As-Sirāt

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As-Sirāt (Arabic: الصراط‎), also called Sirat al-Jahim (English: The Bridge of Hell) is, in Islam, the hair-narrow bridge, which according to Muslim belief every person must pass on the Day of Judgement to enter Paradise. It is said that it is as thin as a hair and as sharp as a sword. Below this path are the fires of Hell, which burn the sinners to make them fall. People who performed acts of goodness in their lives are transported across the path in speeds according to their deeds leading them to the Hauzu'l-Kausar (the lake of abundance).

Muslims who offer the obligatory prayers, recite at least 17 (or more) times a day the Surah Al-Fatiha, which is a supplication in which they ask God to guide them through the "straight path", this has been referred to by some scholars as a continuation (or precursor if you will) of the Bridge as-Sirāt (The straight bridge).

The Chinvat bridge in Zoroastrianism has many similarities and is a close concept to As-Sirat.

Cultural references

American science fiction author Frank Herbert adopted the idea for his novel Dune. In the Orange Catholic Bible, the most important religious work in the Dune universe, life is described as a journey across the Sirat, with "Paradise on my Right, Hell on my Left, and the Angel of Death Behind".

See also

• Sirat al-Mustaqim
• Chinvat bridge

External links

• A dictionary of Islamic terms

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