Transliteration:( Zaalikal Kitaabu laa raiba feeh; hudal lilmuttaqeen. )
11. From this verse, two important points become evident:
11.1 In the Qur'an, there is no room for any doubt. Any doubt one might have is due to personal ignorance. This is why Allah says in the Qur'an (2:33), "And if you are in doubt...". The Qur'an provides examples of both the presence and absence of doubt in people's hearts. Thus, its verses are free from inconsistency or contradiction.
11.2 Doubt regarding the Qur'an arises if one has doubts about Hazrat Jibraeel (Gabriel), the Holy Prophet ﷺ, or the illustrious Companions. Jibraeel was the angel who brought down the Qur'an, the Holy Prophet ﷺ was its recipient, and the Companions received it directly from him. Doubting any of these three—Jibraeel, the Prophet ﷺ, or the Companions—casts doubt on the Qur'an itself. Therefore, to view the Companions as transgressors or impious is equivalent to doubting the Prophet ﷺ or Jibraeel. Allah Almighty must also be regarded as absolutely infallible, for any erroneous belief about Allah would cast doubt on the purity and veracity of the Qur'an.
12. The term "Muttaqi" denotes one who fears Allah and abstains from erroneous beliefs and impious deeds. Taqwa has both physical and spiritual aspects. Physically, it means abstaining from sins and performing good deeds, while spiritually, it involves respecting those dear to Allah. As Allah says in the Qur'an (27:32), "And whoever respects the symbols of Allah—indeed, it is from the piety of the heart." The term "Muttaqeen" ("God-conscious people") refers to the Companions of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, indicating that their God-consciousness is a direct result of the Qur'anic guidance. This is a testament to the greatness of the Qur'an. The pious lives of the Companions prove the Qur'an's pristine purity and truth. Furthermore, the Holy Prophet ﷺ was not dependent on the Qur'an for his guidance; he was already a personification of godliness before its revelation. For instance, the practice of Salah was given on the night of Mi'raj, yet the Prophet ﷺ led prayers with previous Prophets in Jerusalem before this journey. Verses about Salah were revealed before the Hijra, while verses about ablution (wudu) came after Hijra in Surah Al-Ma'idah. Nonetheless, during the period of persecution in Makkah, the Prophet ﷺ performed wudu and Salah and taught these practices to his Companions.
Ibn-Kathir on Surah Al-Baqarah (2:2):
"That is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for the Muttaqin."
There is No Doubt in the Qur'an
The term "Rayb" in this context means doubt. As-Suddi reported that Abu Malik and Abu Salih narrated from Ibn Abbas, and Murrah Al-Hamadani narrated from Ibn Masud and several other Companions of the Messenger of Allah that:
﴿لاَ رَيْبَ فِيهِ﴾
(In which there is no Rayb) means that there is no doubt about it. Abu Ad-Darda’, Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Said bin Jubayr, Abu Malik, Nafi, Ata’, Abu Al-Aliyah, Ar-Rabi bin Anas, Muqatil bin Hayyan, As-Suddi, Qatadah, and Isma`il bin Abi Khalid have expressed similar views. Ibn Abi Hatim mentioned that there is no disagreement over this explanation. This indicates that the Book, i.e., the Qur'an, is free from any doubt as it is revealed from Allah. Similarly, in Surat As-Sajdah, Allah says:
﴿الم – ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لاَ رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ﴾
(Alif Lam Mim. That is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guidance for the Muttaqin) (2:1-2).
Some scholars interpret this verse (2:2) as a prohibition against doubting the Qur'an. Moreover, some reciters pause after ﴿لاَ رَيْبَ﴾ ("there is no doubt") and then continue with ﴿فِيهِ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ﴾ ("in which there is guidance for the Muttaqin"). However, it is preferable to pause at ﴿لاَ رَيْبَ فِيهِ﴾ ("in which there is no doubt") because this makes ﴿هُدًى﴾ ("guidance") an attribute of the Qur'an, which conveys a more profound meaning than simply ﴿فِيهِ هُدًى﴾ ("in which there is guidance").
Guidance is Granted to Those Who Have Taqwa
Guidance (Hidayah) is only granted to those who possess Taqwa—fear of Allah. Allah says:
﴿قُلْ هُوَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا هُدًى وَشِفَاءٌ وَالَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ فِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرٌ وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمًى أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِن مَكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ﴾
(Say: "It is for those who believe, a guide and a healing. And as for those who disbelieve, there is deafness in their ears, and it (the Qur'an) is blindness for them. They are those who are called from a place far away") (41:44),
and:
﴿وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ مَا هُوَ شِفَاءٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَلاَ يَزِيدُ الظَّالِمِينَ إِلَّا خَسَارًا﴾
(And We send down of the Qur'an that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe, and it increases the wrongdoers in nothing but loss) (17:82).
