The Virtues of Surah Al-Baqarah

Surah Al-Baqarah is an extremely beneficial surah. Some aḥādīth concerning this:

Do not turn your houses into graveyards. Indeed, Shayṭān flees from the house in which Surah Al-Baqarah is recited!

— Muslim (780)

“Do not turn your houses into graveyards” — that is, recite the Qur’an at home, because from this it is understood that a graveyard is not a place for reciting the Qur’an. Often it is seen that people go to a grave, sit on top of the grave, recite the Qur’an, and give its reward to the deceased. Although some scholars have opinions on this matter, as far as has been studied, no basis for it is found. So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is saying: make the house a place of recitation — let the house not become like a grave, where there is no recitation of the Qur’an and no prayer. Therefore there should certainly be a portion of prayer and Qur’an recitation in the home.

“Shayṭān flees from the house in which Surah Al-Baqarah is recited” — therefore, Surah Al-Baqarah is an excellent means of protection from Shayṭān.

In this ḥadīth the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Read the Qur’an, read the Qur’an.” Whenever it is said “read the Qur’an,” this is the only book that we automatically, by default, assume we will read without understanding. For any other book, if it is said “read it,” it is understood from the outset that I must read it with understanding. This is a point worth noting. There is reward for reciting the Qur’an even without understanding it — Allah Subḥānahu wa Taʿālā has given reward even for recitation without understanding. But when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ says “read the Qur’an,” it does not mean that only the letters are to be read and the meaning need not be understood. Allah Taʿālā revealed the Qur’an to be understood and known — not to be read without understanding.

This becomes even clearer in the following part: “Read the Qur’an, for on the Day of Resurrection the companions of the Qur’an will come as intercessors for their companions” — and the companions of the Qur’an are those who recite the Qur’an, act according to the Qur’an, know its meaning, and act accordingly. That is, reading the Qur’an means understanding the Qur’an, acting according to it, holding the faith of the Qur’an in the heart, carrying out the deeds of the Qur’an with the limbs of the body, and bearing the character of the Qur’an in one’s conduct.

Then he said —

Recite the Qur’an, for it will come on the Day of Resurrection as an intercessor for those who recite it. Recite the two luminous surahs, Surah Al-Baqarah and Surah Āl ʿImrān; for both will come on the Day of Resurrection as though they were two clouds, or two canopies, or two flocks of birds with wings outspread, arguing on behalf of those who recite them. Recite Surah Al-Baqarah; for taking hold of it is a blessing, abandoning it is a cause of regret, and the magicians cannot confront it.

— Muslim (804)

Not only Al-Baqarah, but Surah Āl ʿImrān as well: “Recite these two luminous surahs — one is Al-Baqarah, the other Āl ʿImrān. Because on the Day of Resurrection these two surahs will come like two clouds, or like two shade-giving canopies, or like two rows of birds flying with wings outspread, and will argue on behalf of their companions” — those who read Al-Baqarah and Āl ʿImrān and acted according to them, implementing them in their own lives.

It is further said: “Recite Surah Al-Baqarah, for mastering it is a blessing, and abandoning it is a cause of regret. The magicians cannot confront it” — that is, Surah Al-Baqarah is extremely effective against magic. So we have seen that Surah Al-Baqarah is a powerful weapon against Shayṭān and against magic.

Narrated from Anas (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu), he said: When a person mastered Surah Al-Baqarah and Surah Āl ʿImrān, his standing among us would increase.

— Aḥmad (12236)

Here too a noteworthy point is: in the language of the Companions, what did it mean for someone “to have read a surah”? If it were said that a Companion had read Surah Al-Baqarah, then for them it meant — he had memorized this surah, understood its meaning, learned all the rulings contained in it, and mastered it. All of this together was what it meant to say that someone had “read Al-Baqarah.” If someone mastered these two surahs — Surah Al-Baqarah and Āl ʿImrān — his standing would increase. Why? Because there are many rulings in these two surahs.

