The ayah is alluding to two important problems in the religion of Islam namely the position and role of Arabic language in our deen and second the intricate balance between absolute authority God Almighty and the freedom of will and action of humans.

It goes without saying that any book should be in the language of the reader if he is to benefit from it. It is all the more imperative therefore that a book from the God Almighty be in Arabic to proclaim and expound Islam to the Arabs; to make the people understand the message and guide them rightly. The ayah underscores the purpose and goal of revelation of Quran through HIS prophets viz. لِيُبَيِّنَ لَهُم ie “so that he might explain to them clearly”. The whole practice and drill is about learning and understanding the deen. Nowhere does the Quran speaks of any “barakah or piety” on reciting it.

This blatant, self evident and crucial aspect and characteristic of Quranic education and learning seems to be lost in the Indian subcontinent. Even educated elite and well placed individuals in the modern society like doctors, dentists and lawyers justify parroting the Quran; it gives them ten units of piety per letter, so they claim. The only reason I can think for this paradox is that they surrender their intelligence and common sense to uncritical and indiscriminate conformity with the Hadith literature , when if comes to religion

Yousuf Ali refers to a wider meaning for the word “language” in his popular tafseer: “There is even a wider meaning for “language”. It is not merely a question of alphabets, letters, or words. Each age or people or world in a psychological sense casts its thoughts in a certain mould or form. God’s Message – being universal -can be expressed in all moulds and forms, and is equally valid and necessary for all grades of humanity, and must therefore be explained to each according to his or her capacity or receptivity. In this respect the Quran is marvelous. It is for the simplest as well as the most advanced”.

The ayah also points out that Arabic is the medium of the Quran because it is the language of Arabs. No other quality or importance of the language has been mentioned in the Quran. However, we Muslims in general associate lots of respect and veneration for the language itself. This is endorsed by the eminent scholar Mufti Mohammed Shafi who in his magnificent tafseer “Ma’aarif-ul-Quran speaks at length on “The distinctions of Arabic” with what appears to be tall claims. Please see the footnotes. [3]
[mufti]…Among other things he asserts “ First of all, the Arabic language is the official language of the heavens……. The language of angels is Arabic………. Then, there is Jannah and its language is also Arabic…….They say that the original language of all books Allah Ta’aala has revealed was Arabic………”

The repeated assertion by God Almighty in the Quran فَيُضِلُّ اللَّهُ مَن يَشاءُ وَيَهدي مَن يَشاءُ ie “Now God leaves straying those whom He pleases and guides whom He pleases” is very unsettling if not frightening to countless especially young minds of Muslims in our present age. Does this suggest predestination which in turn deters and dissuades from action and effort? The answer is in the negative if you explore the Quran on this topic. For example the following ayah among many others: [4]

“……By it He misleads many, and many He guides thereby. And He misleads thereby only those who are Al-Fasiqun (the rebellious, disobedient to Allah)

And in the next ayah Quran defines the Al-Fasiqun mentioned here: [5]

“who break their bond with God after it has been established [in their nature], and cut asunder what God has bidden to be joined, and spread corruption on earth: these it is that shall be the losers.”

Thus, man’s “going astray” is a consequence of his own attitudes and inclinations and not a result of an arbitrary “predestination”. In his commentary on the above verse, al-Zamakhshari ( الزمخشري; 1074) a medieval Muslim scholar, theologian, linguist, poet and interpreter of the Quran stresses this aspect of free choice on the part of man and points out that “God does not cause anyone to go astray except one who, as He knows, will never attain to faith; and He does not guide anyone aright except one who, as He knows, will attain to faith. Hence, the [expression] ‘causing to go astray’ denotes [God’s] leaving [one] alone (takhliyah) and depriving [him] of all favour, whereas [the expression] ‘guidance’ denotes [His] grant of fulfilment (tawfiq) and favour…. Thus, He does not forsake anyone except those who deserve to be forsaken, and does not bestow His favour upon anyone except those who deserve to be favoured.” Later, commenting on the identical phrase occurring in 16:93, Zamakhshari states: “[God] forsakes him who, as He knows, will [consciously] choose to deny the truth and will persevere in this [denial]; and … He bestows His favour upon him who, as He knows, will choose faith: which means that He makes the issue dependent on [man’s] free choice (al-ikhtiyar), and thus on his deserving either [God’s] favour or the withdrawal of [His] aid … and does not make it.”

I think the eminent research scholar and mentor Javed Ahmed Ghamdi puts it very nicely in his tafseer Al Bayaan: “According to his law, those who deserve guidance should be guided and those who want to go astray should be left to wander in its darkness.” Another beautiful statement to appreciate this dilemma is by the eminent scholar Sayyid Qutb who remarks in his great tafseer Fi Dhilalil Quran “Whoever follows the way of error is left to go astray, and whoever follows the way of divine guidance reaches his destination. Both are subject to God’s will.”

