Surah 114:5
"who whispers in the hearts of the people,"
Responsibility for Misguidance and Belief
Supporting Verses
Surah 15:39 → "He said, ‘My Lord, because You have made me err, I shall indeed make (things) appear enticing to them on the earth, and I shall indeed make them err – all (of them)"
Surah 15:42 → "Surely My servants – you will not have any authority over them, except for whoever follows you of the ones who are in error."
Surah 30:9 → "Have they not traveled on the earth and seen how the end was for those who were before them? They were stronger than them in power, and they ploughed the earth and populated it more than they have populated it. Their messengers brought them the clear signs. God was not one to do them evil, but they did themselves evil."
Surah 4:119 → "and I shall indeed lead them astray and fill them with longings, and I shall indeed command them and they will cut off the ears of the cattle. I shall indeed command them and they will alter the creation of God.’ Whoever takes Satan as an ally, instead of God, has lost utterly (and) clearly."
Surah 4:120 → "He makes promises to them and fills them with longings. Yet Satan does not promise them (anything) but deception."
Surah 6:12 → "Say: ‘To whom (belongs) whatever is in the heavens and the earth?’ Say: ‘To God. He has prescribed mercy for Himself. He will indeed gather you to the Day of Resurrection – (there is) no doubt about it. Those who have lost their (own) selves, they do not believe."
Surah 9:70 → "Has no story come to them of those who were before them: the people of Noah, and ‘Ād, and Thamūd, and the people of Abraham, and the companions of Midian, and the overturned (cities)? Their messengers brought them the clear signs. God was not one to do them evil, but they did themselves evil."
Opposing Verses
Surah 10:100 → "It is not for any person to believe, except by the permission of God. He places abomination on those who do not understand."
Surah 16:93 → "If God had (so) pleased, He would indeed have made you one community, but He leads astray whomever He pleases and guides whomever He pleases. You will indeed be questioned about what you have done."
Surah 35:8 → "Is the one whose evil deed is made to appear enticing to him, and he perceives it as good, (like the one who is rightly guided)? Surely God leads astray whomever He pleases and guides whomever He pleases. So do not exhaust yourself in regrets over them. Surely God is aware of what they do."
Surah 6:25 → "(There are) some of them who listen to you, but We have made coverings over their hearts, so that they do not understand it, and a heaviness in their ears. If they see any sign, they do not believe in it, so that when they come to dispute with you, those who disbelieve say, ‘This is nothing but old tales.’"
Does the Quran attribute the responsibility for misguidance and belief to human agency and Satan, or to Divine predestination? Some verses state that Satan deceives and misleads people, or that individuals are responsible for their own disbelief and do evil to themselves. Conversely, other verses state that belief is only possible by God's permission, and that God intentionally leads astray whomever He pleases, sometimes placing coverings over their hearts.