The first chapter of the Quran says, 'O God, guide us to the straight path.' These words have come in the Quran about 50 times. To walk the straight path means to lead one's life in accordance with the creation plan of God. There are two aspects to life of this world: one depends on personal will and the other is subject to external laws of nature. For example, we have been given eyes to see. If we close our eyes, we'll see nothing. But in order to see things, we need light. Without light, nothing would be visible, even to open eyes. We have control over our eyes, but not the external light coming from the sun. The same holds true of religion. Religious teachings are meant for the individual, but people wrongly take it as meant to be imposed on others. While we can follow what we want in our individual lives, we have no control over the external world.
