“Inna
Hoda
Allah,
hua
al-Hoda”
"God's
guidance
is
THE TRUE
guidance"
The
English
word,
"guidance," and
its
Arabic
alternative,
"
Hoda," mean
compassionate
offer
of
clear
directions
and
useful
tools
to
properly
show
the
way
and
successfully reach
a
specific
destiny. God
almighty
emphasized,
twice,
in
the
Quran
that
His
guidance
is
the REAL
and ONLY
form
of
guidance
to
attain
salvation. With
His
precise
choice
of
Arabic
words,
His
specific
Arabic
grammatical
structure
and
tools,
and
the
redundancy
of
the
word
"Hoda"
in
the
above
statement,
God
affirms
and excludes His
guidance
to
be
the
ONLY
legitimate
and
rightful
kind
of
guidance
to
be
redeemed. These
two
occurrences
are:
[2:120]
Neither
the
Jews,
nor
the
Christians,
will
accept
you,
unless
you
follow
their
religion.
Say,
"GOD's
guidance
(hoda) is
the
true
guidance
(hoda)."
If
you
acquiesce
to
their
wishes,
despite
the
knowledge
you
have
received,
you
will
find
no
ally
or
supporter
to
help
you
against
GOD.
[6:71]
Say,
"Shall
we
implore,
beside
GOD,
what
possesses
no
power
to
benefit
us
or
hurt
us,
and
turn
back
on
our
heels
after
GOD
has
guided
(hadana
- a
derivative
of
Hoda)
us?
In
that
case,
we
would
join
those
possessed
by
the
devils,
and
rendered
utterly
confused,
while
their
friends
try
to
save
them:
`Stay
with
us
on
the
right
path.'
"
Say,
"GOD's
guidance
(Hoda) is
the
right
guidance
(hoda).
We
are
commanded
to
submit
to
the
Lord
of
the
universe.
In fact, God rephrased the same context for
Adam and his wife. When both of
them transgressed in Heaven and were granted
a second chance on earth to be redeemed, God
confirmed the same principle that
His guidance is the real one. He stated that
they shall wait for His guidance on earth,
then, follow it to attain eternal peace and
contentment. He specified to them and to all
of us, children of Adam, that if we do not
follow His guidance/Hoda, we will go astray:
[20:123] He said, "Go down therefrom, all
of you. You are enemies of one another.
When
guidance
(hoda) comes
to you from
Me,
anyone who follows
My guidance
(hoday) will
not go astray,
nor suffer any misery.
[2:38] We said, "Go
down therefrom, all of you. When
guidance (hoda) comes
to you from Me, those who
follow My guidance
(hoday) will
have no fear, nor will they grieve.
God's mercy to fully present and deliver that
divine guidance/hoda is immense and
incomprehensible. He has showered us with
visible and invisible signs, within us and all
around, that distinguish His right path from
others, and speak up, loud and clear, His
language of guidance. He has blessed us with
the brains, the eyesight, and the
hearing through which we were taught how to
differentiate between bad and good, straight and
crooked (16:78, 55:3-4). He sent His prophets
with the proofs, the scriptures, and the laws to
guide both humans and jinns from darkness to
the light. He has been sending His messengers to
reconfirm and redirect us to this guidance. Hoda/guidance
is found in the perfect and detailed teachings
and laws in all of His scriptures as spelled out
in the following examples. We are
to benefit from the reminders in these examples
- we lose our souls when we disregard His laws,
and His guidance/hoda - the righteous are the
real beneficiaries of His enlightenment and the
ones who are entrusted to enforce His laws and
establish justice:
[5:44] We have sent down the Torah,* containing
guidance
(hoda)
and light.
Ruling in accordance with it were the Jewish
prophets, as well as the rabbis and the priests,
as dictated to them in GOD's scripture, and as
witnessed by them. Therefore, do not
reverence
human beings; you shall reverence Me
instead. And do not trade away My revelations
for a cheap price. Those who do not rule
in accordance with GOD's revelations are the
disbelievers.
[5:46] Subsequent to them, we sent Jesus, the
son of Mary, confirming the previous
scripture, the Torah. We gave him the Gospel,
containing
guidance
(hoda)
and
light, and confirming the previous scriptures,
the Torah, and augmenting its guidance
(hoda) and light, and
to enlighten the righteous.
[2:2-5]
This scripture is infallible; a
beacon
(hoda)
for the righteous; who
believe in the unseen, observe the Contact Prayers (Salat),
and from our provisions to them, they give to
charity. And they believe in what was revealed to
you, and in what was revealed before you, and with
regard to the Hereafter, they are absolutely
certain.
These are guided
(hoda) by
their Lord; these are the winners.
[2:185] Ramadan is the month during which the
Quran was revealed, providing guidance
(hoda) for the
people, clear teachings, and the statute book....
