Asslamu Alaikum, You referred to earlier fatwas for my below question. "Assalamu Alaikum, Allah says He will not guide the unbelievers (2:264). In verse 2:7, He says that He has sealed their hearts and He will not guide them (2:6). In verse 2:213 and many other places, He says He will guide the unbelievers whomoever He wishes. Can you please explain these verses? " Just for clarification, my question is not about predestination. My question is about apparent contradiction in the verses. One verse says that Allah will not guide the unbelievers while another says that He will guide the unbelievers (whoever He wishes). Please clarify the verses which appears to be contradictory.

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

The fact that Allaah, The Almighty, says that He does not guide the disbelievers and the defiantly disobedient people, does not at all contradict the fact that He says that He guides whomever He wills. Allaah, The Almighty, guides whomever He wills from the disbelievers whom He knows that if they know the truth they will follow it. As for the disbelievers whom Allaah, The Almighty, has told that He does not guide, they are those who Allaah knows that if they know the truth they will not follow it, and thus they are not among those whom Allaah wills to guide. Allaah, The Almighty, says (what means): {Indeed, the worst of living creatures in the sight of Allaah are the deaf and dumb who do not use reason. Had Allaah known any good in them, He would have made them hear. And if He had made them hear, they would [still] have turned away, while they were refusing.} [Quran 8:22-23]

Shaykh As-Sa‘di said regarding the interpretation of this verse: “This is a proof that Allaah, The Almighty, does not prevent faith and goodness except from the one who has no goodness, whose faith does not increase by it nor does he benefit from it.”

Ash-Shinqeeti said in his book Daf’ Eehaam Al-Idhtiraab ‘an Aayaat Al-Kitaab: "As for the saying of Allaah, The Almighty, (which means): {…and Allaah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.} [Quran 61:5], this noble verse apparently indicates that Allaah never guides the one who disobeys Him. There are other verses that indicate otherwise, such as the saying of Allaah, The Almighty (which means):

· {Say to those who have disbelieved [that] if they cease,…} [Quran 8:38]

· {…You [yourselves] were like that before; then Allaah conferred His favor upon you,…} [Quran 4:94]

The answer is that it is an exception to the general rule. The exception is for the wretched whose hearts Allaah caused to deviate from guidance because of their eternal wretchedness. It was also said: “The meaning is that Allaah never guides them as long as they adhere to their evil deeds, but if they repent from it, He will guide them.” [End quote]

Finally, we have some advice for our dear questioner, may Allaah make him benefit from it. We have noticed from his questions that he is someone who asks a lot about reconciling between the Islamic texts that he sees as contradictory. This may indicate that there is some sort of doubt and uncertainty about the truthfulness of the Noble Quran. It is well known that a believer is certain that the Noble Quran is from Allaah, The Almighty, unlike the disbeliever and hypocrite. Allaah, The Almighty, says (what means): {And those who have believed know that it is the truth from their Lord. But as for those who disbelieve, they say, “What did Allaah intend by this as an example?”} [Quran 2:26]

If you are from the first category who is sure that the Quran is from Allaah, The Almighty, then this certitude is sufficient not to let you investigate such doubts that occur to you and dwell upon them. If you are one of those who have doubt in the truthfulness of the Quran and that it is from Allaah, The Almighty, then there is nothing we can do for you. Allaah says (what means): {But he for whom Allaah intends Fitnah - never will you possess [power to do] for him a thing against Allaah.} [Quran 5:41]

Allaah, The Almighty, also says in completion of the verse of Soorat Al-Baqarah that we named above: {...He misleads many thereby and guides many thereby. And He misleads not except the defiantly disobedient.} [Quran 2:26]

Al-Qurtubi said: “The meaning is that He does not mislead anyone except the defiantly disobedient whom He knows eternally that He will not guide.”

Ash-Shinqeeti said in Adhwaa’ Al-Bayaan: “There is absolutely no doubt that those who responded to their Lord are the people of sound mind who understand well the meaning of the parables and benefit from the explanation of truth that they present. Those who do not respond to the parables are those who do not understand them, nor do they know the facts explained by them. The former group are those about whom Allaah, The Almighty, says (what means): {…and guides many thereby…} while the latter are those about whom He, The Exalted, says (what means): {...He misleads many thereby..} and also says: {…And He misleads not except the defiantly disobedient}."

Allaah Knows best.