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
أَهَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ ٱلَّذِينَ أَقْسَمْتُمْ لَا يَنَالُهُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ ۚ ٱدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْجَنَّةَ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَآ أَنتُمْ تَحْزَنُونَ
[Allāh will say], "Are these the ones whom you [inhabitants of Hell] swore that Allāh would never offer them mercy? Enter Paradise, [O people of the Elevations]. No fear will there be concerning you, nor will you grieve."
وَنَزَعْنَا مَا فِى صُدُورِهِم مِّنْ غِلٍّ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهِمُ ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ ۖ وَقَالُوا۟ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِى هَدَىٰنَا لِهَـٰذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لِنَهْتَدِىَ لَوْلَآ أَنْ هَدَىٰنَا ٱللَّهُ ۖ لَقَدْ جَآءَتْ رُسُلُ رَبِّنَا بِٱلْحَقِّ ۖ وَنُودُوٓا۟ أَن تِلْكُمُ ٱلْجَنَّةُ أُورِثْتُمُوهَا بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
And We will have removed whatever is within their breasts of resentment, [while] flowing beneath them are rivers. And they will say, "Praise to Allāh, who has guided us to this; and we would never have been guided if Allāh had not guided us. Certainly the messengers of our Lord had come with the truth." And they will be called, "This is Paradise, which you have been made to inherit for what you used to do."
ٱتَّبِعُوا۟ مَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُم مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ ۗ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ
Follow, [O mankind], what has been revealed to you from your Lord and do not follow other than Him any allies. Little do you remember.
ٱلَّذِينَ يَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَيَبْغُونَهَا عِوَجًا وَهُم بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ كَـٰفِرُونَ
Who averted [people] from the way of Allāh and sought to make it [seem] deviant while they were, concerning the Hereafter, disbelievers."