Why Does Allah Not Decree Guidance for All His Creation?
أخبرنا الله تعالى في كتابه: "ولو شاء لهداكم أجمعين"، فلِمَ لم يكتب الله الهداية للخلق جميعا؟
Allah the Almighty says: (But We have made it a light, by which We guide whoever We will of Our servants. And you are truly leading ˹all˺ to the Straight Path) [Ash-Shura 42:52] What is the difference between the guidance of Allah Almighty and the guidance of the Prophet peace be upon him?
There are two types of guidance:
1- The 1st type: The guidance of leading: which is manifested when Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, has guided His creations to good and righteousness through sending the Messengers and revealing the Divine Books, as He the Almighty says to His Prophet (PBUH): (And you are truly leading ˹all˺ to the Straight Path)
This Type of guidance is meant for all creations. Needless to say, Allah the Almighty has given reason to man, so that he would be able to know with it good and evil. Allah the Almighty says:
(and shown them the two ways ˹of right and wrong˺?) [Al-Balad 90:10]
(We already showed them the Way, whether they ˹choose to˺ be grateful or ungrateful.) [Al-Insan 76:3]
The 2nd type: The guidance that is accompanied with Allah's Tawfeeq (the ability to achieve something successfully). It is when Allah the Almighty grants whom He wills of His servants success in obeying Him. Allah the Almighty says:
(You surely cannot guide whoever you like ˹O Prophet˺, but it is Allah Who guides whoever He wills, and He knows best who are ˹fit to be˺ guided.) [Al-Qasas 28:56]
The first type of guidance is given by Allah to all creations, while the second type is tied to Allah’s Wisdom: He guides whom He wills by His Wisdom and leaves astray whom He wills by His Wisdom.
قال تعالى: (وَلَٰكِن جَعَلْنَاهُ نُورًا نَّهْدِي بِهِ مَن نَّشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا ۚ وَإِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِي إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ) [الشورى 42: 52] ما الفرق بين هداية الله عز وجل (نهدي به من نشاء) وهداية النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم (وإنك لتهدي)؟
أولا: الهداية نوعان:
النوع الأول هداية دلالة وإرشاد. أي أن الله عز وجل أرشد عباده للخير والإصلاح عن طريق إرسال الرسل وإنزال الكتب كما قال لنبيه صلى الله عليه وسلم: (وَإِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِي إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ)
وهذه الهداية للخلق جميعا، وقد أودع فيهم العقل الذي يمكنهم من تمييز الخير من الشر به كقوله: (وَهَدَيْنَاهُ النَّجْدَيْنِ) [البلد 90: 10]
وقوله: (إِنَّا هَدَيْنَاهُ السَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِرًا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا) [الإنسان 76: 3]
النوع الثاني: هداية توفيق: أي أنه سبحانه وتعالى يوفق من شاء من عباده إلى طاعته كما قال تعالى: (إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُ) [القصص 28: 56]
فالنوع الأول من الهداية قد أعطاه الله للخلق جميعا.
أما النوع الثاني: فهو مرتبط بحكمته سبحانه وتعالى فهو يهدي من يشاء بحكمته ويضل من يشاء بحكمته.
1. A Light by Which We Guide | ولكن جعلناه نورا نهدي به من نشاء
In the verse the scholar cites, Allah joins both kinds: But We have made it a light, by which We guide whoever We will of Our servants. And you are truly leading all to the Straight Path (42:52). Ibn Kathir explains: We made it, the Quran, a light by which We guide whom We will of Our servants; and you, Muhammad, guide to a straight path. This agrees with the scholar’s answer, and both kinds meet in the verse: Allah guides by the Quran whom He wills, and the Prophet directs people to the straight path.
وَلَٰكِن جَعَلْنَاهُ نُورًا نَّهْدِي بِهِ مَن نَّشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا ۚ وَإِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِي إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ (سورة الشورى: 52)
جمع الله تعالى النوعين في الآية التي وردت في الجواب. قال تعالى: (ولكن جعلناه نورا نهدي به من نشاء من عبادنا وإنك لتهدي إلى صراط مستقيم) (الشورى 42: 52)، قال ابن كثير: (ولكن جعلناه) أي القرآن (نورا نهدي به من نشاء من عبادنا) ... وقوله: (وإنك) أي يا محمد (لتهدي إلى صراط مستقيم). وبهذا يتبين ما قرره الجواب من اجتماع النوعين في الآية: فالله تعالى يهدي بالقرآن من يشاء، والنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يدل الناس على الصراط المستقيم.
