The Quran's Essence

10. A Thematic Overview

Summary (2a)

Surah Fatiha: The Quran’s Essence (cont.)

“The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray.” (Sahih International) (1:7)

 صراط is a path that has no alternative, there is no other way to where you are going; the word has no plural!

Morals vs. Laws

•  Both things are important as Muslims... you can’t have one without following the other

•  Laws must have someone to enforce them, morals do not

•  In Islam, there are spiritual laws (like fasting) and social laws (like inheritance or divorce)

  •  Punishments in Islam are overwhelmingly associated with social law

  •  you can abide by spiritual laws without an outside force enforcing them, but you

    need an outside force to police social law (ex. Government)

•  When it comes to morals, we are going to follow the path of those people that Allah

  )انعمت عليهم( swt) has blessed(

•  When it comes to laws, we follow the law given to us by the Prophet (S)

•  Our true role models are in the past, which is why انعمت is past tense! You seek advice

  from those who have gone through what you are, from people who have “graduated”

 Who are these people? Elsewhere in the Qur’an Allah tells us:

•  الإنبياء the Prophets

•  الصدقين the people who believed in the Prophets at the time

Day 6 │Qur’an for Young Adults │1

•  الشهداء people who were willing to die for their faith

•  الصالحين good people