– Excellence toward created beings: conveying every type of benefit the servant can offer—intellectual, physical, or financial—along with sincere counsel in religious and worldly matters, practical assistance, and encouragement to do good.

For this reason those who excel vary greatly in rank, according to how fully they discharge these diverse forms of beneficence toward all creatures—pious and impious alike, even dumb animals. As the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Allah has prescribed excellence in everything,” the hadith (1).

• Guidance (hudā, hidayah) is of two kinds:
  • guidance through knowledge, direction, and instruction;
  • and guidance through divine enabling—placing guidance within the heart.

Both kinds are sought from Allah, Exalted is He:
– either without qualification, as when a person says, “O Allah, guide me,” or, “O Allah, I ask You for guidance”;
– or with the beneficial path specified, as in the worshipper’s plea: “Guide us to the straight path” (1:6).

Whoever is granted guidance is called “rightly guided.” The greatest means by which guidance is obtained is the Qur’an; for this reason Allah has called it absolute guidance, saying, “a guidance for the God-fearing” (2:2), and, “Indeed, this Qur’an guides to that which is most upright” (17:9). It embraces every advantageous matter, both religious and worldly.

• Knowledge and certainty:
  • Knowledge is to grasp realities as they truly are. Hence it is said, “Knowledge is that for which there is proof,” and beneficial knowledge is that which is taken from the Messenger.