Is the will of Allaah the reason why people go astray?

 

When a person goes astray and deviates, does that happen by the will of Allaah or does Allaah not decree that?

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

Shaykh al-Shanqeeti (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

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

In this aayah, Allaah explains that guidance and misguidance
are in His hand alone; whomsoever He guides none can lead astray, and
whomsoever He sends astray, none can guide. This meaning is also expressed
in many other aayahs, such as the following (interpretation of the
meaning): 

“He whom Allaah guides, he is the rightly-guided; but he
whom He sends astray, for him you will find no Wali (guiding friend) to lead
him (to the Right Path).”[al-Israa’ 17:97] 

“Whomsoever Allaah guides, he is the guided one, and
whomsoever He sends astray, — then those! they are the losers”[al-A’raaf
7:178]

 “Verily, you (O Muhammad) guide not whom you like, but
Allaah guides whom He wills”[al-Qasas 28:56] 

“And whomsoever Allaah wants to put in Al-Fitnah (error,
because of his rejecting of Faith), you can do nothing for him against
Allaah”

[al-Maa’idah 5:41] 

“If you (O Muhammad) covet for their guidance, then
verily, Allaah guides not those whom He makes to go astray (or none can
guide him whom Allaah sends astray). And they will have no helpers”

[al-Nahl 16:37] 

“And whomsoever Allaah wills to guide, He opens his breast
to Islam; and whomsoever He wills to send astray, He makes his breast closed
and constricted, as if he is climbing up to the sky”

[al-An’aam 6:125] 

And there are very many similar aayahs. 

From these and similar aayahs in the Qur’aan it may be
understood that the view of the Qadariyyah, who say that man is independent
in his actions, whether good or bad, and that does not happen by the will of
Allaah but rather by the will of the person, is false. Glorified and exalted
be Allaah far above anything happening in His dominion that does not happen
by His will.