After me, torrential floods played with it, And its fine rain flowed in its beauty. (1) A young man has intellect by which he lives, Wherever his foot guides his leg, (2) Meaning: it arrives with him at drinking places.

And in the statement of God, Exalted be His Praise: {You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help}, there is that which informs of the error of this interpretation, along with the testimony of the authoritative consensus of the exegetes in deeming it erroneous. That is because all the exegetes among the Companions and the Successors are unanimous that the meaning of "the path" in this place is other than the meaning interpreted by the proponent of this view, and that His statement "You alone we ask for help" is the servant asking his Lord for help in His worship. Likewise, His statement "Guide us" is merely asking for steadfastness upon guidance in what remains of his life.

And the Arabs say: Hadaytu fulānan al-ṭarīq (I guided so-and-so the way), Hadaytuhu li-l-ṭarīq (I guided him to the way), and Hadaytuhu ilā al-ṭarīq (I guided him unto the way), when you direct him to it and guide him aright toward it. And with all of those the Qur'ān has come. God, Exalted be His Praise, said: {And they said: "Praise be to God Who guided us to this"} [Sūrat al-Aʿrāf: 43] (43), and He said in another place: {He chose him and guided him to a straight path} [Sūrat al-Naḥl: 121] (121), and He said: {Guide us to the straight path}.

And all of that is widespread in their speech, present in their discourse; among that is the saying of the poet: I seek forgiveness from God for a sin I cannot count, The Lord of servants, to Whom face and deeds are directed. (3)