Sirat al-Mustaqeem – The Right Path
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen Sultan Mohammad Najib-ur-Rehman says, “Always seek Sirat al-Mustaqeem (the right path) from Allah. The right path is the way of those who have succeeded.”
The meaning of “siraat” is path, and “mustaqeem” means straight, referring to the straight or right path that leads closer to the desired destination. By desired destination, it means Divine Essence and the means to reach it is “Siraat al-Mustaqeem” towards which Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) has guided.
The right path refers to the path taken by all the noble prophets, the path of Islam which the Companions and the Saints followed. This path belongs to the Ahl-e-sunna Wal Jamaat. Until today, all the noble Saints have only been from this school of thought. Allah Almighty has commanded to walk on their path and be with them. Allah says in Quran:
O-believers! Fear Allah persistently, and remain in the (company) of those who uphold the truth.
The righteous path is the shortest line connecting two points. Between the believer and Allah Almighty. Meaning, Islam is the clear, pure, and straight path that leads to Allah Almighty. The Quran, the Sunna of the Holy Prophet and following Islam, all signify the right path.
Quran and the Right Path
The mention of the right path appears in various places in Holy Quran. Below are some verses from the Quran:
اِهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِیْمَۙ
Show us the straight path (1: 5)
وَ اِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِیْۤ اِلٰی صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِیْمٍۙ
And assuredly, you alone provide guidance towards the right path. (42: 52)
وَ الَّذِیْنَ جَاهَدُوْا فِیْنَا لَنَهْدِیَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا ؕ وَ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَمَعَ الْمُحْسِنِیْنَ۠
And those who strive hard (and struggle against the lower self vehemently) for Our cause, We certainly guide them to Our ways, and verily Allah blesses the men of spiritual excellence with His companionship. (29: 69)
اَفَمَنْ یَّمْشِیْ مُكِبًّا عَلٰی وَجْهِهٖۤ اَهْدٰۤی اَمَّنْ یَّمْشِیْ سَوِیًّا عَلٰی صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِیْمٍ
Is he who walks in prone position more rightly guided, or he who walks upright on a straight path? (67: 22)
اِنِّیْ تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَی اللّٰهِ رَبِّیْ وَ رَبِّكُمْ ؕ مَا مِنْ دَآبَّةٍ اِلَّا هُوَ اٰخِذٌۢ بِنَاصِیَتِهَا ؕ اِنَّ رَبِّیْ عَلٰی صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِیْمٍ
Surely, I have put my trust in Allah, Who is my Lord (as well as) your Lord. And there is not a moving (living) creature, but He holds it by its forelock (i.e., is completely in the grip of His mighty control). Surely, my Lord is (found by treading) the right path (of truth and justice). (11: 56)
قُلْ اِنَّنِیْ هَدٰىنِیْ رَبِّیْۤ اِلٰی صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِیْمٍ ۚ۬ دِیْنًا قِیَمًا مِّلَّةَ اِبْرٰهِیْمَ حَنِیْفًا ۚ وَ مَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِیْنَ
Say: Verily, my Lord has guided me to the straight path. (This is the path of) the well-founded Din (Religion), the path followed by Ibrahim (Abraham) single-mindedly devoted to Allah, turning aside from every falsehood. And he was not of the polytheists. (6: 161)
Sirat al-Mustaqeem in Light of Hadiths
Abdullah ibn Masood (r.a) narrated that the Holy Prophet was once among us. He drew a line with his blessed hand on the ground and said, “This is the path of Allah.” Then he drew some lines to the right and left of it and said, “These are other paths, and on each of these paths, there is a Satan calling towards it.” Then he recited a verse from Quran:
Abdullah ibn Masood further narrated that the Messenger of Allah said, “Allah Almighty has illustrated the example of the straight path like this: there are walls on both sides of this path, with open doors, and curtains hanging on these doors. At the head of the straight path, there is a caller of Allah, saying, ‘O people! Keep walking straight, do not deviate.’ And above it, there is another caller, and when someone intends to open any of those other doors, he says, ‘Woe to you, do not open it! If you open it, you will enter it.’”
So, the righteous path is the path towards which the Holy Prophet called, and he himself acted upon it, which his noble Companions followed. The path of truth is only this straight path, and this is the path of the other prophets and their followers.
