﴿1–5﴾ “In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. Alif-Lām-Mīm. * These are the verses of the wise Book, * guidance and mercy for the doers of good, * those who establish prayer, give zakat, and have certainty in the Hereafter. * Those are upon guidance from their Lord, and it is they who are successful.”

Allah Most High points, in a manner signifying greatness, to “the verses of the wise Book.” That is, its verses are perfected, having proceeded from One All-Wise, All-Aware.

Part of their perfection is that they employ the noblest, most eloquent, and clearest words, conveying the loftiest and finest meanings.

Part of their perfection is that they are preserved from alteration, substitution, addition, omission, and distortion.

Part of their perfection is that all the reports (1) they contain concerning the past and future, as well as every matter of the unseen, accord with reality, and reality accords with them. No divinely revealed book has contradicted them, nor has any prophet reported anything contrary to them. [Nor has there arisen—or will there ever arise—any empirical knowledge or sound rational conclusion that contradicts what they signify] (2).

Part of their perfection is that they command only what is wholly beneficial or predominantly so, and forbid only what is wholly harmful or predominantly so. They frequently couple a command with mention of [the wisdom behind it] (3) and its benefit, and a prohibition with mention of its harm.

Part of their perfection is that they combine encouragement and warning with eloquent admonition, through which virtuous souls become balanced, gain self-command, and act with resolve.

Part of their perfection is that all their recurring verses—such as narratives, rulings, and the like—agree and corroborate one another, without contradiction or inconsistency. The more a discerning person ponders them and engages his reason in reflecting upon them, the more his reason is dazzled and his mind astounded by their harmony and concord. He becomes utterly certain, without a trace of doubt, that this is a revelation from One All-Wise, Praiseworthy.

Yet despite its wisdom—calling to every noble trait and forbidding every base trait—most people are deprived of guidance through it and turn away from believing in it and acting upon it. The exceptions are those whom Allah Most High grants success and protects: those who worship their Lord with excellence and show kindness to His creatures.

For it is “guidance” for them, directing them to the straight path and warning them against the paths of Hell; and it is “mercy” for them, through which they attain happiness in this world and the Hereafter, abundant good, immense reward, joy, and delight, while misguidance and misery are averted from them.

He then described the doers of good as possessing perfect knowledge: certainty that necessarily leads to action and to fear of Allah’s punishment, so they forsake disobedience to Him. He also described them as people of action, singling out two excellent deeds: prayer, which encompasses sincerity, intimate communion with Allah Most High, and comprehensive worship with the heart, tongue, and limbs, and which assists in all other deeds; and zakat, which purifies its giver of base traits, benefits his Muslim brother, and meets his need. It also demonstrates that the servant gives preference to love of Allah over love of wealth: he gives up the wealth he loves for that which is more beloved to him—the pursuit of Allah’s pleasure.

“Those,” then, are the doers of good who combine perfect knowledge with action. They are “upon guidance”—that is, tremendous guidance, as implied by the indefinite form. This guidance is theirs and has reached them “from their Lord,” who continually nurtures them with blessings and wards adversity away from them.

The guidance He has conveyed to them forms part of His special care for His devoted servants, which is the finest kind of care. “And it is they who are successful”: those who have attained their Lord’s pleasure and His reward in this world and the Hereafter, and have been spared His wrath and punishment. This is because they followed the path of success, the only path by which it can be attained.