وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيُضِلَّ قَوْمًۢا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَىٰهُمْ حَتَّىٰ يُبَيِّنَ لَهُم مَّا يَتَّقُونَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ 115
Translations
And Allāh would not let a people stray after He has guided them until He makes clear to them what they should avoid. Indeed, Allāh is Knowing of all things.
Transliteration
Wa mā kāna Allāhu liyuḍilla qawman baʿda idhā hadāhum ḥattā yubayyin lahum mā yattaqūn. Inna Allāha bikulli shayʾin ʿalīm.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms that Allah does not lead a people into misguidance after He has guided them, unless He first clarifies to them what they should avoid and what constitutes piety. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi interpret this as establishing Allah's justice—He does not punish people for transgression without first making the truth clear to them through prophets and revelation. The ayah emphasizes that divine punishment follows only after people have been given clear guidance and understanding.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah At-Tawbah, a Medinan surah dealing with repentance, faith, and the consequences of hypocrisy. It is situated within a section addressing those who break their covenants with Allah. The ayah responds to deeper theological concerns about predestination and divine justice, affirming that Allah's guidance is always preceded by clear communication of religious obligations.
Related Hadiths
The concept is reinforced in the hadith recorded in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Every one of my ummah will enter Paradise except those who refuse.' When asked who would refuse, he replied: 'Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys me has refused.' This emphasizes personal choice after clear guidance. Additionally, Surah 20:134 contains a related principle about not punishing without sending a messenger.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reassures us that Allah's justice is perfect—He never condemns us without first making the truth clear and providing us with the means to understand our obligations. For modern believers, this emphasizes personal responsibility: once we have received clear Islamic guidance, we are accountable for our choices, and we should not blame fate or predestination for our willful disobedience.
Related Ayahs
وَمَا تُجْزَوْنَ إِلَّا مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
And you will not be recompensed except for what you used to do -
۞ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّمَا غَنِمْتُم مِّن شَىْءٍ فَأَنَّ لِلَّهِ خُمُسَهُۥ وَلِلرَّسُولِ وَلِذِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَٱلْيَتَـٰمَىٰ وَٱلْمَسَـٰكِينِ وَٱبْنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ إِن كُنتُمْ ءَامَنتُم بِٱللَّهِ وَمَآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَىٰ عَبْدِنَا يَوْمَ ٱلْفُرْقَانِ يَوْمَ ٱلْتَقَى ٱلْجَمْعَانِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
And know that anything you obtain of war booty - then indeed, for Allāh is one fifth of it and for the Messenger and for [his] near relatives and the orphans, the needy, and the [stranded] traveler, if you have believed in Allāh and in that which We sent down to Our Servant on the day of criterion [i.e., decisive encounter] - the day when the two armies met [at Badr]. And Allāh, over all things, is competent.
مَن جَآءَ بِٱلْحَسَنَةِ فَلَهُۥ خَيْرٌ مِّنْهَا ۖ وَمَن جَآءَ بِٱلسَّيِّئَةِ فَلَا يُجْزَى ٱلَّذِينَ عَمِلُوا۟ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ إِلَّا مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
Whoever comes [on the Day of Judgement] with a good deed will have better than it; and whoever comes with an evil deed - then those who did evil deeds will not be recompensed except [as much as] what they used to do.
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَظْلِمُ ٱلنَّاسَ شَيْـًٔا وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱلنَّاسَ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ
Indeed, Allāh does not wrong the people at all, but it is the people who are wronging themselves.