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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Fast of the Month of Ramadhan: Philosophy and Ahkam What is al-Sirat al-Mustaqeem?

The significance of fast will be realized during a much more critical time: when the souls are to pass on al-Sirat al-Mustaqeem , the Straight Path, the path regarding which the believers pray Allah to keep their feet firm as they pass on it, the one mentioned in Surat al-Fatiha and regarding which they plead to the Almighty at least ten times a day (twice in each rek’a ) saying: "Guide us to the Straight Path (al-Sirat al-Mustaqeem)" (Holy Qur'an, Surah Fateha 1:6).

Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (as), as recorded on p. 41, Vol. 1, of Tabatabai's[^1] Al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Qur'an , was asked once about the meaning of this verse; he said, "It means: Guide us to upholding the path that leads to Your pleasure, that ends at Your Paradise, that prohibits us from following our own desires and thus deviate, or follow our own views and thus perish." In his Tafsir , al-Ayyashi quotes Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (as) saying that al-Sirat al-Mustaqeem is the Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali (as).

Al-Sirat al-Mustaqeem is referred to in verse 61 of Surat Ya-Sin (Ch. 36), in verse 52 of Surat al-Shura (Ch. 42), in verse 16 of Surat al-Maaida (Ch. 5), in verses 126 and 161 of Surat al-An’am (Ch. 6), in verses 70 and 174 of Surat al-Nisaa (Ch. 4), in verse 42 of Surat al-Hijr (Ch. 15), and in other verses where it is described as the Sabeel , another word for path, leading to the Almighty.

Abdul-Rahman ibn Muhammad al-Hassani quotes Ahmed ibn ‘Eisa ibn Abu Maryam quoting Muhammad ibn Ahmed al-’Arjami quoting Ali ibn Hatim al-Minqari quoting al-Mufaddal ibn ‘Umar saying, "I asked Abu Abdullah (Imam al-Sadiq [as]) about the Sirat , and he said, ‘It is the Path to knowing Allah, the most Exalted, the most Great, and there are two such paths: one in the life of this world, and one in the life hereafter.

The Sirat in this life is the Imam whose obedience is incumbent; whoever knows him in this life and follows his guidance will be able to pass on the (other) Sirat which is a path over hell in the hereafter, and whoever does not know him in this life, his feet will slip away from the Sirat in the hereafter so he falls into the fire of hell.'" This is recorded on pp. 13-14 of Ma’ani al-Akhbar and also on p. 66, Vol. 8, of Bihar al-Anwar .

It is when you come to that Sirat that you will find out how well you performed your fast in the life of this world.