وَمِمَّنْ خَلَقْنَآ أُمَّةٌ يَهْدُونَ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَبِهِۦ يَعْدِلُونَ 181
Translations
And among those We created is a community which guides by truth and thereby establishes justice.
Transliteration
Wa mimman khalaqna ummatan yahdoona bil-haqqi wa bihi ya'diloona
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms that among the creation of Allah, there exists a community (ummah) that guides by truth and establishes justice based on it. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir interpret this as referring to the scholars and righteous believers of the Muslim ummah who are committed to spreading divine truth and ruling with equity. The ayah emphasizes that guidance (hidayah) and justice ('adl) are inseparable virtues rooted in adherence to divine revelation.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-A'raf, a Meccan chapter focused on fundamental Islamic principles and divine guidance. It occurs within a broader passage (7:176-181) discussing those who receive signs and knowledge, distinguishing between those who follow guidance and those who turn away. The context emphasizes the responsibility of those blessed with knowledge to use it for spreading truth and justice.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: 'The best of you are those who learn the Quran and teach it' (Sahih Bukhari 5027), reflecting the concept of guiding by truth mentioned in this ayah. Additionally, the hadith 'Whosoever guides to goodness has a reward similar to that of its doer' (Sahih Muslim 1893) relates to the theme of those who lead others to truth.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that possessing knowledge of truth carries with it the sacred duty to guide others with integrity and to uphold justice in all affairs. It calls modern Muslims to recognize that true guidance is incomplete without accompanying it with fairness, equity, and honest application in daily life.
Related Ayahs
ثُمَّ بَدَّلْنَا مَكَانَ ٱلسَّيِّئَةِ ٱلْحَسَنَةَ حَتَّىٰ عَفَوا۟ وَّقَالُوا۟ قَدْ مَسَّ ءَابَآءَنَا ٱلضَّرَّآءُ وَٱلسَّرَّآءُ فَأَخَذْنَـٰهُم بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
Then We exchanged in place of the bad [condition], good, until they increased [and prospered] and said, "Our fathers [also] were touched with hardship and ease." So We seized them suddenly while they did not perceive.
قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوٓا۟ إِنَّا بِٱلَّذِىٓ ءَامَنتُم بِهِۦ كَـٰفِرُونَ
Said those who were arrogant, "Indeed we, in that which you have believed, are disbelievers."
وَإِن تَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَى ٱلْهُدَىٰ لَا يَسْمَعُوا۟ ۖ وَتَرَىٰهُمْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَيْكَ وَهُمْ لَا يُبْصِرُونَ
And if you invite them to guidance, they do not hear; and you see them looking at you while they do not see.
۞ وَإِلَىٰ عَادٍ أَخَاهُمْ هُودًا ۗ قَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥٓ ۚ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ
And to the ʿAad [We sent] their brother Hūd. He said, "O my people, worship Allāh; you have no deity other than Him. Then will you not fear Him?"