For example, "The way of those whom You have blessed (Sirât alladhîna an'amta 'alayhim)" has a relationship with "All praise be to God" because bounty (al-ni'ma) is the corollary of "praise "

• and with "Lord and Sustainer of all the worlds" because perfect sustaining and raising is through the continual bestowal of bounties (al-ni'am)\

• and with "the Most Merciful, All-Compassionate," because the recipients of bounty - I mean the prophets, the martyrs who witness to the

Truth, and the righteous - are a mercy to the worlds and evident exemplars of mercy;

• and with "Owner of the Day of Judgement (mâlik al-yawm ad-din)," because religion (din) is the perfect bounty;

• and with "do we worship," because they are foremost in worship;

• and with "do we seek help," because they have been graced with success in response to their request for help;

• and with "Guide us," because according to the meaning of "Follow then their guidance,"(6:90) they are the finest models;

• and with "the Straight Path" because clearly the straight path is confined to their way. This is an example, so carry on in the same way.

In the word "path (al-sirât)" is an indication that their way is passable, and has restricted sides so that those who travel down it will not stray from it.

In "those whom (alladhîna)" - since it is a relative pronoun and it is the function of the relative pronoun to describe things known to the listener -is an indication to the exaltedness of their rank, and their refulgent shining in the darkness of mankind, as if they are obvious to all listeners even if they do not search or enquire. While its being plural indicates the possibility of following their way, and corroborated by the constant consensus concerning it, its Tightness, since "Allâh's power is with the community."¹

In the use of the perfect tense for "You have blessed (an'amta)" is a hint to the means of requesting further bounty. And its use of the second person, addressing Allâh directly, indicates that it is an intercessor, as though one is saying: "O my God! You are the bestower of bounty and in Your grace have bestowed it before; so bestow it on me again, even though I am not worthy."

And in "on them ('alayhim)" is an indication to the heavy burden that is divine messengership and the bearing of the Trust, and a sign that the Messengers are like high mountains on which pour down torrents of rain so that the plains may be flooded. As one part of the Qur'an expounds another, how beautifully "Those whom You have blessed" is expounded by "[they] are in the company of those on whom is the grace of Allâh - of the prophets, the veracious, the witnesses, and the righteous"(4:69)!

• If you were to ask: The outlooks of the prophets are all different and their ways of worship are diverse. What is the reason for this?

You would be told: The prophets are all followed in the principles of faith and fundamental rules, for these are constant and fixed; unlike secondary matters, the nature of which is to change in the course of time. Just as the four seasons and the stages in a person's life warrant different remedies and clothing - what is a cure at one time may cause illness at another - so the stages of the life of humanity necessitate differences in rules of secondary importance, which are healing for spirits and nourishment for hearts.

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