191 instances of dalla including its derived forms in the Quran as shown in the table below are reviewed to better understand their meaning in different contexts that upon reviewing the messages in different contexts may help us to confirm whether we are in astray or we are the guided ones:
Note: The above table is populated with the data obtained from corpus.quran.com.
Instances of dalaal
38 instances of dalaal (ضَلَٰل) in the noun form in the Quran literal meaning “straying”, found in 38 verses of 27 surahs are reviewed to better understand its meaning in different contexts. Reviewing these instances helps us to confirm who are in a faraway straying will be great losers on a day of the Judgment not for accepting their prayers and practices being idol worship:
[3:164] Certainly, God has favored upon the believers as He has raised messenger in them from themselves to recite His revelations to them, and to purify them, and to teach them the scripture and the wisdom, even though they had been before surely in a clear straying (dalaalin).
[4:60] Do you not see to those who claim that they have believed in what has been sent down to you (prophet), and what has been sent down from before yourself? They wish to judge towards the false deities, while certainly, they have been commanded to reject of it; and the Satan wishes to mislead them a faraway straying (dalaalin).
[4:116] Indeed, God does not forgive if it is associated partners with Him, while He forgives what is other than that for whomever He wills. And whoever associates partners with God, then certainly, he has gone astray a faraway straying (dalaalan).
[4:136] O you who have believed; you shall believe in God and His messenger, and the scripture which He has sent down to His messenger and the scripture which He has sent down from before. And whoever disbelieves in God, and His angels, and His scriptures, and His messengers, and the Last Day, then certainly, he has gone astray a faraway straying (dalaalan).
[4:167] Indeed, those who have disbelieved and have hindered from a path of God, certainly, they have gone astray a faraway straying (dalaalan).
[6:74] And when Abraham said to his father Azar, “Do you take idols as gods? Indeed me, I see you and your people are in a clear straying (dalaalin).”
[7:60] The leaders of his (Noah) people said, “Indeed, we surely, see you in a clear straying (dalaalin).”
[10:32] Thus that is God, your Lord, the Truth. So, what is there after the truth, except the straying (al-dalaalu)? Then how are you turned away?
[12:8] When they said, “Surely, Yusuf and his brother are more beloved to our father than us, while we are a party. Indeed, our father surely is in a clear error (dalaalin).
[12:30] And women in the city said: “The governor’s wife seeks to seduce her servant from himself. Certainly, he has impressed her with love. Indeed, we surely see her in a clear error (dalaalin).”
[12:95] They said, “By God, indeed, you are surely in your error (dalaalika) of the past.”
[13:14] To Him is a supplication of the truth, and those whom they invoke other than Him, cannot respond to them with a thing, except like one who stretches his hands towards the water to reach his mouth, but it is not within reach of it. And a supplication of the disbelievers is not but in straying (dalaalin) (out of the path of God).
[14:3] Those who love the life of the world over the Hereafter, and hinder from a path of God, and seek in it (earth) crookedness, those are in a faraway straying (dalaalin).
[14:18] An example of those who have disbelieved in their Lord, their deeds are like ashes the wind blows with it on a day of storm. They do not have of what they have earned from anything. That: it is the straying (al-dalaalu) of the faraway.
[19:38] You (prophet) shall hear with them and shall see a day they will come to us, but the wrongdoers are in a clear straying (dalaalin) today.
[21:54] He (Ibrahim) said, “Certainly, you have been yourselves and your forefathers were in a clear straying (dalaalin).”
[22:12] He calls other than God what cannot harm him and what cannot benefit him. That: it is the straying (al-dalaalu) of the faraway.
[26:97] By God, indeed, we had been surely in a faraway straying (dalaalin).
[28:85] Indeed, Who has decreed the Quran upon you (prophet) will surely taking back of you (prophet) to a place of return. Say, “My Lord is Knower of whoever has come with the guidance, and whoever he is in a clear straying (dalaalin).”
[31:11] This is a creation of God. So, show Me what has created those other than Him. Nay, the wrongdoers are in a clear straying (dalaalin).
[33:36] And it has not been for a believing man nor a believing woman, when has decided God and His messenger a matter that there should be any choice for them of their affair, and whoever disobeys God and His messenger, then certainly, he has gone astray a clear straying (dalaalan).
[34:8] Has he invented a lie about God, or in him there is madness?” Nay, those who do not believe in the Hereafter will be in the punishment and in the straying (wal-dalaali) of the faraway.
