Quran Garden

Session 19

Chapter 1

Verses 6 & 7

Guide us to the straight path, the path of those whom You have blessed, not the way of those who earned Your anger, nor of those who went astray.  (Chapter 1:Verses 6-7)

As you recite "The Opening," you bring to mind God's gift of guidance, blessings of lordship, and abundant mercy.  You declare that there is no God besides Him, you do not associate anything with Him in worship, and you rely on Him in all your affairs.  Thus, you become from amongst God's servants.  At that moment, God reaches out to you and teaches you one of the finest supplications a believer can learn.  And, as long as you remain in His company, He will respond to you and answer your prayers, as promised in the following verse:

When My servants ask you about Me, I am indeed nearmost.  I answer the supplicant's call when he calls Me.  So let them respond to Me, and let them have faith in Me, so that they may fare rightly.  (2:186)

Given this golden opportunity, what do you ask God for?  Would you ask for something temporary, or is this your chance to ask for everlasting good?  A true believer does not ask God to grant him abundant wealth, property, or a nice car, for example, because these material things are short-lived.  God teaches us that true life is in the hereafter; therefore, He wants us to supplicate for guidance to the straight path, the path that will protect us from Hellfire and admit us into the everlasting life and bliss of Paradise. 

Let's now explore the concept of guidance from God more in depth.  God's guidance is of two types: the first is His general guidance, the second is His divine guidance.  General guidance is universal for the entire humankind.  More specifically, God calls everyone to the right path: He sent prophets and messengers and supported them with miracles and scriptures to deliver His message to each one.  God clarifies the outcome of following His path and that of abandoning it.  So, whoever wants to follow the right path can do so, and whoever chooses to abandon it can do so.  Sadly, despite God's guidance, many people who receive God's message choose to take a different route.  Let's take an example from the Quran:

As for the tribe of Thamud, We showed them the straight path of guidance but they preferred blindness over guidance.  So then the lightning-like punishment of humiliation seized them because of what they had been earning for themselves.  (41:17)

These were people who, through the freedom of choice that God granted them, did not follow the straight path.  But how about those who do follow it?  What kind of support do they get?  The Lord supports them with His divine guidance.  He endears faith and piety to their hearts and facilitates for them the actions that lead to Paradise.  God protects them from evil and helps them through hardship.  This divine guidance is specific for the believers, as the Quran states:

As for those who follow true guidance, He leads them far ahead in their right ways and grants them piety and restraints from evil suited to their condition.  (47:17)

The difference between God's general guidance to all mankind and His divine guidance to the believers is like the difference between having a map and having someone with you showing you the best way turn by turn.  Whoever pursues the path of righteousness receives God's support in all aspects of his or her life.  On the other hand, God abandons those who distance themselves from His path and leaves them astray, as mentioned in the following verse: 

Whoever turns a blind eye to the remembrance of the All-Beneficent, We assign him a devil who remains his companion.  (43:36)

As you study the Quran further, you will find three types of people who are deprived of God's divine guidance.  They are listed in the following verses.

That is because they preferred the worldly life over the hereafter and that God does not guide the disbelieving people.  (16:107)

And in another verse:

That will make it more likely that they will give true and proper testimony or fear that their oaths might be refuted by others afterwards.  Be mindful of God and listen; God does not guide those who are corrupt.  (5:108)

Then, lastly:

Did you not see him who argued with Abraham concerning his Lord, as Allah had given him the kingdom?  When Abraham said, "My Lord is He Who gives life and causes death," he answered, "I give life and cause death." Abraham said, "So indeed it is Allah Who brings the sun from the East, so bring it from the West!" The disbeliever was therefore baffled; and Allah does not guide the unjust.  (2:258)

So the disbelievers, the corrupt, and the unjust are the ones who are expelled from God's divine guidance on the straight path.

Now, let's take a closer look at the meaning of "the straight path."  A path usually leads to a goal or a destination.  When you plan a trip to your favorite vacation spot, you naturally want to get there as soon as possible, choosing the shortest road with no detours.  As you well know, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line: it is by definition free from all curves and twists because even a small curve can deviate you a great distance from your goal.  Take, for example, a train track.  When a train shifts from one destination to another, it does not veer off significantly all of a sudden; rather, the track is shifted by only a few millimeters.  At first, this shift appears very small, but the more you travel on the track, the more apparent the difference becomes.  In fact, as the train travels, that tiny shift widens to the extent that the train ends up at an entirely new city hundreds of miles away.  Similarly, God has mapped the shortest route that leads to Paradise for us.  Regardless of how slight it may be, any deviation from the straight path distances you from your goal.  We ask God to guide us and keep us on the straight path that leads directly to heaven.

Let's now continue with the last verse, which states, "the path of those whom You have blessed, not the way of those who earned Your anger, nor of those who went astray." Who are the people who God has blessed?  We find the answer in the following verse:

Whoever obeys God and the Messenger will be among those He has blessed: the messengers, the truthful, those who bear witness to the truth, and the righteous.  What excellent companions these are!  (4:69)

As you recite "The Opening," you supplicate God to guide you to the same path they took so you can join this great company at the highest levels in heaven.  God assures you that, in response, He will grant you the pleasure of the hereafter as He states in the following sacred narration: "When my servant says, 'Guide us to the straight path,' He Almighty replies, 'This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for.'"