Al-Makkī, from Abī Ṣāliḥ, from Ibn ʿAbbās, that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: "I have been sent with the sword to bring people to justice and to distinguish between the guided and the misguided." He also said: "I am a rope of God, so hold fast to it." As for his name, may God bless him and grant him peace, it is Muḥammad, and he is described as "the rope" in the singular in some narrations and with the definite article "al-" in others, or with the possessive. Abu ʿUbaydah said, in his interpretation of God's saying: "He has grasped the firmest handhold." (2:256). The "rope" in its origin is a place of holding and grasping, and it is strongly attached. From it is the rope of the pitcher and the rope of the cup, and so on, due to its being a place for holding and taking. It is also called "al-maḍaḍ." Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī said in Al-Gharībayn: "The rope is a plant, and it is used as an example for anything that is held onto and relied upon, such as a firm root in the ground, like a tree or other plants. It is also said that all that is firmly rooted in the ground is called a rope. If the year is dry and the pastures are scarce, and the cattle feed on it, and it sustains them, then the rope is often used for what is actually a sustenance, whether tangible or intangible. It is also used for holding on, for achieving a desired goal, and for obtaining what is sought. If the intention is to hold on, then it is a support. If the intention is to ascend, then it is for elevation. And other similar meanings. It is a metaphor that encompasses achieving sustenance, as the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, was sent to hold onto the rope of God in this world and the hereafter, and to ascend to high ranks. This is what is meant by his saying, and his being a rope. And the entire universe is connected to him, may God bless him and grant him peace, in its beginning and end. Nothing exists except that it is dependent on him. "Al-wuthq" (the firm) is from "wathiqa" (to trust), meaning strong and firm. Here it is used metaphorically. As for his name, may God bless him and grant him peace, it means that he is the path of God, the connecting path, and the path of guidance to Him, from whom whoever strays will fall into the valleys of perdition. And the devils will be far from him, because God, may He be exalted, has guided him and made him firm. "Al-ṣirāṭ" (the path) with the letter ṣād and sīn is the straight, clear, or upright path that has no crookedness. So, his being, may God bless him and grant him peace, is a path to happiness in this world and the hereafter, and whoever deviates from it is misguided. As for his name, may God bless him and grant him peace, it is a straight path. Al-ʿĀliyah said in his interpretation of God's saying: "Guide us to the straight path" (1:6), that it is the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace. Al-Ḥākim narrated this in Al-Mustadrak from Ibn ʿAbbās, and some of it was narrated from Abū ʿĀliyah and Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī. The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, and his family and companions, and what they saw of their religion. Al-Māwardī narrated this in his Tafsīr. "The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor" from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Zayd, and ʿUmar ibn Ḥabīb, and Ibn Ḥātim, from Al-Ḥasan.