“He guides whom He wills”
يَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ
yahdī man yashāʾ — He guides whom He wills
Across the verses given, this fixed formula pairs the verb of guidance with an unspecified relative clause “whom He wills,” withholding any named object; in four verses it stands in a balanced pair with a matching formula of leading astray, and in one verse the same frame is addressed to Allah in the second person.
The formula consists of a third-masculine-singular imperfect of ه د ي followed by the relative مَن and a third-masculine-singular imperfect of ش ي ا. In the verses given, the agent is Allah, and the object of the guiding verb is never named: it is always the relative مَن, itself qualified only by the verb of willing. In (2:142), (2:213), (10:25) and (24:46) the formula closes with “to a straight path” (إِلَىٰ صِرَٰطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ), so the formula specifies the destination while leaving the guided person unspecified. In (2:272) and (28:56) the formula appears without that destination and in explicit contrast with the addressee's not guiding: “Not upon you is their guidance” (2:272) and “you do not guide whomever you love” (28:56). In (14:4), (16:93), (35:8) and (74:31) the formula is paired with a clause of leading astray on the same frame — يُضِلُّ مَن يَشَآءُ in (16:93) and (35:8), يُضِلُّ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَشَآءُ in (14:4) and (74:31) — so that guiding and leading astray are presented as parallel acts of the same willing agent. In (7:155) the frame shifts to the second person in Moses' address — “by it You let go astray whom You will, and You guide whom You will” — keeping the same structure while changing the agent's person. In (2:213) the formula stands beside a concrete act of guiding: “Allah guided those who had believed” (فَهَدَى ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟), so the named object there contrasts with the unnamed مَن of the formula.
Where it occurs
- 2:142 Answers the question about the direction of facing: guidance to a straight path belongs to Allah's willing, not to any named group.
- 2:213 Follows the statement that Allah guided “those who had believed”; the formula generalizes the act to an unnamed مَن and ends with “to a straight path.”
- 2:272 Contrasted with “Not upon you is their guidance”: the formula assigns the guiding to Allah alone, with no destination stated.
- 7:155 Second-person version in Moses' prayer, paired with “by it You let go astray whom You will,” followed by “You are our Ally.”
- 10:25 Follows “Allah calls to the abode of soundness”; the formula adds that He guides whom He wills to a straight path.
- 14:4 Paired with “Allah lets go astray whom He wills” after messengers are sent to make matters clear; closed by “the Mighty, the Wise.”
- 16:93 Paired with “He lets go astray whom He wills” after the statement that Allah could have made them one community; followed by “you will surely be questioned.”
- 24:46 Follows the sending down of clarifying signs; the formula ends with “to a straight path.”
- 28:56 Contrasted with “you do not guide whomever you love”; closed by “He is most knowing of those who are guided.”
- 35:8 Paired with “Allah lets sink into error whom He wills” in the question about one whose bad deed is adorned to him; followed by a command not to grieve over them.
- 74:31 Paired with “God lets sink [into error] whom He wills” after the trial of the number of the Fire's companions; preceded by كَذَٰلِكَ (“thus”).
All Qur'anic expressions