The Response to the Doubt That He Misguides Whom He Wills and Guides Whom He Wills

• How does God mislead people in the Qur’an? Does He whisper to people as Satan whispers? Does God command the person He wants to mislead to commit indecency?
• How does the Qur’an describe God with attributes that Satan is also described with in the Qur’an, such as misleading people and beautifying evil deeds in the eyes of their doers? How does God do the same work as Satan?
• Does the God of Islam guide whoever He wants and mislead whoever He wants without standards or criteria? How can the God of Islam judge someone as being guided just because He wanted to guide him? How can He judge someone as being misguided just because He wanted to mislead him?
• How will the God of Islam hold non-Muslims accountable when He has sealed their hearts and minds and is the reason that led to their disbelief and turning away from Islam?

Therefore, in this topic, I am not discussing the question of:

• Why Allah created the astray despite Allah’s knowledge that he would be astray?
• Why did Allah not decree that we all be guided?
• Why did He create man subject to corruption?
• Why did Allah create this one rich and that one poor?
• Or is this one miserable and that one happy?
• Or is this one sighted and that one blind?
• Or is this one a Muslim and that one a non-Muslim?

All of these questions, despite their connection to the subject of misguidance because they are all within the framework of the issue of fate and destiny, are not raised by Christians as a suspicion about Islam because they believe that these questions are from the unseen in all religions and therefore they do not address them. However, they believe that God creates man and then Satan comes and misleads him and it is not God who misleads him. This is the reason for their raising the suspicion of God misleading in the Qur’an without the other questions.

1. Why did God attribute misguidance to Himself in the Holy Qur’an?
2. The difference between God misguiding His servants and His servants misguiding each other.
3. What is the meaning of “He misguides whom He wills and guides whom He wills”?
4. How does God guide and misguide?
5. Why does God misguide those who deserve misguidance?
6. What are the verses that Christians rely on in their suspicion?
7. Does it mean that God attributed misguidance to Himself that it is unjust for Him to hold us accountable for our misguidance?
8. What is the position of Christian scholars on the misguidance of humans and what does the Bible say about that?

Therefore, the Holy Qur’an always attributed every action, whether it was good and guidance or harm, evil and misguidance, to God Almighty, and there are also many verses that explain why a person is afflicted with good and guidance or evil and misguidance so that we do not believe that the matter is subject to randomness (God forbid).

Satan believed that by misleading people, he was challenging God, but Satan’s stupidity did not allow him to understand that God uses him to misguide those who are destined to be misguided. Some scholars have given an example, and God has the highest example, and they said that God uses Satan like a fisherman who uses his net to trap his prey — but the prey here are those who deserve to be misguided because of their denial, and it is not because He is unjust to them.

Why did God create misguidance, knowing that there are those who will choose it? The answer is that God created misguidance so that those who deserve it would choose it. If God wanted everyone to be guided, God would not have created misguidance, or He would have withheld misguidance from those who would choose it. However, He did not withhold it from them, but rather He created it and presented it to everyone so that those who would choose it would fall into it.

Thus, God is the one who misguided those who choose misguidance by presenting misguidance to them, knowing that they would choose it — without exempting the misguided from the responsibility of their choice. This is so that the wicked are not equal to the good, nor the one who deserves misguidance equal to the one who deserves guidance.

And in His statement: “And God wants to accept your repentance, and those who follow their desires want to be guided.” — An-Nisa 27

God wanted to give man the freedom to go against this will.

And in His saying: “It is decreed for him that whoever takes him as an ally — He will mislead him and guide him to the punishment of the Blaze.” — Al-Hajj 4

“It has been decreed for him that whoever takes him as a friend, he will misguide him and guide him to the punishment of the Blaze.” — Al-Hajj 4

Satan misguides those who follow him in terms of action, and God misguides those who follow Satan in terms of judgment upon him, and the servant misguides himself.

It is sufficient for God Almighty to say: “And We did not wrong them, but they were wronging themselves.” — An-Nahl 118

• Misguidance for those who persist in disbelief and sins.
• Plotting against those who plot against the believers.
• Afflicting with evil for those who do the evil deed.

In addition to the punishment of God in the Hereafter. All of these types of punishment were attributed to God in the Qur’an, as forgiveness, mercy, and guidance were attributed to Him, because He is the One who shows mercy and He is the One who punishes. So why did we not question the attribution of punishment or forgiveness to God, but we questioned the attribution of misguidance, which is the punishment for those who persist in misguidance, as the scholars agreed and the Holy Qur’an made clear?

