Appearance
Who Guides to the Truth
قُلْ هَلْ مِن شُرَكَآئِكُم مَّن يَهْدِىٓ إِلَى ٱلْحَقِّ ۚ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ يَهْدِى لِلْحَقِّ ۗ أَفَمَن يَهْدِىٓ إِلَى ٱلْحَقِّ أَحَقُّ أَن يُتَّبَعَ أَمَّن لَّا يَهِدِّىٓ إِلَّآ أَن يُهْدَىٰ ۖ فَمَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ
(10:35) Say, ‘Is there anyone among your partners who may guide to the truth?’ Say, ‘Allah guides to the truth. Is He who guides to the truth worthier to be followed, or he who is not guided unless shown the way? What is the matter with you? How do you judge?’
The question
“Is He who guides to the truth worthier to be followed, or he who is guided not unless he is guided?” — what does guiding to the truth mean, and who can do it?
Views answered: four “unusual readings” of the exception “unless he is guided” offered by commentators
Al-Mizan's argument
Al-Mizan presents the verse as a rational argument addressed to the elect of the believers: human nature and reason require following the truth, and so following the one who guides to it and giving him priority over anyone who does not. Guiding to the truth here does not mean merely showing the way but actually leading to it, and this belongs only to God and to those whom God guides directly, with no intermediary — those guided “by themselves”, such as the prophets and their successors — who then guide others by His command; anyone else needs to be guided. Al-Mizan refers back to his discussion of Abraham's appointment as Imam (2:124), and refutes four unusual readings of “unless he is guided” offered by commentators, each of which breaks the contrast the verse draws.
Reading guide
Each part opens the commentary at that point.
- The third argument: following the one who guides to the truth
- “Is He who guides to the truth worthier to be followed…?”
- The contrast the verse draws
- Guidance from God, and from those He guides directly
- First: guidance means leading to the goal
- Second: “he who is guided not unless he is guided”
- Four unusual readings by commentators
- The second and third readings
- The fourth reading: angels and jinn
- Third: only those guided directly can guide to the truth
- Inherent and conferred guidance