to be guided, so that he pursues the truth and acts upon it rather than falsehood. This is the way of the prophets and the righteous. Thereafter, he will inevitably commit sins and wish to purify himself of them through repentance. Thus, he needs knowledge, action upon it, and repentance alongside both. He will inevitably fall short or become heedless in following those ways to which Allah has guided him, and must therefore repent of whatever negligence he has shown in following each of them.

These “ways” include both obligatory and recommended deeds. Whoever follows them will inevitably fall short and become heedless, so he seeks Allah’s forgiveness and repents to Him. However hard a servant strives, he cannot fully discharge the duty Allah has imposed upon him. He therefore has no recourse but to seek forgiveness and repent after every act of obedience.

It may also be said that “guidance” here means clarification and instruction: that is, He makes known to you the ways of those before you, both the blessed and the wretched, so that you may follow the former and avoid the latter. As the Most High says:

“And shown him the two ways?”

ʿAlī and Ibn Masʿūd said: “The paths of good and evil.” It is reported from Ibn ʿAbbās: “The paths of guidance and misguidance.” Mujāhid said: “The paths of bliss and misery”—that is, We gave him an innate awareness of this and made it known to him. All these explanations mean the same thing.

The word najdān means two clear paths, while najd means elevated ground. Thus, the meaning is: Have We not made known to him the paths of good and evil, making them as clear to him as two elevated paths? Yet the guidance, clarification, and instruction in this verse are shared by