2. Shown the Two Ways | وهديناه النجدين
The first guidance reaches everyone, through the reason Allah gave man: And shown them the two ways of right and wrong? (90:10). Ibn Kathir reports from Ibn Mas’ud that the two ways are good and evil, and on 76:3 he explains: We made the way plain and clear to him and showed it to him. How man then chooses is explained in whether man’s life is predestined or he has free will.
وَهَدَيْنَاهُ النَّجْدَيْنِ (سورة البلد: 10)
الهداية الأولى تبلغ الناس جميعا بالعقل الذي أعطاه الله تعالى للإنسان. قال تعالى: (وهديناه النجدين) (البلد 90: 10)، قال ابن كثير: قال عبد الله بن مسعود: الخير والشر، وقال ابن كثير في قوله تعالى: (إنا هديناه السبيل) (الإنسان 76: 3): أي: بيناه له ووضحناه وبصرناه به.
3. You Cannot Guide Whom You Love | إنك لا تهدي من أحببت
The second guidance belongs to Allah alone: You surely cannot guide whoever you like, but it is Allah Who guides whoever He wills, and He knows best who are fit to be guided (28:56). Ibn Kathir explains: that is not in your hands, your duty is only to convey, and Allah guides whom He wills, with perfect wisdom and decisive proof; He knows best who deserves guidance and who deserves to go astray. The verse was revealed about Abu Talib, the Prophet’s uncle, to whom he said as Abu Talib lay dying: Say, there is no god but Allah, and I will bear witness for you with it on the Day of Resurrection; he refused (Sahih Muslim 25; the event and the revelation also in Sahih al-Bukhari 3884).
إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُ (سورة القصص: 56)
الهداية الثانية لله تعالى وحده. قال تعالى: (إنك لا تهدي من أحببت ولكن الله يهدي من يشاء وهو أعلم بالمهتدين) (القصص 28: 56)، قال ابن كثير: أي: ليس إليك ذلك، إنما عليك البلاغ، والله يهدي من يشاء، وله الحكمة البالغة والحجة الدامغة ... (وهو أعلم بالمهتدين) أي: هو أعلم بمن يستحق الهداية ممن يستحق الغواية. وقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لعمه أبي طالب عند الموت: "قل لا إله إلا الله أشهد لك بها يوم القيامة" فأبى، فأنزل الله: (إنك لا تهدي من أحببت) (صحيح مسلم 25؛ والقصة ونزول الآية أيضا في صحيح البخاري 3884).
4. Those Who Seek Guidance Are Given More | والذين اهتدوا زادهم هدى
Allah’s granting of the second guidance is not arbitrary; it comes from His wisdom: As for those who are rightly guided, He increases them in guidance and blesses them with righteousness (47:17). Ibn Kathir explains: those who sought guidance, Allah granted them success in it, guided them to it, made them firm upon it and gave them more of it. See why Allah created us.
وَالَّذِينَ اهْتَدَوْا زَادَهُمْ هُدًى وَآتَاهُمْ تَقْوَاهُمْ (سورة محمد: 17)
ليس منح الله تعالى الهداية الثانية اعتباطا، بل هو عن حكمته سبحانه. قال تعالى: (والذين اهتدوا زادهم هدى وآتاهم تقواهم) (محمد 47: 17)، قال ابن كثير: أي: والذين قصدوا الهداية وفقهم الله لها فهداهم إليها، وثبتهم عليها وزادهم منها.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What are the two types of guidance?
The guidance of direction, which Allah gave to all creation through the messengers, the books and reason, and the guidance of tawfiq, by which He grants whom He wills success in obeying Him, by His wisdom.
Could the Prophet guide whoever he loved?
Not the guidance of tawfiq: You surely cannot guide whoever you like, but it is Allah Who guides whoever He wills (28:56); it was revealed about his uncle Abu Talib (Sahih al-Bukhari 3884). The guidance of direction he did give (42:52).
What did the Prophet ask his uncle as the uncle lay dying?
Say, there is no god but Allah, and I will bear witness for you with it on the Day of Resurrection; he refused (Sahih Muslim 25).
Does Allah increase the guided in guidance?
Yes. As for those who are rightly guided, He increases them in guidance and blesses them with righteousness (47:17).