[34:24] Say, “Who provides for you from the heavens and the earth?” Say, “God; and indeed, we or as well you surely, are upon guidance, or in a clear straying (dalaalin).”
[36:24] “Indeed, I (only one believer from a community sent to three messengers) then surely would be in a clear straying (dalaalin).”
[36:47] And when it has been said to them, “Spend from what God has provided you.” Those who had disbelieved said to those who had believed, “Should we feed whom if God wills, He would have fed him? You are not but in a clear straying (dalaalin).”
[39:22] Is he then whom God has extended his breast for Submission that he is upon a light from his Lord? So, woe to the hardened for their hearts from remembering God. Those are in a clear straying (dalaalin).
[40:25] Then when he (Moses) had come to them with the truth from us, they said, “Kill sons of those who have believed with him, and live their women.” And it was not a plot of the disbelievers except in straying (dalaalin).
[40:50] They (angels) said, “Did not come to you your messengers with the clear proofs?” They (those are in Hell) said, “Yes.” They said, “That you shall call, while a call of the disbelievers was not except, in straying (dalaalin).”
[42:18] Those who do not believe in it (the Hour) seek to hasten with it, while those who have believed are fearful of it and know that it is the truth. No doubt: indeed, those who dispute about the Hour are surely in a faraway straying (dalaalin).
[43:40] Can you (prophet) then make to hear the deaf; or can you guide the blind, and whoever has been in a clear straying (dalaalin)?
[46:32] And whoever does not respond to a caller of God, then he has not been of escape in the earth, nor has there been any protectors for him other than Him. Those are in a clear straying (dalaalin).
[50:27] His companion said, “Our Lord, I have not made him to transgress; but he had been in a faraway straying (dalaalin).”
[54:24] Then they said: “is a human being from us is one, we should follow him? Indeed, we then surely will be in straying (dalaalin) and madness.”
[54:47] Indeed, the criminals are in straying (dalaalin) and madness.
[62:2] He is One Who has raised a messenger (Muhammad) in the gentiles from them to recite His revelations to them, and to purify them, and to teach them the scripture and the wisdom, even though they had been surely in a clear straying (dalaalin) before.
[67:9] They said, “Yes, certainly there had come to us a warner, but we had denied, and we said that God has not sent down anything. You are not but in a faraway straying (dalaalin).”
[67:29] Say, “He is the Gracious; we have believed in Him and upon Him we have put trust. So, you will know whoever he is in a clear straying (dalaalin).”
[71:24] And certainly, they have misled many and let not increase the wrongdoers except in straying (dalaalin).”
God has blessed the prophet with the Quran to take him back to the place of return, which is also true for any follower of it from among us. Thus, He has favored us raising messenger from among us to recite his revelations to teach us the scripture to bring us from a clear straying being misled by the Satan that we do not call other than God, who cannot harm or benefit us knowing that association of partner(s) with Him is an unforgivable sin.
God has extended their hearts for Islam, who are upon light from their Lord. When God and His messenger has decided a matter, then the believing men and women have no choice. They believe in the Most Gracious and put their trust upon Him. They believe in the Hour and are fearful of it knowing it is the truth from their Lord, while the prayers and practices of those who are upon light from their Lord are responded by their Lord not being idol worship.
The disbelievers are in a clear straying being far away from the path of God because of their prayers and practices being idol worship, while they have disobeyed their Lord. They said should we feed him whom God can feed him when they are commanded to spend from the provision given by God. Their supplication is in a clear straying not being responded. They love the life of the world over the Hereafter and hinder from a path of God and dispute the Hour. Their deeds are like ashes as the wind blows away leaving nothing what they have earned and a day they will go to their Lord being in a clear straying because of hardening of their hearts for remembering God. Their call was not except, in straying, even they had messengers with clear proofs, but they said should we follow a human being like us to be in straying. They are deaf not to hear and blind not to see the guidance with the clear proofs.
On the day of the Judgment the misleaders will not admit that they have misled the disbelievers who would be found in a clear straying but will say that they had been in a faraway straying by themselves as they were deaf and blind, while the misguided ones had denied a warner when had come to them saying that God has not sent anything listening to the misleaders. Thus, the review may help us to verify ourselves from a valid and only divine source whether we will be in a faraway straying or we will be with those who were near to their Lord on that day.
Peaceful Friday, salaam and God bless.
Tafazzal (02/21/2025).