The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page 19
AL-FATIHAH him. The word us is also sometimes Commentary: used intransitively. They say a Go i. e. the man became rightly guided. The infinitive form is generally used in three different senses: (1) to show the right path, (2) to lead to the right path, (3) to make one follow the right path (Aqrab, Mufradāt & Baqā). In the Quran, the word has been used in all these different senses. Thus, in the Quran we read: (1), i. e. We showed him the two highways of good and evil. (90:11). CH. 1 The prayer taught in this short verse is so perfect and so comprehensive that it has no parallel in any other religion. In the first place, the verse teaches that paths are of two kinds: (1) even and straight, and (2) uneven and crooked, and the attention of a true believer is drawn to the fact that he should always be on the look out to take the straight path and reject the crooked one. ie Those | prayer والذين جاهدوا فينا لنهدينهم سبلنا (2) who strive in Our cause, We will assuredly lead them to Our ways. (29:70). All praise. . الحمد لله الذي هدانا لهذا (3) belongs to Allah Who has guided us to this (His Paradise), which means: He made us follow the right path till we reached Heaven (7:44). In another place, the Quran says: meaning: those who accept His guidance, God increases them in guidance and leads them on to higher and higher stages of it, till they reach their destination (47:18). . س bo (path) is also written with It means a path which is even and can be trodden without difficulty (Mufradāt). (right) is derived from i. e. he stood up erect, or he stood still. means: it became straight and even; it had the right direction. therefore means: straight, undeviating and without any crookedness; right; rightly directed (Mufradāt & Lane). 19 Again, sometimes a man is shown the right path but is not led up to it, or, if he is led up to it, he fails to stick to it and follow it to the end. The embodied in this verse requires us not to be satisfied with being shown a path, or even with being led up to it, but ever to go on following it till reach the destination. we Another aspect of this wonderful prayer is that it is not confined to things spiritual or to things of this world only, but covers the entire field of human requirements, both spiritual and temporal. This makes the prayer truly comprehensive. A Christian prays only for his "daily bread," but a Muslim is enjoined to make his prayer cover the entire field of his requirements, material or spiritual. Moreover, as hinted above, this prayer is not confined to man's present requirements but extends to his future requirements also. It is a wonderful prayer, which even a non- Muslim may without contravening any of his religious views. In fact, many non-Muslims have used this prayer and benefited from its marvellous efficacy. use