10:35

قُلۡ هَلۡ مِن شُرَكَآئِكُم مَّن يَهۡدِيٓ إِلَى ٱلۡحَقِّۚ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ يَهۡدِي لِلۡحَقِّۗ أَفَمَن يَهۡدِيٓ إِلَى ٱلۡحَقِّ أَحَقُّ أَن يُتَّبَعَ أَمَّن لَّا يَهِدِّيٓ إِلَّآ أَن يُهۡدَىٰۖ فَمَا لَكُمۡ كَيۡفَ تَحۡكُمُونَ

Qul hal min shurakaikum man yahdee ila alhaqqi quli Allahu yahdee lilhaqqi afaman yahdee ila alhaqqi ahaqqu an yuttabaAAa amman la yahiddee illa an yuhda fama lakum kayfa tahkumoona

Say, "Are there of your 'partners' any who guides to the truth?" Say, "Allah guides to the truth. So is He who guides to the truth more worthy to be followed or he who guides not unless he is guided? Then what is [wrong] with you - how do you judge?"

Word by word
  1. قُلۡSay
  2. هَلۡIs (there)
  3. مِنof
  4. شُرَكَآئِكُمyour partners
  5. مَّن(any) who
  6. يَهۡدِيٓguides
  7. إِلَىto
  8. ٱلۡحَقِّۚthe truth
  9. قُلِSay
  10. ٱللَّهُAllah
  11. يَهۡدِيguides
  12. لِلۡحَقِّۗto the truth
  13. أَفَمَنIs then (he) who
  14. يَهۡدِيٓguides
  15. إِلَىto
  16. ٱلۡحَقِّthe truth
  17. أَحَقُّmore worthy
  18. أَنthat
  19. يُتَّبَعَhe should be followed
  20. أَمَّنor (he) who
  21. لَّا(does) not
  22. يَهِدِّيٓguide
  23. إِلَّآunless
  24. أَن[that]
  25. يُهۡدَىٰۖhe is guided
  26. فَمَاThen what
  27. لَكُمۡ(is) for you
  28. كَيۡفَhow
  29. تَحۡكُمُونَyou judge
Yunus · 10:35Makkah

Follow the guide, not one who needs guiding.

Who is worthy to be followed


Two leaders
Allahguides to the truth
or
the idolcannot find the way itself
Who to follow
whoever is popularlost but loud
the One who guidesso the blind can see

Ibn Kathir asks: will a servant follow the One who guides to the truth so he may see after blindness, or one who leads only to blindness? He recalls Ibrahim asking his father why he worshipped what cannot hear or see.

The influencer who has no idea where their own life is going is telling you how to live yours. A guide who needs a guide. Before you follow anyone, ask where they are heading.

I follow whoever seems confident.

I follow the One who actually knows the way.

Try this

Unfollow one account today that pulls you away from Allah.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 10:34)

Say: "Is there of your partners one that originates the creation and then repeats it?" Say: "Allah originates the creation and then He repeats it. Then how are you deluded away (from the truth)? (34)Say: "Is there of your partners one that guides to the truth?" Say: "It is Allah Who guides to the truth. Is then He Who guides to the truth more worthy to be followed, or he who finds not guidance (himself) unless he is guided? Then, what is the matter with you? How judge you? (35)And most of them follow nothing but conjecture. Certainly, conjecture can be of no avail against the truth. Surely, Allah is All-Aware of what they do (36)

This invalidates and falsifies their claims for committing Shirk with Allah and worshipping different idols and rivals.

قُلْ هَلْ مِن شُرَكَائِكُم مَّن يَبْدَأُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ

(Say: "Is there of your partners one that originates the creation and then repeats it?") meaning, who is the one who started the creation of these heavens and earth and created all the creatures in them? Who can place the planets and the stars in their positions? Who can then repeat the process of the creation?

قُلِ اللَّهُ 

(Say: "Allah") It is He Who does this. He does it by Himself, alone without partners.

فَأَنَّىٰ تُؤْفَكُونَ

("Then how are you deluded away (from the truth)?")

How is it that you are so misled from the right path to falsehood?

قُلْ هَلْ مِن شُرَكَائِكُم مَّن يَهْدِي إِلَى الْحَقِّ ۚ قُلِ اللَّهُ يَهْدِي لِلْحَقِّ

(Say: "Is there of your partners one that guides to the truth?" Say: " It is Allah who guides to the truth...")

You know that your deities are incapable of guiding those who are astray. It is Allah alone Who guides the misled and confused ones and turns the hearts from the wrong path to the right path. It is Allah, none has the right to be worshipped but He.

أَفَمَن يَهْدِي إِلَى الْحَقِّ أَحَقُّ أَن يُتَّبَعَ أَمَّن لَّا يَهِدِّي إِلَّا أَن يُهْدَىٰ

(Is then He Who guides to the truth more worthy to be followed, or he who finds not guidance (himself) unless he is guided?)

Will the servant then follow the one who guides to the truth so that he may see after he was blind, or follow one who doesn't guide to anything except towards blindness and muteness? Allah said that Ibrahim said:

يَا أَبَتِ لِمَ تَعْبُدُ مَا لَا يَسْمَعُ وَلَا يُبْصِرُ وَلَا يُغْنِي عَنكَ شَيْئًا

(O my father! Why do you worship that which hears not, sees not and cannot avail you in anything?)[19:42]

And said to his people

أَتَعْبُدُونَ مَا تَنْحِتُونَ - وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ وَمَا تَعْمَلُونَ

(Worship you that which you (yourselves) carve? While Allah has created you and what you make!)[37:95-96]

Also, there are many Ayat in this regard. Allah then said:

فَمَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ

(Then, what is the matter with you? How judge you?)

What is the matter with you? What has happened to your mind? How did you make Allah's creatures equal to Him? What kind of judgement did you make to turn away from Allah and worship this or that? Why did you not worship the Lord – Glorified be He, the True King, the Judge and the One Who guides to the truth? Why didn't you call upon Him alone and turn towards Him? Allah then explained that they did not follow their own religion out of evidence and proof. The fact is that they were following mere conjecture and imagination. But conjecture is in no way a substitute for the truth. At the end of this Ayah. He said,

إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا يَفْعَلُونَ

(Allah is All-Aware of what they do.)

This is both a threat and a promise of severe punishment. Allah said that He would reward them for their actions with a complete reward.