These two surahs were revealed for the believing community. When we open the muṣḥaf and begin reading, Al-Baqarah and Āl ʿImrān are right at the beginning. But in the order of revelation it was not at the beginning. It was not revealed in the Makkan period, but rather in the Madinan period — that is, after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ migrated to Madinah, after the Islamic state was established, these two surahs were revealed for the Muslim society and the community of believers together with all their rulings. There are many rulings in them — this is precisely why these two surahs are extremely important.

The First Verse: Alif Lām Mīm — Ḥurūf al-Muqaṭṭaʿāt

The first verse of Surah Al-Baqarah is الم (Alif Lām Mīm). These are in fact disconnected letters (ḥurūf al-muqaṭṭaʿāt), and disconnected letters have no meaning of their own. As in any language — in Bangla, if I say ক, খ, গ, ঘ, or in English A, B, C, D as separate letters, they carry no meaning. When letters come together, the meaning of a word is formed, and when words come together, a sentence is formed.

At the beginning of how many surahs of the Qur’an are these disconnected letters found, and how many letters are used? These disconnected letters are found at the beginning of 29 surahs of the Qur’an, and there are a total of 14 letters in them. There is no need to memorize this list, but it may be a matter of interest to know which disconnected letters occur at the beginning of which surah.

Alif Lām Mīm occurs at the beginning of six surahs. The most frequent is Ḥā Mīm — at the beginning of seven surahs. Then Alif Lām Rā is at the beginning of five surahs. One surah’s name will be seen in two places — Surah Ash-Shūrā has both Ḥā Mīm and ʿAyn Sīn Qāf. Besides this, Ṭā Sīn Mīm occurs in two surahs — Surah Ash-Shuʿarāʾ and Surah Al-Qaṣaṣ — and the rest occur at the beginning of one surah each. Such as Alif Lām Mīm Ṣād, or single letters — Nūn, Ṣād, Yāsīn or Ṭāhā, and so on.

Letters	Surahs
الٓمٓ	Surah Al-Baqarah, Surah Āl ʿImrān, Surah Al-ʿAnkabūt, Surah Ar-Rūm, Surah Luqmān, Surah As-Sajdah
الٓر	Surah Yūnus, Surah Hūd, Surah Yūsuf, Surah Ibrāhīm, Surah Al-Ḥijr
الٓمٓر	Surah Ar-Raʿd
طسٓمٓ	Surah Ash-Shuʿarāʾ, Surah Al-Qaṣaṣ
طسٓ	Surah An-Naml
طه	Surah Ṭā-Hā
يسٓ	Surah Yāsīn
قٓ	Surah Qāf
عٓسٓقٓ	Surah Ash-Shūrā
الٓمٓصٓ	Surah Al-Aʿrāf
كٓهيعٓصٓ	Surah Maryam
صٓ	Surah Ṣād
حمٓ	Surah Ghāfir, Surah Fuṣṣilat, Surah Az-Zukhruf, Surah Ad-Dukhān, Surah Al-Jāthiyah, Surah Al-Aḥqāf, Surah Ash-Shūrā
نٓ	Surah Al-Qalam

No reliable narration is found from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on this matter, but the mufassirūn have mentioned various possible meanings of it. What indication is there in it, what is its significance — these disconnected letters have no meaning of their own, so why then did Allah reveal them? The mufassirūn have researched this from the past onward.

The Explanation of the Salaf: Imām aṭ-Ṭabarī

Imām aṭ-Ṭabarī’s era was 310 AH — that is, quite an early period. Before Imām aṭ-Ṭabarī, the three best generations of the Muslim ummah had passed — the generation of the Companions, the generation of the Tābiʿīn, and the generation of the Tabaʿ at-Tābiʿīn. The tafsīr of these three generations is the very foundation of our tafsīr — sound tafsīr. Because they are the best generations. “The best of my ummah is my generation” — that is, the Companions, then the two generations after them. These three generations are the best generations, and their understanding of the Qur’an was also the best.

