The Path to Guidance
Of the greatest of Allah’s blessings over His servant is that He made him obedient to Him, for whatever of blessings and good things a person has, it is from Allah. Without guidance a person becomes lost, even if they possess wealth, intelligence, or worldly success. Imam Ibn al-Qayyim explains in The Path to Guidance that the believer constantly needs guidance in knowledge, action, and steadfastness upon the truth.
This page follows his book, The Path to Guidance, with one passage from Shaykh ‘Abdur-Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa’di’s Tafsir, Vol. 1.
The book opens with the reminder:
“Whomsoever Allah guides there is none to misguide and whomsoever Allah misguides there is none to guide.”
Ibn al-Qayyim also teaches that every blessing is from Allah alone. Allah says, in Surah Aal ‘Imran (3:102):
“O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islaam with complete submission to Allah.”
This verse shows that guidance is not something temporary. A Muslim must remain upon the truth until death. The believer’s goal is not simply to accept Islam, but to remain firm upon it throughout life.
Guidance Comes from Allah Alone
Allah also commands the believers to maintain their duty to Him and to speak the truth. Allah says, in Surah al-Ahzab (33:70-71):
“O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allah and fear Him, and speak the truth. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e., he will be saved from the Hell-fire and made to enter Paradise).”
This verse itself joins guidance to obedience: when a person fears Allah and speaks truthfully, Allah directs him to righteous deeds and forgives his sins.
The Danger of Heedlessness
One of the greatest causes of misguidance is heedlessness of Allah. Ibn al-Qayyim explains that when the heart becomes careless and begins following desires, corruption appears in a person’s life. Allah warns about this danger in the Qur’an, in Surah al-Kahf (18:28):
“And obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our Remembrance, one who follows his own lusts and whose affair has been lost and wasted.”
This verse shows that turning away from the remembrance of Allah leads to following desires. When a person follows desires instead of revelation, the result is misguidance and destruction.
Ibn al-Qayyim traces this corruption to two roots, in his own words:
“Whoever contemplates the corruption of the world, both the general and the specific, will find that it emanates from these two principles. Heedlessness comes between a servant and his conceiving the truth, becoming acquainted with it and having knowledge of it. Therefore, because of this he becomes of those who are astray (daalleen). Following of desires prevents him from seeking the truth, desiring it and following it. Therefore he becomes of those with whom Allah is angry (maghdoobi ‘alaihim).”
The Constant Need for Guidance
For this reason the servant constantly asks Allah for guidance in prayer. In every unit of prayer a Muslim recites the supplication from Surah al-Fatiha (1:6-7):
“Guide us upon the Straight Way. The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger (such as the Jews), nor of those who went astray (such as the Christians).”
Shaykh as-Sa’di explains this supplication in his Tafsir, in his own words:
“(Guide us to the straight path) that is, show us and help us to follow the straight path, which is the clear path that leads to Allah and to His paradise, which in turn means knowing the truth and acting upon it. (This is a prayer) for guidance to the straight path and guidance when following the path. Guidance to the straight path means adhering to the religion of Islam and forsaking all other religions; guidance when following the path includes guidance concerning all the details of religion, in knowledge and action. This supplication is one of the most concise, comprehensive and beneficial of supplications. Hence it is obligatory to call upon Allah with it in every rak’ah of the prayer, because we are in need of that.”
Ibn al-Qayyim explains that this supplication shows the servant’s constant need for guidance. A person needs guidance to recognize the truth, to love the truth, and to act upon it. Knowledge alone is not enough unless it leads to obedience.
He states that need in his own words:
“The servant is in need of guidance, at every moment and in every breath, in everything that happens to him and passes him by, for he is in the midst of many matters from which he cannot separate himself:”
In words quoted in this book from his Madaarij as-Saalikeen, he defines the two types of guidance:
“Guidance (hidaayah) is: a) elucidation (bayaan) and indication (dalaalah) (to the path), then b) success (tawfeeq) and inspiration (ilhaam) (in following the path), and this comes after (the guidance of) elucidation and indication. There is no way to elucidation and indication except by means of the Messengers.”
