Quran Universe
17:97

وَمَن يَهۡدِ ٱللَّهُ فَهُوَ ٱلۡمُهۡتَدِۖ وَمَن يُضۡلِلۡ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمۡ أَوۡلِيَآءَ مِن دُونِهِۦۖ وَنَحۡشُرُهُمۡ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِ عَلَىٰ وُجُوهِهِمۡ عُمۡيٗا وَبُكۡمٗا وَصُمّٗاۖ مَّأۡوَىٰهُمۡ جَهَنَّمُۖ كُلَّمَا خَبَتۡ زِدۡنَٰهُمۡ سَعِيرٗا

Waman yahdi Allahu fahuwa almuhtadi waman yudlil falan tajida lahum awliyaa min doonihi wanahshuruhum yawma alqiyamati AAala wujoohihim AAumyan wabukman wasumman mawahum jahannamu kullama khabat zidnahum saAAeeran

And whoever Allah guides - he is the [rightly] guided; and whoever He sends astray - you will never find for them protectors besides Him, and We will gather them on the Day of Resurrection [fallen] on their faces - blind, dumb and deaf. Their refuge is Hell; every time it subsides We increase them in blazing fire.

Word by word
  1. وَمَنAnd whoever
  2. يَهۡدِAllah guides
  3. ٱللَّهُAllah guides
  4. فَهُوَthen he (is)
  5. ٱلۡمُهۡتَدِۖthe guided one
  6. وَمَنand whoever
  7. يُضۡلِلۡHe lets go astray
  8. فَلَنthen never
  9. تَجِدَyou will find
  10. لَهُمۡfor them
  11. أَوۡلِيَآءَprotectors
  12. مِنbesides Him
  13. دُونِهِۦۖbesides Him
  14. وَنَحۡشُرُهُمۡAnd We will gather them
  15. يَوۡمَ(on) the Day
  16. ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِ(of) the Resurrection
  17. عَلَىٰon
  18. وُجُوهِهِمۡtheir faces
  19. عُمۡيٗاblind
  20. وَبُكۡمٗاand dumb
  21. وَصُمّٗاۖand deaf
  22. مَّأۡوَىٰهُمۡTheir abode
  23. جَهَنَّمُۖ(is) Hell
  24. كُلَّمَاevery time
  25. خَبَتۡit subsides
  26. زِدۡنَٰهُمۡWe (will) increase (for) them
  27. سَعِيرٗاthe blazing fire
Al-Isra · 17:97Makkah

Whom Allah guides is truly guided.

Guidance is in His hands, so ask Him for it

Two ends
guided by Allahtruly guided
left astrayno helper but Him
on the Day
blind, mute, deafas they were to truth
What we lose
senses we ignoredblind to truth here
senses gonewhen most needed

Ibn Kathir says whomever Allah guides cannot be led astray. Those who ignored the truth will be gathered blind, mute and deaf, as they were to the truth in this world, at the moment they need those senses most. The Prophet ﷺ said the One who made them walk on their feet can make them walk on their faces.

Your eyes, your ears, your tongue. You use them all day for the screen, the gossip, the playlist. They were given to find the truth. Using them for that now is how you keep them.

I can find my own way. Guidance is something I figure out myself.

Guidance is from Allah, so I ask for it and use my senses to follow it.

Try this

In every rak'ah today, say ihdina as-sirat al-mustaqim slowly and mean it.

Related18:17
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And he whom Allah guides, he is led aright; and whomever He leaves astray can never find helpers other than Him, and We shall gather them together on the Day of Resurrection on their faces, blind, dumb and deaf; their abode will be Hell; whenever it abates, We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire (97)

Guidance and Misguidance are in the Hands of Allah

Allah tells us how He deals with His creation and how His rulings are carried out. He tells us that there is none who can put back His judgement, for whomever He guides cannot be led astray,

وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِن دُونِهِ

(and whomever He leaves astray can never find helpers other than Him)to guide him. As Allah says:

مَن يَهْدِ اللَّهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِ ۖ وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُ وَلِيًّا مُّرْشِدًا

(He whom Allah guides, he is the rightly-guided; but he whom He sends astray, for him you will find no Wali (guiding friend) to lead him)[18:17]

The Punishment of the People of Misguidance

وَنَحْشُرُهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلَىٰ وُجُوهِهِمْ

(and We shall gather them together on the Day of Resurrection on their faces,)

Imam Ahmad recorded from Anas bin Malik that the Prophet ﷺ was asked, "O Messenger of Allah, how will the people be gathered on their faces" He said,

الَّذِي أَمْشَاهُمْ عَلَى أَرْجُلِهِمْ قَادِرٌ عَلَى أَنْ يُمْشِيَهُمْ عَلَى وُجُوهِهِم

(The One Who made them walk on their feet is able to make them walk on their faces.) It was also reported (by Al-Bukhari and Muslim) in the Two Sahihs.

عُمْيًا 

(blind) means, unable to see.

وَبُكْمًا

(dumb) means, unable to speak.

وَصُمًّا

(deaf) means, unable to hear. They will be in this state as a punishment for the way they were in this world, blind, dumb and deaf to the truth. This will be their recompense when they are gathered on the Day of Resurrection, at the time when they need these faculties most of all.

مَّأْوَاهُمْ

(their abode) means, their destination.

جَهَنَّمُ ۖ كُلَّمَا خَبَتْ

(will be Hell; whenever it abates,) Ibn 'Abbas said, "(This means) calms down," Mujahid said, (It means) is extinguished,"

زِدْنَاهُمْ سَعِيرًا

(We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire.) meaning, increasing its flames and heat and coals, as Allah says:

فَذُوقُوا فَلَن نَّزِيدَكُمْ إِلَّا عَذَابًا

(So taste you (the results of your evil actions). No increase shall We give you, except in torment.)(78:30)