Inspiration is one of the three methods that God uses to render righteousness to those who deserve it in accordance with His knowledge of them. Thus, divine inspiration is the prerequisite for the true believers of God to find the right path as well as to practice His religion in a right way to stay in the straight path to be the winners in the Hereafter. God has not kept it hidden from us how one can deserve His inspiration so that anyone of us can be blessed with His inspiration. It is very simple just to be sincere to Him being aware that the Satan and his allies are around us to divert from His path to make us losers in the Hereafter (17:61-63). He has given us means to verify whether we are the inspired ones or not from our end, which is just practicing His religion according to His given guidance (2:38, 2:185 & 2) if we can resist us from the satanic inspiration of turning us away from it:
[17:61] When we said to the angels, “Fall prostrate before Adam,” so they fell prostrate, except Satan. He (Satan) said, “Shall I prostrate to one You created from clay?”
[17:62] He (Satan) said, “Do You (God) see this whom (a-ra-aytaka haadhaa alladhee) You have honored him (Adam) over me? If You respite me till the Day of Resurrection, I (Satan) will surely ruin (all) his descendants, except a few.”
[17:63] He (God) said, “Go, then whoever follows you among them; then certainly, Hell is requital for you all, a fair requital.
[2:38] We said, “Go down from here, all of you. When guidance (hudan) comes to you from Me, then whoever follows My guidance (hudaaya), then they will have no fear, nor will they grieve.
[2:185] Ramadan which is a month has been revealed in it the Quran as guidance for the people (hudan lil’nnaasi), and the clear guidance (wa-bayyinaatin mina al-huda), and the statute book (wa-al-fur’qaani). So whoever among you has witnessed the month, then he should fast in it, and whoever has been ill or on a journey then the prescribed number from other days. God wishes ease for you and He does not wish hardship for you, and that you may complete the prescribed number, and that you may glorify God through which He has guided you and that you may appreciate.
[2:2] That is the scripture, there is no doubt in it, is guidance for the righteous (hudan lil’muttaqeen)).
God’s guidance is the true guidance
It has been repeated twice in the Quran that God’s guidance is the true guidance (2:120 and 6:71), and once as the true guidance is God’s guidance (3:73) so that we can pay our proper attention to guidance as well as to Him who sent it down. He sends down His guidance for us as promised in the event of our descent from Heaven to earth to follow for safe return to it (2:38-39 and 20:123–124) while whoever opposes the clear guidance will be returned to Hell to burn therein (4:115):
[2:120] Neither the Jews, nor the Christians, will accept you, unless you follow their religion. Say, “God‘s guidance is the true guidance (inna hudaa allahi huwa al-hudaa)” And if you follow their wishes after the knowledge that has come to you, there is neither a protector nor a helper for you against God.
[6:71] Say: “Shall we call on other than God what cannot benefit us or harm us, and we turn back on our heels after God has guided us?” Like the one whom the devils have enticed in the earth, is confused, he has friends who call him to the guidance: “Come to us!” Say, “God‘s guidance is the true guidance (inna hudaa allahi huwa al-hudaa)”. We are commanded to submit to the Lord of the universe.”
[3:73] “And do not believe but anyone who follows your religion.” Say, “The true guidance is God’s guidance (inna al-hudaa hudaa allahi) is that one is given the similar to what was given to you or they may argue with you about your Lord.” Say, “The bounty is surely, in God’s hand; He gives it to whomever He wills, and God is Bounteous, Omniscient.
[2:38] We said, “Go down from here, all of you. When guidance (hudan) comes to you from Me, then whoever follows My guidance (hudaaya), then they will have no fear, nor will they grieve.
[2:39] And those who disbelieve and reject our revelations (biaayaatinaa), they will be dwellers of Hell, wherein they abide forever.
[20:123] He said, “Go down from here, all of you, as enemy of one another. But when guidance (hudan) comes to you from Me, then whoever follows My guidance (hudaaya), then he will not go astray, nor will he suffer.
[20:124] “But whoever turns away from My remembrance (dhik’ree), then he will have a straitened life, and we will raise him blind on the Day of Resurrection.”
[4:115] And whoever opposes the messenger after the guidance (al-hudaa) what has become clear to him, and he follows other than the path of the believers; we will turn him to what he has turned and will burn him in Hell, and it is an evil destination.
Divine inspiration/God guides whomever He wills
The Quran teaches us that divine inspiration is an idea or guidance that enters the hearts of those who are sincere to God. Thus, the appropriate beliefs are established in the hearts of His allies to practice His religion in a right way to stay in the straight path to be the winners in the Hereafter. It is best described in the phrase “God guides whomever He wills” in certain verses of the Quran while the other verses also support His inspiration as the method of guiding the true believers to His path:
[6:88] Such is God’s guidance (hudaa allahi), He guides with it whomever He wills of His servants. And if they had associated partners, then what they used to do would have been nullified.
[6:125] So whoever God wishes to guide, He will open his chest towards submission; and whoever He wishes to misguide, He will make his chest tight and constricted, as one who is climbing towards the sky. It is such that God afflicts those who do not believe.
[6:126] This is the straight path to your Lord. We have explained the revelations for people who take heed.
[6:127] They have deserved the abode of peace at their Lord; He is their Protector because of what they used to do.
[10:25] And God calls to the abode of peace, and He guides whomever He wills to a straight path.
[13:27] And those who disbelieved say, “Why has not a sign been sent down to him (Muhammad) from his Lord.” Say, “Indeed, God sends astray whomever He wills, and He guides to Him whoever has repented.”
[14:4] And we did not send any messenger except with the language of his people that he might make clear (the message) for them. Then God sends astray whomever He wills, and He guides whomever He wills. And He is the Almighty, the Most Wise.
