وَهَـٰذَا صِرَٰطُ رَبِّكَ مُسْتَقِيمًا ۗ قَدْ فَصَّلْنَا ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَذَّكَّرُونَ 126
Translations
And this is the path of your Lord, [leading] straight. We have detailed the verses for a people who remember.
Transliteration
Wa-hādhā sirātu rabbika mustaqīmā; qad faṣṣalnā al-āyāti liqawmin yadhdhakkarūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms that the straight path (sirāt al-mustaqīm) is the path of Allah, and that the signs and verses have been detailed and clarified for those who reflect and take heed. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, this refers to the complete guidance provided through the Qur'an, emphasizing that Allah has made the way to Him clear and unambiguous for those possessed of reason and reflection. The emphasis on detailed explanation (tafsīl) indicates that guidance is not hidden or obscure, but plainly laid out for the discerning believer.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-An'am, which discusses monotheism, the characteristics of idolaters, and the clarity of divine guidance. The surah addresses the polytheists of Mecca who rejected the clear signs of Allah, and this particular verse reinforces that the straight path has been made manifest through detailed divine communications.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: 'The best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad' (Jāmi' at-Tirmidhī). Additionally, 'Whoever seeks to follow a path other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him' (Sunan Ibn Mājah 3057), which relates to the concept of the one straight path emphasized here.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that Allah has made His guidance abundantly clear through the Qur'an for those willing to reflect and listen; the responsibility rests upon us to consciously engage with these signs rather than dismissing them due to negligence or obstinacy. In our modern context, this reminds us that authentic guidance is readily accessible, and our spiritual blindness stems not from obscurity of the message but from our own unwillingness to contemplate and heed.
Related Ayahs
قُلْ هَلُمَّ شُهَدَآءَكُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ يَشْهَدُونَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ حَرَّمَ هَـٰذَا ۖ فَإِن شَهِدُوا۟ فَلَا تَشْهَدْ مَعَهُمْ ۚ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَآءَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا وَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَهُم بِرَبِّهِمْ يَعْدِلُونَ
Say, [O Muḥammad], "Bring forward your witnesses who will testify that Allāh has prohibited this." And if they testify, do not testify with them. And do not follow the desires of those who deny Our verses and those who do not believe in the Hereafter, while they equate [others] with their Lord.
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلنُّجُومَ لِتَهْتَدُوا۟ بِهَا فِى ظُلُمَـٰتِ ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ ۗ قَدْ فَصَّلْنَا ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ
And it is He who placed for you the stars that you may be guided by them through the darknesses of the land and sea. We have detailed the signs for a people who know.
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن طِينٍ ثُمَّ قَضَىٰٓ أَجَلًا ۖ وَأَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى عِندَهُۥ ۖ ثُمَّ أَنتُمْ تَمْتَرُونَ
It is He who created you from clay and then decreed a term and a specified time [known] to Him; then [still] you are in dispute.
فَلَمَّا رَءَا ٱلْقَمَرَ بَازِغًا قَالَ هَـٰذَا رَبِّى ۖ فَلَمَّآ أَفَلَ قَالَ لَئِن لَّمْ يَهْدِنِى رَبِّى لَأَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلضَّآلِّينَ
And when he saw the moon rising, he said, "This is my lord." But when it set, he said, "Unless my Lord guides me, I will surely be among the people gone astray."