ثُمَّ السَّبيلَ يَسَّرَهُ

Then He made the way easy for him.

EXPOSITION

Moving on from man’s origin, our attention is drawn to the life of man, which is immediately followed by mention of his death in the next verse. The briefness of the verse in summing up all of man’s worldly life in three words highlights how ephemeral and transient it is.

The way (al-sabīl) here refers to the path God has ordained for humanity, and it is a path ingrained in human intellect and perfected through divine revelation. This is why some commentators have interpreted sabīl as Islam,^{‎[1]Tabari, 30/36.}
the eternal way of faith since the dawn of man’s creation. In essence, it is the path to true happiness and success,^{‎[2]Mizan, 20/207.}
achieved by adhering to the primordial religion (dīn al-fiṭrah). God declares that He has made finding the truth of religion and guidance easy for man (by gifting him with reason, by sending messengers and exemplars, by sending signs and reminders, and so on). Despite the simplicity of religion and the clarity of the divine message, man still chooses denial and rebellion.^{‎[3]See Tibyan, 10/273.}
Effectively, the verse is negating any excuse that a person may forward for choosing evil and rebellion.^{‎[4]Mizan, 20/207.}

This is reflected in many of the reports that describe the religion of God as being al-ḥanafiyyat al-samḥat al-sahlah,^{‎[5]See for example Faqih, 1/12; Wasail, 1/210, 20/106; Kafi, 5/494.}
the ‘easy and permissive pure faith’. The things that God expects from us in religion are not excessively difficult nor do they impose undue hardship.

It is also possible to view this verse as an answer to a possible question that might arise from the previous verse, which declared faqaddarahu – which could be understood to indicate that God has decreed all of man’s actions in His taqdīr, and no choice for him remains, that if man disbelieves or sins or does evil, this is all simply divine decree in which he has no say. This verse then declares that God has shown man the path of righteousness and made choosing it easy for him.^{‎[6]Mizan, 20/207.}
Indeed, if man had no free will and choice, then how could he rebel against God’s commands? The whole proposition of fatalism is an absurd paradox. If man only acted mechanically per divine will without any free will of his own, then he should never do sins or act contrary to God’s commands. Obviously, no one can take such a proposition seriously.

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

It has been said that this verse refers to the process of birth. Making the way easy is said to mean that God has made it easy for man to pass through the womb of his mother.^{‎[7]Baydawi, 5/287 Tabrisi, 10/666; Thalabi, 10/132; Nemuneh, 26/138-139. This opinion has been attributed to Ibn Abbas, Qatādah, and Suddī (Tibyan, 10/273; Tabari, 30/35; Thaalabi, 5/553). Some have added that the foetus is positioned feet first, but God causes him to turn around so that he would be born headfirst in order to make it easier.}
This interpretation has two problems. Firstly, it does not fit the context of the next verse, which speaks of death. If this verse is only referring to birth, it means that the verses completely skip over man’s worldly life, which is an important stage of his existence. Secondly, it does not fit with the rest of the Quranic verses, which – quite rightly – describe childbirth as a difficult process, rather than something easy: We have enjoined man to be kind to his parents. His mother has carried him in travail, and bore him in travail (46:15); His mother carried him through weakness upon weakness (31:14).

Another claim is that sabīl intends that which guides one to faith, and to make it easy intends the intelligence that has been granted to man.^{‎[8]This opinion has also been attributed to Ibn Abbas, Qatādah, and Suddī (Muhit, 10/409). It is possible that Abū Ḥayyān has made a mistake here, as no one else that I have come across attributes this opinion to these three and they are the exact same three from whom the opinion we quoted earlier has been attributed. Ibn ʿAṭiyyah attributes this opinion to Hasan al-Baṣrī, which seems more likely (Andulusi, 5/438; Thaalabi, 5/553).}
This is very similar to what we mentioned in the Exposition.

Reportedly, Mujāhid was of the opinion that it means ‘God has made the path of good and evil easy for him’.^{‎[9]Tibyan, 10/273; Tabari, 30/35-36.}
In other words, God has granted man free will and allowed him to easily choose which path he wishes to follow. While the point itself is valid and true, it is not the best fit with this verse. This interpretation would be more fitting if the verse used subul (thumma al-subula yassarahu) or sabīlayn, or perhaps najdayn like in Sūrat al-Balad, And [We have] shown him the two paths (90:10). As it stands, al-sabīl is more appropriately understood as the true path of guidance, like it is in Sūrat al-Insān: Indeed We have guided him to the way, be he grateful or ungrateful (76:3). The interpretation of Mujāhid is more fitting for the verse in Sūrat al-Insān.

Related to Mujāhid’s interpretation, Ālūsī asks how it is possible to describe God as making the path of evil easy? He answers this by saying that if the path of evil was not made easy like the path of righteousness, then one would not be deserving of praise for turning away from it and choosing righteousness. There is no merit in the one who does not commit adultery or fornication if he is not capable of that at all.^{‎[10]Alusi, 15/246-247.}
As God declared, He has shown us the two paths, and made both choices equally available to us. He does not prevent us from doing evil, nor force us to be good. He does not make being good overly difficult, but has made His religion easy. He does not make the path of evil so tempting that it is impossible for us to resist it, nor does He test us with the most arduous of tests that are beyond our ability to withstand. All of this is in balance so that it may truly test which of you is best in conduct (67:2).

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.’^{‎[11]Proverbs 3:5-6.}
   

[1] Tabari, 30/36.
[2] Mizan, 20/207.
[3] See Tibyan, 10/273.
[4] Mizan, 20/207.
[5] See for example Faqih, 1/12; Wasail, 1/210, 20/106; Kafi, 5/494.
[6] Mizan, 20/207.
[7] Baydawi, 5/287 Tabrisi, 10/666; Thalabi, 10/132; Nemuneh, 26/138-139. This opinion has been attributed to Ibn Abbas, Qatādah, and Suddī (Tibyan, 10/273; Tabari, 30/35; Thaalabi, 5/553). Some have added that the foetus is positioned feet first, but God causes him to turn around so that he would be born headfirst in order to make it easier.
[8] This opinion has also been attributed to Ibn Abbas, Qatādah, and Suddī (Muhit, 10/409). It is possible that Abū Ḥayyān has made a mistake here, as no one else that I have come across attributes this opinion to these three and they are the exact same three from whom the opinion we quoted earlier has been attributed. Ibn ʿAṭiyyah attributes this opinion to Hasan al-Baṣrī, which seems more likely (Andulusi, 5/438; Thaalabi, 5/553).
[9] Tibyan, 10/273; Tabari, 30/35-36.
[10] Alusi, 15/246-247.
[11] Proverbs 3:5-6.