the Lectures of Nekounam, May His Secret Be Sanctified (Session 84)
The verse صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ from Surah Al-Fatiha, as a gem set within the crown of Qur'anic guidance, links the straight path with the attribute of divine favour. This phrase, by defining the straight path as the way of those upon whom God's blessings have been bestowed, invites contemplation on the nature of guidance and the unparalleled eloquence of divine speech. This treatise, adopting a scholarly and distinguished approach, undertakes a syntactic, rhetorical, and semantic analysis of this verse, whilst critically examining traditional interpretations and emphasising the originality and simplicity of the Holy Qur'an's language. The structure of the work is designed to provide a systematic presentation for specialised audiences, conveying all details with dignified and academic language.
The fundamental question in this verse concerns the relation of صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ to الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ: is this phrase an adjective describing the straight path, or a substitute (badal) for it?
The adjective describes the straight path and adds semantic cohesion and eloquence to the discourse, whereas the substitute, by repeating the governing term اهْدِنَا (guide us), results in complexity and diminishes eloquence.
The word ir is pronounced with the letter صاد (d), and the pronunciation with سین (sn) is incorrect due to its semantic distinction. This difference manifests in the meaning of a clear path of guidance (with d) versus an erroneous meaning not employed in the Qur'an (with sn).
The adjective, owing to its descriptive nature and semantic continuity, harmonises with the intrinsic eloquence of the Holy Qur'an. The substitute, requiring the implied repetition of اهْدِنَا, leads to redundancy and complexity, contravening Qur'anic brevity.
The substitute necessitates the implied repetition of اهْدِنَا, which, akin to verbal justifications, impairs the eloquence of the discourse. The adjective, by omitting the need for such implication, preserves simplicity and rhetorical excellence.
In the phrase أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ, the agent of favour is God (addressed directly: أَنْعَمْتَ), whereas the recipient (عَلَيْهِمْ) is general and refers to a collective.
Favour, derived from the root نعم, signifies abundant goodness and blessing, standing in opposition to affliction (deprivation or punishment). Divine favour, as a verbal noun, functions as a vessel for conveying this divine goodness.
The path of the favoured includes the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous, who are identified in the Holy Qur'an as groups of the guided.
Traditional exegeses, such as Majma al-Bayan, consider the adjective as primary and the substitute as permissible but do not sufficiently emphasise the eloquence of the adjective. Some commentaries, such as Kashshaf, focus on the substitute and neglect the adjectives rhetorical excellence.
Mulla Sadras emphasis on the substitute disregards the adjective and diverges from the Qur'ans inherent eloquence.
Some traditional literary analyses, by adding superfluous explanatory elements, have complicated the divine discourse and diminished its simplicity and eloquence.
Literary examples such as هَلْ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَى أَكْرَمِ النَّاسِ are inconsistent with the Qur'anic understanding, since divine speech requires no literary justifications.
Any form of editing or improvement of the Qur'anic text violates its status as divine speech. The Qur'an is immune to alteration and requires no explanatory aids.
Rendering the Qur'an in gold script or producing monumental manuscripts distances from its guidance objective, resulting in superficial embellishment.
The exegete must be a follower of the Qur'an rather than imposing their own analyses upon divine speech. This principle aligns with the words of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) in Nahj al-Balagha:
لا تَكُونُوا أَئِمَّةَ الْقُرْآنِ، بَلْ لِيَكُنِ الْقُرْآنُ إِمَامَكُمْ
The Holy Qur'an should not be a field for showcasing literary prowess or a tool for literary experimentation. The exegete must serve the understanding and elucidation of divine speech.
The straight path extends beyond Muslims to all favoured recipients, and restricting it to a particular group conflicts with the inclusive nature of the verse.
The path of the favoured is contrasted with the path of those who have incurred divine wrath (the deviants of the world) and those who are astray (ignorant misled ones), each defined within distinct semantic domains.
The verse صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ, by defining the straight path as the way of the favoured, manifests the inherent eloquence and rhetoric of divine speech. Syntactic and rhetorical analysis demonstrates that صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ is an adjective which, with simplicity and conciseness, attributes the divine favour characteristic to the straight path. Critical examination of traditional perspectives, including the emphasis on the substitute and redundant literary analyses, underlines the necessity to preserve the original eloquence of divine speech. The favoured, encompassing prophets, the truthful, martyrs, and the righteous, embody the path of guidance, contrasted by those who have incurred divine wrath and those who have gone astray. The exegete, as a respectful observer, must follow the Qur'an and refrain from imposing extraneous analyses or editing divine speech. This interpretation, adopting a scholarly and distinguished approach, paves the way for a deeper comprehension of Qur'anic teachings.
Under the supervision of Sadegh Khademi
