The greatest prayer in the Quran. Three words. The only thing worth asking for.
3Words — the greatest dua
هـ-د-يRoot — guidance, the path
17xRepeated in every salah
1 / 5
Stage 2 of 5 · Break It
اهْدِنَاالصِّرَاطَالْمُسْتَقِيمَ
Ihdinā ṣ-ṣirāṭa l-mustaqīm
Word 1اهْدِنَاihdināGuide usCommand — dua
Word 2الصِّرَاطَaṣ-ṣirāṭThe path / roadDefinite noun — THE path
Word 3الْمُسْتَقِيمَal-mustaqīmThe straight / uprightActive participle — istiʿāra
2 / 5
Stage 3 of 5 · Discover It
🌱 The Root of This Verse
هـ
—
د
—
ي
Guidance · Direction · To lead
Root هـ-د-ي appears 316 times in the Quran
هَدَى
hadā — he guidedVerb form
هِدَايَة
hidāya — guidanceThe gift
هُدًى
hudan — a source of guidanceQuran described as هُدًى للناس
مُهْتَدٍ
muhtadin — one who is guidedPassive participle
اهْدِنَا has two meanings in Arabic: show us the path, AND keep us on it. Al-Sa'di: هداية الإرشاد (showing the way) and هداية التوفيق (enabling you to walk it). We ask for both — to know the path and to have the strength to walk it.
Source: تفسير السعدي · مفردات ألفاظ القرآن — الراغب الأصفهاني
3 / 5
Stage 4 of 5 · Connect It
🛤
Why Ask for Guidance After Believing?
Al-Sa'di: even the Prophet prayed this dua 17 times a day. Guidance is not a one-time event — it is a continuous gift that must be renewed.The believer needs guidance every moment, not just at the moment of faith.
📍
الصِّرَاطَ — THE Path, Not A Path
The definite article الـ is significant. Not 'a straight path' but 'THE straight path.' Ibn Kathir: there is one truth, one correct way — not multiple equally valid paths. The Quran is clear about this.
🧭
The Answer in the Next Verse
Al-Sa'di: verse 7 immediately answers — what IS the straight path? The path of those whom Allah has blessed.The dua and its answer are in the same surah — Allah teaches us to ask, then immediately answers.
اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ The most important prayer in the universe. Repeated 17 times every day by every Muslim.