A dua or supplication appears in a Hadith of the Prophet as follows: “O God, give me guidance and show me the right way.” (Sahih Muslim)

In this dua, the phrase ‘give me guidance’ means a request to be guided along the straight path. The next phrase in this dua is ‘and show me the right way’. This means that even after being guided to the straight path people have need of continuous guidance from God. If we reflect, we will realize that the request ‘show me the right way’ means a request to be saved from distractions.

This same point has been mentioned in the Quran (6: 153): “[He has enjoined], ‘this is My straight path; so follow it, and do not follow other ways: that will lead you away from His path.’

The verse provides the example of a person who sets off on his journey on the highway, but then on the way the road may meander off onto narrow, misleading paths, and in this way, straying far from the highway. One way people can go astray is if they do not adopt the straight path. A second way they can go astray is if they start off their journey on the straight path but later get distracted by things that they see on the way and so change their direction, wandering away from the straight path and meandering off on little, narrow lanes.

Both sorts of people have gone astray. If the first sort of people had gone astray at the very outset of their journey, the second sort go astray later, wandering away from the straight path.

For physical travel there is a highway, with narrow paths leading off from it on either side. Likewise, the journey of Truth has a highway, with narrow lanes leading away from it on both sides.

For physical travel there is a highway, with narrow paths leading off from it on either side. Likewise, the journey of Truth has a highway, with narrow lanes leading away from it on both sides. If you continue to journey along the highway of Truth, you will arrive at your desired destination. But if you take to one of the narrow paths that lead away from the highway, you will deviate from your desired destination.

There is only one way to save yourself from this deviation. And that is, to keep asking God to save you from going astray.