Concerning His words, “And You alone we ask for help”: We seek from You assistance in worshipping You and in all our affairs. If it is asked, “Why does He mention worship before seeking help, when seeking help comes before worship?”—this objection would apply to those who hold that capacity precedes the act. We, praise be to Allah, hold that enabling grace—and seeking help (1)—accompanies the act; thus, there is no difference between placing one before or after the other. It is also said that seeking help is a form of worship. Thus, He first mentioned worship as a whole, then mentioned that which is among its particulars.

Concerning His words, “Guide us to the straight path”: Guide us means direct us. Ali and Ubayy ibn Kab said: “Make us steadfast,” just as one says to a person who is standing, “Remain standing until I return to you,” meaning, continue as you are. This supplication by believers, despite their already being guided, means asking for steadfastness and for an increase in guidance, because Allah’s gracious aids and guidance are without limit, according to the doctrine of Ahl al-Sunnah.

Al-sirat is also recited as sirat, with the letter sin; this was transmitted by Uways from Yaqub, and it is the original form. It is called sirat because it engulfs travelers. It is also recited with the letter zay, and Hamzah recited it with a hint of zay. All these are valid linguistic forms, though the preferred reading for most reciters is with sad, in conformity with the written Quranic text.

Ibn Abbas and Jabir said that the straight path is Islam; this was also the view of Muqatil. Ibn Masud said: “It is the Quran.” 5/A It is also narrated from Ali, in a report attributed to the Prophet: “The straight path is the Book of Allah” (2). Said ibn Jubayr said: “The path to Paradise.” Sahl ibn Abd Allah said: “The way of the Sunnah and the community.” Bakr ibn Abd Allah al-Muzani said: “The way of the Messenger of Allah.” [Abu al-Aliyah and al-Hasan said: “The Messenger of Allah, his family, and his two Companions.”] (3) In linguistic origin, it means the clear road.

Concerning His words, “the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor”: that is, those whom You have favored with guidance and enabling grace. Ikrimah said: “Those whom You have favored with steadfastness in faith and uprightness; they are the prophets.” It was also said that they are all those—among the prophets and believers—whom Allah has made steadfast in faith, whom Allah Most High mentioned in His words: “Those are with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor, among the prophets” (al-Nisa 69), the verse. Ibn Abbas said: “They are the people of Moses and Jesus before they altered their religion.” Abd al-Rahman ibn Zayd said: “They are the Prophet and those with him.” Abu al-Aliyah said: “They are the family of the Messenger, Abu Bakr and Umar, and the members of his household.” Shahr ibn Hawshab said: “They are the Companions of the Messenger of Allah and the members of his household.”

Hamzah recited alayhum, ladayhum, and ilayhum with dammah on their ha letters. Yaqub gives dammah to every ha preceded by a vowelless ya, in dual and plural forms, except in His words, “between their hands and their feet” (al-Mumtahanah 12). The other reciters read the ha with kasrah. Whoever gives the ha dammah restores it to its original form, since it bears dammah when standing alone; and whoever gives it kasrah (4) does so because of the vowelless ya, for kasrah is akin to ya. Ibn Kathir and Abu Jafar give every plural mim a full dammah in connected recitation when it is not followed by a vowelless letter; if it is followed by a vowelless letter, they do not give it a full dammah. Nafi permits either option, and Warsh gives it dammah when followed by an alif—