Their tafsīr is generally found in the form of narrations — Ibn ʿAbbās (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu) said this about this word of this verse, found with a chain of transmission; Ibn Masʿūd (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu) said this with a chain — these are found in the books of ḥadīth and tafsīr. The Companions did not do tafsīr of the Qur’an word by word like today’s mufassirūn. If someone today is asked to do tafsīr, it is understood — the meaning of every word of the verse will be explained, the meaning of the sentence will be explained, what has been understood from it will be explained, and so on. The Companions or the Tābiʿīn did not always do tafsīr this way, because they were Arabs and they understood the essential meaning of the Qur’an simply by hearing the Arabic language.

However, some words needed explaining, or some verses needed to be reconciled. Explanation was also needed at times from a legal (sharʿī) point of view. Whenever this need arose — that not everyone would understand this word, or that some technical term needed explanation — it was then that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would explain, and the Companions did likewise. From this it is clearly understood — whenever a word has not been explained, it is to be understood in its apparent meaning in Arabic.

Example — the explanation of the word “ẓulm”: When Allah revealed the verse — “Those who believe and do not mix their faith with ẓulm, they are the ones who are safe and they are the ones who are guided” — the Companions needed a little explanation. Why was it needed? Because the Companions first understood the verse in its literal sense: that only if no kind of ẓulm at all is mixed with faith can one be safe, be saved from Allah’s punishment, and receive guidance. In Arabic, ẓulm refers to every kind of wrongdoing, small or great. The Companions knew this very well, and it seemed difficult to them — if, after faith, one must remain safe, be saved from punishment, and receive guidance, then no ẓulm at all — small or great — could be committed, not even against oneself. They did not remain silent about this; rather they asked — instead of hoping for ten rewards for every letter, they became eager to know its meaning, because they would implement it.

Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ explained that the matter is not as they were thinking. He explained it by means of another verse — Luqmān ʿalayhis-salām saying to his son: “O my son, do not commit shirk; indeed shirk is a tremendous ẓulm.” In this way the Messenger of Allah ﷺ explained that the ẓulm mentioned after faith means shirk — here the word “ẓulm” has come in the meaning of shirk. So in order to obtain fundamental safety and guidance, along with faith one must protect one’s faith from shirk.

The purpose of saying all this is to convey that, since the first three generations of the Companions were Arabs, only that much needed explaining where a new meaning had been added to a word or where a specific legal meaning was intended. The rest of the words did not need explanation, because they understood them from the Arabic language itself. Therefore, we do not find from the Companions a complete tafsīr from beginning to end of the sort we now expect. The first and most complete book of this kind of tafsīr is the tafsīr of Imām aṭ-Ṭabarī, in which he explained a great deal — although even then not every word needed explanation, because it is Arabic.

What Imām aṭ-Ṭabarī (raḥimahullāh) did was to gather together the opinions of these three generations of the Salaf. Hearing the word “Salaf,” many may think it is a matter of some particular group or ideology. It is not a matter of any group — we are all obliged to relate ourselves to the Salaf. This is mainstream Islam. Because no one will newly invent the teachings of Islam — it must come through the hands of these three generations. It is from them that we received the Qur’an and the ḥadīth — both the original text and its explanation are received from them.

When people like Imām aṭ-Ṭabarī came, they opened up the tafsīr and looked — what did the Companions say about a given verse. For example, on opening “Alif Lām Mīm,” thirteen statements about it are found — from these first three generations. Since Imām aṭ-Ṭabarī is a later imām (he died in 310 AH), he is a person after the first three generations. He first mentions with chains of transmission — Ibn ʿAbbās said this, Ibn Masʿūd said this, ʿAlī said this, whatever each one’s statement is; then among the Tābiʿīn what Mujāhid said, what Qatādah said, in the third generation what Zayd ibn Aslam said, what Muqātil said — and then he analyzes their statements and presents his own research, and at times also adds the opinions of the linguists.

