And when he swore by this great oath, he responded with his saying, expressing in the past to negate what they had accused him of. This makes what came before prophethood easier, so that what comes after it is more evident: "He did not stray" means he did not deviate from the straight path that leads to the ultimate goal. That is, he never acted in the manner of the misguided on any day. So when did he claim the Qur'an in his presence, nor did he act in it in the manner of the insane or others whom they accused him of? As for "And He found you astray" [Al-Duha: 7], the intended meaning is one who is not knowledgeable. He expressed this with companionship, as it is more indicative of intention, encouraging them in it, and drawing them towards him, while making their accusation against him in his warning appear ugly, as they know the purity of his lineage, the purity of his character, and his morals. He said: "Your companion" means in his warning to you on the Day of Resurrection, so there is no justification for you in accusing him.

And when guidance may be accompanied by a deviation that does not bring the connected closer to the goal, even if it results in a type of deficiency in the proximity or something similar, the intention may be with someone who is not righteous. He said: "And he did not err" means he did not lean even slightly, nor was his intention from that which is bad. Indeed, he is protected from the causes that lead to the misguidance of the devils and others. And certainly, Allah has protected our Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him. As for the rest of the prophets, they defended themselves: "There is no misguidance in me" [Al-A'raf: 61] and "There is no foolishness in me" [Al-A'raf: 67] and similar to that - this was said by Al-Qushayri.