DON'T SLANDER! Allah Never Misguides.

True Guidance Comes From Allah.

Don’t Slander Allah!

It's A Blasphemy.

Allah Never Misguides!

(M. Javed Naseem)

Allah is ‘Infinite Mercy’ and ‘Infinite Love’. He created us and He loves us many times more than a mother loves her children. He commanded us to be grateful and obedient to Him so that he would shower His blessings and bounties on us. But at the same time, He warned us of Shaitan (the Devil) being our enemy manifest. He clearly warned us of painful punishment if we followed Shaitan (doing evil deeds and disobeying Allah’s commands).

وَخَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلسَّمَاوَاتِ وَٱلأَرْضَ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَلِتُجْزَىٰ

كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لاَ يُظْلَمُونَ
“Allah created the heavens and the earth

for just ends, and in order that each soul

may find the recompense of what it has

earned, and none of them be wronged.”

(al-Quran 45:22)

For a long time now, I have seen people preaching Islam (doing Da’wah) on TV and on social media/internet. They always quote some Quranic verse: “Whom Allah guides, nobody can misguide him; and whom Allah misguides (sends astray), nobody can guide him”. Excuse me? Are you wrongfully accusing Allah? That is slander, a blasphemy!

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Allah has created everything (including

you) in Truth. Why would He mislead

you and then burn you in Hellfire? Many

people are promoting incorrect translation

of the Quranic verses to wrongfully accuse

God! Allah never leads people astray!

Instead, He guides them to the right path.

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I have been arguing with people to clarify and make them understand the true meanings of such verses. Here’s the correct translation:

وَمَن يَهْدِ ٱللَّهُ فَهُوَ ٱلْمُهْتَدِ وَمَن يُضْلِلْ

فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءَ مِن دُونِهِ
“It is he whom Allah guides, that is on true

Guidance; but he whom He leaves astray, for

such will you find no protector besides Him.”

(al-Quran 17:97)

I have been telling people (FaceBook or internet preachers) that it was a wrong notion they were promoting. Allah never misguides, misleads or sends anybody astray. The English and Urdu translators (copying each others) are the source of this blasphemy. Even the so-called ‘scholars’ have erred on this verse.

Allah guides people from the Darkness to the Light. He guided Adam and Eve when they were misled by Shaitan. He sent, as per tradition, 124,000 prophets or messengers to guide humanity to the right path. When we go astray, under the influence of our enemy Shaitan, we become sinful.

Now, imagine for a second that the whole world has gone astray. Then there are some who realize what has happened, and they repent begging Allah for forgiveness and mercy. Allah knows best who is sincerely repenting and asking for forgiveness. So, He forgives whom He wills. But how about the rest? Well, He leaves the rest wherever they are. If they are astray, He leaves them there. If they are sinful, He leaves them in sin. He does not guide them because they don’t seek guidance. Their actions don’t support their case (requesting forgiveness). And that’s the true and correct meaning of such verses; i.e.:

“Whosoever Allah guides, nobody can

misguide him/her; and whosoever Allah

leaves (astray), nobody can guide him/her.”

Here’s another example from Surah al-Room, verse 29. Yusuf Ali, being my favorite translator (but I consult at least 5 translations), renders the following translation of this verse:

بَلِ ٱتَّبَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوۤاْ أَهْوَآءَهُمْ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ فَمَن

يَهْدِى مَنْ أَضَلَّ ٱللَّهُ وَمَا لَهُمْ مِّن نَّاصِرِينَ

“Nay, the wrong-doers (merely) follow

their own lusts, being devoid of knowledge.

But who will guide those whom Allah leaves

astray? To them there will be no helpers.”

(al-Quran 30:29)

Pickthal’s translation goes like this:

“Nay, but those who do wrong follow their

own lusts without knowledge. Who is able to

guide him whom Allah hath sent astray?

For such there are no helpers.”

(al-Quran 30:29)

And it is not Pickthal alone. Shakir Ali and Khalifa have also translated the above verse like Pickthal.

Similarly, most of Urdu translators (even some of the famous Ulema) have made the same mistake of adopting Pickthal’s version without much thinking. Here’s the Urdu translation from Fateh Mohammad Khan Jalandhari:

This one (below) is translated by Sheikh-ul-Hind Maulana Mahmood-ul Hassan. The translation is incorrect but the ‘Tafseer’ (explanation) is correct which is done by Maulana Shabbir Ahmed Usmani:

When you are rightly guided, you love Allah, and you ask: How could Allah possibly do such a thing (‘Na’ooz-billah’) to send people astray while declaring at the same time in the Quran, that He does not even accept helpers who mislead others?

مَّآ أَشْهَدتُّهُمْ خَلْقَ ٱلسَّمَاوَاتِ وَٱلأَرْضِ وَلاَ خَلْقَ

أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَمَا كُنتُ مُتَّخِذَ ٱلْمُضِلِّينَ عَضُداً

“I did not make them witnesses of the creation

of the heavens and the earth, nor of the creation

of their own souls; nor could I take those who

lead (others) astray, for helpers.”

(al-Quran 18:51

The Almighty revealed the Quran to guide the people who had gone astray. He did not send them astray, He only let them go and stay astray because they never repented. Allah clarifies in Surah al-Qasas that it’s the lusts of people that send them astray. And when they keep following their own desires and lusts (instead of repenting), Allah does not guide them. He leaves them in that condition:

فَإِن لَّمْ يَسْتَجِيبُواْ لَكَ فَٱعْلَمْ أَنَّمَا يَتَّبِعُونَ

أَهْوَآءَهُمْ وَمَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّنِ ٱتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ بِغَيْرِ هُدًى

مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لاَ يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّالِمِينَ

“But if they hearken not to you, know that

they only follow their own lusts; and who is

more astray than one who follow his own lusts,

devoid of guidance from Allah? For Allah

guides not people given to wrong-doing.”

