Shafaqna English- Commentary on the 2nd Chapter of the Holy Quran by Mohammad Sobhanie.
أُولَـئِكَ عَلَى هُدًى مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَأُولَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ ﴿٥﴾
2:5 They (righteous people) are on (true) guidance from their Lord, and it is them who will prosper.
Piety and Prosperity
Commentary: The Verse mentioned above affirms that eternal prosperity and redemption are achieved only by the embodiment of the virtues of righteousness throughout one’s earthly life.
Piety and righteousness reflect an individual’s willpower to guard themselves against sin. A pious person is always mindful of God’s Presence in his life and is therefore careful in observing their duty to God.
Righteousness is like the state of mind of someone passing through a land full of thorns. Such an individual takes careful steps so that thorns do not pierce their skin. Abdullah Mu’atiz [Arabic: (عبداللّه معتز)] has written a poem about piety, which reads[1]:
خُـلِّ الذُّنُوبَ صَـغِيْرَها *** وَ کَبِيْرَها فَهُوَ التَّقـى
وَ اصْنَعْ کَماش فَوْقَ أَرْضِ *** الشَّوْکِ يَحْذَرُ ما يَرى
لاتَـحْقِـرَنَّ صَـغِيْـرَةً *** إِنَّ الْجِبالَ مِنَ الْحَصى
Give up small and big sins, which is the essence of piety
Act like someone who steps on the thorny ground with extreme care
Do not belittle little sin; the mountain is made of many pebbles
In his will to Imam Hassan (AS), Imam Ali (AS) wrote[2]:
فَإِنِّي أُوصِيكَ بِتَقْوَى اللهِ أَيْ بُنَيَّ، وَلُزُومِ أَمْرِهِ، وَعِمَارَةِ قَلْبِكَ بِذِكْرِهِ، وَالاْعْتِصَامِ بِحَبْلِهِ، وَأَيُّ سَبَب أَوْثَقُ مِنْ سَبَب بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَ اللهِ إِنْ أَنْتَ أَخَذْتَ بِهِ
“O! my son, I advise you to piety and righteousness. Be God’s obedient servant, nurture your heart with God’s remembrance and grab to His rope. What can be more secure and stronger than the rope of God for grabbing?”
In this metaphor, the strong rope represents the Qur’an, the Prophet (PBUH), and his Ahlul-Bayt (AS). One end of the rope is in God’s hand, and the other end has been extended to the earth. Righteous people hold steadfastly to the rope of Allah throughout their earthly lives to attain salvation.
Piety and righteousness protect humankind from sinning[3] and nurture their inner beauty, personalities, and characters. Furthermore, piety empowers the human intellect with an inner divine light[4], driving one to draw a better understanding of the Qur’an[5] and to benefit from its teachings[6].
Allah (SWT) loves righteous people[7] and the dearest person to God is the most pious one[8]. God will accept their deeds[9], amend their affairs, and forgive their faults and shortcomings[10]. God will save them from the Hellfire and abode them in Paradise[11]. Allah’s (SWT) help is with the righteous ones[12].
Word-for-Word Translation:
2.5 [أُولَـئِكَ] Those [عَلَى] are on [هُدًى] guidance [مِّن] from [رَّبِّهِمْ] their Lord [وَأُولَـئِكَ] and those [هُمُ] they [الْمُفْلِحُونَ] are the successful ones.
Notes:
[1]. Tafseer-e-Namona, Vol. 1, P.80.
[2]. letter 31 Nahjul-Balaghah
[3]. Al-A’raf 7:26 (وَلِبَاسُ التَّقْوَىٰ).
[4]. Al-Anfal 8:29 (يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِن تَتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ يَجْعَل لَّكُمْ فُرْقَانًا وَيُكَفِّرْ عَنكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ).
[5]. Al-Waq’ia 56:79 (لَّا يَمَسُّهُ إِلَّا الْمُطَهَّرُونَ).
[6]. Al-Baqara 2:2 (هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ).
[7]. Aal-e-Imran 3:76 (فَإِنَّ اللَّـهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَّقِينَ).
[8]. Al-Hujurat 49:13 (إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّـهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ).
[9]. Al-Mi’ada 5:27 (إِنَّمَا يَتَقَبَّلُ اللَّـهُ مِنَ الْمُتَّقِينَ).
[10]. Al-Ahzab 33:71(يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا ﴿٧٠﴾ يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ).
[11]. Aal-e-Imran 3:133 (وَسَارِعُوا إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ).
[12]. At-Tawaba 9:36 (أَنَّ اللَّـهَ مَعَ الْمُتَّقِينَ).
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Commentary on the Holy Quran (2:49-50)