Don't Be Standing On The Straight Path

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

We ask Allah to guide us to the straight path and we do this many times, day and night, during our recitation of al-Fatiha in prayers.

ٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٰطَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ ﴿٦
Guide us to the straight path - (6)

[Qur'an Al-Fatiha 1:6]

فَأَيْنَ تَذْهَبُونَ ﴿٢٦
So where are you going?

[Qur'an At-Takwir 81:26]

Most people focus on standing on the straight path and some are traveling on it. Many are proud to be Muslim and many more want to be Muslim. Where are they going?

The point of the straight path is to get somewhere. Paradise is a good place to end up at rather than Hell, but it is not the ultimate aim. We want to get beyond Paradise. This is a call of the Qur'an--a call to Allah, the One.

Allah is calling you to Him. Would you respond?

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِى عَنِّى فَإِنِّى قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ ٱلدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لِى وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِى لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ ﴿١٨٦
And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided. (186)

[Qur'an al-Baqarah 2:186]

If you want entrance to the King's Gardens, don't ignore the King. What one should be seeking ultimately is the eternal closeness to Allah, Dhu-l-Jalali wa-l-Ikram (Lord of Majesty and Generosity, Lord of Glory and Honor)

So many people are crazy about Islam but not many people are crazy about Allah, Malik Al-Mulk (The Master of the Kingdom, The Owner of All Sovereignty, The Lord of Absolute Ruling Power).

Don't be standing on the straight path, but keep going and worship Allah.

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ ٱلْجِنَّ وَٱلْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ ﴿٥٦
And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. (56)

[Qur'an Adh-Dhariyat 51:56]

وَأَنِ ٱعْبُدُونِى ۚ هَـٰذَا صِرَٰطٌ مُّسْتَقِيمٌ ﴿٦١
And that you worship [only] Me? This is a straight path. (61)

[Qur'an Ya-Sin 26:61]

To worship Allah is to completely surrendering and submitting to Him. Worship comes out of knowing Allah.

Our first obligation is to know -- to know Allah, our Creator. If we don't know Allah, we will do everything wrong.

Mere following people won't help because people might be doing things wrong. You yourself have to seek knowledge and continuously seek knowledge.

هُوَ ٱللَّـهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ عَـٰلِمُ ٱلْغَيْبِ وَٱلشَّهَـٰدَةِ ۖ هُوَ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ﴿٢٢﴾ هُوَ ٱللَّـهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْقُدُّوسُ ٱلسَّلَـٰمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُ ٱلْمُهَيْمِنُ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْجَبَّارُ ٱلْمُتَكَبِّرُ ۚ سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱللَّـهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ ﴿٢٣﴾ هُوَ ٱللَّـهُ ٱلْخَـٰلِقُ ٱلْبَارِئُ ٱلْمُصَوِّرُ ۖ لَهُ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ ۚ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ ﴿٢٤
He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed. He is the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. (22) He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, the Sovereign, the Pure, the Perfection, the Bestower of Faith, the Overseer, the Exalted in Might, the Compeller, the Superior. Exalted is Allah above whatever they associate with Him. (23) He is Allah, the Creator, the Inventor, the Fashioner; to Him belong the best names. Whatever is in the heavens and earth is exalting Him. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise. (24)

[Qur'an Al-Hashr 59:22-24]

May Allah grant us tawfiq to the highest station and grant us His Noble Countenance. Ameen.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam