Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: (And He who determined, then guided)
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Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: (And He who determined, then guided)
His saying, the Exalted: [Al-A'la: 3] He determined everything, Mighty and Majestic, as He the Exalted said: [Al-Furqan: 2] He determined it in its state and its outcome, in its essence and its attributes. Everything has a limited measure; the lifespan is limited, the conditions are limited, and the bodies are limited.Everything is determined with precise determination, as He the Exalted said: [Al-Furqan: 2] And His saying: includes both legislative guidance and cosmic guidance.
Cosmic guidance: That Allah guided everything to what it was created for.Pharaoh said to Moses: [Ta-Ha: 49-50] You will find that every created being has been guided by Allah the Exalted to what it needs. Look at the infant when it comes out of its mother's womb and wants to nurse.Is there anyone who tells him: Does anyone raise its head and tell it to take its mother's breast? No.
But Allah, Mighty and Majestic, guides it to this breast from which it nurses.
Look at the lowest of insects, for example, the ant. Where does it build its homes? It does not build its homes except in a high place on the ground, on a rise of the earth. Why? Because it fears that floods will enter its homes and spoil them. Also, if rain comes and there is food in its burrows or homes, such as grains, it brings it out. When the sun rises, it spreads it out. Why? So that it does not rot. And before it stores it, it eats the ends of the grain so that it does not sprout and spoil for it. This is something observed. Who guided it to this? Allah, Mighty and Majestic, guided it to this. And this is cosmic guidance: that He guided every created being to what it needs.
As for legislative guidance—which is the most important for the children of Adam—So it is: It is the indication of the law of Allah. And Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has explained it in a way that establishes the argument, such that even the disbelievers have been guided by Allah—Meaning: He made it clear to them—Allah the Exalted said: [Fussilat: 17] meaning: they preferred disbelief over faith, and refuge is sought in Allah. Legislative guidance is the intended purpose of the life of the children of Adam.Allah the Exalted said: [Adh-Dhariyat: 56] And Allah informed us of this so that we would turn to Him in all our affairs. If you know that He is the Creator from non-existence, and you are afflicted with an illness, to whom do you turn? To Allah. Turn to Allah; for He is the one who created you and brought you into existence from non-existence, and He is able to heal your body. There is no harm in taking what Allah has permitted of medicine, but with the belief that this medicine is one of the causes that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has established. And if you are healed by this cause, who healed you? Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is the one who made this medicine a cause for your healing. If He had willed, He could have made this medicine a cause for your destruction. So if we know that Allah is the Creator, we turn to Him, Mighty and Majestic, in all our affairs.
If we know that He is the Guide, we seek guidance through His guidance—His legislation—so that we reach what our Lord, Mighty and Majestic, has prepared for us of honor.
We ask Allah the Exalted to guide us and you to His straight path, and to admit us and you into the abode of His honor, with those upon whom Allah has bestowed favor, from the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous.
And here ends the discussion of these noble verses. And I urge you once again to learn the meanings of the verses of the Qur'an if you wish to truly benefit from it, but from trusted scholars or from the exegeses of trusted scholars; for people have spoken about the speech of Allah and researched its meanings, but some of them were guided to the straight path, and some of them deviated for one reason or another; either due to the deficiency of their knowledge, or their understanding, or the badness of their intention; for a person may be deprived of the truth because of a bad intention, and refuge is sought in Allah.
His saying, the Exalted:
And who destined and [then] guided
وَالَّذِي قَدَّرَ فَهَدَىand has created each thing and determined it with [precise] determination.
وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ فَقَدَّرَهُ تَقْدِيراًand has created each thing and determined it with [precise] determination.
وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ فَقَدَّرَهُ تَقْدِيراًso He guided
فَهَدَىCosmic guidance: That Allah guided everything to what it was created for.Pharaoh said to Moses:
(49) [Pharaoh] said, "So who is the Lord of you two, O Moses?" (50) He said, "Our Lord is He who gave each thing its form and then guided [it]."
قَالَ فَمَنْ رَبُّكُمَا يَا مُوسَى * قَالَ رَبُّنَا الَّذِي أَعْطَى كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلْقَهُ ثُمَّ هَدَىBut Allah, Mighty and Majestic, guides it to this breast from which it nurses.
Look at the lowest of insects, for example, the ant. Where does it build its homes? It does not build its homes except in a high place on the ground, on a rise of the earth. Why? Because it fears that floods will enter its homes and spoil them. Also, if rain comes and there is food in its burrows or homes, such as grains, it brings it out. When the sun rises, it spreads it out. Why? So that it does not rot. And before it stores it, it eats the ends of the grain so that it does not sprout and spoil for it. This is something observed. Who guided it to this? Allah, Mighty and Majestic, guided it to this. And this is cosmic guidance: that He guided every created being to what it needs.
As for legislative guidance—which is the most important for the children of Adam—So it is: It is the indication of the law of Allah. And Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has explained it in a way that establishes the argument, such that even the disbelievers have been guided by Allah—Meaning: He made it clear to them—Allah the Exalted said:
And as for Thamud, We guided them, but they preferred blindness over guidance
وَأَمَّا ثَمُودُ فَهَدَيْنَاهُمْ فَاسْتَحَبُّوا الْعَمَى عَلَى الْهُدَىAnd I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْأِنْسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِIf we know that He is the Guide, we seek guidance through His guidance—His legislation—so that we reach what our Lord, Mighty and Majestic, has prepared for us of honor.
We ask Allah the Exalted to guide us and you to His straight path, and to admit us and you into the abode of His honor, with those upon whom Allah has bestowed favor, from the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous.
And here ends the discussion of these noble verses. And I urge you once again to learn the meanings of the verses of the Qur'an if you wish to truly benefit from it, but from trusted scholars or from the exegeses of trusted scholars; for people have spoken about the speech of Allah and researched its meanings, but some of them were guided to the straight path, and some of them deviated for one reason or another; either due to the deficiency of their knowledge, or their understanding, or the badness of their intention; for a person may be deprived of the truth because of a bad intention, and refuge is sought in Allah.