God Almighty has repeatedly clarified that HIS will is guided by HIS wisdom and HIS sense of Justice. This is the declared Divine Sunnah in such theologically difficult situations. The statement “It is God who leads certain people astray; and when He does so, they are helpless” indicates a withdrawal of Divine Favor and Guidance as a punishment for disobedience. If a person takes advantage of the abilities that Allah has invested in him and performs accordingly, then he is considered worthy of further blessings. On the other hand if a person does not value them and conducts improperly he will be aided to go downhill as a Divine punishment that comes as a consequence of disobedience.

This controversy, though still lingers on due to some equivocal statements by Muslim scholars. For example, Maulana Maudoodi in his popular tafseer “Tafheem-ul-Quran” states “As Allah is All-Powerful, no one is able by oneself to get guidance or to go astray, for none is completely independent but is under the power of Allah.” However he quickly adds “But as He is All-Wise, He does not use His power blindly so as to show guidance to anyone He wills and to let go astray anyone He desires without rhyme or reason. In fact, the one who gets guidance from Him gets it on merit and the one who is let go astray is deprived of guidance because he himself deliberately chooses deviation.” Similarly, Mufti Mohammed Shafi concludes his explanation of this ayah, thus “But, it is still beyond human control to bring someone onto the right path. The truth is that it lies in the power of Allah Ta’aala alone. Whom He wills He lets go astray and whom He wills He would give guidance. He is Mighty, and Wise.”

Towards the end the ayah reads وَهُوَ العَزيزُ الحَكيمُ ie “He is Almighty, truly Wise.” We are herein assured that HE conducts affairs of the world according to His wisdom and careful planning. Nothing is left haphazard. Meticulous planning precedes HIS guidance or leading astray.

To sum up, as I have understood:

1) Humans are sent by God Almighty into this world at a certain spot on the planet through pre-selected parents of different religious denominations with a variable personality and qualities of mind and body who train, guide and educate them. They ie humans have no choice until this point. This can be labelled as predestination, if you like.

2) Once humans are functional in life, they have full liberty to chalk out their course. If one decides to follow the right path morally he is free to do it. As he goes along, he gets an internal feeling of happiness and fulfillment that propels him to stay on track and sprint along.

3) On the other hand if he decides to follow his desires and ambitions only, he is given full liberty to do so and continue doing it. After a while, he gets hooked up on this path. Now he cannot digress and quit this route, however hard he tries. He is condemned to it, so to say.

4) Allah Ta’aala Subhaanahoo is beyond the limits of time and space, all knowing and controls and manages the Universe without any constraints which is usually referred to “as HE wishes”. It is inconceivable therefore that any event past, present or future is beyond his grasp and awareness. However, out of HIS mercy and magnanimity HE has declared certain rules HE follows in dealings with HIS creatures. HE has declared complete freedom of thought and actions to humans in this world which will be followed by full accounting and assessment of their behavior on earth. Human actions in this world are within HIS knowledge but without HIS direction or intervention as per the rules HE HIMSELF has carved out for dealings with mankind.

5) This freedom of action is limited to the person’s own affairs. If the activity affects people around him, God Almighty will allow the activity but may not permit the affects it produces on others. The case of Malala Yousafzai a Pakistani from Swat, female education activist and the world’s youngest Nobel Prize laureate is a perfect example. On 9 October 2012, while on a bus in Swat District, Yousafzai and two other girls were shot by a Taliban gunman in an assassination attempt in retaliation for her activism; Yousafzai was hit in the head with a bullet and remained unconscious and in critical condition at the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology, but her condition later improved enough for her to be transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, UK. She recovered completely to work as a prominent activist for the right to education for girls.

6) Lastly a subtle point commonly responsible for the confusion and chaos around this phenomenon. The majesty and magnificence of God Almighty as بِرَبِّ النّاسِ مَلِكِ النّاسِ إِلٰهِ النّاسِ ie Lord of mankind, King of mankind, God of mankind demands that HE must have fullest control and utmost comprehension of each and every activity in the whole universe. Hence every action on the surface of earth—small or big; good or bad—must have HIS permission. As the King of Mankind HE articulates in the royal language and style of “we” and attributes all that happens here in the world to HIMSELF. For example, HE asserts ثُمَّ رَدَدناهُ أَسفَلَ سافِلينَ ie “then We relegated him to the lowest of the low”. He was relegated to the “lowest of the low” because of his misdeeds but the King of mankind emphasizes even this is subject to HIS approval.

……..and Allah knows best.
May Allah Ta’aala bless us with true understanding–“fahm”–of our Deen, Aameen.

Dr. Khalid Mitha