(6:161-2) قُلْ إِنَّنِى هَدَينِى رَبِّى إِلَى صِرَ طٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ دِيناً قِيَماً مِلَّةَ إِبْرَهِيمَ حَنِيفاً وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ \* قُلْ إِنَّ صَلَاتِى وَنُسُكِى وَمَحْيَاىَ وَمَمَاتِى لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَلَمِينَ Did I not charge you, O children of Adam! that you should not serve the Shaitan? Surely he is your open enemy. And that you should serve Me; this is the right way.
(36:60-61) Therefore, the straight path (Siraat Mustaqeem) can be interpreted as referring to Almighty Allah and entry into Paradise from: the right beliefs, good morals, laws and rules of Shariat sent through divine prophets. The straight path (Siraat Mustaqeem) is one, not more and every other way other than it is deviated.
The Holy Quran says in the following verses: وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْأَخِرَةِ عَنِ الصِّرَطِ لَنَكِبُونَ And most surely those who do not believe in the hereafter are deviating from the way. (23:74) وَمَنْ يَتَبَدَّلِ الكُفْرَ بِالإيمَنِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ سَوَآءَ الْسَّبِيلِ …and whoever adopts unbelief instead of faith, he indeed has lost the right direction of the way.
(2:108) إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَضِلُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ بِمَا نَسُواْ يَوْمَ الْحِسَابِ …(as for) those who go astray from the path of Allah, they shall surely have a severe punishment because they forgot the day of reckoning.
(38:26) احْشُرُواْ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ وَأَزْوَاجَهُمْ وَمَا كَانُواْ يَعْبُدُونَ \* مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ فَاهْدُوهُمْ إِلَى صِرَاطِ الْجَحِيمِ Gather together those who were unjust and their associates, and what they used to worship Besides Allah, then lead them to the way to hell. (37:22-23) Therefore the Siraat is the way of life, which begins in this world and continues till Judgment Day. This way can be divided into two: straight path and wayward path.
The straight path is a collection of right beliefs, good morals, laws and rules of Shariat and wayward paths consist of invalid beliefs, bad morals and unethical speech and action, which are against Shariat. The seeker of this way is a man who through his free will, chooses one of these two paths and walks on them. These paths are real and not notional.
Every person by choosing the type of faith, morals and intentions in his inner being or in path of humanity performs servitude to gain divine proximity, perfection and illumination. Or he proceeds on path of bestiality and darkness and seeks distance from Allah to fall into terrifying valleys of materialism.