A person ignorant of Allah’s wisdom may think that its unfair that some people were born upon the truth or assume that Allah randomly chose people to guide and admit to paradise.

The truth however is that guidance is not random and those born upon islam do not always stay upon it (whether by committing shirk/following false sects or entirely disbelieving) because some did not prove to be deserving of it.

There are two types of guidance:

• General guidance in which Allah makes the truth known to everyone including disbelievers.

“Indeed, We guided him to the way, be he grateful or be he ungrateful” [76:3].

An example from the Quran: “And as for Thamud, We guided them, but they preferred blindness over guidance…” [41:17].

• And specific guidance in which Allah enables and helps believers follow the truth.

When it comes to Allah sending people astray, what is meant by that is that He leaves these people to their own devices. Allah does not force anyone to go astray. The reason someone is sent astray stems from that individual themself. Guidance is a favor from Allah and He makes it settle in people who are suitable to recognize and be grateful for it, who’s hearts are righteous and are open to the truth. The fault of the one not suitable for guidance is that they chose to not be suitable, and they feel repulsed by the truth.

Guidance is subject to Allah’s will, and Allah’s will is in accordance to His wisdom (therefor its not random). Although guidance is in His hands, each individual is required to take measures that lead to guidance such as by taking initiative in adhering to path of righteousness. Allah gave us sound reason and free will so that we may choose guidance over misguidance. Allah dictates that an ungrateful person cannot be among those who are guided, unless He caused them to change their intentions. Allah can do anything, however, His wisdom dictates that causes are connected with effects.

Whoever Allah guides is from Allah’s grace, and whoever Allah allows to go astray is from His justice. It is unfair for Allah to love, forgive, and admit to paradise people who rejected Him along with believers who were sincere and strove for His pleasure. “Is the one who is a believer equal to the one who is rebellious?” [Quran 32:18].

Those who choose disbelief, have chosen their horrible fate. When we find someone who has an arrogant and rude personality, naturally we will deem them undeserving of favors from others. Then what about those who chose to think arrogantly of and neglect their Lord, who distract themselves with desires instead of seeking the truth? If they were to take even one sincere step towards the truth, Allah would race to aide them further. Even if they happened to have a good attitude towards other people and animals, they’ve treated their lord badly and were ungrateful to His favors and guidance. Allah talks about their ingratitude in the Quran:

And even if We opened for them a gate to heaven, through which they continued to ascend, still they would say, “Our eyes have truly been dazzled! In fact, we must have been bewitched.” [15:14-15]

If only you could (be there to) see when they will be made to stand by the Fire, and they will say, “Would that we were sent back, then we would not reject the signs of our Lord, and would join the believers”. In fact, what they were concealing earlier will become clear to them. If they were sent back, they would again go for what they were forbidden from, as they are sheer liars. [6:27-28]

And Allah is forgiving and gives many chances, someone may live all their life in corruption but end up accepting guidance and being forgiven before their death. Allah has made the religion reasonable and universal, whatever one’s race, gender, disability, they’re able to practice islam. But if someone earns hell because of their carelessness, as per hadith, Allah will still remove them from the fire if they had even an atom weight of faith. Therefor, it takes so little to make it to paradise, only a true neglectful person would refuse the opportunity.