Discover the meaning of the term Al-hdā (هدى) in Islamic vocabulary.
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Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
📖 3 min readA name applying to faith and to all legislations, for it is by them all that one is guided (ihtada); Allah, exalted be He, said: 'The true guidance is the guidance of Allah'.
'So-and-so, huddan or huddiyan or hudayya': to ask to be guided. 'So-and-so': to set him right, to point out to him. 'So-and-so the way, or for him, or to it': to make it known and clear to him. In the Quran: 'And as for Thamud, We gave them guidance, but they preferred blindness to guidance; so the thunderbolt of the humiliating punishment seized them for what they used to earn' (Fussilat 17), that is: We showed them the way of guidance, but they chose disbelief.
The upright conduct (al-sira al-sawiyya); from it comes the hadith: 'be guided by the guidance of 'Ammar', that is, follow his conduct and model yourselves upon his state; he is 'Ammar ibn Yasir, Abu l-Yaqzan, also called 'Ammar ibn Sumayya (al-Bukhari, Manaqib al-Ansar 30, 46), mentioned by al-Matrizi. 'Al-hadiyya': what you send to another in honor.
Right guidance (rashad) and the pointing to right guidance.
'Al-hadiyya': what a relative or friend presents, in gifts and kind attentions; plural: hadaya. 'The bride'. Among the Malikis, Hanafis, Shafi'is, Hanbalis, and Ibadis: transferring ownership of a thing without compensation, in honor of the one given to. In the Majalla (art. 834): it is the thing given or sent to someone in his honor.
﴿ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًۭى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ﴾
« This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah - »
Surah البقرة : 2
﴿أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ عَلَىٰ هُدًۭى مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ﴾
« Those are upon [right] guidance from their Lord, and it is those who are the successful. »
Surah البقرة : 5
﴿أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱشْتَرَوُا۟ ٱلضَّلَـٰلَةَ بِٱلْهُدَىٰ فَمَا رَبِحَت تِّجَـٰرَتُهُمْ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ مُهْتَدِينَ﴾
« Those are the ones who have purchased error [in exchange] for guidance, so their transaction has brought no profit, nor were they guided. »
Surah البقرة : 16
﴿قُلْنَا ٱهْبِطُوا۟ مِنْهَا جَمِيعًۭا ۖ فَإِمَّا يَأْتِيَنَّكُم مِّنِّى هُدًۭى فَمَن تَبِعَ هُدَاىَ فَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ﴾
« We said, "Go down from it, all of you. And when guidance comes to you from Me, whoever follows My guidance - there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve. »
Surah البقرة : 38
﴿قُلْ مَن كَانَ عَدُوًّۭا لِّجِبْرِيلَ فَإِنَّهُۥ نَزَّلَهُۥ عَلَىٰ قَلْبِكَ بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ مُصَدِّقًۭا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَهُدًۭى وَبُشْرَىٰ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ﴾
« Say, "Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel - it is [none but] he who has brought the Qur'an down upon your heart, [O Muhammad], by permission of Allah, confirming that which was before it and as guidance and good tidings for the believers." »
Surah البقرة : 97
﴿وَلَن تَرْضَىٰ عَنكَ ٱلْيَهُودُ وَلَا ٱلنَّصَـٰرَىٰ حَتَّىٰ تَتَّبِعَ مِلَّتَهُمْ ۗ قُلْ إِنَّ هُدَى ٱللَّهِ هُوَ ٱلْهُدَىٰ ۗ وَلَئِنِ ٱتَّبَعْتَ أَهْوَآءَهُم بَعْدَ ٱلَّذِى جَآءَكَ مِنَ ٱلْعِلْمِ ۙ مَا لَكَ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ مِن وَلِىٍّۢ وَلَا نَصِيرٍ﴾
« And never will the Jews or the Christians approve of you until you follow their religion. Say, "Indeed, the guidance of Allah is the [only] guidance." If you were to follow their desires after what has come to you of knowledge, you would have against Allah no protector or helper. »
Surah البقرة : 120
This term appears in 109 verses of the Quran.