The response to the contradiction in the Qur’an regarding God’s guarantee of guiding people

 

Content of the doubt:

Some delusional people claim that there is a contradiction between the words of God Almighty: “Indeed, it is upon Us to guide (12)” (Al-Layl), and between the words of God Almighty: “How can God guide a people who disbelieved after their belief and had testified that the Messenger is true and clear proofs had come to them? And God does not guide the wrongdoing people” (86) (Al Imran), and the words of God Almighty: “Indeed, God does not guide the disbelieving people” (67) (Al-Ma’idah).

The first verse indicates that God Almighty has made it obligatory upon Himself to guide people and has undertaken to do so, while the other two verses indicate that He Almighty does not guide some people.

They ask: How can God decide something in one place, then come in another place and state something that contradicts it? They consider this contradiction, in their opinion, to be evidence that the Qur’an is not from God.

The face of invalidating the doubt:

Guidance from God Almighty is divided into two types:

• Guidance of indication[1] and explanation: This is something that humans are capable of, including what the messengers do with their followers.
• Guidance of Tawfiq [2]: This is something that only God Almighty can do, and it is a favor from Him Almighty to whomever He wills of His servants.

Details:

Guidance of evidence and explanation is within the power of creation, such as the messengers and their followers, and guidance of success is within the power of none but God - the Almighty and Majestic:

There is no contradiction between the verse in Surat Al-Layl and what is in Surat Al-Imran, Surat Al-Ma’idah, and other verses, because God’s guidance is divided into two types: guidance of indication and guidance of success.

Guidance in His statement: “Indeed, upon Us is the guidance (12)” (al-Layl) means: indication and clarification. God Almighty created His servants and guided them to the truth through what He sent of messengers and what He revealed of books.

Guidance is something that creation can attain, such as the Messengers with their followers, as they show them the path of truth, whether they follow it or not. In this sense, His statement, the Most High, is understood: “And as for Thamud, We guided them” (Fussilat: 17), meaning: We showed them the path of truth through the tongue of our Prophet Salih, peace and blessings be upon him, even though they did not follow it, as evidenced by His statement, the Most High, the Most Great: “So they preferred blindness to guidance” (Fussilat: 17). And from this also is His statement, the Most High, the Most Great: “Indeed, We guided him to the way” (Al-Insan: 3), meaning We showed him the path of good and evil, as evidenced by His statement, the Most High, the Most Great: “Either grateful or ungrateful (3)” (Al-Insan).

As for the verses that stated that God does not guide the wrongdoers, nor does He guide the disbelievers, and other verses like them, guidance in them means: success in faith and truth, and this is what God - the Almighty - is unique in, and no one among creation has the power to do.

The established guidance - here - is the guidance of indication for all creation, and the guidance denied - here - for the oppressors and disbelievers is the guidance of success for faith and truth, and the denial of the second does not entail the denial of the first, for the first is general and the second is specific, and the denial of the specific does not entail the denial of the more general.

Al-Qurtubi said: Guidance is of two types. “Guidance is evidence, which is what the messengers and their followers are able to achieve. God Almighty said: “And for every people there is a guide” (7) (Ar-Ra’d), and He said: “And indeed, you guide to a straight path” (52) (Ash-Shura). So He established for them the guidance that means evidence, calling, and warning. And He, Almighty, is unique in the guidance that means support and success, so He said to His Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace: “Indeed, you do not guide whom you love” (Al-Qasas: 56). So guidance according to this comes to mean: creating faith in the heart.

And from this is His saying - Glory be to Him -: “Those are upon guidance from their Lord” (Al-Baqarah: 5), and His saying: “And He guides whom He wills” (Yunus: 25). And His saying - Glory be to Him -: “Those are the ones whom God has guided” (Al-An’am: 90), and His saying - Glory be to Him -: “He opens his breast to Islam” (Al-An’am: 125).

From the above, the answer to another question is: God Almighty has informed us about the Qur’an that its guidance is specific to the righteous in His statement, the Almighty: “Alif, Lam, Meem. (1) This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of God” (Al-Baqarah). And He has informed us in the same surah that its guidance is general for all people in His statement, the Almighty: “The month of Ramadan in which the Qur’an was revealed, a guidance for mankind” (Al-Baqarah: 185). So how can the two verses be reconciled?

The answer: The guidance in His statement: “Guidance for the righteous” (2) (Al-Baqarah: 2) is the specific guidance which is the favor of granting them success, and the guidance which is for all people in His statement: “Guidance for mankind” (Al-Baqarah: 185) is the general guidance which is the clarification of the path and the explanation of the proof[3].

Thus, the problem is also resolved between His statement, glory be to Him, “Indeed, you do not guide whom you love, but God guides whom He wills” (Al-Qasas: 56), and His statement, glory be to Him, “And indeed, you guide to a straight path (52)” (Ash-Shura); because the guidance denied from him, may God bless him and grant him peace, is the specific guidance, which is the guidance of success; because success is in the hand of God alone, and whoever God wants to tempt, you will not possess anything for him from God. And the guidance established for him is the general guidance, which is the clarification of the path, and he, may God bless him and grant him peace, clarified it until he left it as a clear path[4], its night like its day[5].

Conclusion:

• There is no contradiction between what indicates that God - Glory be to Him - has obligated Himself to guide people, and what indicates that He - may God bless him and grant him peace - does not guide some people; this is because guidance is of two types:
• Guidance is evidence, which is what the messengers and their followers are capable of, and it is what is meant in His - Glory be to Him - saying:) Indeed, upon Us is the guidance (12) (Al-Layl), meaning: evidence, clarification, calling, and warning.
• Guidance, support and success for faith, which is unique to God Almighty, and no one among creation has the power to do. From this is His Almighty saying: “Indeed, God does not guide the disbelieving people” (67) (Al-Ma’idah).

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(*) Al-Bayan fi dhif al-ta’ar al-muthuthu bayn al-Qur’an verses, Dr. Muhammad Abu al-Nur al-Hadidi, Al-Amanah Library, Cairo, 1401 AH/1981 AD.
[1]. Huda al-Dalalah: Guidance.
[2]. Huda al-Tawfiq: Guidance to goodness.
[3]. Al-Bayan fi dhif al-ta’ar al-muthuthu bayn al-Qur’an verses, Dr. Muhammad Abu al-Nur al-Hadidi, Al-Amanah Library, Cairo, 1401 AH/1981 AD, pp. 54: 56.
[4]. Al-Mahjah: The Straight Path.
[5]. Al-Bayan fi dhif al-ta’ar al-muthuthu bayn al-Qur’an verses, Dr. Atef al-Maliji, Iqra Library, Cairo, 1st ed., 2004 AD, p. 17.