God is the One who left Satan to mislead those who follow him and to beautify their sinful deeds, and He is the One who gave him this authority.

The scholars said that if Allah had not exempted those who follow Satan, Satan would not have been able to lead anyone astray, even those who follow him, but Allah left those who follow him to be under the authority of Satan. This is Allah’s misguidance of them — by leaving them under the authority of Satan as a punishment for following him.

Or give them false and misleading information about the truth, as Allah says: “And who is more truthful than Allah in statement?” — An-Nisa’ 87

But Satan is the one who orders them to commit indecency and gives them misleading and false information. God has warned us against him, as He says: “He only orders you to do evil and indecency and to say about God that which you do not know.” — Al-Baqarah 169

• Causing death: God is the one who causes His servants to die, but if a person causes another to die, he is a murderer and will be tried.
• Transcendence: God is transcendent according to the text of the Qur’an and the Holy Book. As for transcendence among humans, it is an ugly attribute.
• Misguidance: God misguides those who choose misguidance by leaving them to Satan. As for humans, they do not know who deserves misguidance and who does not, and they misguide each other by inciting disobedience or providing false information.

1. He whom Allah wills, He misguides, and whom He wills, He places on a straight path.
2. Allah misguides whom He wills and guides whom He wills.

However, He misguides whom He wills and guides whom He wills according to the criteria of the servant’s eligibility mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. He wills guidance for those who deserve guidance only and its conditions apply to them, and He does not will it for those who do not deserve guidance. He wills misguidance for those who deserve misguidance only and its conditions apply to them.

The best evidence for that is when God addressed His Messenger saying: “You do not guide whom you love, but God guides whom He wills, and He knows best who are the guided.” — Al-Qasas 56

• “Thus does God mislead the disbelievers.” — Ghafir 74
• “And God misleads the wrongdoers.” — Ibrahim 27
• “And He misleads thereby none but the wicked.” — Al-Baqarah 26
• “Thus does God mislead him who is a transgressor and doubtful.” — Ghafir 34

So God misleads the disbelievers, the wrongdoers, the wicked, and the one who is a transgressor and doubtful. Every person who falls within these categories and does not change his condition is deserving of misguidance.

• God guides whoever follows God’s pleasure, as He says: “With it God guides whoever follows His pleasure to the ways of peace.” — Al-Ma’idah 16
• God guides whoever repents from his disbelief and sins, as He says: “And He guides to Himself whoever turns back [to Him].” — Ar-Ra’d 27
• God guides whoever believes, meaning he has the readiness to believe and submit to Islam without being arrogant, as He says: “And you cannot guide the blind from their misguidance. You only hear those who believe in Our verses, for they are Muslims.” — An-Naml 81

Father Tadros Yaqoub, one of the most famous interpreters of their book, says in his explanation of the phrase “He has mercy on whom He wills and He hardens whom He wills”: “What we would like to emphasize here is that the Holy Bible is not to be understood as separate parts independent of each other, but rather represents one integrated unit that deals with many different matters. Therefore, it is appropriate for the reader to enjoy the spirit of wisdom and discernment so that he does not use a phrase out of place, but rather in what suits it and the spirit of the book as a whole.”

Glory be to God for a people who use double standards.

And also in His saying: “So remember Allah at the sacred monument and remember Him as He has guided you, although you were before that among those astray.” — Al-Baqarah 198

And His saying: “So why do they turn away from the reminder?” — Al-Muddaththir 49

1. “For God does not guide whomever He wills.”
2. “Say, ‘Indeed, God misguides whomever He wills.’”

1. “And he whom God misguides, you will not find for him a way.”
2. “And he whom He misguides, it is those who are the losers.”
3. “And he whom Allah sends astray — for him there is no guide.”
4. “Do you want to guide he whom Allah has sent astray?”
5. “So who guides he whom Allah has sent astray?”
6. “He whom Allah guides is the rightly guided one, and he whom He sends astray — you will find for him no protector to guide him.”

He who deserves to be misguided will not find anyone to guide him, so we do not grieve for him or blame ourselves. He who deserves guidance, no one will be able to misguide him, so we do not fear for him.

The question that arises is why did Allah remove Satan from this one, so he believed, and leave the other to Satan, so his breast became constricted and he turned away? We see the answer at the end of the verse: “Thus does Allah place defilement upon those who do not believe.” The scholars said that defilement is misguidance and constriction of the breast, while disbelief is their unwillingness to believe if they find that it is the truth, and their rejection just for the sake of rejection.

