Al-Insan: (3) Indeed, We have guided him to the way...

(Indeed, We have guided him to the way) for it is an initiatory, explanatory sentence, having the meaning of "because We have guided him." That is: We have pointed out to him that which leads him [to the goal] by way of auditory evidence, such as the revealed verses, and rational evidence, such as the signs in the horizons and within themselves. This occurs only after the [imposition of] religious duty and trial.

(Either grateful or ungrateful) are two states of the object of "We have guided." "Either" (imma) is for detailing, considering the plurality of states despite the singularity of the subject; meaning, We have guided him and pointed out to him that which leads to the goal in both of his states: gratitude and ingratitude. Or, it is for dividing the guided [humanity] according to the difference of their essences and states; meaning, We have guided him to the way, and it is divided among them: some of them are grateful by being guided to the truth and following its path, and some of them are ungrateful by turning away from it.

The outcome is: We have shown him guidance and Islam; so among them is one who is guided and Muslim, and among them is one who is astray and ungrateful. They are two states of the "way"; meaning, We made the way known to him, [making it] either a way of a grateful person or a way of an ungrateful person—the way is described by the state of its traveler figuratively. Its intended meaning is not hidden.

Al-Suddi narrated that the "way" here is the way of exit from the womb, but this is baseless. Abu al-Summal and Abu al-Aj read amma with a fatḥa on the alif in both instances; this is a dialect mentioned by Abu Zayd among the Arabs. It is the one which some people counted—as Abu Hayyan stated—among the conjunctions, and they cited the verse: "It is impregnated either by a naked north wind, or by an easterly wind that blows at the approach of dusk."

Al-Zamakhshari rendered it as the amma (as for) of detailing, which contains the meaning of a condition, in the sense of: "As for being grateful, it is by Our granting of success, and as for being ungrateful, it is by his own evil choice." This estimation brings out what is implied. It is not against [the rules] to place it in the category of "He misleads many thereby and guides many thereby," as if it were said: "As for being grateful, it is through Our guidance," meaning Our summoning or Our enabling—according to how guidance is interpreted—and "as for being ungrateful, it is also through [that same guidance]," because of the difference in the aspect of the summons, given that guidance here is not in opposition to error. This aligns with both schools [of theology] and is free from the omission of that for which there is no evidence.

It is permissible in the interpretation that the meaning is: "As for being grateful, he is rewarded, and as for being ungrateful, he is punished." The bringing of "ungrateful" (kafūr) in the form of an intensive adjective is to observe the rhymes and to indicate that man rarely remains free from some form of ingratitude, although one is only taken to task for excessive disbelief.