And Allah's chosen path is straight while all other paths are crooked. Had He willed, He would have led you all aright! (R)

(As we know, all living beings are constantly engaged in travelling from one place to another in Allah's copious world. The birds in the sky emigrate from one area of land to another, in pursuit of food or of appropriate climate, or of suitable conditions for breeding; shoals of fish in the ocean scatter around the vast sea to spawn in safety and feed their young; beasts of the wild also do the same, the grazing animals in search of grass and leaves and the predators in search of animals they feed upon. Human beings are also constantly undertaking journeys for a variety of reasons, some for trade and commerce; some to flee from persecution; some in search of opportunities to enhance livelihood; some in pursuit of knowledge and some to find matrimonial matches, - all either by our own choice or out of sheer necessity.

There is, however, another journey on which we all embark from the moment of our conception in the wombs of our mothers until the moment our souls leave our bodies, - a journey which is neither of our choosing nor of our making. When a male and a female mate, its outcome triggers off a journey for their offspring, - whoever they be, - humans, beasts, fish, birds, insects and even the invisible organisms who have to mate and multiply.

This journey, in the case of human beings, has many strings attached because we have to conduct it in a way no other living being is required to conduct. Whereas the journey for the rest of the creatures comes to end when they die, ours does not. If anything, it marks the beginning of yet another journey which would take us to our ultimate destination, - heaven or hell. It is, therefore, important that we choose what destination it is going to be for us and strive to reach there by following the guidelines given to us by those who are qualified to give that guidance. If we do not find the right guide and do not follow the directions, we would stray away into unknown regions or forbidden pastures and never manage to emerge from that maze.

After dwelling at length on modes of transport, - past, present and future, - the focus shifts on the path which would take us one day to where it is in our best interest to go, or to aim for. The verse makes no bones about which is that path: the middle path; the straight path; the sure path; the path without by-paths; the path that guarantees the chosen goal at its end; the path with no sharp bends nor any U turns; the path upon which Allah's chosen few walked and showed us where it led them; the path that was shown to us by our first parent Adam and then redrawn by our precursor Abraham, then by MUSA (pbu) and Jesus and Mohammed (may Allah's peace be on them); and above and beyond everything else, the path which is clearly described in the Qur'aan as the path of righteousness!)