Here it is seen that regarding Alif Lām Mīm and these disconnected letters — which occur at the beginning of 29 surahs of the Qur’an — thirteen statements are found. The thing to reflect on from this is: Alif Lām Mīm, Ḥā Mīm, Yāsīn, Qāf, Nūn — these disconnected letters have no meaning of their own, yet certainly Allah revealed them for some reason, there is a significance to them. Although no narration is found from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about their meaning, still thirteen kinds of statements on this matter are found from the Companions and the Tābiʿīn.

The conclusion that can be drawn from this is — our early generations, whom we are calling the “Salaf” — the Companions, the Tābiʿīn, and the Tabaʿ at-Tābiʿīn — were extremely eager and deeply serious about knowing and explaining the meaning of the Qur’an. This is why it may be heard from many people that “the tafsīr of Alif Lām Mīm, Ḥā Mīm cannot be done, no one has done tafsīr of it, Allah alone knows best” — and the matter ends right there. But if you want to understand the correctness of any claim, where must you go back to? You must go back to what the Salaf said. You must go back to the source. If we were able to go back to the source, there would not be so much confusion today. Looking at the state of the Muslim ummah now, one sees disputes everywhere — dispute and disagreement over every matter, calling one another misguided. All these disputes and disagreements could have been resolved, and still can be — if we return to that one place, that is, to the source in the form of the statements of the Salaf.

The same applies in the field of tafsīr — it is necessary to see what the Companions did. The Companions did not simply come and say “this cannot be spoken about.” Rather they did tafsīr — although it has no specific meaning, still they tried to find out the indication — perhaps there is no meaning, but is there some reason, is there some indication? The Tābiʿīn too said, yes, there is an indication in it.

Ibn al-Jawzī’s Zād al-Masīr

Another one, from a slightly later period — Ibn al-Jawzī, a person of the period after Imām aṭ-Ṭabarī (310 AH). His book is named Zād al-Masīr. Its characteristic is that it is not a vast tafsīr like Imām aṭ-Ṭabarī’s — Imām aṭ-Ṭabarī’s tafsīr is roughly 24 volumes, while Zād al-Masīr is six volumes. Its distinctive feature is that in it only the aqwāl, that is the opinions, are narrated — if there are various opinions on the meaning of a word or a verse — three, four, five, six, however many there may be — they have been mentioned.

In this book, six different opinions about “Alif Lām Mīm” and the ḥurūf al-muqaṭṭaʿāt are mentioned. They are presented here in brief:

Opinion 1 — An indication of the Ism al-Aʿẓam: Some say these are an indication of Allah’s Ism al-Aʿẓam. That is, this is something encoded — these are letters, they have no meaning; if we could decode it, we would know that this is Allah’s Ism al-Aʿẓam (Greatest Name). If we call upon Allah by any name, Allah will certainly grant it.

Opinion 2 — The name “Allah”: According to some, this (indicates) the name “Allah.”

Opinion 3 — Names by which He swore: According to some, these are names of Allah by which He has sworn. These are a kind of oath, and an oath by the names of Allah.

Opinion 4 — Names of the Qur’an: Some say these are names of the Qur’an, the various names of the Qur’an.

Opinion 5 — Names of the surahs: Some say these are names of the surahs.

Opinion 6 — Abbreviated forms of sentences: Some say these are in fact abbreviated forms of certain sentences. For example, it is narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu) — he said that “Alif Lām Mīm” means “Anā-Allāhu aʿlam” — “I am Allah, I know best.” That is, “Alif Lām Mīm” is pointing to the sentence “Anā-Allāhu aʿlam,” and so on.

Important note: There are various opinions, but since none of these opinions has been established through ḥadīth, we cannot say with certainty whether they are correct or incorrect, nor can we say anything definite about them.

The Indication: The Miraculousness of the Qur’an

The last opinion is that these indicate the muʿjizah (miraculousness) of the Qur’an. This opinion was supported by Ibn Kathīr (raḥimahullāh) among the scholars of the past and by Ibn ʿUthaymīn (raḥimahullāh) among recent scholars. Ibn Kathīr was born around 700 AH and died in 774 AH — that is, Ibn Kathīr (raḥimahullāh) lived roughly midway through the period that has elapsed from the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ until now. His tafsīr is also extremely famous — you have surely heard its name, the Tafsīr of Ibn Kathīr. And Ibn ʿUthaymīn — 1421 AH — that is, a scholar of our recent times. He was a great scholar of Saudi Arabia, who died around the year 2000.

They are saying that these disconnected letters are in fact pointing to the miraculousness of the Qur’an. That is, by saying “Alif Lām Mīm” the attention of the Arabs is being drawn — look, the Qur’an is before you. For the Arabs, this Qur’an is composed of the combination of all these letters, which are familiar to you — Alif, Lām, Mīm, Ḥā, Rā, Ṣād, Qāf, Nūn, Kāf, Hā, Yā, ʿAyn, Ṣād. This Qur’an is composed of the very combination of all these letters familiar to you — yet composing a single surah like it is beyond your capacity. So you can understand that this Qur’an has indeed come from Allah. This is the indication of these disconnected letters. Ibn Kathīr (raḥimahullāh) mentioned this opinion in his tafsīr, and in recent times Ibn ʿUthaymīn (raḥimahullāh) supported it.

14. The Second Verse: “Dhālikal-Kitābu lā rayba fīhi hudal lil-muttaqīn”

“Dhālika” — Ism al-Ishārah

The word “dhālika” is used for pointing. With “dhālika,” something distant is generally indicated. In Arabic, “dhālika” is called ism al-ishārah; it is used to point to something distant.

Here it comes in the meaning of “hādhā.” “Hādhā” is used to point to something near. So “dhālikal-kitāb” means “hādhal-kitāb” — that is, it is near us, because the Qur’an is with us; the Qur’an is not far from us.

The Significance of Using “Dhālika” — High Rank

When pointing to the Qur’an, it could have been indicated with the word “hādhā,” it could have been called “hādhal-kitāb.” So why is it said “dhālikal-kitāb” instead of the book that is near us? Regarding its significance, Ibn ʿUthaymīn (raḥimahullāh) says that this is pointing to the high rank of the Qur’an.

That is, many things are being explained with a single word — the function of pointing is the same, and by using “dhālika” (used for pointing to something distant) instead of “hādhā,” the high rank of the Qur’an is being indicated. As though it is being said that the rank of this book is extremely high, and those who hold fast to this book will also have high rank in this world. Ibn ʿUthaymīn (raḥimahullāh) gave this explanation in his tafsīr from the word “dhālika.”

The Three Meanings of “Lā rayba fīhi”

It has three meanings, and in this case all three are acceptable:

• No doubt about the truth of the Qur’an: Some say it means that there is no doubt at all that the Qur’an is true. (Rayb concerning the whole book — there is no doubt about the truth of the Qur’an.)
• No doubt about any part of the Qur’an: “Fīhi” — there is no doubt about any part of it. In this sense, there is no error anywhere in the Qur’an, and there is no room for doubt about error.
• No doubt about its source: There is no doubt whatsoever that it was revealed by the Lord of the Worlds.

Evidence:

أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ ۚ وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِندِ غَيْرِ ٱللَّهِ لَوَجَدُوا۟ فِيهِ ٱخْتِلَٰفًا كَثِيرًا ٨٢

(82) Then do they not reflect deeply upon the Qur’an? If it had come from anyone other than Allah, they would have found in it many inconsistencies. — Surah An-Nisāʾ, 4:82

الٓمٓ ١ تَنزِيلُ ٱلْكِتَٰبِ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ مِن رَّبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ ٢

(1) Alif-Lām-Mīm. (2) The revelation of this Book is from the Lord of all creation — there is no doubt in it. — Surah As-Sajdah, 32:1–2

Explanation of the Qur’an by the Qur’an (Tafsīr al-Qurʾān bil-Qurʾān)

Each of these three possible meanings is not contrary to the others, so there is no obstacle to all of them being correct together. This is a fundamental principle of tafsīr — at times more than one meaning is found for a verse. In that case one must see whether the meanings are mutually contradictory — whether, if one is correct, the other can also be correct. If not, then one must see whether there is any conflict with another verse or ḥadīth. If there is not, then it is possible for more than one meaning to be correct together. This is why at times a broad range of meaning is obtained from a single verse of the Qur’an.

