وَمِن قَوْمِ مُوسَىٰٓ أُمَّةٌ يَهْدُونَ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَبِهِۦ يَعْدِلُونَ 159
Translations
And among the people of Moses is a community which guides by truth and by it establishes justice.
Transliteration
Wa min qawmi Musa ummatum yahduna bil-haqqi wa bihi ya'dilun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms that among the people of Musa (Moses), there existed a righteous community that guided others by truth and established justice based on it. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari interpret this as referring to the believers among Bani Israel who remained steadfast on the path of Allah despite the corruption of their people, demonstrating that divine guidance produces communities of integrity within every nation.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan period within Surah Al-A'raf's discussion of various prophets and their peoples. It comes after verses addressing the divided state of the Children of Israel and serves to balance the narrative by acknowledging that righteousness existed even among those communities, offering hope that sincere believers will always emerge.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'The best of you are my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them' (Sahih Bukhari 3650), which relates to the concept of righteous communities guided by truth. Additionally, the hadith about the 'saved sect' emphasizes those who adhere to truth and justice as the Prophet and his companions did.
Themes
Key Lesson
Even within communities that go astray, Allah preserves groups of believers who uphold truth and justice, reminding us that individual righteousness contributes to collective moral standing. Modern readers should recognize their responsibility to be part of communities that promote truth and fair dealing in their societies.
Related Ayahs
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا فِى قَرْيَةٍ مِّن نَّبِىٍّ إِلَّآ أَخَذْنَآ أَهْلَهَا بِٱلْبَأْسَآءِ وَٱلضَّرَّآءِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَضَّرَّعُونَ
And We sent to no city a prophet [who was denied] except that We seized its people with poverty and hardship that they might humble themselves [to Allāh].
قَالَ أَنظِرْنِىٓ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ
[Satan] said, "Reprieve me until the Day they are resurrected."
أَوَلَمْ يَنظُرُوا۟ فِى مَلَكُوتِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ مِن شَىْءٍ وَأَنْ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَكُونَ قَدِ ٱقْتَرَبَ أَجَلُهُمْ ۖ فَبِأَىِّ حَدِيثٍۭ بَعْدَهُۥ يُؤْمِنُونَ
Do they not look into the realm of the heavens and the earth and everything that Allāh has created and [think] that perhaps their appointed time has come near? So in what statement [i.e., message] hereafter will they believe?
۞ يَـٰبَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ خُذُوا۟ زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ وَكُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ وَلَا تُسْرِفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُسْرِفِينَ
O children of Adam, take your adornment [i.e., wear your clothing] at every masjid, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess.