Eighteenth Principle: Verses that mention guidance and misguidance in absolute terms and those that tie them to specific causes

In many passages the Quran states that Allah “guides whom He wills” and “leads astray whom He wills.” In other verses He couples that declaration with the human factors that bring about guidance or, conversely, that necessitate misguidance. The same pattern is found with forgiveness and its opposite, with the expansion of provision and its restriction, and so on across numerous verses. Thus, wherever Allah says that He guides whom He wills, leads astray whom He wills, forgives whom He wills, punishes whom He wills, shows mercy to whom He wills, or gives abundantly to whom He wills and measures out provision for whom He wills,

the wording underscores His perfect oneness, His sole prerogative in creating all things and managing every affair. All treasures are in His hand; He gives and withholds, lowers and raises. In return, servants are required to acknowledge this reality, pin all their hopes on Him alone for every desired benefit and for the removal of every feared harm, and never ask anyone but Him—just as He says in the sacred hadith: “O My servants, all of you are astray except those I guide, so seek guidance from Me and I shall guide you” to the end of the report (1).

In other verses Allah mentions the operative causes so that people may recognize the roads that lead to guidance and avoid those that lead to ruin. An example is His statement:

“As for the one who gives, is mindful, and confirms the most excellent promise, We shall ease him toward ease. But as for the one who is miserly, deems himself self-sufficient, and denies the most excellent promise, We shall ease him toward hardship.” (Al-Layl 92:5-10)

Here He makes plain that the causes of guidance and facilitation are the servant’s faith in his Lord’s wise ways in creation and legislation, his adoption of those ways, and his submission to the revealed command, whereas the causes of misguidance and hardship are the very opposite.

Likewise He says of the Quran itself, “Through it Allah guides those who seek His pleasure” (Al-Māʾidah 5:16), and, “By it He leads many astray and by it He guides many, and He leads none astray by it except the defiantly disobedient” (Al-Baqarah 2:26).