Ibn ʿAbbās, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, said:

“Allah has guaranteed that whoever reads the Quran and knows what it contains will neither go astray in this world nor suffer in the Hereafter.” He then recited this verse.

His words, Most High,

“But whoever turns away from My remembrance”

include the remembrance He sent down—the guidance brought by the messengers—as He says at the end of the passage:

“Thus did Our signs come to you, but you forgot them.”

That is, you neglected to follow them and act upon what they contain. Whoever seeks guidance outside the Quran goes astray, and whoever seeks might through anyone other than Allah is humbled. Allah Most High has said:

“Follow what has been revealed to you from your Lord, and do not follow any allies other than Him.” [Al-Aʿrāf: 3]

And He has said:

“And this is My path, which is straight, so follow it; and do not follow other ways, for they will separate you from His way.” [Al-Anʿām: 153]

In the hadith of ʿAlī, may Allah be pleased with him, related by al-Tirmidhī and by Abū Nuʿaym through several chains of transmission:

“ʿAlī narrated from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: When he said, ‘There will be a trial,’ I asked, ‘What is the way out of it, O Messenger of Allah?’ He replied, ‘The Book of Allah. It contains the account of those before you, news of what comes after you, and the judgment concerning matters between you. It is decisive, not frivolous. Any tyrant who abandons it, Allah will crush; and whoever seeks guidance elsewhere, Allah will lead astray. It is Allah’s firm rope, the wise Reminder, and the straight path. Through it, desires do not lead astray and tongues do not become confused. It does not wear out through frequent repetition; its wonders never cease, and scholars never have their fill of it. Whoever speaks in accordance with it