All three meanings described here are supported by evidence elsewhere in the Qur’an. For instance Allah Subḥānahu wa Taʿālā says: “Afalā yatadabbarūnal-Qurʾān” — do they not reflect deeply upon the Qur’an? Allah is saying that if they had reflected upon the Qur’an, they would have seen that if it had come from anyone other than Allah, they would have found many inconsistencies in it.

So many different subjects are discussed in the Qur’an — human belief, personal worship, deeds, economics, social policy, politics, warfare — the Qur’an has given guidance on these matters, and much has also been said about nature, the earth, the heavens, the universe. Yet no part of the Qur’an conflicts with another part. Even if at first glance it seems that some verse does not agree with another verse — if someone goes a little deeper, he will see that there is no conflict there. Rather, he will discover from there such information as will astonish him at the purity of the Qur’an.

So we see that there is nothing in the Qur’an that can be doubted — this explanation we obtained from this verse. This is a method of tafsīr of the Qur’an — explaining one verse of the Qur’an by means of another verse. When this verse, لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ (the Book in which there is no doubt), is explained in conjunction with verse 82 of Surah An-Nisāʾ — where it is said, “If it had been from anyone other than Allah, many inconsistencies would have been found in it” — then too the same explanation is obtained. This method is called tafsīr al-Qurʾān bil-Qurʾān — the tafsīr of the Qur’an by the Qur’an. It is one among the many methods and approaches of tafsīr, and it has attained special renown in the field of tafsīr of the Qur’an.

Two scholars attained special renown in this method. One is the late Ibn Kathīr (raḥimahullāh), a picture of whose book was shown earlier. The other is recent — his name is Muḥammad al-Amīn ash-Shanqīṭī, and his book is named Aḍwāʾ al-Bayān. He is from the region of Shanqīṭ (Mauritania), an African — he migrated to Saudi Arabia and became established there as a great scholar. Not only he, but his family, his children too are now great scholars in Saudi Arabia, and one of his sons is a specialist in tafsīr who teaches in Madinah.

Muḥammad al-Amīn ash-Shanqīṭī raḥimahullāh died around 1393 AH. The book Aḍwāʾ al-Bayān too is an extraordinary, recent example of tafsīr of the Qur’an by the Qur’an.

This second verse of Surah Al-Baqarah (Dhālikal-kitābu lā rayba fīhi) can also be explained in conjunction with the first verse of Surah As-Sajdah — which begins with Alif Lām Mīm, tanzīlul-kitābi lā rayba fīhi min Rabbil-ʿālamīn — “The revelation of this Book, in which there is no doubt, from the Lord of the Worlds.” Here “there is no doubt” refers to its source or origin — that there is no doubt that it has come from the Lord of the Worlds.

So all three of these explanations receive support from other verses of the Qur’an, and this is an example of explaining the Qur’an by the verses of the Qur’an.

The Third Phrase: “Hudal lil-muttaqīn”

“Hudal lil-muttaqīn” — guidance for the muttaqīn.

Review: The Characteristics of the Qur’an Obtained So Far

• From “dhālika”: with just one word it has been indicated that its rank is extremely high and that those who hold fast to the Qur’an will also have high rank. Information obtained from a single word.
• From “kitāb”: it is a book. “Kitāb” means “maktūb” — that which is written. That is, it is written and will be preserved in written form.
• From “lā rayba fīhi”: there is no room for doubt in it. And from there again three explanations were obtained:
  • The Qur’an is certainly true.
  • There is no inconsistency in the Qur’an.
  • The Qur’an has come from the Lord of the Worlds — there is no doubt in this.

Is the Qur’an Guidance Only for the Muttaqīn?

“Hudā” means guidance. Now we must break down a little what guidance actually is. From here the question arises: is the Qur’an then guidance only for the muttaqīn (those who have taqwā)? Is the Qur’an not guidance for all people?

