“And it is for Allah to show the straight path.”

He explained: “It is for Allah to provide clarification—that is, to make guidance and misguidance clear.” Ibn Abī Hātim mentioned two interpretations of this verse, whereas for the verse in Sūrat al-Hijr he mentioned only Mujāhid’s interpretation.

For the verse in Sūrat al-Nahl, Ibn al-Jawzī mentioned only this second interpretation, attributing it to al-Zajjāj. He said:

“‘And it is for Allah to show the straight path.’ Qasd means the straightness of a path. A path is described as qasd or qāsid (direct) when it leads you to your intended destination. Al-Zajjāj said: ‘The meaning is that it is for Allah to make the straight path clear and to call people to it through arguments and proofs.’”

Likewise, al-Tha‘labī, al-Baghawī, and others mentioned only this interpretation, though they expressed it in two ways. Al-Baghawī said:

“It means distinguishing the path of guidance from misguidance. It is also said to mean making the truth clear through signs and proofs.”

He said:

“Qasd is the straight path. ‘And some paths deviate’ means that some paths turn away from straightness and are crooked. Thus, the straight path is the religion of Islam, while the deviating paths are Judaism, Christianity, and all other religions of disbelief.”