GUIDANCE
We learn right at the beginning of Sūrat al-Baqarah that the Qur’ān guides a specific group of people: those who have Taqwā (piety), i.e. those who fear Allah, who are conscious of Him and abstain from disobedience of the Creator.
Guidance is the first description that one understands when one begins to read the Qur’ān. It is undoubtably a great gift which Allah (Most-High) provides to His close servants and is what a servant should strive for.
That is why the Lord Almighty has taught us to constantly ask Him for guidance, to remain steadfast on the straight path as we pray to Him multiple times daily by reciting the following verse of the Qur’ān:
﴿اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ﴾
Guide us to the Straight Path. [1:5]
Scholars mention that Hidāyah (guidance) is provided by Allah (Most-Hight) in different forms. For example, Ibn Al-Qayyim (Allah have mercy on him), an important jurist, theologian, and spiritual writer of the 8th/14th century has stated that there are 4 types of guidance mentioned in the Qur’ān: [1]
1- General Hidāyah which is given to all creation.
This type of guidance and knowledge is given by Allah (Most-Hight) to all created things. By this guidance, animals, plants and even inanimate objects fulfil the purpose for which they were created.
This also includes the general intellect, wits and inherent intuitive knowledge given to all responsible beings regardless of their faith. This is referred to in the following verse:
﴿قَالَ رَبُّنَا الَّذِیٓ أَعْطَىٰ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلْقَهُ ثُمَّ هَدَىٰ﴾
He said, ‘Our Lord is the One Who gave everything
its form, then He guided it.’ [20:50]
2- Hidāyah which is in the form of explanation and education by way of defining the two paths of good and evil.
It is when someone guides you by explaining that which is good and warns you from that which is evil according to Islam. This is the type of Hidāyah referred to in this verse:
﴿ وَإِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِیٓ إِلَىٰ صِرَ ٰطٍ مُّسْتَقِیمٍ ﴾
And indeed, (O Muḥammad) you surely
guide to the Straight Path. [42:52]
3- Hidāyah that is Tawfīq (a specific type of divine guidance) and Ilhām (inspiration) from Allah to be guided to the truth of Īmān (faith), Islam (submission), etc.
The following verses refer to this type:
﴿ كَذَ ٰلِكَ یُضِلُّ اللهُ مَن یَّشَآءُ وَیَهْدِی مَن یَّشَآءُۚ ﴾
Thus Allah (Most-Hight) lets go astray whom He wills
and guides whom He wills… [74:31]
﴿مَآ أَصَابَ مِن مُّصِیبَةٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللهِ ۗ وَمَن یُؤْمِنۢ بِاللهِ یَهْدِ قَلْبَهُۥۚ وَاللهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِیمٌ ﴾
No disaster strikes except by permission of Allah (Most-Hight). And whoever believes in Allah f, He guides his heart. And Allah (Most-Hight) is All-Knowing of everything. [64:11]
4- Hidāyah that is in the next life, by which one shall be guided to Paradise.
﴿ وَنَزَعْنَا مَا فِی صُدُورِهِم مِّنْ غِلٍّ تَجْرِی مِن تَحْتِهِمُ الْأَنْهَـٰرُ ۖ وَقَالُوا الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ
الَّذِی هَدَىٰنَا لِهَـٰذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لِنَهْتَدِیَ لَوْلَآ أَنْ هَدَىٰنَا اللَّهُ ۖ ﴾
And We will remove whatever is in their breasts of malice; rivers will flow underneath them, and they will say, ‘All the praise is for Allah, the One
Who guided us to this, and we would not have received guidance
if Allah had not guided us.’ [7:43]
Each one of the above types of Hidāyah has a sequential connection and relationship. Without the first level of guidance, you will not have the capacity to attain the second and without the second you cannot attain the third and fourth levels.
We have absolutely no power to guide anyone using any of the above types of guidance except for the second type of Hidāyah, which is explanation and education. This type of guidance is what is referred to in the following verses:
﴿ وَإِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِیٓ إِلَىٰ صِرَ ٰطٍ مُّسْتَقِیمٍ ﴾
And indeed, (O Muḥammad) you surely
guide to the Straight Path. [42:52]
﴿ إِنَّمَآ أَنْتَ مُنْذِرٌ ۖ وَلِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ هَادٍ ﴾
You are only a warner, and every
people has a guide. [13:7]
The remaining types of guidance, particularly the third type which is Tawfīq from Allah (Most-Hight) to have Īmān, are what is referred to in the following verse of the Qur’ān, again addressing the Prophet Muḥammad (May the salutations and peace of Allah be upon him):
﴿ إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِی مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَـٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ یَهْدِی مَن یَّشَآءُ ۚ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِینَ ﴾
Indeed, you cannot guide those you love, but Allah(Most-High) guides whom He wills.
And He knows best those who are guided. [28:56]
In other words, even the Prophets (May peace be upon them) cannot guide whom they choose to become believers, in the sense of actually placing faith in a person’s heart.
They can only guide in terms of explanation, exhortation, clarification and instruction regarding the truth.
LESSONS TO TAKE FORTH
The first lesson here is that we should seek guidance in every matter with Allah (Most-High) first and foremost, before turning to others.
Secondly, it should humble those of us who are inviting or ‘guiding’ others to Islam to acknowledge and isnternalise the fact that we have no real power over this matter, and that true guidance is the sole dominion of Allah (Most-High), the ‘turner of the hearts’.
However, that should not make us despair of the work we do, for which our reward is with Allah (Most-High). But rather it should increase our confidence in inviting others, knowing that the result is not dependent on ‘my Da‘wah’ or speech, which is full of weakness and defects, but is in the hands of Allah (Most-High) Who can instantly change the hearts of the most wicked and tyrannical into the most pure and righteous.
May the Lord Almighty guide us all to the straight path. Āmīn.
[1] Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah, Badā’i‘ al-Fawā’id, pp. 445-448.
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“The best among you (Muslims) are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him)
