Medina used to threaten the people of Mecca by saying, “Your route passes through our territory,” when the latter threatened them for having sheltered Muhammad and his Companions. Thus, when Sa‘d ibn Mu‘ādh went to Mecca, Abū Jahl said to him, “I will not have you circumambulating the House in safety when you have sheltered the renegades and claimed that you would support them!” Sa‘d replied, “If you prevent me from this, I will deny you something whose loss will hurt you far more—your route past Medina,” or words to that effect. He pointed out that their trading route to Syria passed through their territory, where they would then be able to retaliate against them.

Such a meaning cannot be applied to Allah Most High, for Allah has power over His servants wherever they may be. As the jinn said:

“We have realized that we can never escape Allah on earth, nor can we escape Him by fleeing.”

And He said:

“You cannot escape Him on earth.”

If the Arabs do indeed use the expression he mentioned, “Your way in this matter lies through so-and-so,” meaning that your affair ultimately rests with him, then this accords with the interpretation of Mujāhid and others among the early generations. As Mujāhid said, “The truth leads back to Allah, and its path leads to Him, without turning aside to anything else.”

The path of truth thus leads to Allah. It is the straight path concerning which Allah said:

“This is a straight path to Me.”

The other reading has likewise been interpreted in this sense. Thus, in both readings, the path is this straight path which Allah commanded the believers