his knowledge would be evidence against him, and he would not be rightly guided. The servant also needs Allah to enable him to act upon that righteous intention. For he cannot be guided to the straight path—the path of those whom Allah has blessed among the prophets, the steadfastly truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous—without this knowledge, these intentions, and the ability to act accordingly. This encompasses more kinds of need than can be counted.
This is why people are commanded to offer this supplication in every prayer: their need for it is so great. There is nothing they need more than this supplication. Only someone who reflects on the condition of his own soul and the souls of humans and jinn, and of those commanded to offer this supplication, can appreciate something of its worth. Seeing the ignorance and wrongdoing within souls that lead to their misery in this world and the Hereafter, he realizes that Allah, through His bounty and mercy, has made this supplication one of the greatest means of bringing about good and warding off evil.
Among the things that make this clear is that Allah Most High has not related anyone’s story to us in the Quran