Two Groups of Believers:
Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) mentioned two groups of people so far.
The first group are those who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend from what Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) provided them. In simple words, it is anyone who has faith (imaan) and does basic good deeds like praying and helping people. For example, a taxi driver that works 18 hours a day and 6 days a week to provide for his family and has no time to study religion. He manages to find a brief moment, stops by a mosque, and performs salah.
The second group are those who believe in what has been sent to you, what has been sent before you and they have absolute conviction in the afterlife. In simple words, it is about knowledgeable people i.e. people who are knowledgeable about the Quran and also the previous revelations. For example, a person who is being sponsored by his family and travels from one land to another to study the Quran, Sharia, Hadith etc., gets bachelors, masters and PhD degrees in Islamic studies and also becomes an Aalim.
When we look at these two groups of people, we easily say that the second group is clearly the better one. But Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) combines both these groups of people and says all of them are committed to guidance and they are all successful people (muflihoon).
The Responsibility of Sharing Knowledge:
If Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) has opened the doors of learning for you, then it is your job to facilitate this learning for people for whom Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) did not open that door i.e. for people who are super busy, people who don’t have much time. Instead of looking down on them as they are too busy making money, you need to go to them and facilitate for them. It becomes your responsibility within your family, within your community and for people around you.
Prophet’s (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) Heartfelt Concern for His Ummah:
Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn Abbas (radi allahu anhu) said about this ayah: “That the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) was eager for all the people to believe and follow the guidance he was sent with. Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) informed him that none would believe except for those whom He decreed happiness for in the first place, and none would stray except those whom Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) has decreed to do so in the first place.”
The Symmetry of the Ayats:
In these four ayats (ayat 2 – 5) about the believers, the first ayat began with guidance and the last ayat ended with guidance i.e. “hudan” is in both ayats. Both middle ayats are about “imaan” i.e. yu’minoon in both ayats.
In the second ayat, it’s stated that this book is guidance for people of taqwa. Does that mean it’s not meant for everyone?
This is actually a very important consideration in language. This is why Quran demands pondering, it demands reflection. We can’t just read it at surface level. Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) creates these questions in our minds as he speaks and we have to reconcile his message to understand the intent.
Quran is a message for all of humanity. But the people who are actually going to take the time to take the benefit are Muttaqeen (people of taqwa). Hence, Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) is saying that all of humanity has a chance to become Muttaqeen.
Meaning
Those are the ones who are committed to what is truly guidance from their master, and those are the ones who will be successful and will always remain successful.