Seeking Guidance for Right Path
Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri writes in his book “Islam and Modern Science”:
When a person, detached from worldly pursuits, stands in the court of Allah and stands with hands folded in prayer, after praising and glorifying Allah and expressing a dependent relationship with Him, then from the depths of human nature, a voice arises: اھدنا الصراط المستقیم Ih’dina as-sirat al-mustaqeem (guide us to the right path).
This is a plea made to Allah Almighty in Surah Al-Fatiha. It means, ‘O Allah! Show us the path on which we can achieve the purpose and goal of our lives.’ When the awareness of purpose and the destination of life becomes clear, then the depths of the human inward cry out: O Bestower of guidance! Now show us the straight path to achieve that purpose and reach that destination.
Through the call for “al-Sirat,” a person seeks guidance from the Divine court about the right path. He seeks guidance from the Creator and Owner in a way that he may be informed of the path that leads him to his destination. It’s as if he is imploring Allah Almighty, “O Guide! I do not know which path is correct and which one is wrong to reach this destination?”
Through the call for “al-Mustaqeem,” a person seeks steadfastness and assurance of reaching the goal from Allah Almighty. Steadfastness is indeed the real assurance of reaching the desired destination.
A Guide is Needed for Success
However, the purpose of guidance is not fulfilled by just meeting these two demands, because if the destination is shown and the right path is also shown, does it guarantee reaching the desired destination? Certainly not. Many forces are engaged in leading humans astray from the straight path. The biggest attack of Satan also occurs on the straight path, as Allah says in Quran:
He (Satan) said: ‘Since You have led me astray, (I swear that) I will (also) sit on Your righteous path (to waylay the children of Adam till I cause them to deviate from the path of truth).
Therefore, to reach the destination, assurance of this path is also necessary so that a person can reach the destination with peace and confidence. To reach this destination, one has to choose the path of those upon whom Allah Almighty has bestowed special blessings. The question arises: who are these blessed individuals?
Allah’s Blessings Upon Four Types of People
Material possessions such as wealth, property, gold, and mansions are not evidence of being blessed. Rather, the Quran has designated prophethood, righteousness, piety, and martyrdom as blessings. These are the people who are blessed and are on the right path. The companionship and association of these people are actually the fundamental reason for walking on this path. It is necessary to choose the path of these people for the guidance, upon whom Allah Almighty has bestowed special blessings, chosen for His path, and whose mention is in the Quran:
And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger (pbuh) are the people who will be in the company of those (spiritual dignitaries on the Last Day) whom Allah has blessed with His (special) favour: the Prophets, the truthful, the martyrs and the most pious. And how excellent these companions are!
Blessed Individuals Whom Satan Cannot Mislead
Some of Allah’s servants are indeed those upon whom He has bestowed special blessings, and these blessed individuals fall into four categories: the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous. The first category is that of the prophets, and the remaining three categories belong to the Saints. In this world, Allah has sent prophets and those who follow the prophets; the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous. The assurance of reaching the destination with peace and safety lies in following these blessed individuals, and abandoning the path of these blessed individuals means falling into the hands of the misguided. Allah says in Quran:
Not of those who have been afflicted with wrath, nor of those who have gone astray.
While elucidating the right path, Allah Almighty has highlighted some individuals. These favoured individuals of Allah are those upon whom Satan has also acknowledged the sign of guidance. These chosen servants of Allah are the epitome of guidance whose pure gatherings even Satan cannot penetrate.
The Chosen Individuals
Allah has ordained Islam as a means of guidance until the Day of Judgment, and due to the belief in the finality of prophethood, there is no possibility of another prophet coming after Prophet Mohammad (pbuh). Based on this, in every era, there are chosen individuals through whom the path of righteousness is highlighted and through the community of their followers, an exemplary class, saved from the trials of the world can be presented.
Among these luminaries are Khwaja Hasan al-Basri, Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani, Junayd of Baghdad, Imam Al-Ghazali, Nizamuddin Auliya, Sultan-ul-Arifeen Sultan Bahoo, Sultan-ul-Tarkeen Sultan Syed Mohammad Abdullah Shah Madni Jilani, Sultan-ul-Sabireen Sultan Pir Muhammad Abdul Ghafur Shah Hashmi Qureshi, Shahbaz-e-Arifan Sultan Pir Syed Mohammad Bahadur Ali Shah Kazmi Al-Mashhadi, Sultan-ul-Awliya Sultan Muhammad Abdul Aziz, Sultan-ul-Faqr VI Sultan Mohammad Asghar Ali and Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen Sultan Mohammad Najib-ur-Rehman. Due to following these sacred personalities, the umma embarked on the path of righteousness. These are indeed the chosen individuals by Allah who guide the umma on the right path.
