Discussion of the Narrations

The Recitation of Ṣirāṭ

From al-Ṣādiq (a.s.): “...and recite: ‘Guide us to the straight path (al-ṣirāṭ al-mustaqīm)’”(344)

Note: Various opinions have been expressed about the word ṣirāṭ.(345) Some have considered the original form of ṣirāṭ to be sirā__ṭ (with sīn), because istirāṭ means swallowing, and it is as if the path swallows its travelers. That is why sirāṭ al-ṭaʿām means swallowing it, and the change of sīn to ṣād is due to its harmony with ṭāʾ.

Qunbul, who is one of the narrators from Ibn Kathīr, recited it in its original form, while others recited it with a pure ṣād. It has been narrated from Ḥamza that there is an assimilation (ishmām) of ṣād to zāʾ. It has been narrated from Naqqāsh that ṣirāṭ in the Roman language means “path”, but Ibn ʿAṭiyya has deemed this view weak. Some have recited it with a pure zāʾ without inclination (imāla) or assimilation. It has been narrated from Farrāʾ that zirāṭ with a pure zāʾ is the dialect of ʿUdhra, Kalb, and Banī al-Qayn, and they recite aṣdaq as azdaq. What seems to be the case is the possibility of multiple dialects, not alteration or substitution. In any case, if it is in accordance with the rules of Arabic, its recitation is correct.

The Meaning and Referent of Ṣirāṭ

From the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.): “As for His saying: ‘Guide us to the straight path,’ that is the clear path. Whoever does righteous deeds in this world will traverse the path to Paradise.”(346)

From al-Ṣādiq (a.s.): “...’Guide us to the straight path’ refers to the path and recognition of the Imām.”(347)

From the Messenger of God (s.a.w.): “’Guide us to the straight path’ is the religion of God which Gabriel brought down to Muḥammad (s.a.w.).”(348)

From the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.): “...The straight path in this world is that which falls short of excessiveness and rises above deficiency, and is upright without inclining toward anything false. As for the other path, it is the path of the believers to Paradise.”(349)

From al-Riḍā (a.s.): “’Guide us to the straight path’ is seeking guidance to His religion, holding fast to His rope, and seeking increase in the recognition of his Lord, the Mighty and Sublime, and His greatness and magnificence.”(350)

From al-Ṣādiq (a.s.) regarding the saying of the Mighty and Sublime: “’Guide us to the straight path’: We say: ‘Direct us to the straight path, meaning to adhere to the path that leads to Your love and delivers to Your Paradise, and prevents us from following our desires lest we perish, and from taking our opinions lest we be destroyed.’”(351)

From the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.):... It means, grant us Your success which we obeyed You with in our past days, so that we may obey You likewise in the future of our lives.(352)

From Mufaḍḍal ibn ʿUmar, he said: I asked Abū ʿAbdillāh (a.s.) about the ṣirāṭ (path), and he said: It is the path to the knowledge of God, the Mighty and Majestic.(353)

Note: The ṣirāṭ, in this world or the hereafter, is not a bridge made of metal, stone or wood. Rather, in this world it manifests in the form of religion, which is a collection of belief, ethics and action, and also in the form of prophets and Imāms who are the embodiment of religion. And in the hereafter, it manifests in a form befitting the realities of that realm, as a bridge that has one end at the place of standing on the Day of Judgment and the other end in the paradise of mercy. The manifestation of the ṣirāṭ in the hereafter as a bridge is like the representation of knowledge in a dream as water, and wisdom as milk.

The infallible prophets and Imāms (a.s.) are the embodied religion and the ṣirāṭ of this world. Those who recognize these divine guardians and follow them on the path of guidance will safely cross the ṣirāṭ of the hereafter, which is a bridge over hell. And those who do not recognize the infallible leaders and are not guided by them will slip from the bridge of hell and fall into the inferno.

