the path leading to Allah is one: it is the way with which He sent His messengers and which He revealed in His Books. No one reaches Him except by this path. Even if people approached by every route and sought entry through every door, all routes would be barred to them and all doors closed, except this one path. It is connected to Allah and leads to Him. Allah Most High says:

“This is a straight path to Me.” (15:41)

Al-Hasan said that this means: “A straight path leading to Me.” His statement admits two possibilities. He may have meant that one preposition stands in place of another, with ‘alā (upon) taking the place of ilā (to). Alternatively, he may have intended to explain the meaning—which is more consistent with the approach of the early generations—namely, a path leading to Me. Mujāhid «1» said: “Truth returns to Allah; its path leads to Him, turning aside to nothing else.”

This resembles al-Hasan’s explanation but is clearer. It is among the soundest interpretations of the verse. Another interpretation holds that ‘alā here expresses obligation, meaning: “It is incumbent upon Me to explain it and point it out.” These two interpretations parallel those given for the verse in Sūrat al-Nahl:

“And to Allah leads the straight path.” (16:9)

The correct interpretation here is the same as that of the verse in Sūrat al-Hijr: the direct path—the straight, even way—returns to Allah and leads to Him. Tufayl al-Ghanawī said:

“They have gone before us; our straight path leads to them,
And death’s vicissitudes toss men about.”

That is, our passage takes us to them, and we shall reach them. Another poet said:

“Such are the fates of death: whatever valley I take,
My path leads to them, or theirs leads to me.”

If it is said: “Had this meaning been intended, the more appropriate preposition would have been ilā, which indicates an endpoint, rather than ‘alā, which indicates obligation. Do you not see that when He intended to express arrival