!~!~!~!

(Verily, you (O
Muhammad) are indeed guiding (mankind) to the Straight Path. The Path of Allah,
to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth.
Verily, to Allah all matters return)

Meanings
of Ash-Shura 42: 52-53

!~!~!~!

 

Straight Path

From where did people come?

For what purpose?

Where are they going?

What will they find there?

Day and night come and go while most people live trapped in
shallow purposes, distracted by material things from what lies behind them.
Appearances blind them from seeing the great realities, forgetting that Allah
has created them for a purpose, to live a life on earth for a limited period,
assigned during it with certain duties, after which there shall be a grand
meeting to ask them about every word they said and every deed they did. (Indeed, the hearing, the
sight, and the heart – about each of those you will be questioned (by Allah).)1

Amidst hordes of worldly distractions, and the running of each
after their own worldly pursuit, arises the guiding voice of Prophet Muhammad r calling upon people,
waking them from slumber, moving them from fear to trust, answering “from where and to where?”, (Truly, to Allah we belong
and truly, to Him we shall return.)2 Teaching the high aim of their living, (And
I (Allah) did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.)3 Reminding them of what they have
forgotten, (Fear a Day when you will be returned to Allah. Then
every soul will be compensated for what it earned, and they will not be wronged.)4 Warning against
what they have been deceived by, (Follow not the footsteps of Satan. Verily, he is to you
an open enemy.)5 Telling them of
the provisions they need for the meeting with their Lord6, (And take provisions,
indeed, the best provision is fear of Allah.)7 And showing the
shortest distance from where they are to where they belong: the Straight Path, (And
indeed, you (O Muhammad) invite them to a Straight Path. And verily, those who
believe not in the hereafter are indeed deviating far astray from the Path.)8 Any curve or
swerve in the line they are traveling will diverge them from the direct path, (And
verily, this is my Straight Path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths,
for they will separate you away from His Path.)9

“Allah has set an example,” the Prophet r
said. “A Straight Path bordered by walls on both sides, with several open
doors within the walls, covered with curtains. There is a caller on the gate of
the Straight Path who heralds, ‘O people! Join the path all of you and do not
deviate from it.’ A caller from inside the path is also warning any person who
wants to open any of these doors, ‘Woe to you! Do not open it! If you open it,
you will pass through.’ The Straight Path is Islam, the two walls are the
Boundaries of Allah U,
and the open doors are the things that Allah U
has prohibited. The caller on the gate of the Straight Path is the Book of
Allah U,
and the caller above the Straight Path is an admonisher from Allah in the heart
of every Muslim.”10

With presence of purpose and the path of reaching it,
triviality and absurdity are replaced with the true meanings of life: (Verily,
my prayer, my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the
worlds.)11

The new awareness stills the mind and dissolves any worries,
fears, or doubts. People are not created
without a purpose, (Did you think that We created you in play (without
a purpose), and that you would not be brought back to Us?)12

They will not be left to go to waste, (Never
will I allow to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female.)13

And they will
not travel the path alone, (And when My servants
ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me – I am indeed near. I respond to
the invocations of the supplicant when he calls upon Me (without any mediator
or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, that they may be led
aright.)14