This question arises because elsewhere Allah Himself has said “hudal lin-nās” — “Shahru Ramaḍānal-ladhī unzila fīhil-Qurʾān” — the Qur’an was revealed in Ramadan as “hudal lin-nās,” as guidance for all mankind. (That verse too is in Al-Baqarah.) So is the Qur’an guidance for all mankind or guidance for the muttaqīn? Here it is being said guidance for the muttaqīn. Why are both correct? — because we must look at the meaning of guidance.

The Definition of Taqwā

Before explaining guidance, let us look at the definition of taqwā. What is a muttaqī? A muttaqī is one who possesses taqwā.

What is taqwā: Taqwā is the name for protecting oneself from Allah’s anger and punishment by obeying His commands and prohibitions.

Taqwā has an inward aspect and an outward aspect:

• Inward (fear): It begins with fear — if I disobey Allah, Allah will punish me, He will be angry with me. From this fear comes the urge to protect oneself — I must save myself from Allah’s punishment and anger.
• Outward (action): To save myself I must perform certain deeds, I must obey His commands and prohibitions. This is the outward side of taqwā.

The whole matter is taqwā: by obeying Allah’s commands and prohibitions, by implementing His sharīʿah, we have protected ourselves from His anger and punishment. This is taqwā. And the one who possesses this taqwā is called a muttaqī.

The Two Meanings of Guidance

Guidance in fact has two meanings, by which “hudal lin-nās” and “hudal lil-muttaqīn” can be reconciled:

Meaning 1 — Hidāyat al-ʿilm (the guidance of knowledge): One meaning of guidance is knowledge that identifies the truth. In this sense the Qur’an is guidance for everyone. It is in this sense that it is “hudal lin-nās” — the Qur’an is giving us that knowledge by which it identifies truth and falsehood; this is for all mankind. The Qur’an distinguishes between truth and falsehood. In this sense the Qur’an gives guidance to everyone, and the prophets and messengers, and after them those who call to Allah, are charged with the responsibility of conveying this guidance. It is in this sense that Allah says to the Prophet: “Indeed, you guide to a straight path” (42:52) — guidance here in the sense of clarification, not in the sense of compelling.

Meaning 2 — Hidāyat al-ʿamal / Hidāyat at-tawfīq (the guidance of action and success): Another meaning of guidance is the capacity to follow this knowledge. In this sense the Qur’an is not guidance for everyone, because even after knowing the truth not everyone will accept the truth. In this sense the Qur’an is not guidance, because not everyone will have the success of following the Qur’an — only the muttaqīn follow the Qur’an and benefit.

This second kind of guidance is exclusively within Allah’s authority — no matter how beloved the person or how sincere the effort, no human being can give it to anyone else. This second matter is truly weighty — at once painful and consoling. Painful, because the one we love most — parents, children, spouse — no matter how much we try, we cannot bring onto the path we wish to see them on. Consoling, because it becomes clear when we notice whom Allah is saying this to: not to some ordinary person, but to His most beloved servant, the most influential and successful dāʿī in history — the Messenger of Allah ﷺ himself. Allah tells him clearly: “Indeed, you do not guide whom you love, but Allah guides whom He wills” (28:56). If the Messenger of Allah ﷺ himself could not give this guidance to those most beloved to him, then our inability to guide the one we love is no personal failure — it is simply beyond human capacity. In this sense, guidance is created and granted by Allah alone.

This is precisely why the Qur’an says hudal lil-muttaqīn: the Book functions as the guidance of success only when someone receives it with taqwā. However much Qur’an is read, however much truth and falsehood are intellectually distinguished, it yields no fruit until it reaches a heart that is already striving out of fear of Allah’s displeasure. And Allah has promised — in the final verse of Surah Al-ʿAnkabūt — that “those who strive for Us, We will surely guide them to Our paths (subulanā).” Note that the word is plural, subul — many different righteous paths and deeds within Islam, not a single narrow path. The more taqwā a person brings, the more guidance comes; guidance comes in proportion to taqwā.

