'Those who prefer'—they choose—'the life of this world over the Hereafter,' they do not acknowledge the Hereafter, 'and obstruct [people] from the way of Allah and seek to make it crooked,' they seek to make the way crooked; meaning: polytheism (shirk).
Muhammad said: 'The way' (al-sabil) can be treated as masculine or feminine, and likewise 'the road' (al-tariq). As for 'the alley' (al-ziqaq)...
﴿الَّذين يستحبون﴾ يَخْتَارُونَ ﴿الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا عَلَى الآخِرَةِ﴾ لَا يُقِرُّونَ بِالآخِرَةِ ﴿وَيَصُدُّونَ عَنْ سَبِيل الله ويبغونها عوجا﴾ يَبْتَغُونَ السَّبِيلَ عِوَجًا؛ يَعْنِي: الشِّرْكَ.
قَالَ محمدٌ: (السَّبِيلُ) يُذَكَّرُ وَيُؤَنَّثُ، وَكَذَلِكَ (الطَّرِيقُ) فَأَمَّا الزِّقَاقُ