[57:25]
We sent our messengers supported by clear
proofs, and we sent down to them
the scripture and the law, that the people may
uphold justice. And we sent down the
iron, wherein there is strength, and many benefits
for the people. All this in order for GOD to
distinguish those who would support Him and His
messengers, on faith. GOD is Powerful, Almighty.
Humans and Jinns are merely
here on earth to choose the guidance/hoda of God
over the illusion of other idols (2:148, 2:256,
6:130). God, the Omniscient, the Alpha, and the
Omega, knows all of our choices as well as our
destinies. Based on His knowledge, He designs for us
what will coincide with our paths, guided or
misguided ones. He, thus, augments our guidance or
misguidance. This is a divine, unchangeable system.
Therefore, when God is declaring that He is the
One who guides or misguides, this is only
represented by all what He brings our way, based on
His full knowledge of our choice of belief or
disbelief:
[28:56]
You cannot guide the ones you love. GOD is
the only One who guides in accordance with His
will, and in accordance with His knowledge of those
who deserve the guidance.
[47:17]
As for those who are guided, He augments
their guidance, and grants them their righteousness.
[ 64:11] Nothing happens to
you except in accordance with GOD's will.
Anyone who believes in GOD, He will guide his heart.
GOD is fully aware of all things.
[39:23]
GOD has revealed herein the best Hadith; a book that
is consistent, and points out both ways (to Heaven
and Hell). The skins of those who reverence their
Lord cringe therefrom, then their skins and their
hearts soften up for GOD's message. Such
is GOD's guidance; He bestows it upon whoever wills
(to be guided). As for those sent astray
by GOD, nothing can guide them.
[10:33]
This is what your Lord's decision does to
those who choose to be wicked: they cannot believe.
[19:75]
Say, "Those who choose to go astray, the
Most Gracious will lead them on, until they see what
is promised for them - either the retribution or the
Hour. That is when they find out who
really is worse off, and weaker in power."
[19:76]
GOD augments the guidance of those who
choose to be guided. For the
good deeds are eternally rewarded by your
Lord, and bring far better returns.
God and those who believe use
the divine and proven truth to guide with. It is the
divine truth that carries within God's guidance/hoda,
while everything and everyone else would not guide
except to an illusion and a real loss. Conjecture
and falsehood are no substitute for the truth,
hence, God's truth is the real guidance:
[7:181]
Among our creations, there are those who
guide (yahdoona - another
derivative of hoda) with the truth,
and the truth renders them righteous.
[10:35]
Say, "Does any of your idols
guide (yahdi-
a derivative of hoda)
to the truth?" Say, "GOD
guides
(yahdi - same derivative of
hoda) to
the truth.
Is one who guides
(yahdi - same derivative of
hoda) to
the truth more worthy of being followed, or one who
does not guide
(yahdi - same derivative of
hoda),
and needs guidance for himself?
What is wrong with your judgment?"
[22:54]
Those who are blessed with knowledge will recognize
the truth from your Lord, then believe in it, and
their hearts will readily accept it. Most assuredly,
GOD guides
(la-hadi - a derivative of
hoda)
the believers in
the right path.
[7:43] We will remove all
jealousy from their hearts. Rivers will flow beneath
them, and they will say, "GOD be praised for guiding
us. We could not possibly be guided
(lanahtadi - a derivative of
hoda) , if it were not that GOD has guided
(hadana - a
derivative of hoda)
us. The messengers of our Lord did bring the truth."
They will be called: "This is your Paradise. You
have inherited it, in return for your works."
It is not a surprise that
Quran, itself, is referred to or given the attribute
of being hoda/guidance in many verses. What
is interesting is that the gematrical value of the
Arabic root for the word "hoda" adds up to 19 ! - Ha
(5) + Da (4) + Ya (10) =
19. More
interesting, "hoda" which is also often translated
as beacon occurs 79 times in the entire Quran, in
different contexts. The number of occurrences out of
these 79 times that "hoda" is used as an attribute
of the Quran or strictly and directly referring to
the Quran happens to be 19
times! Indeed, the only available19- based
scripture, proven to be authored by God, is all
the divine guidance we need. These 19 occurrences
are:
1- 2:2
2- 2:97
3- 2:159
4- 2:185
5- 3:138
6- 6:157
7- 7:52
8- 7:203
9- 10:57
10- 12:111
11- 16:64
12- 16:89
13- 16:102
14- 27:2
15- 27:77
16- 31:3
17- 41:44
18- 45:11
19-
45:20
[1:1] In
the name of GOD, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.*
[1:2]
Praise be to GOD, Lord of the universe.
[1:3]
Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
[1:4]
Master of the Day of Judgment.
[1:5]
You alone we worship; You alone we ask for help.
[1:6]
Guide (ihdina
- derivative of hoda) us in the right path;
[1:7]
the path of those whom You blessed; not of those who
have deserved wrath, nor of the strayers.
Peaceful Friday, salaam, and God bless.
