Tafsir of Ad-Dhuha 93:7

His saying, the Almighty, "And He found you lost, so He guided," is a conjunction linked to what the preceding negation implies, as has been indicated, or linked to the negated present tense, rather it is included in its ruling. It is as if it were said: "Did He not find you an orphan and shelter you, and find you heedless of the religious laws that intellects cannot attain on their own?" This is as in His saying, "You did not know what the Book was," and His saying, "And indeed, you were, before this, among the heedless." Thus, He guided you to their paths within the folds of the Manifest Book that was revealed to you, and taught you that which you did not know.

Upon this explanation—as Al-Wahidi said—are the majority of the exegetes, and it is the choice of Al-Zajjaj. It is narrated from Sa’id ibn al-Musayyib that the Prophet (may the blessings of the Almighty be upon him) traveled with his uncle Abu Talib to Ash-Sham. While he was riding a camel one dark night, and he was asleep, Iblis came and took the camel’s lead, turning it off the path. Jibril (peace be upon him) came and blew upon Iblis, a blast that caused him to fall into Abyssinia, and Jibril returned the Prophet to the caravan. It is said that the verse contains an allusion to this.

It is also said that it refers to what is narrated from Ibn Abbas: that the Prophet (may the blessings of the Almighty be upon him) lost his way when he was a child from his grandfather in the mountain passes of Makkah. Abu Jahl saw him while returning from his flocks and returned him to his grandfather, who was clutching the curtains of the Ka'bah, beseeching Allah to return Muhammad to him. It is mentioned that when Abu Jahl saw him, he made his camel kneel and seated the Prophet behind him, but the camel refused to stand; so he seated him in front, and it stood. The camel was saying, "O fool, he is the Imam (leader), so how can he stand behind the one who is led?" There is a resemblance in his being returned to his family by the hand of Abu Jahl—knowing that he was his Pharaoh—to the returning of Musa (peace be upon him) to his mother by the hand of Pharaoh.

It is also said that he (peace and blessings be upon him) lost his way another time, and they searched for him but did not find him. Abd al-Muttalib circled the Ka'bah seven times and beseeched Allah, and they heard a caller from heaven saying: "O assembly of people, do not be distressed, for Muhammad has a Lord who will not forsake him nor lose him, and Muhammad is in the valley of Tihamah by a samur tree." Abd al-Muttalib and Waraqah ibn Nawfal went forth and found the Prophet (may the blessings of the Almighty be upon him) standing under a tree, playing with the branches and leaves.

It is also said that his wet nurse, Halimah, lost him at the gates of Makkah when she weaned him and brought him to return him to Abd al-Muttalib. Thus, according to these narrations, dallan (lost) refers to one who loses his way when he takes a path that does not lead to his intended destination. The criticism against interpreting the verse in this manner is that such an event, compared to what preceded it, is not considered one of the blessings of Allah—which the Almighty mentions as a favor upon His Prophet—of the magnitude that would be specifically counted.

It is said that ad-dall is the tree standing alone in the wilderness, with no other trees around it. The meaning is: "Did He not find you alone, with no one accompanying you, so He guided people toward you and did not leave you isolated?"

Al-Junayd (may his soul be sanctified) said: "It means He found you confused regarding the exposition of the Book revealed to you, so He guided you to its exposition," and this is close to the first interpretation.

Some said: "He found you heedless of the value of your own self, so He unveiled to you your exalted station."

It is said: "He found you lost to the meaning of pure love, so He gave you to drink a cup of the wine of proximity and love, and by it, He guided you to knowing Him, the Almighty and Majestic."

Ja’far al-Sadiq (may the Almighty be pleased with him) said: "You were lost to My love for you in pre-eternity, so I favored you with My knowledge," which is close to the previous one.

Al-Hariri said: "It means He found you wavering in the subtleties of the meanings of love, so He guided you to them," and this is similar. All of these are Sufi derivations.

Abu Hayyan saw in his sleep that the speech is based on the omission of a genitive qualifier (mudaf), and the meaning is: "And He found your people lost, so He guided them through you." This is as you see in your wakefulness.