Hidaayah is of three types

[dkSadiq.ibn.Owodunni]

JazaakAllaahu khayraa yaa Ustaadh wa baarakAllaahu feek.

1) Negating the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم guiding:

إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ
{Verily! You (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) guide not whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills. And He knows best those who are the guided.}

Type: التوفيق لقبول الحق والثبات عليه [Success in accepting the truth and being firm upon it]

2) Affirming the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم guiding:

وَإِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِي إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ
{And verily, you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) are indeed guiding (mankind) to the Straight Path (i.e. Allah's religion of Islamic Monotheism).}

Type: الإرشاد والتعليم والدلالة (Direction, teaching, giving evidence)

3) The second verse (and others similar to it) affirm that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم "guides" meaning, he teaches, directs and shows to others the Straight Path but this does not mean that he is able to cause the people to accept the guidance (or remain firm upon it) - rather it is only Allah alone that "guides" a person so that he accepts the truth and remains firm upon it - may Allah make us of those.

Brother Abu 'Abdul-Raheem (may Allah reward him) mentioned the example of the Prophet's صلى الله عليه وسلم uncle - whom the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم guided by showing him the truth and directing him to it but whom he صلى الله عليه وسلم could not guide to accepting the truth - as that is for Allah alone.

4) Perhaps, the fourth you are referring to is guidance to the bridge to Paradise in the Hereafter? Although, I can't recollect / don't know a text that supports this.

[Moosaa.Richardson]

May Allaah bless you both for your excellent responses!

A hint regarding the fourth type of "hidaayah" found in the texts:

Think of an oft-quoted authentic hadeeth about the importance of being truthful and staying away from lying...

[Husayn.El.Sharif]

Assalaamu alaikum,

I'm going to take a try at this 4th type of guidance...

4) Guidance to an increase in good, success, and blessings

And this is a reward for doing good deeds and acting upon guidance that Allaah had already given to the person. I'm basing this on:

[029:069] As for those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause), We will surely guide them to Our paths (i.e. Allâh's religion – Islâmic Monotheism). And verily, Allâh is with the Muhsinûn (good-doers)."


And it is said: "Those who act upon what they know, Allah will guide them to that which they do not know.'' (This is a quote I found in the summarized English translation of Mubarakpuri's explanation of Tafsir ibn Kathir published by Darusalam. It mentions that Ibn Abi Hatim narrates the quote from `Abbas Al-Hamdani Abu Ahmad, and the quote is in relation to the ayah above).


So those who strive in obedience to Allaah, then Allaah will guide them to that which will increase them in guidance.


[008:029] O you who believe! If you obey and fear Allâh, He will grant you Furqân [(a criterion to judge between right and wrong), or (Makhraj, i.e. a way for you to get out from every difficulty)], and will expiate for you your sins, and forgive you; and Allâh is the Owner of the Great Bounty.


[057:028] O you who believe [in Mûsâ (Moses) (i.e. Jews) and 'Eesâ (Jesus) (i.e. Christians)]! Fear Allâh, and believe in His Messenger (Muhammad [sal-Allâhu 'alayhi wa sallam]), He will give you a double portion of His Mercy, and He will give you a light by which you shall walk (straight). And He will forgive you. And Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.


And Allaah knows best. Please correct me if there are any mistakes in what I mentioned, jazaakallaahu khayr.

[dkSadiq.ibn.Owodunni]

JazaakAllaahu khayraa for the feedback & hint Ustaadh. Is the answer Guidance (in the hereafter) to the Paradise or the Hell-Fire? Based on this hadeeth:

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِنَّ الصِّدْقَ يَهْدِي إِلَى الْبِرِّ وَإِنَّ الْبِرَّ يَهْدِي إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ وَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَصْدُقُ حَتَّى يُكْتَبَ صِدِّيقًا وَإِنَّ الْكَذِبَ يَهْدِي إِلَى الْفُجُورِ وَإِنَّ الْفُجُورَ يَهْدِي إِلَى النَّارِ وَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَكْذِبُ حَتَّى يُكْتَبَ كَذَّابًا

'Abdullah reported Allah's Messenger (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) as saying: "Truthfulness leads one to al-Birr and al-Birr leads one to Paradise and the person tells the truth until he is recorded as truthful, and lying leads to obscenity and obscenity leads to Hell, and the person tells a lie until he is recorded as a liar".


And does the saying of Allah saying apply here?:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَظَلَمُوا لَمْ يَكُنِ اللَّهُ لِيَغْفِرَ لَهُمْ وَلَا لِيَهْدِيَهُمْ طَرِيقًا - إِلَّا طَرِيقَ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا

_______
Also, I think Brother Husayn's (may Allah bless him & reward him for his beneficial post) suggestion is the same as ath-Thabaat, right? Similar to the saying of Allaah about ashaabul-Kahf (the Companions of the Cave):

إِنَّهُمْ فِتْيَةٌ آمَنُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ وَزِدْنَاهُمْ هُدًى
{Truly! They were young men who believed in their Lord (Allah), and We increased them in guidance.} (al-Kahf 18 v 12)

And His saying:

وَالَّذِينَ اهْتَدَوْا زَادَهُمْ هُدًى وَآتَاهُمْ تَقْوَاهُمْ
{While as for those who accept guidance, He increases their guidance, and bestows on them their piety.} (Muhammad 47 v 17)

[Moosaa.Richardson]

Baarak Allaahu feekum.

Saadiq - you've got it. Lying gives you "hidaayah" to evil behavior, and bad behavior gives you "hidaayah" to the Hellfire.

So there you have another meaning of hidaayah in the texts: misguidance (idh-laal).

Jazaak Allaahu khayran.