is also related to صِرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ because as-sirât al-mustaqîm is clearly confined to their way. This is an example, so compare the others with it.

In the word صِرَاطَ (as-sirât), there is an indication that the way they follow is circumscribed so that those who travel on it will not stray from it.

And the word 16 الَّذِينَ — since it is a relative pronoun, and the relative pronoun requires to describe things known by the listeners and visible to them — is an indication of their exalted rank and their shining like stars in the darkness of mankind17, it is as if they are visible to all listeners, even if they do not search or enquire. While الَّذِينَ being plural18 alludes to the opportunity of following their path and their path being haqq. Since, in a collective path, there exists the mystery of tawâtur. The meaning of the hadith 19 يَدُ اللّٰه مَعَ الْجَمَاعَةِ reinforces the necessity of following the jamâ’ah on the path of haqq.

While the word اَنْعَمْتَ20 and it is being used in the perfect tense indicates the means of requesting further ni’mah, and the letter ت , the pronoun addressing Allah, being used indicates that it is a shafî’ for the one who recites the Fâtiha as though saying, "O my Rabb! You are the bestower of ni’mah, and You have bestowed it before through Your fadl; so bestow it on me again, even though I am not worthy."

And the word عَلَيْهِمْ is an indication of the heavy burden of risalah and the hardship of bearing the responsibilities of the duties given by Allah. It is also an allusion that they21 are like high mountains subjected to torrents of rain for giving faydh to plains. The âyah22 فَاُولئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ اَنْعَمَ اللّٰه عَلَيْهِمْ مِنَ النَّبِييِّنَ والصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاء والصَّالِحِينَ makes the tafsir of the brief and concise expression in the âyah الَّذِينَ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ23 since some parts of the Qur’an make the tafsir of its other parts.

If you were to ask: The ways of the prophets are all different, and their ‘ibadahs are diverse. What is the reason for this?

You would be told that following them is through the principles of aqâid and fundamental laws (ahkâm), for these are constant and fixed, unlike secondary matters, the requirement of which is to change as time changes. Just as in the four seasons and the stages of life of man, the effect of remedies and clothing differ, and what is a cure at one time can be a cause of an illness at another, so the secondary ones among the laws of religion that are the cure for rûhs and nourishment for hearts differ in the stages of the life of mankind.

غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ24 The positioning: know that since this is the station of fear and cleansing25, this station is related to the previous one. Because it causes the listener to look towards the station of Rubûbiyyah described by Glory (Jalâl) and Beauty (Jamâl) amidst bewilderment and terror, and then, through seeking refuge, it makes him look towards the station of ‘ubûdiyyah in 26 نَعْبُدُ . Then, through his impotence, it makes him look towards the station of tawakkul in 27 نَسْتَعِينُ , and through seeking consolation, it makes him look towards the constant companion of fear and cleansing, which is the station of hope and adorning the heart with îmân and fadhîlah. Because what is born firstly in the heart of the one who sees something frightful is a feeling of bewilderment, then the inclination to flee, then tawakkul due to his impotence, and then the solace.

‌If you were to ask: Allah (‘Azza wa jalla) is Hakîm and Ghanî, so what is the hikmah of the creation of sharr, ugliness and dhalâlah in the ‘âlam?

You would be told: Know that what is intended essentially in the universe is perfection, khayr and beauty, and they are the pillars and in the majority. As for the sharr, ugliness and deficiencies, if compared with those pillars, they are in the minority and are secondary and dispersed. Their Khâliq created them interspersed among beauty and perfection, not as essentially intended results but as preliminaries of the emergence and existence of the relative haqiqahs of khayr and perfection and as the measures of those haqiqahs.

If you were to ask: What is the importance of the relative haqiqahs that partial sharrs are approved and created for their existence?

You would be told that relative haqiqahs are the ties and bonds between the things in the universe. The order of the universe is also woven with the threads of relative haqiqahs. The species of the universe displaying unity, while they are diverse, and their displaying of various identities are also the rays reflected from the relative haqiqahs. Relative haqiqahs are thousands of times more numerous than essential haqiqahs. If a person possesses seven essential haqiqahs, he would possess seven hundred relative haqiqahs. Therefore, a lesser sharr can be forgiven for the sake of a greater khayr. Rather, it is commendable since it leads to the greater khayr, and it is a greater sharr to abandon the greater khayr because it contains some lesser sharr. And, in the view of hikmah, if a lesser sharr encounters a greater sharr, the lesser sharr becomes a khayr concerning its outcomes; it is also an established principle in the matters of zakat and jihâd. As is well-known, اِنَّمَا تُعْرَفُ اْلاَشْيَۤاءُ بِاَضْدَادِهَا28 which means that the existence of a thing's opposite causes the emergence and existence of its relative haqiqahs. For example, if there was no ugliness and it did not infiltrate into beauty, the existence of beauty with its infinite degrees would not emerge.

If you were to ask: What is the reason for the different forms of the following three words: اَنْعَمْتَ‌ being a verb, الْمَغْضُوبِ being a passive participle, and الضَّالين being an active participle? Also, in the same words — concerning their meanings — what is the reason for mentioning the three groups with different attributes: with الضَّالين , the attribute of the third group, with الْمَغْضُوبِ , the consequence of the attribute of the second group, and with اَنْعَمْتَ‌ , the title of the attribute of the first?

