Tafseer of The Originator · Faatir · 35:8
Then is one to whom the evil of his deed has been made attractive so he considers it good [like one rightly guided]? For indeed, Allah sends astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. So do not let yourself perish over them in regret. Indeed, Allah is Knowing of what they do.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: Is then he whose evil deed has been made fair-seeming to him, so that he regards it as good [equal to whoever follows the right guidance]? Indeed, Allah lets stray whom He wills and guides whom He wills; so do not let your soul waste away with grief over them. Indeed, Allah is Knowing of what they do (8)
The Exalted, whose praise is sublime, says: Is then he for whom Satan has made fair-seeming his evil deeds — consisting of disobedience to Allah, disbelief in Him, and the worship of those gods and idols that exist besides Him — so that he regarded them as good and considered the evil of them to be good, and supposed that their ugliness was fair on account of Satan's beautifying of them to him... [equal to whoever is rightly guided]? Your soul would waste away with grief over them. From the statement there has been omitted "your soul would waste away with grief over them," contenting oneself with the indication of it in His words (so do not let your soul waste away with grief over them). And His words (Indeed, Allah lets stray whom He wills and guides whom He wills): He says: Indeed, Allah forsakes whom He wills with regard to faith in Him, following you, and holding you to be truthful, and makes him stray from the right guidance to the truth therein; and He guides whom He wills. He says: and He makes whom He wills fit for faith in Him, following you, and accepting you, so that He guides him to the path of righteousness. (So do not let your soul waste away with grief over them): He says: so do not destroy your soul out of sorrow over their straying, their disbelief in Allah, and their denial of you.
And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the scholars of exegesis have spoken.
* Mention of those who said that:
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda (Is then he whose evil deed has been made fair-seeming to him, so that he regards it as good? Indeed, Allah lets stray whom He wills and guides whom He wills), Qatāda and al-Ḥasan said: Satan made it fair-seeming to them (so do not let your soul waste away with grief over them), that is to say: do not let that grieve you on their account, for Allah lets stray whom He wills and guides whom He wills.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning the saying of Allah (so do not let your soul waste away with grief over them), he said: "al-ḥasarāt" is grief; and he recited the saying of Allah: Oh, what regret over what I neglected toward Allah. And His words (Indeed, Allah lets stray whom He wills and guides whom He wills) stand in the place of the answer, while in reality it is only the basis of the answer, for the answer is the omitted portion that I have mentioned; and by it the answer was deemed sufficient, on account of its indication toward the answer and the meaning of the statement.
And the Qurʾān reciters differed over the recitation of His words (so do not let your soul waste away with grief over them). The reciters of the cities, with the exception of Abū Jaʿfar al-Madanī, recited it (fa-lā tadhhab nafsuka) with a fatḥa on the tāʾ of "tadhhab" and with "nafsuka" in the nominative. And Abū Jaʿfar recited that (fa-lā tudhhib) with a ḍamma on the tāʾ of "tudhhib" and with "nafsaka" in the accusative, with the meaning: do not, O Muḥammad, let your soul waste away.
And the correct view of the recitation in this matter is, according to us, that upon which the reciters of the cities stand, on account of the agreement of the authoritative proof of the reciters concerning it.
And His words (Indeed, Allah is Knowing of what they do): the Exalted, whose praise is sublime, says: Indeed, Allah, O Muḥammad, possesses knowledge of what these people do — those for whom Satan has made their evil deeds fair-seeming — and He records it against them, and will requite them for it.
