10:100

وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفۡسٍ أَن تُؤۡمِنَ إِلَّا بِإِذۡنِ ٱللَّهِۚ وَيَجۡعَلُ ٱلرِّجۡسَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَعۡقِلُونَ

Wama kana linafsin an tumina illa biithni Allahi wayajAAalu alrrijsa AAala allatheena la yaAAqiloona

And it is not for a soul to believe except by permission of Allah, and He will place defilement upon those who will not use reason.

Word by word
  1. وَمَاAnd not
  2. كَانَis
  3. لِنَفۡسٍfor a soul
  4. أَنto
  5. تُؤۡمِنَbelieve
  6. إِلَّاexcept
  7. بِإِذۡنِby (the) permission
  8. ٱللَّهِۚ(of) Allah
  9. وَيَجۡعَلُAnd He will place
  10. ٱلرِّجۡسَthe wrath
  11. عَلَىon
  12. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  13. لَا(do) not
  14. يَعۡقِلُونَuse reason
Yunus · 10:100Makkah

Belief comes by His leave, and needs a thinking mind.

Guidance and the use of reason


Two sides
by Allah's leaveno soul believes otherwise
those who will not reasonleft in confusion
What reason does
faith skips thinkingjust accept
reflect on proofsmind and heart together

No soul believes except by Allah's permission. Ibn Kathir explains that He places disorder and misguidance on those who do not reason about His proofs and evidences. He is Just in all of it, guiding whom He wills.

You scroll past a clip about how the body heals a cut, or how a seed knows which way is up. You swipe without a thought. The verse asks you to stop and reason.

Faith and thinking are separate things.

Using my mind on Allah's signs is part of being guided.

Try this

Spend five minutes today really thinking about one thing in your body you never made.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 10:99)

And had your Lord willed, those on earth would have believed, all of them together. So, will you then compel mankind, until they become believers (99)It is not for any person to believe, except by the leave of Allah, and He will put the Rijs on those who do not reason (100)

It is not Part of Allah's Decree to compel Belief

Allah said:

وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ

(And had your Lord willed) meaning 'O Muhammad, if it had been the will of your Lord, He would make all the people of the earth believe in what you have brought to them. But Allah has wisdom in what He does.' Similarly, Allah said:

وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ لَجَعَلَ النَّاسَ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً ۖ وَلَا يَزَالُونَ مُخْتَلِفِينَ - إِلَّا مَن رَّحِمَ رَبُّكَ ۚ وَلِذَٰلِكَ خَلَقَهُمْ ۗ وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَةُ رَبِّكَ لَأَمْلَأَنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ

(And if your Lord had so willed, He could surely have made mankind one Ummah, but they will not cease to disagree. Except him on whom your Lord has bestowed His mercy and for that did He create them. And the Word of your Lord has been fulfilled (His saying): "Surely, I shall fill Hell with Jinn and men all together.")(11:118-119) He also said,

أَفَلَمْ يَيْأَسِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَن لَّوْ يَشَاءُ اللَّهُ لَهَدَى النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا

(Have not then those who believed yet known that had Allah willed, He could have guided all mankind?)(13:31) Therefore, Allah said:

أَفَأَنتَ تُكْرِهُ النَّاسَ

(So, will you then compel mankind) and force them to believe.

حَتَّىٰ يَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ

(until they become believers.) meaning, it is not for you to do that. You are not commanded to do that either. It is Allah Who

يُضِلُّ مَن يَشَاءُ وَيَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُ

(sends astray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills.)(35:8).

فَلَا تَذْهَبْ نَفْسُكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَسَرَاتٍ

(So do not destroy yourself in sorrow for them.)

لَّيْسَ عَلَيْكَ هُدَاهُمْ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُ

(It is not up to you to guide them, but Allah guides whom He wills.)[2:272].

لَعَلَّكَ بَاخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ أَلَّا يَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ

(It may be that you would kill yourself with grief because they are not believers.)[26:3]

إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ

(you guide not who you like..)[28:56]

فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ الْبَلَاغُ وَعَلَيْنَا الْحِسَابُ

(Your duty is only to convey, and it is up to Us to reckon.)[13:40]

فَذَكِّرْ إِنَّمَا أَنتَ مُذَكِّرٌ - لَّسْتَ عَلَيْهِم بِمُصَيْطِرٍ

(So remind, you are only one who reminds. You are not a dictator over them.)[88:21-22] There are other Ayat besides these which prove that Allah is the doer of what He wants, guiding whom He wills, leading whom He wills to stray, all out of His knowledge, wisdom, and justice. Similarly, He said,

وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ أَن تُؤْمِنَ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ۚ وَيَجْعَلُ الرِّجْسَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ

(It is not for any person to believe, except by the leave of Allah, and He will put the Rijs) That is, disorder and misguidance

عَلَى الَّذِينَ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ

(upon those who do not reason) meaning, Allah's proofs and evidences, and He is the Just in all matters, guiding whom He wills to guide, and leading whom He wills astray.