سُوْرَةُ النَّحْلِ
Surah An-Nahl (16) — Ayah 9
وَعَلَى ٱللَّهِ قَصْدُ ٱلسَّبِيلِ وَمِنْهَا جَآئِرٌ ۚ وَلَوْ شَآءَ لَهَدَىٰكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ ﴿9﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And upon Allâh is the responsibility to explain the Straight Path. But there are ways that turn aside (such as Paganism, Judaism and Christianity). And had He willed, He would have guided you all (mankind).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَعَلَى
waʿalā
And upon
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
Allah
قَصْدُ
qaṣdu
(is) the direction
ٱلسَّبِيلِ
l-sabīli
(of) the way
وَمِنْهَا
wamin'hā
and among them
جَآئِرٌۭ ۚ
jāirun
(are) crooked
وَلَوْ
walaw
And if
شَآءَ
shāa
He willed
لَهَدَىٰكُمْ
lahadākum
surely He would have guided you
أَجْمَعِينَ
ajmaʿīna
all
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
9. And upon Allah rests the responsibility of showing the straight path [9], though there are crooked ways as well. And if Allah had willed, He would have guided you all [10].
[9]
Guidance Without Revelation is Impossible for Humans:
Just as Allah Almighty has created all the necessary things for the survival of your physical life, in the same way, providing the means for the survival of your spiritual life is also His responsibility. This need cannot be fulfilled by intellect alone because the scope of thought and reflection of the intellect is extremely limited. Therefore, Allah Almighty has fulfilled this responsibility by taking the Covenant of Alast and by sending prophets and books. This is the only path that is straight and singular, whereas the paths upon which intellect travels are both crooked and countless, because neither does every human possess the same intellect, nor is the standard established by each person's intellect for correctness the same. Due to this difference in intellects, countless paths are created. In reality, the intellect is like the eye, which requires some external light in order to see. Without external light, the eye does not function properly. And this external light is divine revelation. Whatever a person sees in the light can be trusted, but one who walks in darkness only gropes about, sometimes stumbling upon one path and sometimes another, and there is also the danger of falling into some pit or ditch, of tripping, of bumping into something hard and high, and of getting hurt. Therefore, man was in dire need of this external light so that he could walk on the straight path without difficulty, and Allah Almighty has fulfilled this need of man by sending His messengers and books. Allah has expressed this same theme in several places in these words: Can the seeing and the blind be equal? And humanity always keeps wandering in experiments and failures. Therefore, Allah Almighty has done a great favor to mankind by Himself showing the straight path.
[10]
It is Not Allah’s Way to Give Compulsory Guidance:
Because compulsory guidance would nullify the very purpose of man's creation. That is why Allah Almighty has granted man more intellect and discernment than any other creature, as well as the power of will and the ability to choose. The paths of guidance and misguidance have also been clearly explained so that He may see which person chooses which path, and this is the divine will. It is not that Allah Himself puts everyone on the path of guidance.
[9]
Guidance Without Revelation is Impossible for Humans:
Just as Allah Almighty has created all the necessary things for the survival of your physical life, in the same way, providing the means for the survival of your spiritual life is also His responsibility. This need cannot be fulfilled by intellect alone because the scope of thought and reflection of the intellect is extremely limited. Therefore, Allah Almighty has fulfilled this responsibility by taking the Covenant of Alast and by sending prophets and books. This is the only path that is straight and singular, whereas the paths upon which intellect travels are both crooked and countless, because neither does every human possess the same intellect, nor is the standard established by each person's intellect for correctness the same. Due to this difference in intellects, countless paths are created. In reality, the intellect is like the eye, which requires some external light in order to see. Without external light, the eye does not function properly. And this external light is divine revelation. Whatever a person sees in the light can be trusted, but one who walks in darkness only gropes about, sometimes stumbling upon one path and sometimes another, and there is also the danger of falling into some pit or ditch, of tripping, of bumping into something hard and high, and of getting hurt. Therefore, man was in dire need of this external light so that he could walk on the straight path without difficulty, and Allah Almighty has fulfilled this need of man by sending His messengers and books. Allah has expressed this same theme in several places in these words: Can the seeing and the blind be equal? And humanity always keeps wandering in experiments and failures. Therefore, Allah Almighty has done a great favor to mankind by Himself showing the straight path.
[10]
It is Not Allah’s Way to Give Compulsory Guidance:
Because compulsory guidance would nullify the very purpose of man's creation. That is why Allah Almighty has granted man more intellect and discernment than any other creature, as well as the power of will and the ability to choose. The paths of guidance and misguidance have also been clearly explained so that He may see which person chooses which path, and this is the divine will. It is not that Allah Himself puts everyone on the path of guidance.
