أُولٰئِكَ عَلىٰ هُدًى مِن رَبِّهِم ۖ وَأُولٰئِكَ هُمُ المُفلِحونَ

Those are on their Lord’s guidance, and those it is who are the successful.

EXPOSITION

This verse continues to describe the virtuous where the two plural demonstrative pronouns those (ulāʾika) in this verse refers to them, and their qualities are described in the previous verse.[1] Thus they possess clarity and discernment because they attend to God with sound hearts and sincere intentions devoid of doubt, and because of their rising to the station of goodness in both speech and deeds.[2] This is while the verse expresses how divine guidance encompasses them, which it does by saying, on their Lord’s guidance. This is as if they had caught hold of the leash of guidance which then leads or guides them to success and prosperity of both abodes, as the terminal part of this verse states, and those it is who are the successful.[3] This is because they combine true beliefs with virtuous deeds and thereby merit God’s reward and mercy.[4] These two plural demonstrative pronouns also denote specification in that guidance and success specifically applies to those described here.[5] The phrase on their Lord’s guidance may also mean ‘on God’s proof’ which is that they are on a path for which they have evidence and authoritative proof from God.[6]

It may be worthwhile to observe here that the first five verses of this surah greatly resemble the first five verses of Sūrat al-Baqarah, while verse 5 is an exact replica of 2:5.

[1] Munyah, 21/319.
[2] Munyah, 21/319.
[3] Munyah, 21/320; Amthal, 13/12.
[4] Tibyan, 8/270.
[5] Amthal, 13/12.
[6] Tibyan, 8/270.