Today’s verses from Surah Al-Qasas [28:46-60] carried a quiet but piercing reminder about guidance, who receives it, and what it takes to remain open to it.

Allah begins by describing people who rejected the scriptures that had been sent before them and then rejected the Qur’an as well. Instead of responding to revelation, they followed their desires, allowing their own inclinations to become their guide. And when desires take the place of guidance, the path inevitably leads astray.

It made me reflect on how subtle that process can be. Guidance isn’t always rejected loudly. Sometimes it’s slowly crowded out, replaced by comfort, by habit, by the quiet pull of what the self wants.

Yet in the middle of these verses, Allah describes another group of people. People who had already been given scripture before the Qur’an. And when the words of Allah were recited to them, they recognized the truth and believed in it.

Allah says they will receive double their reward for their patience. Subhān’Allah. They persevered. They responded to harm with goodness. They remained steadfast even when truth required something from them. As I read their description, I couldn’t help but think of the verses describing ‘ibād ar-Raḥmān, the servants of the Most Merciful, in Surah Al-Furqan. That same quiet dignity. That same steadiness of heart. People whose response to the world reflects their deep awareness of Allah.

But then comes the verse that made me pause the longest. Allah tells the Prophet ﷺ:

“You surely cannot guide whoever you like ˹O Prophet˺, but it is Allah Who guides whoever He wills, and He knows best who are ˹fit to be˺ guided.” [28:56]

Subhān’Allah. It’s a powerful reminder that guidance ultimately belongs to Allah alone. Even the Prophet ﷺ, whose heart longed for people to believe, could not place guidance in someone’s heart. That ability belongs only to Allah. But what struck me most was the ending of the verse. Allah knows best who are fit to be guided.

And I found myself turning that inward. What am I doing to make myself worthy of Allah’s guidance? What have I done to deserve the blessing of having the Qur’an placed in my life? Of being in spaces that remind me of Allah? Of being surrounded by companions whose presence increases my love for Him and encourages me to strive in His path?

These are not small blessings. To love the Qur’an. To feel drawn toward remembrance. To seek gatherings where Allah is mentioned. These are signs of Allah’s favor. So the question naturally follows: am I protecting that gift?

The verses then shift to another warning about past societies who were destroyed not simply because they had wealth or comfort, but because those comforts became their attachment. They clung to the ease of this world so tightly that they rejected the truth when it came to them. Comfort became their barrier. 

And in the final verse of this passage, Allah reminds us that whatever we have been given in this world: its pleasures, its adornments, its comforts are temporary. What is with Allah is better and more lasting.

That verse made me pause again and ask myself another difficult question: What comforts of this world am I holding onto that might be quietly pulling my heart away from Allah?

Sometimes the things that distance us are not obvious sins. Sometimes they are simply attachments that grow stronger than they should. Attachments that make remembrance feel heavier. Attachments that make obedience feel inconvenient. Attachments that slowly dim the clarity of guidance.

Perhaps preparing ourselves to be “fit for guidance” requires constantly returning to these questions. Examining the heart. Letting go of what weighs it down. Because guidance is not something we earn through perfection. But perhaps it is something we protect through sincerity, humility, and a willingness to keep turning back to Allah.

Ya Hādī, You are The Guide. Guide my heart to Your truth and make me among those who recognize Your words when they are recited. Make me a person who is fit for Your guidance and who protects the light You place within my heart. Do not let the comforts of this world become barriers between me and You. Help me hold loosely to what is temporary and remain firmly attached to what lasts with You.

With Love,

Ibtisam