Al-Baqarah: (5) Those are upon guidance...

Know that there are several issues in this verse:

1. Starting Anew: The verse begins anew with the clause, "Those who believe in the Unseen" (Al-Baqarah: 3). This is because when it was stated, "A guidance for the God-fearing" (Al-Baqarah: 2), specifying that the Book is guidance for them, a question might arise: What is the reason for singling out the God-fearing for this guidance? The subsequent verses, from "Those who believe in the Unseen" up to "And those are the successful," serve as the answer to this question. It is as if the meaning is: Whoever is occupied with belief, establishing prayer, giving charity, and achieving success and salvation, must necessarily be upon guidance from their Lord.

2. Continuation and New Start: The verse does not start anew but follows the description of the "God-fearing" (المتقين). The new start is from the phrase, "Those are upon guidance from their Lord." It is as if the question is: What is the reason these people described with these attributes are specifically favored with guidance? The answer is that it is not unexpected for those described this way to attain guidance sooner and success later, rather than others.

3. Adjective and New Subject: The first relative clause ("Those who believe...") is taken as an adjective describing the "God-fearing." The second part ("Those are upon guidance...") starts a new sentence where أولئك (Those) is the subject and على هدى (upon guidance) is the predicate. The intent here is to emphasize that their distinction in attaining success and guidance is a subtle warning (تعريض) to the People of the Book who did not believe in the prophethood of the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم), even though they assume they are upon guidance and hope to attain success with God.

This signifies their firm establishment and stability upon guidance, as their state is likened to someone who has mounted or ridden something. A parallel is found in expressions like, "So-and-so is upon the truth," or "upon falsehood." They explicitly state this concept in phrases like, "He made straying a mount, and he rode ignorance."

The reality of them being "upon guidance" is their adherence to the implications of proof (الدليل). The one who adheres to proof must persist in it and guard it against objections and doubts. Thus, God—after praising them for believing in what was revealed to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) first—praises them secondly for establishing themselves upon it and diligently guarding it against doubts. This diligence is obligatory for the accountable person. If one is strict in religion and fearful, they must hold themselves accountable in their knowledge and actions, contemplating their state in both. If they guard themselves against deficiency, they are praised for being "upon guidance and insight."

The word هدى (guidance) is indefinite (نكرة) to convey an ambiguous degree that cannot be fully grasped or measured, similar to saying, "If you had seen so-and-so, you would have seen a man [of great stature]." 'Awf ibn 'Abd Allah said: "Guidance from God is abundant, but only a seer can perceive it, and only a few act upon it. Do you not see that the stars of the sky are visible to all who have sight, yet only the scholars are guided by them?"

This repetition serves as a reminder that just as they are established as having the distinction of guidance, they are also established as having the distinction of success. They are thus distinguished from others by these two special attributes.

If it is asked: Why is the conjunction (و) used here, and what is the difference between this verse and the verse: "Those are like cattle; nay, they are more astray. Those are the heedless" (Al-A'raf: 179)?

The answer is that the two pieces of news (الخبران) in this verse are different (guidance and success), necessitating the conjunction. In contrast, the two pieces of news in the verse from Al-A'raf are identical: their condemnation as heedless and their comparison to cattle are essentially the same matter. Therefore, the second clause in Al-A'raf confirms the first, making the conjunction unnecessary.

The pronoun هم here serves as a separator (فصل) and has two benefits:

1. It indicates that what follows is the predicate (خبر) and not an adjective (صفة).
2. It restricts the predicate to the subject (حصر). If you say, "Man is laughing," this does not imply that laughter is exclusive to man. But if you say, "Man is the laughing one" (الإنسان هو الضاحك), this implies that laughter is exclusive to man.

This indicates that the God-fearing are the people known to attain success in the Hereafter. It is like when you hear that someone from your town has repented, and you ask who it is, and you are told, "Zayd the repentant"—meaning, he is the one whose repentance you were informed about. Alternatively, it means that if the attribute of success is attained, they are the ones who possess it, similar to saying to your friend: "Have you recognized the lion and the extreme bravery inherent in its nature? Zayd is that very one."

The successful person is the one who attains what is desired (المطلوب), as if the ways to victory have opened up for them and nothing is blocked. المفلح (with a jim) has the same meaning. The root structure (تركيب) indicates splitting and opening. This is why farmers are called فلاحون (tillers/cultivators), and someone with a split lower lip is called أفلح. There is a proverb: "Iron is split by iron" (الحديد بالحديد يفلح).

The reality is that when God described them by fulfilling what is required of them in knowledge and action, He clarified the result: attaining the desired permanent bliss, untainted, in a manner of majesty and exaltation, because this is the reward sought for acts of worship.

The Determinists (الوعيدية) argue in two ways:

1. The statement, "And those are the successful" (وأولئك هم المفلحون), implies restriction (الحصر). Therefore, whoever neglects prayer and charity must not be successful. This necessitates affirming punishment (الوعيد) for the one who abandons prayer and charity.
2. The linking of the ruling (success) to the description (performing the duties) suggests that the description is the cause (علة) of the ruling. Thus, the cause of success must be performing belief, prayer, and charity. Whoever neglects these things will not attain the cause of success.

The Proponents of Free Will/Mercy (المرجئة) argue:

God decreed success for those described by the attributes mentioned in this verse. Therefore, anyone described by these things must be successful, even if they commit adultery, theft, or drink wine. If this is established for this group (the God-fearing), it must apply to others by necessity, as no one differentiates.

The Response:

Each argument is countered by the other, causing both to nullify each other.

Response to the Determinists:

1. The phrase "And those are the successful" indicates they are perfect in success (الكاملون في الفلاح). This implies that the one who commits a major sin is not perfect in success, which we agree with. How can he be perfect in success if he is not certain of salvation from punishment, but rather may fear it?
2. The negation of one cause does not necessitate the negation of the effect. We hold that among the causes of success is God's pardon (عفو الله تعالى).

Response to the Proponents of Free Will/Mercy: The description of them by piety (التقوى) is sufficient to attain the reward, as piety inherently includes avoiding sins and avoiding the neglect of obligations. And God knows best.