There is a difference between those who do not believe — that is, they are not prepared to believe — and non-believers — it is a description of their state, whether they are prepared to believe or not.

And His statement: “Indeed, those who dispute concerning the verses of Allah without authority having come to them — there is in their chests nothing but arrogance.” — Ghafir 56

So when they turned away their chests and were arrogant about it, Allah left them to Satan, so he whispered in their chests and constricted them. This is in confirmation of His statement: “Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.” — Ar-Ra’d 11

“No! Rather, what they were earning has covered their hearts.” — Al-Mutaffifin 14

“And their saying: Our hearts are covered. Rather, Allah has set a seal upon them because of their disbelief.” — An-Nisa 155

“So because they broke their covenant, We cursed them and made their hearts hard.” — Al-Ma’idah 13

“So when they deviated, Allah caused their hearts to deviate.” — Al-Saff 5

Also, he forgot what his hands had put forth, i.e. he is the one who began with the bad deeds that he committed and forgot and ignored abandoning them and repenting from them. If he had not forgotten to abandon sins and tried to abandon them sincerely, Allah would have guided him in that and not left him to Satan.

1. Those who follow Satan, as Allah the Almighty says: “Indeed, My servants — you will have no authority over them, except those who follow you of the deviators.” — Al-Hijr: 42
2. Those who do evil deeds, for they did evil deeds first, then Allah wanted Satan to make them seem good to them.
3. Those whose hearts are hardened and who do not believe in the Hereafter.

Reason 2: If Allah did not make the bad deed attractive in the eyes of its owner, the bad deed would be easy to do and easy to leave, and thus people would underestimate sins, but making it attractive in the eyes of its owner makes it difficult to leave it.

Reason 3: If Allah made the bad deed ugly in the eyes of its owner, He would leave it and evil would end in the world, but Allah wants evil to continue with good so that man can choose between them, and this is the purpose of our life in this world.

Reason 4: Making disbelief and committing sins attractive in the eyes of its owner will make him defend his disbelief and committing sins with his utmost determination, which leads to a conflict between good and evil — and this conflict is necessary in life and has existed since Adam and his wife until the Day of Judgment, because this conflict is a test for us: will we join good or will we join evil?

Reason 2: God makes the disbelievers trick Him so that He may expose them before themselves and before everyone else that their faith is not true faith.

Reason 3: God mentions information that the disbelievers and those in whose hearts is disease use as an excuse — to reveal to everyone that they are not neutral and that they make excuses for the flimsiest reasons so that they turn away from Islam, and that they criticize just for the sake of criticism.

Reason 4: God wants us to believe in His words with absolute faith as long as His words do not incite vice or disbelief. He does not want us to examine every word and not believe in it until its wisdom or purpose appears.

Reason 5: God tests the disbelievers, the wicked, and those in whose hearts is disease until their disbelief appears so that we may teach them and warn them and so that they do not have an argument with God when He admits them to Hell without a test that reveals the truth of their faith.

Since their condition was that they disbelieved, God left them to Satan, so he sealed their hearts and their hearing and their sight as a punishment for their disbelief, which they chose for themselves, and because no one is forced to believe.

This indicates that they commit sin before God grants them respite with goodness, so when He grants them respite and does not decrease it, they increase in sin.

But whoever abandons hypocrisy, Allah will change his condition, as Allah, the Most High, says: “Indeed, Allah does not change what is with a people until they change what is within themselves.” — Al-Ra’d 11

They denied the messengers first, so misguidance was due to them — they deserved it — so God led them astray.

The scholars said that this is evidence that whoever God leads astray will do so as a result of his not following the guidance and rejecting it.

In these verses, God Almighty explains who God makes successful — that is, guides — and who God makes disappoint — that is, misguides. The one who purifies himself by following piety, God will guide him. The one who disappoints himself by following immorality, God will misguide him.

So every person God has placed in him the love of disobedience — immorality — and the love of goodness — piety — together. Whoever follows the truth and righteousness, God will make this person’s piety overcome his immorality. Whoever follows disbelief and disobedience, God will make this person’s immorality overcome his piety. So guidance and misguidance are caused by the servant.

The scholars said that this indicates that when Allah leads the disbelievers astray, He leads them astray for what their hands have put forth, and Allah did not wrong them by leading them astray.

The answer is that Allah, the Most High, has made clear in many verses that those barriers He places on their hearts, hearing and sight — such as seals, imprints, coverings, and the like — He has only placed them upon them as a punishment in accordance with what they hastened to do of disbelief and denial of the messengers by their own choice.

