الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين
Brothers and sisters! Every time we recite Surat al-Fatiha in our five daily obligatory prayers, and other sunnah and nawafil prayers, we call upon Allah (SWT) to guide us. What is the special or particular guidance that we ask for? We ask for guidance that is given to true believers.
Actually, there are various degrees of guidance. The first degree of guidance is general, given to all creation and covers everything that is in the universe. By this guidance, animals, plants, minerals and all other inanimate objects fulfill the purpose for which they are created. Thanks to this general guidance, everything in the universe is performing its allotted function with precision and efficiency. That is to say, Allah has given every created thing a particular nature and function, and guided it in a way that corresponds to its position and situation in the scheme of things.
رَبُّنَا الَّذِي أَعْطَى كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلْقَهُ ثُمَّ هَدَى
“Our Lord is He who gives each thing its created form and then guides it.” (Ta Ha, 20:50)
The second degree of guidance unlike the first is not general but particular. It is limited to those creatures which have been given the faculty of reasoning and intellect. These include the humankind and jinn kind. This kind of guidance comes through prophets and revealed books. Some accept this guidance, and become believers; others reject it and become disbelievers.
إِنَّا هَدَيْنَاهُ السَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِرًا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا
“We have guided him to the path, whether he be one who is grateful or ungrateful.” (al-Insan, 76:3)
The third degree of guidance is still more particular, being special to the true virtuous believers. Like the first degree, the third kind of guidance also descends directly to the individual from Allah, and it is called tawfiq, that is to say, Allah’s grace provides an individual with means and circumstances that make it easy and even pleasant for him to accept and act upon the divine guidance.
The scope of the third degree of guidance has no limit, and following it leads to increased guidance and piety. The Qur’an itself gives us the promise of such increase.
وَالَّذِينَ اهْتَدَوْا زَادَهُمْ هُدًى وَآتَاهُمْ تَقْوَاهُمْ
“And for those who follow guidance, He adds to their guidance, and shows them the way to piety.” (Muhammad, 47:17). Elsewhere, in the Qur’an, we have,
وَالَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَمَعَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
“As for those who strive in our cause, We will guide them to Our paths, for Allah is with those who do good.” (al-‘Ankabut, 29:69)
It is in this field of progress that we see the prophets and their followers striving; seeking increase in divine guidance and success till their last breath. The Qur’an reports Shu’ayb (AS) as saying,
وَمَا تَوْفِيقِي إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ
“And my guidance (or success) can only come from Allah.” (Hud, 11:88)
Keeping in mind the three distinct degrees of guidance, one can easily see that guidance is a thing which everyone does possess in some way, and yet everyone requires achieving more of its advanced and higher stages. Hence, of all the prayers man can address to Allah, the most important is the prayer for guidance, which has been taught to us in the very first Surah of the Qur’an.
It is important to note that the Qur’an sometimes speaks of divine guidance as being general and common to believers and non-believers, in fact to all creatures, and sometimes makes it out to be particular and special to the God-fearing.
On the one hand, the Qur’an reminds us that Allah does not grant guidance to the transgressors and the unrighteous; on the other hand, it declares that Allah guides all. The misunderstanding which may arise here is removed by knowledge of the degrees of guidance. The general guidance is given to all without any distinction, but the third and very special degree of guidance is not granted to those who don’t want to be guided.
The first and the third degrees of guidance pertain to a direct act of divine grace, and no prophet can have anything to do with it, for the function of the prophets is related only to the second degree; that is they are guides.
وَلِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ هَادٍ
“And for every people there is a guide.” (ar-Ra’d)
It is neither the function of a prophet nor is it in his power to provide tawfiq to anyone, or to make it easy for anyone to accept guidance. Addressing the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), Allah says,
إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ
“You cannot guide those you would like to but Allah guides those He wills. He has best knowledge of the guided.” (al-Qasas, 28:56)
Those of us who invite or guide others to Islam should be humbled and should internalize the fact that we have no real power over this matter, and that true guidance is the sole dominion of Allah, the ‘turner of hearts.’ However, on the other hand, that should not make us lose hope in the work we do, for which our reward is with Allah; but rather it should increase our confidence in inviting others, knowing that the result is not dependent on our da’wah or speech, which is full of weakness and defects, but is in the hands of Allah who can instantly change the hearts of the most wicked and tyrannical into the most pure and righteous.
Brothers and sisters! We have a divine principle mentioned in Surat al-Najm, which is very clear and straight forward, and that is,
لَّيْسَ لِلْإِنسَانِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَىٰ
“Man can have nothing but what he strives for” (al-Najm, 53:39).
Applying this general rule, one has to strive hard to qualify to become the recipient of the precious gift of guidance. It does not come to the one who does not want to be guided or who does not work hard enough to be guided. That is why the special degree of guidance is not granted to the unjust and the unrighteous.
Another important point is that we should first and foremost; seek guidance in every matter with Allah, before turning to others. This is why it is recommended to offer Salat ul Istikhara whenever we have to make life-changing decisions. Istikhara means to ask Allah to guide one to the right thing concerning any affair in one’s life, especially when one has to choose between two permissible alternatives; whether to undertake a major project or not, whether to change career or not, whether to invest in a certain company or not, whom to get married to, etc.
The one who is guided in this life to the Straight Path will be guided to the straight path in the Hereafter that leads to Paradise. What is the ultimate destination that each one of us desires—Paradise; and the Qur’an tells us that the believers while entering paradise will say:
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي هَدَانَا لِهَٰذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لِنَهْتَدِيَ لَوْلَا أَنْ هَدَانَا اللَّهُ
“Praise be to Allah who has guided us to this! We would not have been guided, had Allah not guided us” (AL-A’raf, 7:43).
We ask Allah (SWT) to turn our hearts to His deen and to His obedience.
يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قُلُوبَنَا عَلَى دِينِكَ \ اللَّهُمَّ مُصَرِّفَ الْقُلُوبِ صَرِّفْ قُلُوبَنَا عَلَى طَاعَتِكَ
“O, turner of the hearts, keep our hearts firm on your deen (religion).” “O Allah, the turner of the hearts, turn our hearts to your obedience.
May Allah (SWT) make us among those who are truly guided; Ameen ya Rabb al-‘Alameen.
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
وَصَلَّ اللهُ عَلَى خيرِ خَلقِهِ مُحمَّدٍ وعَلَى آلِه وأصْحَابِه أجْمَعِين- بِرَحْمَتِكَ يا أرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِين
