Al-An'am · Makki · ayah 153 of 165

Al-An'am 6:153

وَأَنَّ هَـٰذَا صِرَٰطِى مُسْتَقِيمًا فَٱتَّبِعُوهُ ۖ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ ٱلسُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمْ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ وَصَّىٰكُم بِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

“And, [moreover], this is My path, which is straight, so follow it; and do not follow [other] ways, for you will be separated from His way. This has He instructed you that you may become righteous.”

Saheeh International

Essence

After nine commands, one line: this is My straight path, so follow it, and do not let the side roads scatter you.

A reflection

A path made of commands, not a badge

'This is My straight path' is one of the most quoted lines in this surah. It is often used as a badge. My group, my school of thought, my mosque is the straight path; the others are the side roads.

Read it where it stands. It comes at the end of a list. Do not associate partners with Allah. Be excellent to parents. Do not kill your children. Keep away from indecency. Do not take a sacred life. Guard the orphan's property. Give full measure. Speak justly, even about relatives. Fulfil Allah's covenant. Then: and this is My straight path.

One concise commentary glosses 'this' plainly: this which I have charged you with. The path is not a label. It is the list. Another reading of the grammar takes the sentence as part of the same charge: and He has charged you that this is My path.

That changes how the line should be used. Picture two student societies on the same campus that each print 'the straight path' on their hoodies. They argue online about which of them deserves the phrase. Meanwhile, one of their members has not called his mother in a month. Another rounds up her expenses. A third speaks unjustly about a rival in a group chat.

By the ayah's own definition, the straight path is being walked by whoever is keeping the charge, whatever is printed on their clothes.

So when you say or hear 'this is the straight path', ask the ayah's question. Is it the list being kept? Worship without partners, kindness at home, honesty at the till, justice in speech, promises kept. That is the road. Everything else is signage.

The full entry has 6 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.