(al-Quran 28:50)

Therefore, it is not only incorrect translation but also wrong to blame Allah for something He never did! We make our own choices – right or wrong – and Allah lets us do that. He allows us to do wrong because He knows that One Day we would be answering questions and held accountable for all that we did. We would be rewarded accordingly. 

Allah did not send Nimrod astray nor the Pharaoh of Egypt. They chose to go astray and Allah tried to show them the path of guidance through His prophets Abraham and Moses, respectively. But they did not repent so Allah left them in that condition. Therefore, it would be wrong to say that Allah sent them astray. Allah just allowed them to go whatever way they chose to go.

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لاَ يَسْتَحْىِ أَن يَضْرِبَ مَثَلاً مَّا بَعُوضَةً

فَمَا فَوْقَهَا فَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ فَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ ٱلْحَقُّ

مِن رَّبِّهِمْ وَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فَيَقُولُونَ مَاذَآ

أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَـٰذَا مَثَلاً يُضِلُّ بِهِ كَثِيراً

وَيَهْدِى بِهِ كَثِيراً وَمَا يُضِلُّ بِهِ إِلاَّ ٱلْفَاسِقِينَ
“Allah disdains not to use the similitude of

things, lowest as well as highest. Those who

believe know that it is truth from their Lord;

but those who reject Faith say: "What means

Allah by this similitude?" By it He causes

many to stray, and many He leads into the

right path; but He causes not to stray,

except those who forsake (the path).”

(al-Quran 2:26)

The above verse tells us clearly that Allah does not cause anybody to go astray. It’s the people who forsake the right path, by their own choice, to go astray and Allah lets them go in that direction.

On the Day of Judgment, when evil-doers would be thrown into Hell, they would complain about Shaitan (Devil). Each one would say:

لَّقَدْ أَضَلَّنِى عَنِ ٱلذِّكْرِ بَعْدَ إِذْ جَآءَنِى

وَكَانَ ٱلشَّيْطَانُ لِلإِنْسَانِ خَذُولاً

"He did lead me astray from the Message

(of Allah) after it had come to me! Ah! The

Evil One (Shaitan) is but a traitor to man!"

(al-Quran 25:29)

The irony would be that those who misled others, would admit it on the Day of Judgment and withdraw from them taking no responsibility:

قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ حَقَّ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْقَوْلُ رَبَّنَا هَـٰؤُلاۤءِ

ٱلَّذِينَ أَغْوَيْنَآ أَغْوَيْنَاهُمْ كَمَا غَوَيْنَا

تَبَرَّأْنَآ إِلَيْكَ مَا كَانُوۤاْ إِيَّانَا يَعْبُدُونَ
“Those against whom the charge will be proved,

will say: "Our Lord! These are the ones whom

we led astray. We led them astray, as we were

astray ourselves. We free ourselves (from them)

in your presence. It was not us they worshipped."

(al-Quran 28:63)

أَلَيْسَ ٱللَّهُ بِكَافٍ عَبْدَهُ وَيُخَوِّفُونَكَ بِٱلَّذِينَ

مِن دُونِهِ وَمَن يُضْـلِلِ ٱللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ هَـادٍ

وَمَن يَهْدِ ٱللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِن مُّضِلٍّ أَلَيْسَ ٱللَّهُ بِعَزِيزٍ ذِى ٱنتِقَامٍ
“Is not Allah enough for his Servant? But

they try to frighten you with other (gods)

besides Him! For such as Allah leaves

to stray, there can be no guide.

And such as Allah does guide, there

can be none to lead astray. Is not Allah

Exalted in Power, (Able to enforce His

Will), Lord of Retribution?”

(al-Quran 39:36-37)

One thing is clear that going astray is on the part of man while guidance is on the part of Allah. He guides whom He wills. When Allah withdraws His guidance, nobody can save that person from Hellfire.

وَمَن يُضْلِلِ ٱللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِن وَلِيٍّ مِّن بَعْدِهِ

وَتَرَى ٱلظَّالِمِينَ لَمَّا رَأَوُاْ ٱلْعَذَابَ يَقُولُونَ

هَلْ إِلَىٰ مَرَدٍّ مِّن سَبِيلٍ
“For any whom Allah leaves astray,

there is no protector thereafter. And

you will see the wrong-doers, when in

sight of the Penalty, say: "Is there any

way (to effect) a return?"

(al-Quran 42:44)

Temptation is strong and we are weak; so we fall for it. When we sin, following our own desires and lusts, Allah waits for our repentance (Taubah). He gives us a lot of time (years and years) to come back to the right path. But when we ignore Him, don’t repent nor ask for His forgiveness, and arrogantly keep walking on the road to sin, Allah withdraws His favor and guidance. He leaves us astray. Again, it was our choice; He did not send us astray (we chose that way)!

أَفَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ ٱتَّخَذَ إِلَـٰهَهُ هَوَاهُ وَأَضَلَّهُ ٱللَّهُ

عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ وَخَتَمَ عَلَىٰ سَمْعِهِ وَقَلْبِهِ وَجَعَلَ

عَلَىٰ بَصَرِهِ غِشَاوَةً فَمَن يَهْدِيهِ مِن بَعْدِ ٱللَّهِ

أَفَلاَ تَذَكَّرُونَ
“Then do you see such a one as takes as

his god his own vain desire? Allah has,

knowing (him as such), left him astray,

and sealed his hearing and his heart (and

understanding), and put a cover on his sight.

Who, then, will guide him after Allah (has

withdrawn Guidance)? Will you not

then receive admonition?”

(al-Quran 45:23)

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