and leading others astray, for guidance and misguidance come only after clarification. As He says:

“We have never sent a messenger except in the language of his people, so that he might make things clear to them. Then Allah leaves astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And He is the Almighty, the All-Wise.”

And He says:

“Allah would never lead a people astray after guiding them until He has made clear to them what they must avoid.”

On this interpretation, “ways”—meaning the ways of the people of falsehood—would be grammatically connected to “make clear,” not to “guide,” while the people of truth would be connected to His words, “and guide you.”

Al-Zajjāj said: “The ‘ways’ are paths. Thus, the meaning is that He directs you to obey Him, just as He directed the prophets and their followers.” This interpretation is preferable, because when two verbs precede a shared object, the first is not made its sole governing verb. Rather, either the second alone governs it, or both do, as in His words:

“Bring me [copper], that I may pour molten copper over it.”

Alternatively, if the intended construction is, “He makes clear to you the ways of those before you and guides you to ways,” this still indicates that He guides us to their ways. What is meant here is the ways of the people of truth, unlike His words:

“There have been precedents before you.”

For He says immediately afterwards:

“So travel through the land and see what was the end of those who denied the truth.”

There, He intended to make the punishment of the wrongdoers known through direct observation. Here, however, He has sent down to us passages of the Quran through which He guides us to the ways of those before us: those whom Allah has blessed.

He mentions three matters: “clarification,” “guidance,” and “repentance.” This is because a person first needs to know good and evil, what he has been commanded to do, and what he has been forbidden to do. Then, after that, he needs