Taberî attributes to some Basra grammarians the view that the letter 'lâ' in the expression 'غير المغضوب عليهم ولا الضالين' is superfluous/redundant (ilgha), and he supports and refutes this view with poetic examples; he also reports that Kufan grammarians found this interpretation incorrect. He further states that Allah's wrath means punishing the servant in this world or the hereafter in response to the sins he has committed, and emphasizes that attributing misguidance to humans does not confirm the claims of the Qadariyya, because it is clearly stated in the Qur'an that Allah is both the one who guides and the one who leads astray. Finally, he transmits that 'the path of those upon whom He has bestowed favor' is the path of the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous.

وأما نحويو الكوفيين فأنكروا هذا التأويل واستخطئوه، وزعموا أن ذلك لو كان كما قاله الزاعم من أهل البصرة لكان خطأ أن يقال

In this section, Zamakhsharī states that the servant will be held responsible for his ears, eyes, and heart, and that the servant will be questioned about the reason he heard, looked at, or resolved to do something that was not permissible for him. He also explains that the word 'al-fuâd' is read in one recitation as 'al-fevâd', which results from the hamza being transformed into a wāw and then this state being continued with a fatha.

يقال للإنسان : لم سمعت ما لم يحل لك سماعه ؛ ولم نظرت إلى ما لم يحل لك النظر إليه ، ولم عزمت على ما لم يحل لك العزم عليه ؟ وقرىء ( والفواد ) بفتح الفاء والواو ، قلبت الهمزة واوا بعد الضمة في الفؤاد ، ثم استصحب القلب مع الفتح

According to this exegete, in the expression 'The Straight Path is the path of those upon whom He has bestowed favor', the meaning of favor is the favor of faith; for if religious favors are something other than faith, they are dependent upon faith, while faith itself can occur independently of other religious favors. Based on this finding, it is stated that the verse shows that Allah is the creator and giver of faith, and therefore the Mu'tazilite view that the servant is the creator of his deeds is false. It is also stated that the verse indicates the infallibility of angels and prophets.

فرجع حاصل القول في قوله اهدنا الصراط المستقيم صراط الذين أنعمت عليهم أنه طلب لنعمة الإيمان

According to Qurtubī, the word 'dâllîn' in the Arabic language means straying from the right path, and this word is derived from the root 'ḍ-l-l' and is related to the meaning of being lost or perishing. Furthermore, in the text, the grammatical functions of the words 'ğayr' and 'lâ' (substitution, circumstantial qualifier, exception, emphasis) have been discussed, and recitation differences have been transmitted (the recitation of 'Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb and Ubay ibn Ka'b). It is stated that the original form of the word 'al-ḍâllîn' is 'al-ḍâlâlîn', and it was transformed into this form according to the rule of assimilation.

الضلال في كلام العرب هو الذهاب عن سنن القصد وطريق الحق ومنه : ضل اللبن في الماء أي غاب

In this text, Ibn Kathīr transmits that those upon the 'Straight Path' are those upon whom favor was bestowed as mentioned in Sūrat al-Nisā' (the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, the righteous); that 'al-mağdûb 'alayhim' are the Jews, and 'al-dâllîn' are the Christians, and this is supported by the reports of 'Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, 'Abdullah ibn Shāqīq, and 'Adī ibn Hātim. He also discusses in detail the merit of saying āmīn, and the doctrinal differences regarding the matter of whether the congregation should say āmīn aloud when the imam says it aloud in recitation (the Ḥanafī, Shāfi'ī's old and new views, Mālikī reports, and Aḥmad ibn Hanbal).

وقال عبد الرزاق أخبرنا معمر عن بديل العقيلي أخبرني عبد الله بن شقيق أنه أخبره من سمع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وهو بوادي القرى وهو على فرسه وسأله رجل من بني القين فقال يا رسول الله من هؤلاء قال المغضوب عليهم وأشار إلى اليهود والضالون هم النصارى

According to Baydāwī, the expression 'al-ladhīn an'amta 'alayhim' is a complete substitute from what precedes it and indicates in the most emphatic manner that the Straight Path is the path of the believers. 'Ğayr al-mağdûb 'alayhim wa-lā al-dâllîn' expresses that those upon whom favor was bestowed are those free from wrath and misguidance; this can be explained either as a substitute or as an attribute operating like a definite pronoun with an indefinite antecedent. It is transmitted that those against whom wrath was incurred are the Jews and the misguided are the Christians; furthermore, with another interpretation, those against whom wrath was incurred could be the disobedient and the misguided could be the ignorant who do not know Allah.

وفائدته التوكيد والتنصيص على أن طريق المسلمين هو المشهود عليه بالاستقامة على آكد وجه وأبلغه لأنه جعل كالتفسير والبيان له فكأنه من البين الذي لا خفاء فيه أن الطريق المستقيم ما يكون طريق المؤمنين.