This, then, is the servant’s pledge to fulfil his Lord’s worship, coupled with a plea that the Lord assist him in carrying it out. By means of that pledge and plea he seeks everlasting happiness and rescue from every evil, for there is no road to either except through worshipping Allah and relying on Him. From this it is clear how acutely the servant is in need of worshipping Allah and seeking His aid.

• “Guide us to the straight path” (ihdinā al-ṣirāṭ al-mustaqīm): that is, show us, direct us, and grant us success in knowing the truth and acting upon it—the balanced, upright path that leads to Allah, to His Paradise, and to His honor. This request embraces two kinds of guidance:
– guidance to the path itself, namely the success to adhere to the religion of Islam and to abandon every other false creed;
– guidance while travelling the path, in both knowledge and deed, once one has embarked upon it.

This supplication is among the most comprehensive and beneficial invocations a servant can make; for that reason Allah has mandated it and made it easy upon the tongue.

• That path is “the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor,” favored with the perfect blessing that culminates in eternal felicity: the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs, and the righteous.
• “Not of those who have incurred wrath”: those who recognized the truth yet abandoned it, such as the Jews and the like.
• “Nor of those who are astray”: those who wandered from the truth, such as the Christians and the like.

Thus, despite its brevity, this surah gathers together an abundance of knowledge.

It comprises the three categories of monotheism:
• Monotheism of Lordship (tawḥīd al-rubūbiyyah), derived from His words: “Lord of all beings.”
• Monotheism of Worship (tawḥīd al-ulūhiyyah), taken from His words: “You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help,” for He alone is the One to be worshipped and the One from whom assistance is sought.