15.7 Asking Allah for Both Kinds of Guidance

This is why, when we ask Allah for guidance, we will remember that from now on we ask for both — not only knowledge, but knowledge and the capacity to act according to that knowledge. Because how many people, after knowing the truth, after acquiring and understanding knowledge, die in misguidance.

The example of Abū Ṭālib: who said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, “I know that what you are doing is correct, but I cannot accept the humiliation of abandoning the religion of my fathers and forefathers.”

What a trivial matter! Why does he choose eternal Hellfire? Because of a trivial kind of self-regard — that people will say Abū Ṭālib abandoned the religion of his fathers and forefathers. How absurd.

But look — despite being the uncle of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he did not receive guidance — even though he recognized the truth.

This is why, when we seek help from Allah, we should ask from our hearts — that Allah help us to know and accept the truth. As has been taught in other duʿās: that Allah grant us the ability to recognize the truth as truth and to follow it; that He grant us the ability to recognize falsehood as falsehood and to avoid it.

Coming to the Qur’an With Taqwā

We have learned the meaning of taqwā: obeying Allah’s commands and prohibitions in order to protect oneself from His punishment. Behind this there is a fundamental motive in the heart, a fear — that Allah will be angry with me and Allah will punish me. This fear must be at work within him, and this fear must be implemented in the limbs, and Allah’s commands and prohibitions must be implemented in reality.

The more taqwā he brings to the Qur’an, the more guidance he will receive. This is the lesson of hudal lil-muttaqīn. So until a person comes to the Qur’an with taqwā, however much he reads the Qur’an and distinguishes truth from falsehood, it will not succeed. When he comes to the Qur’an with taqwā, Allah will give him guidance. Allah Taʿālā has given him the assurance of guidance.

Taqwā is the name for obeying the commands and prohibitions of Allah Subḥānahu wa Taʿālā in order to protect oneself from His anger and punishment. So according to this definition, the further someone advances in this direction, the greater his taqwā.

Conclusion: Both Verses Are Correct

• “The Qur’an is hudal lin-nās” is also correct, because it has made the truth clear for all mankind.
• “Hudal lil-muttaqīn” is also correct, because only the muttaqīn — those who have taqwā, who are eager to flee from Allah’s punishment and anger and eager to be saved by obeying His commands — will be guided by the Qur’an.

The Connection With Surah Al-Fātiḥah

In Surah Al-Fātiḥah I read, “I came to Allah, ihdinaṣ-ṣirāṭal-mustaqīm, guide me to the straight path.” When I came to Surah Al-Baqarah, right at the beginning I found that this Book is hudal lil-muttaqīn. So the connection is clear. The guidance I asked for in Surah Al-Fātiḥah, this guidance, I asked Allah for guidance — its answer has been given in this place: this Book, the Qur’an, which is our guidance. What he mentioned is the connection between Surah Al-Fātiḥah and Surah Al-Baqarah at the beginning.

There is a very beautiful book about this connection. Among the various tafsīrs, there is a tafsīr called Naẓm ad-Durar. The one who wrote it is named al-Biqāʿī. He was born in the 800s AH. This entire tafsīr explains what the relationship is between two surahs and what the relationship is between two verses. It is a beautiful tafsīr in many places. We may discuss various matters from it at different times in our discussions, in shāʾ Allāh.

The Natural Question: Who Are the Muttaqīn?

Now, after reading this verse, naturally — if the Qur’an is guidance for the muttaqīn, then who are the muttaqīn? What are their characteristics? This question will arise in your mind.

Whenever you read the Qur’an, you will see that if you read the Qur’an with understanding, whenever a question arises in your mind, you will see that Allah has answered it immediately. So is it not reasonable that while reading this Book, now, if you understand this question, you will find the answer in the next verse? In verses three to five we will see that five characteristics of the muttaqīn are mentioned.

We must measure ourselves against the mirror of the Qur’an. If we do not do so, we will fail to understand its meaning.