This ayat translates to “those are the ones who are committed to guidance from their master and those are the ones who will be ultimately successful”.
Understanding “Ulaaa’ika”:
“Ulaaa’ika” means “those”. It refers to people who believe in the unseen, establish the prayer, spend from what Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) has granted them, believe in what Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) has revealed to the Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) and the Messengers before him, believe in the hereafter with certainty, and prepare for the hereafter by performing good deeds and avoiding the prohibitions.
“Those” is generally used to point at someone who is far away. People who have high taqwa are always on top, and people who are on top always appear as someone highly accomplished. Hence, they appear far away for others.
There are 2 qualities given to people of guidance – muttaqeen (people who protect themselves) and muflihoon (people who are going to be successful).
The Fascinating Insight in “Hudan”:
The “an” at the end (in “hudan”), is to show something (guidance) as grand. In other words, it is to say that those people are the ones who are committed to what is ‘truly’ guidance.
What It Means to Be “Muflihoon”?:
Muflihoon doesn’t just mean successful. The word that means successful is “faizoon”.
“Muflihoon” means people who are successful and are always going to remain successful. In other words, they are going to have eternal life, a life that lasts forever full of success and blessings.
Muflihoon is derived from the root word “aflaha”. Another word that comes from “aflaha” is “fallah” which refers to farmer. A farmer works the entire year – he works hard on the soil, puts the seed in, pours the water on, and doesn’t see results for most of the year. Finally, when the crop grows, which happens probably just once an year, he reaps rewards and celebrates it. This season when he receives his rewards, he is called “fallah” or “muflih”.
Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) by using the word “muflihoon” is suggesting that people need to put a lot of hard work and only then they will reap their rewards. The entire philosophy and wisdom of the religion is we need to work hard to earn Allah’s (subhanahu wa ta’ala) rahmah and Jannah.