How to reconcile His saying: “Indeed, you cannot guide whom you love” with His saying: “And indeed, you guide to a straight path”?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
The Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, says: How do we reconcile His saying, the Exalted,[Al-Qasas 28:56], with His saying [Ash-Shuraa 42:52]?
Answer:
“Guide” here means to show the people the way and to direct them. As for guiding the heart, you cannot guide whom you love. That is in the hand of Allah, the Exalted, and He knows best who is suitable and who is not. Yes, He knows best those who are guided.
The Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, says: How do we reconcile His saying, the Exalted,
Indeed, [O Muhammad], you do not guide whom you like
إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَAnd indeed, [O Muhammad], you guide to a straight path -
وَإِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِي إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍAnswer:
“Guide” here means to show the people the way and to direct them. As for guiding the heart, you cannot guide whom you love. That is in the hand of Allah, the Exalted, and He knows best who is suitable and who is not. Yes, He knows best those who are guided.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، [4154- 4717] كيف الجمع بين قوله:(إنك لا تهدي من أحببت) وقوله:(وإنك لتهدي إلى صراط مستقيم)؟ — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.