Surah Al Insan Tafseer

إِنَّا هَدَيْنَاهُ السَّبِيلَ

Verily, We guided to him the way,

meaning, `We explained it to him, made it clear to him and showed it to him.'

This is as Allah says,

وَأَمَّا ثَمُودُ فَهَدَيْنَـهُمْ فَاسْتَحَبُّواْ الْعَمَى عَلَى الْهُدَى

And as for Thamud, We guided them but they preferred blindness to guidance. (41:17)

Allah also said,

وَهَدَيْنَـهُ النَّجْدَينِ

And We guided him to the two ways. (90:10)

meaning, `We explained to him the path of good and the path of evil.'

This is the statement of `Ikrimah, `Atiyah, Ibn Zayd and Mujahid from what is well-known from him and the majority.

Allah then says,

إِمَّا شَاكِرًا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا

Whether he be grateful or ungrateful.

This is his decree. Thus, with this he is either wretched or happy.

This is like what has been recorded by Muslim in a Hadith from Abu Malik Al-Ash`ari. He said that the Messenger of Allah said,

كُلُّ النَّاسِ يَغْدُو فَبَايِعٌ نَفْسَهُ فَمُوبِقُهَا أَوْ مُعْتِقُهَا

All of mankind wakes up in the morning the merchant of his own soul. So he either imprisons it or sets it free.