The Mirror of the Excellences of Islam — Page 150
PREFACE ESSENCE OF ISLAM 149 praiseworthy and commendatory. For example, Allah, glorified be His eminence, said regarding His Noble Prophet: وَوَجَدَكَ ضَالاً فَهَدى : Obviously, the well-known and familiar meaning of the term — ḍāll, which the linguists are also fond to cite, is 'astray. According to this understanding, the verse would mean, ‘(O Messenger of Allah!) God Almighty found you misguided and guided you, whereas the fact is that the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was never misguided. Anyone who professes to be a Muslim yet believes that the Holy Prophetas engaged in an act of misguidance at any point in his life, is a kafir [disbeliever], devoid of faith, and deserv- ing of punishment under Islamic law. Here the verse should be assigned a meaning consistent with the context, which is the following: Allah, glorified be His eminence, first stated about the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him: الَمْ يَجِدُكَ يَتِيمَا فَأَوَى وَوَجَدَكَ ضَالًا فَهَدَى وَوَجَدَكَ عَابِلًا فَاغْنى 20 Meaning that: God Almighty found you an orphan and helpless, and He gave you shelter with Himself and found you ḍāll (meaning that deeply in love with the Countenance of Allah) and therefore He drew you towards Himself and He found you indigent and enriched you. The following verses, which occur after the above, support the validity of these meanings: 1. Surah ad-Duḥā, 93:8 [Publisher] 2. Surah ad-Duḥā, 93:7-9 [Publisher]