You would be told: With the word اَنْعَمْتَ‌ , the title ni’mah is chosen and mentioned. The ni’mah is not described or defined since ni’mah itself is a pleasure to which the nafs always inclines. The use of past tense indicates that what befits the Absolute Karîm is not taking back the ni’mah He gave. By demonstrating this custom of Al-Mun’im, it also alludes to the means of what is sought. It is as if the one who recites the Fâtiha says: "O my Rabb, since what is fitting for You is to grant ni’mahs, You have bestowed them previously, so bestow them upon me too!"

What is meant by الْمَغْضُوبِ is that by transgressing the limits of al-quwwa al-ghadhabiyyah, they transgressed and committed dhulm and fell into fisq by abandoning the laws, same as the rebellion of Jews. Fisq and dhulm do not awaken a sense of disgust in the nafs because there is an evil pleasure and noxious pride in their essence. Thus, the Qur'an mentions a consequence that awakens a feeling of disgust in everyone’s nafs, and that is the descent of the wrath of Taâ’lâ. The passive participle, the requirement of which is the continuation, being chosen here indicates that rebelliousness and sharr become ineradicable stigmas if not halted by tawbah and forgiveness.

What is meant by الضَّالين is that since their wahm and the desires of their nafs have prevailed over their mind and conscience, they have strayed from the path and fallen into nifâq through bâtil belief, like the sophistries of Christians. The Qur'an has chosen to describe the essence of their attribute. Because the essence of dhalâlah is such a pain that it awakens a sense of disgust in the nafs, and even if the rûh has not considered its result, the rûh abstains from it. And, the reason for the active participle being chosen is that dhalâlah will be dhalâlah so long as it is not halted.

Know, too, that all pain is present in dhalâlah, and all pleasure is present in îmân. If you wish, consider the state of a person whom the Hand of Qoudrah has taken out of the darkness of non-existence and thrown into the frightening desert of the world. When he opens his eyes seeking compassion, he sees calamities and disease attacking him like an enemy. Seeking mercy, he looks to the elements and natural causes only to find them hardhearted and merciless, sharpening their teeth against mankind. Seeking assistance, he raises his head to the celestial bodies only to find them enormous, frightening and threatening as if they were fiery projectiles and bombs coming out from huge mouths, encircling and aiming at him. In bewilderment, he lowers his head to shield it and starts to ponder on his nafs and heart. Then he hears the thousand screams of his needs and the moaning of his wants. Fearfully, he looks to his conscience (Vijdân) by seeking refuge and sees thousands of long and overwhelming hopes that the world cannot satisfy. For the sake of Allah, what will be the state of this person if he does not believe in the first creation, the resurrection, As-Sâni’ and the rising from the dead and assembling for judgment? Do you suppose the Jahannam fire is more severe than the state that scorches his rûh? It is because his state is a compound of fear, terror, impotence, trembling, anxiety, dismay, orphanhood and despair. If he turns to his power, he will see himself as impotent and weak. If he attempts to silence his needs, he will realize that they cannot be quietened. If he shouts and calls for help, he will not be heard and helped. He supposes everything to be hostile. He imagines everything to be strange and feels no familiarity with anything. He looks at the rotation of the celestial bodies with a view of fear, dismay and fright, which disturbs his conscience.

Now consider the state of the same person if he goes on as-sirât al-mustaqîm and his conscience and rûh are illuminated with the nûr of îmân: you will see that when he enters this world, opens his eyes and sees the attacks of all the things surrounding him, he finds a point of support and relies on it against those things, and this is the ma’rifat of As-Sâni’; therefore, he can rest. Then, if he examines his dispositions, potentialities and hopes extended to eternity, he will see a point of assistance. He seeks help from that point of assistance for his hopes. From it, he drinks the water of life, which is the ma’rifat of eternal happiness. And if he raises his head and looks at the universe, he will feel a familiarity with everything; his eyes pick every flower of familiarity and love. In the movements of the celestial bodies, he sees the hikmah of their Khâliq and receives pleasure from watching them. Gazing at them, he takes a lesson and does tafakkur. It is as if the sun is saying to him, “My brother! Do not be frightened of me. I welcome your arrival! We are both servants of the One, Who is Wâhid, and are obedient to His command.” The moon, the stars, the sea and their sisters, each of them calls with their particular tongue and alludes, “Welcome! Do you not know us? We are all busy serving your Mâlik. Do not feel dismay or fright, nor fear the threat of the shouting calamities, because the rein of everything is in the hands of your Khâliq.”

Thus, in the first situation, the person feels a terrible pain in the depths of his conscience (Vijdân). To rid himself of it, facilitate his situation, numb his senses and find solace, he will be compelled to throw himself into ghaflah and busy himself with trivia so he can deceive his conscience (Vijdân) and put his rûh to sleep. He will otherwise feel a deep pain burning the depths of his conscience (Vijdân). Its effect will be apparent to the degree of his distance from the way of haqq. However, in the second situation, the person feels an elevated pleasure and immediate happiness in the depths of his rûh. His happiness will increase, and he will receive the good news that the doors of a ma’nawî jannah are being opened to him as much as he awakens his heart, stirs his conscience and rûh. 

اَللّٰهُمَّ بِحُرْمَةِ هٰذِهِ السُّورَةِ اِجْعَلْنَا مِنْ اَصْحَابِ الصِّرَاطِ الْمُسْتَقِيمِ آمِين