The Unity of the Wayfarer and the Path

From al-Ṣādiq (a.s.): By God, we are the straight path (ṣirāṭ al-mustaqīm).(354)

From al-Sajjād (a.s.): We are the doors of God and we are the straight path.(355)

From al-Ṣādiq (a.s.): The straight path is the Commander of the Faithful, ʿAlī (a.s.).(356)

From the Messenger of God (s.a.w.) [on the day of Ghadīr]: O people! I am the straight path of God which He has commanded you to follow. After me, it is ʿAlī, then the Imāms from his progeny who guide with the truth and establish justice by it.(357)

Imām al-Ṣādiq (a.s.) said: “Indeed, the human form is the straight path to all goodness and the bridge extended between Paradise and Hell.”(358)

Note: Based on the unity of the wayfarer and the path that was explained in the section on the subtleties and allusions of the verse under discussion, if a person reaches the depth of religion in understanding divine teachings and also succeeds in putting them into practice, they become a representation of the religion itself. Since the reality of the path is the divine religion, the infallible friends of God have introduced themselves as the straight path in these traditions, and this statement is not metaphorical or figurative.

In the last tradition of this collection, Imām al-Ṣādiq (a.s.) refers to the human form as the straight path and a bridge that has been extended between Paradise and Hell. Of course, what is meant by this is not the outward form of human beings, about which the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) says: “The form is the form of a human being, but the heart is the heart of an animal. It does not recognize the door of guidance to follow it, nor the door of misguidance to turn away from it. Such a person is dead among the living.”(359) This is because the righteous and the wicked are all equal in that outward form. Rather, what is meant by it is the rational human soul that is intended by divine guidance for tawḥ__īd(divine unity).

A Bridge over Hell or a Path within Hell

It is narrated from Mufaḍḍal ibn ʿUmar, who said: I asked Abū ʿAbdillāh Imām al-Ṣādiq about the path (ṣirāṭ). He said: “...There are two paths: a path in this world and a path in the Hereafter. As for the path in this world, it is the Imām whose obedience is obligatory. Whoever recognizes him in this world and follows his guidance will pass over the path that is a bridge in the Hereafter. And whoever does not recognize him in this world, his foot will slip from the path in the Hereafter and he will fall into the Fire of Hell.”(360)

It is narrated from the Messenger of God (s.a.w.) that he said: “The people will arrive and then depart according to their deeds. The first of them will be like a flash of lightning, then like the passing of the wind, then like the galloping of a horse, then like a rider, then like a man running, and then like his walking.”(361)

Note: The path to heaven and hell are not two paths side by side, but rather two paths in succession, and there is no way to reach heaven except by passing through hell: “There is not one of you but will pass over it (Hell); this is with your Lord, a Decree which must be accomplished. Then We will save those who used to fear God and were dutiful to Him. And We shall leave the wrongdoers therein (humbled) to their knees (in Hell).” (19:71-72)(362) It is the definite and unchangeable decree of God that everyone will enter hell. Then God Almighty will save the pious from the fire and place the oppressors in hell on their knees.

Exegetes differ on whether everyone’s entry into hell means actually entering it or just being exposed to it, because in some cases “entry” (wurūd) means exposure, such as in the story of Moses (a.s.) “When he arrived at the water of Madyan” (28:23) and in the case of Joseph’s (a.s.) rescue from the well “So they sent their water drawer, and he let down his bucket” (12:19). Therefore, some have said that what is meant by entry is exposure.

Whether entry (wurūd) means exposure or actually entering(363), in any case, hell is on the path to heaven, and the people of heaven enter heaven after passing through hell. As for the people of heaven being far from hell, as mentioned in the noble verse “They will be far removed from it” (21:101), it may be referring to after their entry and passage through hell.

The passage of the people of heaven through the fire on the Day of Resurrection, while reflecting the system of worldly life, has this good result that it will increase the gratitude of the people of heaven; because by passing through hell they will realize what a dangerous, critical and terrifying stage they have been delivered from: “Indeed, God does not admit anyone into Paradise until He shows them the Fire and what punishment is in it, so that they may know the full grace of God upon them and the perfection of His favor and benevolence toward them, and thus increase in joy and delight in Paradise and its blessings...”(364)

Traversing the Path of Truth in this world also requires passing through fire and trampling it underfoot, for the straight path is not an easy way far from Hell. Rather, it is entirely surrounded by fire on all sides. Since the straight path is the same as religion, whoever does not follow the path of religion falls off the path. However, if their connection to the path is completely severed and broken, they no longer have the ability to continue on the way. But if the thread of their connection is not completely cut off, they return to it again.

