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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Faith and Reason Question 12: Allah’s Will in Human Guidance Question: Considering the verse of the Qur`an in Surah 32, verse 13 which reads, “Had We wished We would have given every soul its guidance,” - can it not be concluded that Allah (awj) has not desired the guidance of all humanity? If Allah (awj) had desired the guidance of all humanity He would have willed such, but obviously He has not. Why?

Brief Answer Allah (awj) has willed the guidance of all His creatures. For, after taking all the [relevant] Qur`anic verses into consideration, the following points can be deduced: Divine guidance is divided into existential ( takwini ) and legislative ( tashri’i ) guidance. Existential guidance is the all-encompassing guidance that embraces the entire creation.

Allah (awj) has put all creatures in motion by ingraining in their nature their inclination for seeking perfection and reaching their ultimate goal. The legislative guidance, which is more specific, is exclusive to the bearers of intellect and thought and pertains to religious issues, such as rightful doctrines and the Divine oughts and ought-nots . The prophets and their infallible successors serve as the conduit for this latter guidance.

It is this guidance that is an extra favour bestowed upon mankind, and hence they enjoy both types of guidance. There are many verses in the Qur`an which confirm the free will of the human being, such as, “Indeed We have guided him to the way, be he grateful or ungrateful.” This ability to choose is a measure of existential guidance from Allah (awj), for the human being cannot himself be the source of his free will as it would entail the problem of circularity or infinite regress.

The entire creation is founded on a framework of causality, and the Divine norm ( sunnat Allah ) requires that all affairs be guided through the causal matrix. In this vein, He has provided the means of guidance for all human beings, by which they can attain the ultimate goal of their existence.

So although the human being has been blessed by existential guidance, at the same time he is a free being and can choose to take the path of Divine guidance—thereby preparing in himself the grounds for further guidance—or he could choose to take the opposite direction, which leads to disbelief and oppression. What the verse in question intends is that if Allah (awj) had wished, He could have created the human being without free will.