‘The Straight Way’ (al-Sirat al-Mustaqim) is repeated 17 times a day by every Muslims in their daily Salat (ritual five time prayer). This is included in the sixth verse of first chapter of the Holy Quran, al-Fatiha. In the first part of Salat a believer prays to Allah, Guide me on ‘the Straight Way’. What is the straight way? An explanation is given in the following verses. It is the way of those whom Allah bestowed with grace and not the way of those incurred his wrath or has gone astray.
However, an example will help to understand ‘the Straight Way’. It is like a straight path with two tunnels in both sides. A guide standing in the beginning of the straight path has been calling people to walk through this path as it will go to their destination. On the upper side of the path there is another guide. There are many open doors from straight path to tunnel with beautiful curtains barring sight to the tunnel. Whenever the man of the path tries to move the curtain the guide upside gives warning. He warns that if the curtain is moved you should enter the tunnel. The tunnel is penalties defined by Allah for various evil doings. The curtains are forbidden things which look beautiful and attractive in the sight of human beings. The guide upside is the good feeling in the mind of every believer and the guide in the entrance is the entrance is the revealed book, Holy Quran.
This example gives a clear view of the straight path. The Lord Allah sent human beings to check their firmness in the straight path nevertheless they have power to choose what they wish to do. The angels have power to do the only ordered things by God. Human beings are awarded with the great capacity to think, to sense and to choose. The thinking capacity helps man to control his sensation and choice. When the right knowledge is added to the thinking it helps him choose the right path. When the thought is not graced with good training and knowledge he chooses more adequate for his sensational happiness. Thus every believer should try to get as much as religious knowledge.
Forbidden things are sweet and attractive. Human instinct encourages him to such things for momentary happiness. Planned strategies will help to get rid of such shortcoming. Here we discuss three important strategies.
1. Friendship with good people
Friends play a good role in everybody’s life. They bring happiness and in their company we perform many of our activities. They give us guidance and help in our needs until they will become a part of our personality. Our attitudes become similar to their attitudes. Thus good friends will help us in following the straight path also.
2. Love good people
Everybody will have some models in their life. Sportsman tries to follow a star footballer or cricketer as his model. A stylish boy or girl follows a cinema super star as his/her model. A writer follows some great writers as his model. In the same way in every field we love the great personalities in those fields.
In local level our father, mother and some relative become exemplary for younger generations. Our affection to them encourages us to grow in their path and be an exemplary citizen.
Sometimes some fathers and mothers tell their siblings stories of such personalities and visit them with children in intervals to motivate them. The children become motivated and try to grow with a passion.
Love and affection to good people throughout our life is another factor which helps us to keep on the Straight Way.
3. Conscience of time, health, money and knowledge
There are four great bounties of God given to mankind, ie, time, health, money and knowledge. In the day of reckoning God will inquire all human being on these bounties. He should answer the way he spent or utilized these four things. The conscience about such a responsibility will keep everyone active and honorable personalities here and hereafter.
