Does Allah Misguide People? Qur’an 16:93 Explained with Tafsir and Human Free Will

The objector says: Allah misguides people, so how can human beings be responsible for disbelief or misguidance?

وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَجَعَلَكُمْ أُمَّةً وَٰحِدَةً وَلَـكن يضلُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَلَتسْـَلُنَّ عَمَّا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَجَعَلَكُمْ أُمَّةً وَحدة وَلَـٰكِن يُضِلُّ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَهْدى مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَلَتُسْـَٔلُنَّ عَمَّا كُنتُم تعمَلُون

Allah misguides.

So let us see what the Qur’anic passage means in light of other Qur’anic verses.

Likewise, those before them rejected the truth until they tasted Our punishment.

Ask ˹them, O Prophet˺, “Do you have any knowledge that you can produce for us? Surely you follow nothing but ˹false˺ assumptions and you do nothing but lie.”

Translation: Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran.

This proves that divine will is not an excuse for human rebellion. The sinner cannot say, “Allah willed it, therefore I am not responsible.” The Qur’an calls that false assumption and lying.

and ˹firmly˺ believes in the finest reward,

We will facilitate for them the Way of Ease.

And as for the one who is stingy, indifferent ˹to Allah˺,

and ˹staunchly˺ denies the finest reward,

We will facilitate for them the path of hardship.

Translation: Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran.

The one who chooses charity, taqwa, and belief is facilitated toward ease.

The one who chooses stinginess, arrogance, and denial is facilitated toward hardship.

Therefore, Allah’s guidance and misguidance are not random. They correspond to the servant’s chosen direction, sincerity, arrogance, rejection, and response to truth.

Translation: Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran.

Allah does not punish people blindly or arbitrarily. He makes guidance clear, establishes proof, and then people are accountable for their response.

Allah leaves in misguidance those who want misguidance, reject guidance, and choose the path of falsehood.

And Allah guides those who are sincere in seeking guidance and truth.

“Had Allah willed, He could have easily made you one community ˹of believers˺, but He leaves to stray whoever He wills and guides whoever He wills.”

He guides those who are sincere in their quest for guidance.

“God misguides whom He wills” — this is for those who have chosen the path of misguidance.

“And guides whomever He wills” — whoever He knows has chosen the path of guidance.

This verse directly supports the refutation. It shows that human beings are not passive victims who are forced into belief or disbelief with no responsibility. Rather, there is a moral relationship between what people choose internally and what Allah decrees for them externally. If people change their inner state toward arrogance, rejection, corruption, and rebellion, Allah may leave them to the consequences of that chosen path. If they turn sincerely toward truth, repentance, and guidance, Allah opens the path of guidance for them.

The scan is important because it prevents the false reading that Allah misguides innocent people arbitrarily. The explanation keeps together both realities: Allah is sovereign over guidance and misguidance, and the servant is morally responsible for choosing truth or rejecting it. Therefore, divine misguidance is not injustice; it is Allah abandoning the arrogant rejecter to the path he insisted upon.

The correct understanding is that Allah knows who seeks guidance sincerely and who prefers misguidance. He guides the sincere seeker by His grace, and He leaves the stubborn rejecter in misguidance by His justice. So the verse cannot be isolated and weaponized against Islam while ignoring the Qur’an’s repeated affirmation of human accountability.

“Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.”

The Qur’an teaches that the inner state of people matters. Their choices, sincerity, rejection, arrogance, repentance, and desire for truth are all relevant.

Allah’s guidance is grace, and His misguidance is justice.

Al-Asma’i said:

“He guided him in religion, and he guided him with guidance, when he showed him the way.”

Know — may God grant you success — that it has been learned through the study of revelation that the guidance of the Creator, Glory be to Him, for creation is of four types.

This is Allah’s inspiration to all of creation, including animals, to seek their benefits and advantages and to avoid their harms and dangers.

{He Who gave everything its form and then guided it.}

“He created every creature, then guided it to what is best for it, and taught it that.”

This refers to worldly matters, not religious matters.

This means clarifying the paths of good and evil, and the way of salvation and destruction.

There is no way to attain this except through the Messengers.

“And We made from among them leaders guiding by Our command.” [As-Sajdah: 24]

“And for every people is a guide.” [Ar-Ra’d: 7]

“And indeed, you guide to a straight path.” [Ash-Shura: 52]

This is specific to those accountable among mankind and jinn, and it is Allah’s proof against His servants.

Therefore, Allah does not punish those who have not received this guidance.

This guidance does not necessitate complete guidance. It is a cause and a condition, but it does not force acceptance.

“And as for Thamud, We guided them, but they preferred blindness over guidance.”

Meaning: We made it clear to them, guided them, and showed them the way, but they were not guided because they preferred blindness over guidance.

This is the guidance of the heart, and none is capable of it except Allah.

“He misguides whom He wills and guides whom He wills.”

“If you are eager for their guidance, then indeed, Allah does not guide those whom He misguides.”

“Whomever Allah guides, none can misguide him, and whomever He misguides, none can guide him.”

“Indeed, you do not guide whom you love.”

This is because this guidance is guidance of the hearts, and Allah Almighty is the Owner of hearts and the One who disposes of them.

“The hearts of all the children of Adam are between two of the fingers of the Most Merciful, like one heart, which He turns as He wills.”

This is the fruit of the third type of guidance.

This guidance comes only after death.

“And those who are killed in the cause of Allah — never will He let their deeds go astray. He will guide them and set their affairs right.”

Whoever does not receive the first will not receive the second, and indeed, he is not held accountable.

Whoever does not receive the second will not receive the third or the fourth.

Allah, may His praise be exalted, guides whomever He wills by His grace and wisdom, and He leads astray whomever He wills by His justice and wisdom.

Guidance is attained through the convergence of two things.

This is an act of Allah, which is the creation of guidance, the love of what He has commanded, and the hatred of what He has forbidden in belief, word, and deed within the servant’s heart.

This is a religious blessing from Allah to His servant, by which He aids him in being guided.

This is an act of the servant, and it is the effect of Allah’s act.

This guidance includes making the servant aware of the truth in detail and in general, making him desire to follow it outwardly and inwardly, preferring it over its opposite, then creating the ability to act in accordance with guidance through word, deed, and resolve, and then maintaining and remaining steadfast in this until death.

The Qur’an itself explains that people are not excused by blaming Allah’s will. The polytheists tried that argument, and Allah rejected it.

Allah facilitates ease for the one who chooses charity, taqwa, and belief, and He facilitates hardship for the one who chooses stinginess, arrogance, and denial.

Allah does not declare a people deviant until He makes clear to them what they must avoid.

Therefore, Allah’s misguidance is not injustice. It is His justice upon those who choose misguidance, reject the truth, and prefer blindness after clarification.

And Allah’s guidance is His grace upon those who sincerely seek the truth.

May God’s peace and blessings be upon Muhammad, his family, and his companions.