Al-Baqarah · Madani · ayah 272 of 286

Al-Baqarah 2:272

۞ لَّيْسَ عَلَيْكَ هُدَىٰهُمْ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ ۗ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا۟ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَلِأَنفُسِكُمْ ۚ وَمَا تُنفِقُونَ إِلَّا ٱبْتِغَآءَ وَجْهِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا۟ مِنْ خَيْرٍ يُوَفَّ إِلَيْكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تُظْلَمُونَ

“Not upon you, [O Muḥammad], is [responsibility for] their guidance, but Allāh guides whom He wills. And whatever good you [believers] spend is for yourselves, and you do not spend except seeking the face [i.e., approval] of Allāh. And whatever you spend of good[109] - it will be fully repaid to you, and you will not be wronged.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Guiding hearts is Allah's work, not yours; give to anyone in need for His sake, and every good you spend returns to you in full.

A reflection

Not your project, not your trophy

A young man has spent two years trying to bring his best friend back to prayer. Articles, reminders, invitations, arguments. The friend has not moved. Lying awake, the young man feels he has failed, as if the friend's soul were his to win or lose.

'Their guidance is not upon you'. These words were addressed to the Prophet ﷺ himself. If the best of guides was told that guidance is not his to give, what of the rest of us? 'But Allah guides whom He wills'.

Two modern concise commentaries draw the line clearly. Your duty is to point people to the truth and make it known. Opening the heart, and granting success in following it, is in Allah's hand alone.

This is where the ego is gently corrected. We can turn other people's guidance into our project. Their faith becomes our achievement, their refusal our defeat. Without noticing, we put ourselves in a seat that belongs to Allah. That seat is too heavy for us, and it makes us pushy, anxious and proud.

Someone may ask: if Allah guides whom He wills, why bother inviting anyone? Because the pointing is our part, and it is worship. The result is His part, and it is mercy. Someone may also ask whether a God who keeps guidance for Himself is hoarding power. But guidance is not a prize He needs to keep. He is free of all need (35:15). It is simply beyond any creature to place faith in a heart.

The young man can sleep. He can keep inviting, kindly and patiently. He can pray for his friend by name. Then he can hand the rest to the One who guides.

The full entry has 6 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.