I am a new Muslim and one of the things which confuses me is that there are many Quranic verses which state that God is the one who guides and who leads astray. So if God is the one who leads people astray, would it be fair if He punished them for something that was destined for them?

God Almighty granted human beings the choice as God says, “And have shown him the two ways” (90:10). At the same time God has informed human beings that everything in this world occurs according to God’s destiny, power and knowledge. The common matter between man’s choice and God’s destiny is that God has paved the way of each person in this life and commanded him to follow the straight path. Therefore, the human being is not allowed to leave the path of guidance under the false pretense of destiny because he simply does not know his folded destiny. Similarly, the person is not allowed to refrain from seeking means for his living under the pretense that it is destined and decreed. God has planned means of livelihood to run to people through others who act as reasons for these means to reach its ultimate destination. God did not only create reasons but also results and consequences as He is the Creator of all things. God is the Creator of man, choice, action and result but all this does not contradict man’s responsibility to choose the right path and follow goodness while being totally aware that all his actions fall under God’s ultimate power and divine majesty as nothing escapes His supreme knowledge.