Sirat al-Mustaqeem and Ism Allah Zaat
Among the personalities of the present era, Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen Sultan Mohammad Najib-ur-Rehman is the leading figure chosen by Allah as the elucidator of Sirat al-Mustaqeem. He is the Universal Divine Man of this era. On the very first day of pledging bayah, he grants the invocation and contemplation of Ism-e-Allah Zaat to the disciples, showing them the path of guidance.
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen says:
Sultan-ul-Arifeen Sultan Bahoo also states in his poetry:
Sacha raah Mohammad wala Bahoo, jein wich Rab labhiway ho.
Explanation: The true path is following the sunna of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh). Only through following the Holy Prophet completely one reaches the Divine Essence.
The right path is the path of Mohammadan Faqr, through which one attains closeness, gnosis and vision of Divine Essence. The right path is indeed the Mohammadan Assembly without which religion remains incomplete. As Allama Muhammad Iqbal said about Mohammadan Assembly:
Bah Mustafa ba rasan khweesh ra ke deen hamah aust Agar bah o nah rasidi, tamaam bu lahbi ast
Explanation: Strive to reach the Mohammadan Assembly as the Holy Prophet is the complete faith. If you fail to reach that assembly, then all your religion is mere talk. (Armughan-e-Hijaz)
Mohammadan Assembly
The presence in Mohammadan Assembly is obtained through the contemplation of Ism-e-Allah Zaat and Ism-e-Mohammad which is granted by the perfect spiritual guide. Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen Sultan Mohammad Najib-ur-Rehman says:
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen and Sirat al-Mustaqeem
It is a great blessing from Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen that he generously grants Ism-e-Allah Zaat to everyone so that as many people as possible can walk on the right path and attain gnosis of Divine Essence. However, guiding and keeping every kind of seeker on this path is not so easy. That’s why in the past, only true and sincere Divine seekers were granted Ism-e-Allah Zaat. But it is Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen’s grace that he transforms the seekers of the world into Divine seekers and trains them under his spiritual supervision.
Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen has elaborately explained the reality of Ism-e-Allah Zaat in his book “The Reality of Ism-e-Allah Zaat” so that the Divine seekers can learn about its virtues and blessings and through its contemplation and invocation, they can attain closeness and union with Divine Essence. May Allah grant us all the ability to walk on the right path. Ameen.
Sirat al-Mustaqeem is an Arabic term commonly found in Islamic theology and teachings. It translates to “the straight path” or “the right path.” It refers to the righteous path that believers are encouraged to follow in their lives. This concept is mentioned in the Quran in various verses, such as in Surah Al-Fatiha where Muslims Allah’s guidance to be on the straight path: “Guide us to the straight path” (1:6). In fact, Sirat al-Mustaqeem means completely following the Sunna of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) to achieve the purpose in life which is attaining the gnosis of and union with Divine Essence.
Note:
This is English translation of Urdu blog صراطِ مستقیم کیا ہے؟ that appeared in March 2024 issue of monthly Sultan-ul-Faqr magazine. Mrs Noreen Sarwari Qadri wrote the original article. Zahid Anjum Siddiqui has translated it in English.
Comments (13)
May Allah bless us with the ability to sincerely seek Sirat al- Mustaqeem.
Allah mujhe sirat e mustaqeem pe chalne ki toufeeq ata farmaye!
❤️❤️❤️💖
Very Beautiful ❤️ and Informative Article
It is a great blessing from Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen that he generously grants Ism-e-Allah Zaat to everyone so that as many people as possible can walk on the right path and attain gnosis of Divine Essence.
The true path is following the sunna of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh). Only through following the Holy Prophet completely one reaches the Divine Essence.
This is very informative article
Great Article
Allah has ordained Islam as a means of guidance until the Day of Judgment, and due to the belief in the finality of prophethood, there is no possibility of another prophet coming after Prophet Mohammad (pbuh).
And assuredly, You alone provide guidance towards the right path. (Al-Quran, 42: 52)
Very informative article
May Allah grant us all the ability to walk on the right path. Ameen.
🤲🏻🤲🏻🤲🏻🤲🏻🤲🏻