If you choose disbelief, Allah will not force you to believe. If you choose injustice, Allah will not force you to be just. If you choose immorality, Allah will not force you to obey. He respects your choice because He gave you this choice to hold you accountable for it on the Day of Judgment.

And He, the Most High, says: “Then because of their breaking of their covenant, We cursed them and made their hearts hard.” — Al-Ma’idah 13

So Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, made clear that the reasons for His misguiding those who have gone astray are due to the servant himself. The servant does not know what Allah has decreed for him because he does not know the decree except after the decree has occurred.

As for Allah, He does not have a past, present, or future. Rather, everything with Him happened and ended in His eternal knowledge. Therefore, He judged each one of us by what this person did in His eternal knowledge. The action that we are about to do now or will do and are ignorant of now is an action that we did and created in Allah’s eternal knowledge.

God Almighty says: “Indeed, God will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.” — Al-Ra’d 11

Pope Shenouda’s speech contains: a good will of God, and that God allows good and evil. This is like what Muslim scholars say about God’s legitimate will — what wants good and what is good for us — and a predestined will — called “will” — which is what happens to us of good and evil.

Pope Shenouda replaced the word “predestined will” with “permission”, knowing that there is no text in the Holy Book that says that God allows and does not want.

Error 2: There are many evils that happen to man without his being guilty of them — such as earthquakes, wars, volcanoes, accidents, death and distress. All of these are evils according to Pope Shenouda that God does not want, but He only allows them for the sake of trials, and they are binding for people to fall into them so that God may test them. Thus, these evils move from the clause of non-binding permission to the clause of binding will or effective will. Thus, we say that God wanted evil for these people.

Error 3: When God allows something, He has wisdom in that — and when permission is for a wisdom and for a reason that the one who allowed it wants, then in this case it is a will because He wants something behind His permission for the matter and He allows it in order to reach a goal that He wants.

Error 4: This contradicts what is stated in the Holy Bible about God being the one who hardened Pharaoh’s heart. The Bible did not say that Satan was the one who hardened his heart, and God permitted it, although He did not want to. The Bible says:

• “But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and I will multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.” — Exodus 3:7
• “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants.’” — Exodus 1:10
• “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, that he may strive after them, I will be glorified by Pharaoh and by all his army.” — Exodus 4:14

The Pharaoh of the Bible has no sin except that God hardened his heart so that he would not believe, so God would punish him and God would be glorified by punishing him.

Error 5: The saying of permission without will will not prevent us from attributing misguidance and temptation to God — and this is not my invention but from the Holy Bible and the words of Christian scholars themselves.

And even those who say that the god of the world means Satan — we ask them the same questions that they throw as a doubt about Islam: Why did God allow Satan to blind the minds of unbelievers? Why did He not prevent Satan from blinding them? Who gave Satan this ability and this power — is his authority innate or did God give him this authority? And if God gave him that, why did He give it to him? Does God want to mislead people?

If they said that these texts mean that Satan is the one who does that and God only permitted it, then this statement matches the statements of Islamic scholars, but they replaced the term “predestined will” or “destiny” with “permission.”

All of this is so that Christians can use the texts of the Holy Qur’an as an excuse for their rejection of Islam — turning away from other verses that explain who God misguides and how — although the interpreters of their own book say that we must understand each verse in the spirit of the book as a whole, and despite that, we find them using double standards and dealing with the Qur’an in a piecemeal manner.

If they understood the matter, they would find that what the Qur’an came with is the same as what their book came with and what their saints and interpreters said — and that misleading those who deserve it is not a defect, but as the Holy Qur’an says:

“And We have certainly created for Hell many of the jinn and mankind. They have hearts with which they do not understand, and they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear. They are like livestock, nay, they are more astray. It is they who are the heedless.” — Al-A’raf 179

1. Website Islam Web
2. Islam Question and Answer Website
3. Al-Nabulsi Encyclopedia of Islamic Sciences
4. Interpretations of Al-Qurtubi, Al-Baghawi, Ibn Kathir, Al-Shanqeeti and Al-Shaarawy, may God have mercy on them.
5. Letters of Ibn Uthaymeen on Fate and Destiny.
6. Islamic Monotheism website
7. The Comprehensive Islamic Library website.
8. Various Islamic researches in response to the suspicion that He misguides whom He wills.
9. The Anba Takla Orthodox website.
10. Interpretations of the Holy Bible.