By this second type, faith (eemaan) is placed in the heart and made beloved to it.
Guiding Others to the Truth
Guiding others is itself a door to more guidance, as the book states in its own words:
“When it is known that guiding people, teaching them and advising them opens up a door of guidance for an individual - since the reward for an action is its like - everytime he guides someone and teaches him, then Allah will (further) guide him and teach him. Therefore, he will become a guide and guided.”
The Messenger of Allah also taught the believers to ask Allah for guidance for themselves and for others. The Prophet ﷺ made the supplication:
“O Allah, beautify us with the adornment of eemaan, make us guides (for others), guided, not astray, leading others astray, peaceful to Your close friends (awliyaa), warring with Your enemies. With Your love do we love those who love You and with Your enmity do we show enmity to those who oppose You.”
The book’s footnote records that at-Tirmidhi called this hadeeth ghareeb, and that Shaykh al-Albani declared its chain weak (Da’if Sunan at-Tirmidhi, 678/3659).
This supplication teaches that a believer should not only seek personal guidance but should also help guide others to the truth.
Ways to Guide Others
Among the ways of guiding others are:
- Teaching beneficial knowledge
- Giving sincere advice
- Reminding people of Allah and exhorting them to His obedience.
Becoming Leaders in Righteousness
The righteous believers also ask Allah to make them leaders in righteousness so that others may follow them in obedience. Allah says, in Surah al-Furqan (25:74):
“And those who say, ‘Our Lord! Bestow on us wives and offspring who will be the comfort of our eyes’, and make us an Imaam (leader/guide) for the pious (Muttaqoon).’”
This verse shows that the believer hopes to become an example of goodness for others, guiding them toward obedience to Allah.
The book then teaches how this leadership is obtained, in its own words:
“And He, free from all imperfections, has informed us that this leadership is obtained by patience (sabr) and certainty (yaqeen) for He, the Exalted said: And We made from among them, leaders, giving guidance under Our Command, when they were patient and believed with certainty in Our Signs. Therefore, it is by patience and certainty that leadership in the religion is obtained.”
Conclusion
The Path to Guidance teaches that guidance is the foundation of a Muslim’s life. A person must constantly seek knowledge, remember Allah, avoid following desires, and act upon what they learn. Through sincere worship, truthful speech, and adherence to the Qur’an and Sunnah, Allah grants guidance to His servants. Whoever holds firmly to this path will find success in this life and salvation in the Hereafter.
References
- The Path to Guidance: Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah. Translated by Aboo ‘Iyaad Amjad Rafiq. Salafi Publications, First Edition, Rabee’ ath-Thaanee 1421 AH / July 2000 CE. ISBN 1-902727-04-5: the Introduction and its opening verses (printed pp. 1 to 2), heedlessness and the two roots of corruption (printed pp. 9 to 10), the Fatiha supplication, the servant’s extreme need and the two types of guidance (printed pp. 11 to 12), guiding others and the supplication reported by at-Tirmidhi (printed pp. 14 to 15), and leadership by patience and certainty (printed p. 18).
- Tafsir as-Sa’di, Shaykh ‘Abdur-Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa’di, IIPH English Edition 1, 2018, translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab: Vol. 1, on Surah al-Fatiha 1:6 (printed p. 29).
The Path to Guidance prints “Allaah”; inside quotations on this page the name is spelled Allah, by the site’s rule.
Further Reading
- Hypocrisy: the characteristics of the hypocrites and their end
- How Can a Muslim Increase His Iman?: the means by which faith grows
- Repentance (Tawbah): the conditions of sincere repentance
Verified on 2026-10-26 against: The Path to Guidance (Ibn al-Qayyim) and Tafsir as-Sa’di, Vol. 1 (Shaykh ‘Abdur-Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa’di).