this is My straight path, so follow it﴾ [al-An'ām: 153]; whatever conflicts with the truth is crooked.

﴿The path of those You have blessed—not those who have incurred wrath, nor those who have gone astray.﴾

The words of Allah Most High, ﴿The path of those You have blessed﴾, are an appositive clarification of His words, ﴿the straight path﴾. Those whom Allah has blessed are the ones mentioned in His words: ﴿Whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger will be with those whom Allah has blessed: the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous. How excellent they are as companions!﴾ [al-Nisā': 69].

His words, ﴿not those who have incurred wrath﴾, refer to the Jews and to everyone who knows the truth but does not act upon it.

His words, ﴿nor those who have gone astray﴾, refer to the Christians before the mission of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and to everyone who, through ignorance of the truth, acts contrary to it.

There are two canonical readings among the Seven of the word meaning “upon them”: in one, the letter hā is vocalized with u, and in the other with i.

You should know that a reading which does not appear in the copy of the Quran that people have before them should not be recited among the general public, for three reasons:

The first reason is that the hearts of ordinary people are filled with veneration and reverence for this magnificent Quran. If they encounter it recited one way on one occasion and another way on another, its standing will diminish in their eyes, because they are ordinary people who cannot distinguish between the readings.

The second reason is that the reciter will be accused of not knowing how to recite, because he has recited before ordinary people in a manner unfamiliar to them. He will then become a subject of discussion in their gatherings.

The third reason is that if a layperson thinks well of this reciter and assumes that—