Quran Universe
31:5

أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ عَلَىٰ هُدٗى مِّن رَّبِّهِمۡۖ وَأُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُفۡلِحُونَ

Olaika AAala hudan min rabbihim waolaika humu almuflihoona

Those are on [right] guidance from their Lord, and it is those who are the successful.

Word by word
  1. أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَThose
  2. عَلَىٰ(are) on
  3. هُدٗىguidance
  4. مِّنfrom
  5. رَّبِّهِمۡۖtheir Lord
  6. وَأُوْلَـٰٓئِكَand those
  7. هُمُ[they]
  8. ٱلۡمُفۡلِحُونَ(are) the successful
Luqman · 31:5Makkah

They are on guidance, and they are the successful.

What success means in this surah

Where they stand
those who do goodpray, give, are certain
are on
guidancefrom their Lord
and are
successfulhere and in the Hereafter
What success is
title, salary, followersthe usual scoreboard
guided by your Lordin both worlds

Ibn Kathir explains that these people follow Allah's guidance with clear understanding. They are successful in this world and in the Hereafter. The Makkans measured success by wealth and tribe. This verse gives a different measure.

The school reunion where everyone compares jobs and houses. The LinkedIn post about a promotion. Success here has a different definition: being on guidance from your Lord, and staying there.

Success is what people can see on my profile.

Success is being guided by my Lord, in this life and the next.

Try this

Write your own one-line definition of success, and check it against this verse.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 31:1)

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

الم - تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ الْحَكِيمِ - هُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لِلْمُحْسِنِينَ - الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَهُمْ بِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ - أُولَٰئِكَ عَلَىٰ هُدًى مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ

(1. Alif Lam Mim.)(2. These are Ayat of the Wise Book.)(3. A guide and a mercy for the Muhsinin.)(4. Those who perform the Salah and give Zakah and they have faith in the Hereafter with certainty.)(5. Such are on guidance from their Lord, and such are the successful.)

At the beginning of Surat Al-Baqarah we discussed the letters such as those that appear at the beginning of this Surah. Allah has made the Qur'an a guidance and healing and a mercy for the Muhsinin, who are those who do good deeds in accordance with the Shari'ah. They establish the obligatory prayers in the proper manner and at the correct times, and follow that with regular, optional and supererogatory prayers; they pay the Zakah to those who deserve it; they uphold the ties of kinship with their relatives; they have certain faith that there will be rewards and punishments in the Hereafter, and they seek the reward with Allah; they do not show off or seek a reward or thanks from other people. Whoever does this is one of those of whom Allah says:

أُولَٰئِكَ عَلَىٰ هُدًى مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ ۖ 

(Such are on guidance from their Lord,) meaning, they follow His guidance with clear understanding.

وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ

(and such are the successful.) in this world and in the Hereafter.