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 man's three powers (quwwa).

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 it in order to preserve the rûh.

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, 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, although He did on the powers of animals. Through the 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 matter of the creation of actions4 , the wasat is the madhab of ahl al-Sunnah5 between the Jabriyya6 and the Mu'tazila7 . And, in the matter 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.

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, dressing, 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 the upholding of the Word of Tawhîd.

Compare its branches with it.

The six extremes are thus 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 and being apparent and hidden. For 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 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 clearly is confined to their way. This is an example, so compare the others with it.

In the word صِرَاطَ (as-sirât) 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's requirement is to describe things that the listeners know well and are in their view — is an indication to their exalted rank and their shining like stars in the darkness of mankind it is as if they are obvious to all listeners even if they do not search or enquire. While its being plural alludes to the possibility of following their way and their way being haqq since, through the mystery of the tawâtur, there is consensus on their way. The meaning of the hadith 17 يَدُ اللّٰه مَعَ الْجَمَاعَةِ corroborates the necessity to follow the jamâ’ah on the haqq way.

While the word اَنْعَمْتَ18 and its being used in 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, through Your fadl, You have bestowed it before; so bestow it on me again, even though I am not worthy."

And the word 19 عَلَيْهِمْ is an indication of the heavy burden of messengership and the hardship of bearing the responsibilities of the duties given by Allah. It is also an allusion that they20 are like high mountains subjected to torrents of rain for giving faydh to plains. The âyah 21 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 عَلَيْهِمْ22 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 with the change of time. Just as in the four seasons and the stages of a person's life, the effect of remedies and clothing differ and what is a cure at one time can be the cause of an illness at another, so the secondary ones among the laws of religion, which are the cure for rûhs and nourishment for hearts, differ in the stages of the life of mankind.

غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ23 The positioning: know that in being a station of fear and cleansing the heart from the filths of sins, this station is related to the previous station. Because it makes the listener look towards the station of Rubûbiyyah described by Glory (Jalâl) and Beauty (Jamâl) amid bewilderment and terror. Then, by seeking refuge, it makes him look towards the station of ‘ubûdiyyah in 24 نَعْبُدُ . Then, through his impotence, it makes him look towards the station of tawakkul in 25 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 firstly is born in the heart of 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 essentially intended 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 universe. The order of the universe is also woven with the threads of those haqiqahs. The species in the universe displaying unity, while they are various, and their displaying varying individualities are also the rays reflected from those haqiqahs. Relative haqiqahs are thousands of times more numerous than essential haqiqahs, for if a person’s essential haqiqahs were sevenfold, his relative haqiqahs would be seven hundred. Therefore, a lesser sharr can be forgiven and approved even for the sake of the greater khayr. For to abandon the greater khayr because it has some lesser sharr is a greater sharr. And, in the view of hikmah, if the lesser sharr encounters the greater sharr, the lesser sharr becomes a khayr concerning its results; it is also an established principle in the matters of zakat and jihâd. As is well-known, اِنَّمَا تُعْرَفُ اْلاَشْيَۤاءُ بِاَضْدَادِهَا26 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 permeate 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 اَنْعَمْتَ‌ , without describing or defining it, the title ni’mah is chosen and mentioned since ni’mah itself is a pleasure to which the nafs always inclines. The past tense indicates that what befits the Absolute Karîm is not taking back the ni’mah He gives. Demonstrating this custom of Al-Mun’im, it also alludes to the means of what is sought. It is as if one who recites the fâtiha says: "O my Rabb, what befits to You is to bestow ni’mahs and You have bestowed them previously, bestow them on me too!"

With الْمَغْضُوبِ , it is meant that, by transgressing the limits of al-quwwa al-ghadhabiyyah, they transgressed and committed dhulm and fell into fisq by abandoning the laws like the rebellion of Jews. Fisq and dhulm do not raise a feeling of disgust in the nafs since there is an evil pleasure and noxious pride in their essence. Thus, the Qur'an mentions a consequence that raises 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 indicates that rebelliousness and sharr become ineradicable stigmas if they are not halted by tawbah and forgiveness.

With الضَّالين , it is meant 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 raises a feeling of disgust in the nafs and the rûh abstains from it even if it has not seen its result. And, the reason for active participle being chosen is 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 enemies. Seeking mercy, he looks to the elements and natural causes and sees that they are stony-hearted and merciless, sharpening their teeth against man. Seeking help, he raises his head to the planets and their spheres and sees them enormous, frightening and threatening him as though they were projectiles of fire issuing from huge mouths and encircling him. In bewilderment, he lowers his head, and shielding it, starts to ponder 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 by seeking refuge and sees thousands of long and overwhelming hopes that the world cannot satisfy. For Allah's sake, what is the state of this person if he does not believe in the first creation and the resurrection and in As-Sâni’ and rising from the dead and assembling for judgment? Do you suppose the Jahannam fire is more severe than the state that sears his rûh? For his state is compounded of fear, terror, impotence, trembling, fearfulness, dismay, orphanhood and despair. If he turns toward his power, he will see himself to be impotent and weak. If he tries to quieten his needs, he will realize that they cannot be quietened. If he shouts and calls for help, he will not be heard and he will not be helped. He supposes everything to be hostile. He imagines everything to be strange and feels no familiarity with anything. He does not look to the revolutions of the planets and their spheres except 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 around 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 it 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 motions of the planets and their spheres, he sees the hikmah of their Khâliq and he 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! Don't be frightened of me, I welcome your arrival! Both of us are 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! Don't you know us? We are all busy in the service of your Mâlik. Do not feel dismay or fright, nor fear of the threat of the shouting calamities, for the rein of everything is in your Khâliq's hand.”

Thus, in the first situation, the person feels a terrible pain in the depths of his conscience. In order 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 that he can deceive his conscience and put his rûh to sleep. He will otherwise feel a deep pain burning the depths of his conscience. Its effect will be apparent to the degree of his distance from the way of haqq. As for the second situation, there, the person feels in the depths of his rûh an elevated pleasure and immediate happiness. 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.