The Straight Path (L–9)
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اهدِ نَا
الصِّراطَ المُستَقيمَ.5 |
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5. ‘Ihdinas-Siraatal-Musta-qiim. |
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5.
Show us the Straight Path. |
We admitted that Allaah Almighty is our Lord, our Master and Beneficent, and we promised that we shall obey the commandments of Allaah Almighty and worship Him only. We shall ask Him only every time for help. Now we wish to acquire guidance from our Lord so that we may not go to err unintentionally which may be cause of His anger. So we need such guidance, by which; we may attain His happiness and pleasure, and which may take us towards Him directly.
‘Ihdi – show, instruct, admonish. Hidaayah is a very collective word of Arabic language. There are many things, included in its meanings, for instance:
- To show the (straight) path,
- To carry towards the straight path,
- To deliver unto the intended destination.
That is to say, it is the supplication: Show us the right path, if we do not know that, and those who know about the Path, grant them strength to follow this way, and when they are going straightway, then keep them firm on it, so that we may find our destination and may not remain away from the goal.
We cannot discover this Path by our knowledge and sense because our knowledge is limited and sense is conch and defective. Therefore, we ask only Him (Allaah Almighty) to show us such Path according to His Knowledge, in which, there is no crookedness, no ups and downs, and no fear of stumbling. There must be a complete Code of life, every corner and section of life must have a perfect base for guidance.
We pray this in plural tense so that personal relationship of every individual must remain connected with the entire nation. When we worship, worship all, and when we ask for help, ask all, if we beg to show us the Right Path, beg all. Such teachings of living together as a unity; cannot be found anywhere except in Islam.
How much this prayer is perfect? “O Allaah! Show us the Straight Path”. There is no such time when the mankind does not need to know about the straight path and correct manners. Eating, drinking, writing, reading, buying, selling, performing the jobs to establish the government/state, decision making on the law-suits, it means that there is no such problem for which, a person does not have to get sound guidance. It is the reason that God Almighty has fixed these supplications to be recited in all prayers, so that every person may pray for getting guidance and power to act.
Every religion has instructed
to its followers that they should pray for blessings - some people ask for
food; some ask for power, some beg for satisfaction of the hearts, and some
pray that their sins be forgotten. Our Lord has taught us a perfect
supplication in which, we have been guided for every field of life.
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