There is no better guidance than the Divine guidance contained in the Divine Scriptures revealed on the prophets of Allah. One needs to read and understand how to seek guidance, how, where and when. Al Qur'an, being the last of the Divine Scriptures, deliberate at length on the subject of guidance. In fact the purpose of Al Qur'an is guidance of humanity.
One such ayat / verse of guidance for humanity is the 89th verse of Surah 16. An Nah (The Honey Bee) given herein under:
وَيَوۡمَ نَـبۡعَثُ فِىۡ كُلِّ اُمَّةٍ شَهِيۡدًا عَلَيۡهِمۡ مِّنۡ اَنۡفُسِهِمۡ وَجِئۡنَا بِكَ شَهِيۡدًا عَلٰى هٰٓؤُلَاۤءِ ؕ وَنَزَّلۡنَا عَلَيۡكَ الۡـكِتٰبَ تِبۡيَانًا لِّـكُلِّ شَىۡءٍ وَّ هُدًى وَّرَحۡمَةً وَّبُشۡرٰى لِلۡمُسۡلِمِيۡنَ
(16:89) (O Muhammad), warn them of the coming of a Day when We shall bring forth a witness against them from each community and We shall bring you forth as a witness against them all; (and it is for that purpose that) We sent down the Book to you which makes everything clear, and serves as a guidance and mercy and glad tidings to those who have submitted to Allah.
Context in the Qur’an
Surah An-Nahl is sometimes called "The Surah of Allah’s Blessings", and much of it lists the favors of Allah in creation, sustenance, and revelation.
- In verse 89, Allah addresses the Prophet ﷺ and reminds him that the Qur’an is not merely a scripture of rituals — it is the final, complete guide clarifying everything essential for human success: beliefs, moral principles, acts of worship, lawful and unlawful matters, and the principles of justice.
- This verse was revealed in the context of the Prophet’s mission to clarify truth in the face of opposition from the Quraysh, who often claimed they were following the religion of their forefathers without needing the Qur’an’s guidance.
The Quran makes manifest everything on which depends guidance or deviation, success or failure. Whose knowledge is essential for following the right way. What clearly distinguishes truth from falsehood.
This Book is a guidance for those who surrender to it as a divine Book and follow it in every aspect of life. Then it will bring Allah’s blessings upon them, and will give them the good news that they will come out successful in the court of Allah on the Day of Judgment. Or, the contrary, those people who reject it shall not only be deprived of guidance and blessing but will also find it as a testimony against themselves on the Day of Resurrection when Allah’s Messenger will stand up to testify against them. This Book will prove to be a strong argument against them. For Allah’s Messenger will say that he had conveyed its message which made manifest the distinction between truth and falsehood.
Meaning of “Tibyān al-li-kulli shay’” (Clarification of all things)
It doesn’t mean the Qur’an is an encyclopedia of all sciences. Therefore one should guard against that meaning of this sentence and the like in the Quran according to which some people interpret “everything” to mean the knowledge of all sciences, arts, etc. and in order to prove the correctness of their interpretation, they have to pervert the real meaning of the Quran.
The verse actually means that the Qur’an clarifies everything on which guidance or deviation, success or failure depends — the core truths for human salvation.
For details of worldly matters, Allah provides principles; the Prophet ﷺ, through Sunnah, explained their application.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“I have left among you two things; you will never go astray as long as you hold fast to them: the Book of Allah and my Sunnah.” (Muwatta Malik, Hakim)
This hadith shows the Qur’an’s role in guidance is complete, but its application is detailed through the Sunnah.
Another hadith in Muslim: “The Qur’an is an intercessor and a truthful advocate. Whoever puts it in front of him, it will lead him to Paradise; whoever throws it behind him, it will drag him to Hell.”
Lessons for Today
- The Qur’an addresses all essentials of human life: faith, worship, morality, justice, and social relations.
- Its guidance is timeless; its principles can be applied in every age.
- Rejecting the Qur’an is rejecting the very mercy and guidance Allah sent for human well-being.
The revelation of the Qur’ān thus provides “guidance and grace and gives good news to those who submit themselves to God.” This shows clearly that whoever wishes to follow right guidance and receive God’s mercy should declare his submission to God before the arrival of that awesome and fearful day. For when it comes, no one will be given leave to justify his position or to make amends for past deeds. Thus we see that the scenes of the Day of Judgement given in the Qur’ān serve a definite purpose endorsing the message given in the section where they occur.
Let us then turn to Al Qur'an for guidance and reform our lives as per the Divine commandments and instruction to follow a path clearly defined which should guide us to success. Any deviation from the right path is bound to fail with severe consequences.
You may refer to our reference page Selected verses from Surah 16. An Nahl for more selected verses from this surah already published.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
Please refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from Surah 14. Ibrāhīm "إبراهيم" (Prophet Abraham) for verses from this Surah
You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.
For more Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. .
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.
Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors. If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.
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