[17:97]And whomever God guides, then he is the guided one, and whomever He sends astray, you will never find for them any protectors besides Him. And we will gather them on the Day of Resurrection on their faces; blind, dumb, and deaf. Their abode is Hell; every time it reduces, we will increase the fire for them.
[28:56] In fact, you (Muhammad) cannot guide whom you love, but God guides whomever He wills, and He is fully aware of the guided ones.
[42:13] He decreed for you (all) the religion what He enjoined for Noah, and what we inspired to you (Muhammad), and what we enjoined for Abraham, Moses, and Jesus that “You shall uphold the religion, and do not divide it.” Hard for the idol worshipers is that to which you call them. God chooses to Himself whomever He wills and He guides to Himself whoever turns (towards Him).
[74:31] And we made the angels to be guardians of Hell, and we did not make their number except: (1) to warn the disbelievers, (2) to make certain for those who were given the scripture (Jews and Christians), (3) to strengthen the faith of those who believe (Muslims), and (4) to eliminate any doubt from those who were given the scripture (Jews and Christians) and the believers (Muslims). And that those who have disease in their hearts (hypocrites) as well as the disbelievers would say, “What did God mean by this allegory?” Thus, God misguides whomever He wills and He guides whomever He wills. None knows your Lord’s soldiers except He. And it (hiya) is but a reminder (dhikraa) for the humans.
[22:54] And that those who have been given the knowledge will know that it is the truth from your Lord, then they will believe in it, then their hearts will humbly soften to it. And indeed, God guides those who believe to a straight path (wa-inna lahaadi alladheena aamanoo ilaa siratin mus’taqeem).
[19:76] And God increases guidance (hudan) of those who accept (it), and the everlasting good works are better with your Lord for reward and far better return.
[17:84] Say, “Everyone works according to his way while your Lord is fully aware of who is best guided to a (straight) path.”
Satanic inspiration
We are being religious observant may or may not realize that we are surrounded by Satan and his allies. But they are around us to divert us from the path of God to make us losers in the Hereafter (7:27 and 36:60). In some cases their traps and tricks are so alluring to us that we cannot think of our behavior and works to be evil unless we verify them with God’s guidance and laws. In one hand their target are the God-given religious rites to corrupt with misconceptions and innovations as well as to divert our attention from them when we practice them, and on the other hand they inspire the scholars to misinterpret certain commandments and laws given in our guidance or turn away from certain crucial commandments not to give any attention or urge them to follow other than God given guidance. Thus, it is a tragedy for us that a large number of Hadith books written about 200 years after the death of the prophet because of satanic inspiration to divert most people from the path of God leading to Hell (6:112-113) while the Satan and his allies misguide us to be disobedient to God as well (6:121). However, their presence around us can clearly be understood from the devil interference in the wishes of God chosen ones (22:52):
[7:27] O children of Adam, do not let the devil dupe you as he did when he caused the eviction of your parents from Paradise, and the removal of their garments to expose their shame. He and his tribe see you, while you do not see them. We appoint the devils as companions of those who do not believe.
[36:60] Did I not covenant with you, O Children of Adam, that you shall not worship the devil? That he is your most ardent enemy?
[6:112] And thus, we have permitted the enemies of every prophet, the devils from the human and the jinn to inspire (yoohee) fancy words each other in order to deceive. Had your Lord willed, they would not have done it. You shall disregard them and what they fabricate.
[6:113] And this is so that the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter listen to it, and accept it, and thus, they commit what they are committing (is a horrendous crime).
[6:121] And do not eat from that on which God’s name has not been mentioned, and it is indeed, excessive disobedience, and the devils certainly inspire (la-yoohoona) to their allies to argue with you, and if you obey them, you will surely be idol worshipers.
[22:52] And we have not sent before yourself (Muhammad) any messenger nor a prophet except that when he has recited, the devil has cast in his recitation while God nullifies what the devil cast. Then God establishes His revelations, and God is Knower, Wise.
Conclusion
God uses His communication method to render righteousness to those who deserve it being aware of what is in their hearts. It is divine inspiration that enters the hearts of those who are sincere to Him. Thus, the appropriate beliefs are established in the hearts of the true believers that persuade them to find the right path to practice His religion in a right way. Thus, none can find the right path or to practice His religion in a right way or to follow His guidance to stay in the straight path to be the winners in the Hereafter except His inspiration. It is best described in the phrase repeated in the Quran “God guides whomever He wills” while it has been clarified as well for us so that everyone of us can understand it to take initiatives to be included with the inspired/guided ones to be winners.
What we may often remind ourselves that Satan and his allies surround us to deceive for making us losers in the Hereafter. Their sole mission is to deprive us of God’s forgiveness and mercy diverting from His guidance and laws. Thus, the God-given religious rites are not only corrupted with misconceptions and innovations but the so called scholars were inspired to create a large number of Hadith books about 200 years after the death of prophet to divert most people from the path of God. Is it not surprising that many people are fascinated by these hadiths falsely attributed to the prophet, even though there is a clear order from Him to disregard such fancy words being fabrications?
This review may help us to have a clear understanding that divine inspiration is a guidance while satanic inspiration is a misguidance. In fact, God has given us religion to observe it in a right way to receive His recompense on the Day of Judgment while He has sent us guidance detailing it to practice in a right way upon establishing perfect beliefs in our hearts. Thus, His inspiration is the only means for all of us to find His path and we should not worry for those who are not blessed with it. Since obeying anyone other than God or following any man-made laws other than what are specified in His guidance is idol worshiping, we are to make utmost efforts to be humble to Him to be inspired by Him to leave this world being His allies through the peaceful death to be rewarded at His meeting.
Peaceful Friday, salaam and God bless.
Tafazzal (8/24/2018).