Adhering to the Straight Path

Adhering to the Straight Path means adhering to the Qur’aan and the sahieh Hadeeth in words and deeds is the greatest means of protection against Shaytan. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal recorded that Abdullah bin Mas’ood said, “The Messenger of Allah drew a line with his hand (in the sand) and said, ‘This is Allah’s Path, leading straight.’

He then drew lines to the right and left of that line and said, ‘These are the other paths, on each path there is a Shaytan who calls to it.’He then recited, ‘And verily, this is My straight path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His path.’” [Soorah al-An’am (6): 153] A man asked Ibn Mas’ood, ‘What is as-Sirat al-Mustaqim (the straight path).’ Ibn Mas'ood replied, ‘Muhammad left us at its lower end and its other end is in Paradise. To the right of this Path are other paths, and to the left of it are other paths, and there are men (on these paths) calling those who pass by them. Whoever goes on the other paths will end up in the Fire. Whoever takes the Straight Path, will end up in Paradise.’ Ibn Mas’ood then recited the (above mentioned) verse (6):153.’ [Musnad Ahmad] Imam Ahmad also recorded that An-Nawwas ibn Sam’an said that the Messenger of Allah said, ‘Allah has given a parable of the Straight Path, and on the two sides of this Path, there are two walls containing doorways. On these doorways, there are curtains that are lowered down. On the gate of this path, there is a caller heralding, ‘O people! come and enter the straight path all together and do not divide.’ There is also another caller that heralds from above the path, who says when a person wants to remove the

curtain on any of these doors, ‘Woe to you! Do not open this door, for if you open it, you will enter it. The (straight) path is Islam, the two walls are Allah’s set limits, the open doors lead to Allah’s prohibitions, the caller on the gate of the path is Allah’s Book (the Qur’aan), while the caller from above the path is Allah’s admonition in the heart of every Muslim.’” [At-Tirmidhee said, ‘hasan gharib’]

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