for My remembrance.”
Likewise, the expression “following what Allah has revealed” encompasses all acts of obedience, as in His sayings:
“Follow what has been revealed to you from your Lord, and do not follow any protectors besides Him.”
“Whoever follows My guidance will neither go astray nor suffer misery.”
“This is My straight path, so follow it, and do not follow other ways, lest they lead you away from His way.”
Yet He may mention something else alongside it, as in His sayings:
“This is a blessed Book which We have revealed, so follow it and fear Allah, that you may receive mercy.”
“Follow what has been revealed to you from your Lord—there is no deity worthy of worship except Him—and turn away from the polytheists.”
“Follow what is revealed to you, and be patient until Allah judges, for He is the best of judges.”
Likewise, when the term “the righteous” is used without qualification, it includes every God-fearing person, whether among those foremost in good deeds or those who take a middle course. When mentioned alongside “those brought near,” however, its meaning is more specific. Concerning the first usage, Allah Most High says:
“Indeed, the righteous will be in bliss, and indeed, the wicked will be in Hellfire.”
Concerning the second, He says:
“No! Indeed, the record of the righteous is in ʿIlliyyīn. And what will make you know what ʿIlliyyīn is? A record inscribed, witnessed by those brought near.”
This is a vast subject, an exhaustive treatment of which would be lengthy. It is among the most beneficial matters for understanding what words signify in general, and the words of the Quran and Sunnah in particular. Through it, many misconceptions over which people have disputed extensively are dispelled. Among these is “the question of faith and Islam”: the dispute over what these two terms denote was the first disagreement to arise that caused the Muslim community to split. They came to differ over the Quran and Sunnah, declared one another unbelievers, and fought one another, as we have explained at length elsewhere. Our purpose here is to explain the words of Allah and His Messenger in a way that makes clear that all guidance is derived from the words of