❀ The Concept of Guidance and Accountability in Light of Qur'anic Verses ❀
Surah ash-Shūrā (42:52) states:
"وَإِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِي إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ"
“And indeed, you surely guide to the straight path.”
Whereas Surah al-Qaṣaṣ (28:56) states:
"إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ"
“Indeed, you do not guide whom you love.”
Is it correct to conclude from these verses that asking someone, “Why didn’t you do this righteous deed?” or calling someone towards good is not considered “guidance”?
Shaykh Fahd Ansari (ḥafiẓahullāh)
It is incorrect to derive from these verses that calling someone to righteousness or questioning a person over their wrongdoing is not considered guidance. Such a conclusion is based on personal interpretation (tafsīr bi-al-ra’y), which has no precedent among the pious predecessors (Salaf al-Ṣāliḥīn).
◈ If one assumes that inviting others to good or questioning someone about a sin contradicts the above Qur’anic verses, this is not a valid understanding, because none of the scholars or early generations interpreted the verses in such a way.
◈ Style and timing of advice are indeed important. If the approach is inappropriate or the timing is unsuitable, that can and should be corrected.
◈ However, the idea that one should not command good or inquire about shortcomings, whether it be:
To misinterpret these Qur’anic verses and claim that advising others or questioning someone’s failure to act righteously is not guidance, is an incorrect explanation of the Qur’an.
In Islam, al-amr bil-maʿrūf wa al-nahy ʿan al-munkar (commanding good and forbidding evil) is a foundational principle and cannot be ignored.
هٰذَا مَا عِندِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
❖ Question:
Surah ash-Shūrā (42:52) states:
"وَإِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِي إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ"
“And indeed, you surely guide to the straight path.”
Whereas Surah al-Qaṣaṣ (28:56) states:
"إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ"
“Indeed, you do not guide whom you love.”
Is it correct to conclude from these verses that asking someone, “Why didn’t you do this righteous deed?” or calling someone towards good is not considered “guidance”?
❖ Answer by:
Shaykh Fahd Ansari (ḥafiẓahullāh)
It is incorrect to derive from these verses that calling someone to righteousness or questioning a person over their wrongdoing is not considered guidance. Such a conclusion is based on personal interpretation (tafsīr bi-al-ra’y), which has no precedent among the pious predecessors (Salaf al-Ṣāliḥīn).
❖ Clarification:
◈ If one assumes that inviting others to good or questioning someone about a sin contradicts the above Qur’anic verses, this is not a valid understanding, because none of the scholars or early generations interpreted the verses in such a way.
◈ Style and timing of advice are indeed important. If the approach is inappropriate or the timing is unsuitable, that can and should be corrected.
◈ However, the idea that one should not command good or inquire about shortcomings, whether it be:
- A teacher questioning a student,
- Parents correcting their children,
- Or a husband advising his wife,
—this mindset goes against firmly established Islamic teachings and Shar‘ī principles.
❖ Conclusion:
To misinterpret these Qur’anic verses and claim that advising others or questioning someone’s failure to act righteously is not guidance, is an incorrect explanation of the Qur’an.
In Islam, al-amr bil-maʿrūf wa al-nahy ʿan al-munkar (commanding good and forbidding evil) is a foundational principle and cannot be ignored.
هٰذَا مَا عِندِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