Thus, abandoning God’s command is the same as falling into the fire, and that is why the Noble Qur’an considers consuming what is forbidden as consuming fire: “Indeed, those who devour the property of orphans unjustly are only consuming into their bellies fire. And they will be burned in a Blaze.” (4:10) Although man does not perceive this hidden reality in this world, on the Day of Resurrection this same reality will appear in an open and clear form and will be well evident.

The straight path (ṣirāṭ al-mustaqīm) manifests in this world in the form of religion and its guardians, meaning the Prophets and the infallible Imāms (a.s.), and in the Hereafter it is in the form of a bridge over Hell. Usurping the property of an orphan is also expressed in this world with the term “forbidden” (ḥarām) and in the Hereafter it will be manifest in the form of a flame. So the wicked and those who consume what is forbidden are in the fire even now, and the words that God, the Glorified, has with the disbelievers and the wicked are like the words that a child’s guardian has with a disobedient child: “If you touch the fire, you will get burned right now”—not like the words of a doctor to a non-compliant patient: “If you do not follow these recommendations, you will face danger after some time.”

The Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) in a letter to Salmān, likens becoming tainted by the world to being poisoned by a deadly snake venom: “As for what follows, the parable of the world is that of a snake—soft to the touch, deadly in its venom.”(365) Touching the world is like touching a venomous snake; except that those poisoned by the world, due to being numbed, do not feel the pain. But when the veil is lifted, they see that they had been poisoned from before and were unaware of their poisoning: “You were certainly in heedlessness of this. So We have removed your veil from you, so your vision today is sharp.” (50:22) It is clear that heedlessness is a branch of the existence of that which one is heedless of. Therefore, finding the way to Paradise necessitates trampling sins underfoot and passing through Hell.

Reminder: The difference in the manner of crossing the ṣirāṭ on the Day of Resurrection is a reflection of the manner of traversing the straight path in the world. Those who traversed the straight path in the world with ease and willingness will pass through it there like a flashing lightning. But if in the world, they were sometimes bound by religion and at times in pursuit of deviant paths, they will cross the ṣirāṭ of the Hereafter stumbling and falling.

Characteristics of the Ṣirāṭ and the Difficulty of Traversing It

It is narrated from Saʿdān b. Muslim from Abū ʿAbdullāh (a.s.) that he said: “I asked him about the ṣirāṭ, and he said: ‘It is finer than a hair and sharper than a sword.’”(366)

It is narrated from the Prophet (s.a.w.) that he said: “The ṣirāṭ is finer than a hair, sharper than a sword, and darker than the night.”(367)

It is narrated from the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.): “Know that your passage is over the ṣirāṭ, with its slippery slopes, terrifying abysses, and raging horrors. So be mindful of God, O servants of God, with the mindfulness of one of understanding whose heart is occupied with contemplation, whose body is exhausted by fear, and whose false sleep is dispelled by nightly vigil...”(368)

Introduction: Humans are thinking and choosing beings whose perfection lies in discerning the truth and acting upon it. Distinguishing truth from falsehood amidst conflicting opinions and opposing schools of thought, and choosing the best among them, is very difficult; just as practical application after theoretical investigation is an extremely challenging task.

Correctly discerning the scientific truth is as difficult as seeing a thin hair in the darkness of night, and remaining steadfast on the straight path is as challenging as walking on the sharp edge of a sword.

Researchers who have engaged in hair-splitting analysis, referred to in biographies with the phrase “they split hairs” (shafaqū al-shaʿr), would succeed in scientifically discerning the truth through exhausting effort. And the pious ones who have been firm structures in the greater jihād, described as “monks by night and lions by day”(369) , have been successful in practically traversing the path of justice and equity.

The point is that in the shade of safeguarding true nature (fiṭra) and observing piety (taqwā), one can discern something thinner than a hair in darker than the night, and safely cross something sharper than a sword in darker than the night.