These verses illustrate that the Qur'an benefits believers in particular. The Qur'an itself is a form of guidance, but this guidance is only granted to the righteous, as Allah says:
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَاءَتْكُمْ مَّوْعِظَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَشِفَاءٌ لِّمَا فِي الصُّدُورِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ﴾
(O mankind! There has come to you a good advice from your Lord (i.e., the Qur'an, enjoining all that is good and forbidding all that is evil), and a healing for that which is in your breasts—a guidance and a mercy for the believers) (10:57).
Ibn Abbas and Ibn Masud, among others, explained that ﴿هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ﴾ (guidance for the Muttaqin) refers to those who possess Taqwa, which means to be pious and righteous.
The Meaning of Al-Muttaqin
Ibn Abbas explained **﴿هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ﴾** as guidance for those who avoid Shirk (associating partners with Allah) and who act in obedience to Him. He also described Al-Muttaqin as those who fear Allah's punishment for abandoning the true guidance they recognize and who hope for His mercy by believing in what He has revealed. Qatadah added that **﴿لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ﴾** refers to those who believe in the unseen and perform Salah (prayer) (2:3), among other characteristics. Ibn Jarir stated that this verse (2:2) encompasses all these meanings, which is the correct view. At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah also reported that Atiyah As-Sa`di said the Prophet ﷺ mentioned:
«لَا يَبْلُغُ الْعَبْدُ أَنْ يَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُتَّقِينَ حَتَّى يَدَعَ مَا لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ حَذَرًا مِمَّا بِهِ بَأْس»
(The servant will not attain the status of the Muttaqin until he leaves what is harmless out of fear of falling into what is harmful.) At-Tirmidhi classified this as "Hasan Gharib" (good and rare).
There Are Two Types of Guidance (Hidayah)
Huda here refers to the faith and direction that only Allah can bestow in the hearts of His servants. Allah says:
﴿إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ﴾
(Verily, you (O Muhammad) do not guide whom you like) (28:56),
﴿لَيْسَ عَلَيْكَ هُدَاهُمْ﴾
(Not upon you (Muhammad) is their guidance) (2:272),
﴿مَن يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ﴾
(Whomsoever Allah sends astray, none can guide him) (7:186),
and:
﴿مَن يَهْدِ اللَّهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِ وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُ وَلِيًّا مُرْشِدًا﴾
(He whom Allah guides, he is the rightly guided; but he whom He sends astray, you will find no guiding friend to lead him (to the right path)) (18:17).
Huda also means to explain the truth, give direction, and lead to it. Allah, the Exalted, said:
﴿وَإِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِي إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ﴾
(And verily, you (O Muhammad) are indeed guiding (mankind) to the straight path (i.e., Allah’s religion of Islamic Monotheism)) (42:52),
﴿إِنَّمَا أَنتَ مُنذِرٌ وَلِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ هَادٍ﴾
(You are only a warner, and to every people there is a guide) (13:7),
and:
﴿وَأَمَّا ثَمُودُ فَهَدَيْنَاهُمْ فَاسْتَحَبُّوا الْعَمَى عَلَى الْهُدَى﴾
(And as for Thamud, We showed them the path of truth (Islamic Monotheism) through Our Messenger (i.e., showed them the way of success), but they preferred blindness to guidance) (41:17).
These examples illustrate the various aspects of guidance.
Meaning of Taqwa
The root meaning of Taqwa is to avoid what one dislikes. It was reported that Umar bin Al-Khattab asked Ubayy bin Kab about Taqwa. Ubayy replied, “Have you ever walked on a path with thorns?” Umar said, “Yes.” Ubayy said, “What did you do then?” Umar responded, “I rolled up my sleeves and took care.” Ubayy said, “That is Taqwa.”
(2:2) This is the Book of Allah, there is no doubt in it;[2] it is a guidance for the pious,[3]
2. One obvious meaning of this verse is that this Book, the Qur’an, is undoubtedly from God. Another possible meaning is that nothing contained in it can be subject to doubt. Books which deal with supernatural questions, with matters that lie beyond the range of sense perception, are invariably based on conjecture and their authors, despite their brave show of competence, are therefore not immune from a degree of scepticism regarding their statements. This Book, which is based wholly on Truth, a Book which is the work of none other than the All-Knowing God Himself is distinguishable from all other books. Hence, there is no room for doubt about its contents despite the hesitation some people might express either through ignorance or folly.
3. This means that while the Book is potentially for all, only those who possess certain qualities can benefit from it. The first such quality is piety: those who want to benefit should be disposed to distinguish between good and evil, and to shun evil and do good. Those who lead an animal existence, who never to consider whether their actions are either good or bad, whose cynically follow the prevailing winds, who are helplessly tossed about by the animal desires that dominate their minds, such persons are all together incapable of deriving any benefit from the guidance embodied in the Qur’an.
[8]- Literally, "those who have taqwā," i.e., who have piety, righteousness, fear and love of Allāh, and who take great care to avoid His displeasure.
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