What is the correct story of the one about whom Allah said: "And We gave him Our signs, but he slipped away from them," and how can one guard against such a fate?

The Islamic Sharia does not contain a definitive report concerning the identity of the one referred to in the noble verse: "And recite to them the news of him to whom We gave Our signs, but he slipped away from them; so Satan pursued him, and he was among the deviators." Rather, these are reports from the Isra'iliyyat (Judeo-Christian traditions) attributed to some of the predecessors. The exegetes have mentioned several opinions regarding his identity, including: Bal'am bin Ba'ura, or Umayyah bin Abi As-Salt, or Abu 'Amir Ar-Rahib, or a man who was granted three supplications, or the hypocrite, or anyone who deviates from the truth after having been given it.

According to Ibn Jarir At-Tabari, understanding the verse does not depend on knowing the identity of the person concerned. The correct approach is to accept the apparent meaning of the Qur'anic text without specifying a particular person, because the intended meaning might refer to a type of people, not a single individual.

Ibn Sa'di clarified that the verse indicates that whoever is given knowledge of Allah's signs, then abandons them and follows his desires, Satan will gain dominance over him, and he will become among the deviators, likening his state to that of a panting dog. This is an example of one who denied Allah's signs after they came to him. The verse urges acting upon knowledge and warns against abandoning it, for in it lies elevation and protection from Satan.

Ibn Taymiyyah also points out that there is no need to seek clarification for what is ambiguous in the Qur'an from the Isra'iliyyat. They are mentioned for corroboration, not for belief, and most of them do not yield religious benefit, and they may be true, fabricated, or unstated.