Surah Yunus (10) — Ayah 35

(Ayah 35) ➊ {قُلْ هَلْ مِنْ شُرَكَآىِٕكُمْ مَّنْ يَّهْدِيْۤ اِلَى الْحَقِّ … : ’’ يَهْدِيْۤ ‘‘} gives guidance. {’’ لَا يَهِدِّيْۤ ‘‘} was originally {’’ لاَ يَهْتَدِيْ ‘‘}, the "taa" was changed to "daal" and merged into "daal," which means "does not receive guidance," that is, you should ask them: Allah created the creation and also arranged for their guidance towards the truth, sent messengers, revealed books, prescribed the Shariah, and established a most precise and stable system of the universe, so that nothing deviates even a particle from the path He has set. He taught the newborn to suckle at the breast, as He said: «{ وَ هَدَيْنٰهُ النَّجْدَيْنِ }» [ البلد : ۱۶ ] "And We showed him the two clear paths." Who guides the duck to swim, the birds to fly, the beasts to hunt, the cattle to graze, the nightingale to be attracted to the flower, the moth to burn itself, the mother towards love, and harmful things towards enmity? Likewise, who determines the path of the earth, sky, sun, moon, planets, galaxies, seas, and clouds? In short, everything is running according to Allah's guidance alone; if any provider or helper has any role in this, then present it. Tell, who among your partners has ever guided towards the truth, or has any share in the system that keeps the universe on the right path? Now, you yourself tell: should the Pure Being who guides towards the truth—both in terms of Shariah and in terms of the universe—be followed, or those partners who, without Allah's "universal" guidance, cannot even find their own way, to whom Allah taught everything: eating, drinking, walking, seeing, and who could do nothing themselves? Razi said: Allah has often mentioned guidance along with creation in the Qur'an to establish His oneness, as in the saying of Ibrahim (peace be upon him): «{ الَّذِيْ خَلَقَنِيْ فَهُوَ يَهْدِيْنِ }» [ الشعراء : ۷۸ ] "He who created me, then He guides me." And the saying of Musa (peace be upon him): «{ رَبُّنَا الَّذِيْۤ اَعْطٰى كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلْقَهٗ ثُمَّ هَدٰى }» [ طٰہٰ : ۵۰ ] "Our Lord is He who gave everything its form, then guided it." And our noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was also commanded the same, as He said: «{ سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْاَعْلَى (1) الَّذِيْ خَلَقَ فَسَوّٰى (2) وَ الَّذِيْ قَدَّرَ فَهَدٰى }» [ الأعلٰی : ۱ تا ۳ ] "Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High, who created and then perfected, and who determined and then guided."
➋ { فَمَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُوْنَ :} These are two sentences for rebuke and to draw attention to the truth. The question is asked in two ways: one, what has happened to you? Second, how do you judge?

35. 1. That is, the One who guides lost travelers to the path and turns hearts from misguidance to guidance is also Allah alone. None of their partners can do this work.

35. 2. That is, who is worthy of being followed? The one who sees, hears, and guides people towards the truth? Or the one who, due to being blind and deaf, cannot even walk the path himself unless others put him on the path or take him by the hand?

35. 3. That is, what has happened to your intellects? How are you equating Allah with His creation? You are associating others with Allah in worship? Whereas these arguments demand that only this one Allah be accepted as the deity and all forms of worship be reserved exclusively for Him.

35. Ask them: Is there any among your partners who can guide to the truth? Say, "Allah alone guides to the truth [50]." So, is He who guides to the truth more deserving to be followed, or he who cannot find the way unless he himself is guided? What is wrong with you? How do you judge?

[50]
Guidance is a Vital Need of Man and Only Allah Can Grant It:

By guidance to the truth is meant the correct way of living, through which a person is taught such principles regarding every sphere of life—such as culture, morals, civilization and society, governance and politics, knowledge and spirituality, economy and lawful earning, etc.—in which the rights of both the individual and society are fully taken into consideration. And it is obvious that such guidance cannot be given by lifeless and senseless deities, nor even by intelligent deities. The vast knowledge and wisdom required for such comprehensive guidance is possessed by none except Allah. And if any human, head of state, or institution wishes to give such guidance, it will inevitably bear the imprint of their own nation and environment’s impressions and prejudices. Thus, only Allah is such an entity in whose sight all creation and all humans are equal; therefore, He alone is entitled to give such guidance and commands. As for false deities and all other gods besides Allah, they are all false, and even the polytheists admit that they cannot give such guidance. Far from giving guidance to anyone, even those among these deities who possess intellect are themselves in need of guidance. Then, should one follow Allah, who truly deserves to give guidance to the truth, or those who cannot even find the way of guidance for themselves? From the above questions, it is understood that man’s needs are of two kinds. First, that his deity should be such that He is his refuge and shelter, the One who hears prayers, accepts them, fulfills needs, delivers from difficulties, and can be fully relied upon. The above questions have established that there is no such being except Allah. Man’s second important need is that he should have such a guide who teaches the correct principles for living in this world, so that humanity is not left to face only experiments and failures. In this verse, it is explained that there is no such being besides Allah. Therefore, no deity besides Allah is worthy of being worshipped, nor worthy of being followed. After clarifying these facts, only stubbornness and obstinacy remain, on the basis of which a person clings to polytheistic religions and irreligious principles of civilization, morals, and politics.