The Quran

Preface

أَفَمَن زُيِّنَ لَهُ سوءُ عَمَلِهِ فَرَآهُ حَسَنًا ۖ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يُضِلُّ مَن يَشاءُ وَيَهدي مَن يَشاءُ ۖ فَلا تَذهَب نَفسُكَ عَلَيهِم حَسَراتٍ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَليمٌ بِما يَصنَعونَ

Yusuf Ali

Is he, then, to whom the evil of his conduct is made alluring, so that he looks upon it¹ as good, (equal to one who is rightly guided)? For God leaves to stray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills. So let not thy soul go out in (vainly) sighing after them: for God knows well all that they do!

Cf. n. 3877 above. When a stage is reached at which a man accepts Evil as his Good, his case is hopeless. Can such a man profit by preaching or guidance? He has himself deliberately rejected all guidance. Such a man is best left to stray. Perhaps, even in the paths in which he is straying, some sudden flash of light may come to him! That may be as God wills in His holy and wise Purpose and Plan. But the man of God is not to worry or feel disheartened by such men’s attitude. He must go on tilling the soil drat is open to him. For God’s Plan may work in all sorts of unexpected ways, as in the allegory in the next verse. (R).