The way of life that God requires” (St. Matthew, 22:16) is Sirat-e-Mustaqeem in the Qur’ān. John the Baptist came to show you the right way to live (ibid, 21:32) and that way is Sirat-e-Mustaqeem in the Qur’ānic parlance. However, an orientalist suggests that a “better” alternative would have been Sirat-al-Iman. He says that the prayer should have been, Ihdinas Siratal Iman.
Allah has connected hidayah and Iman in the following verse. “Say: ‘Do not regard your (accepting) Islam as a favour to me; rather, Allah has bestowed a favour on you by guiding you to faith, if you are truthful (in your claim to be believers)’.” (49:17)
In spite of His awareness of this connection between hidayah and Iman, Allah did not prefer this combination in Surah Fatihah. One who believes that the Qur’ān’s author is Allah will not dare to suggest any alteration for the sake of ‘improvement’.
The verse per se is perfect in the Surah. Mustaqeem rhymes with Ar-Raheem of the second verse and this rhyme connects the two verses and brings to light the two features of the Qur’ān – hudan and rahmah. To make Iman rhyme, Ar-Raheem should precede Ar-Rahman, and this will be against the convention of the Qur’ān, in which Ar-Rahman always precedes Ar-Raheem. In Chapter 36, verses 4 and 5, Mustaqeem and Ar-Raheem are used as rhyming words.
Mustaqeem is the last word in the verse. Nastaeen is the last word in the preceding verse. Each word has a similar form. Consequently one word balances the other. There are three syllables; the first syllable is closed and ends with a sibilant ‘S’; the second syllable is the same in both words and is an open syllable; the third syllable in both words is closed and has a long close, front vowel –ee and ends in nasals m and n.
Mus-ta-qeem
Nas-ta-een
The beauty of this balanced structure will be lost if Mustaqeem is removed and iman is substituted.
All abbreviated letters used at the commencement of some Surahs are found in Surah Fatehah. Qaf is one of them and is found in the fourth place in the word Mustaqeem. If this word is removed in favour of Iman, one letter, Qaf, which is the first abbreviated letter of a Surah named eponymously, will be lost and it would be no ordinary loss. It is to be remembered that the letter, Qaf, is used only once in Surah Fatehah.
Sirat-e-Mustaqeem is used both literally and metaphorically. Sirat is a concrete word and Mustaqeem reinforces this quality of concreteness. If Mustaqeem is removed and replaced by Iman, the phrase will lend itself to a metaphorical interpretation only, because then the phrase will become abstract.
Sirat-al-Mustaqeem is a Murakkaba Tauseefi; Sirat-al-Iman is a Murakkabe Idafi. The only adjective in the Surah cannot be so easily dispensed with because the adjective is so rich in connotation. The destination is indirectly hinted at. The Way leads ‘straight’ to the destination. The retention of Murakkabe Tauseefi adds to the variety of phrasal structures in the Surah. Moulana Abdur Rahman Keelani says that Mustaqeem and Isteqama are etymologically related. This etymological richness will be lost if Mustaqeem is removed.
The antonym of Siratal Mustaqeem is Siratal Jaheem. (37:23) These two phrases rhyme. It is difficult to have a rhyming antonym for Siratal Iman from the Qur’ān. The rhyme scheme in the Surah is elaborate, complex, and full of significance.
This brief discussion makes it abundantly clear that the Qur’ān is perfect and no one can ever improve upon it, either by substituting a phrase or by re-wording a verse of the Qur’ān.
[This article is an excerpt from the writer’s unpublished book, dealing with a literary and thematic appreciation of Surah Fatehah.]