What Unites These Verses and Their Implications The Qur’ān contains numerous verses that highlight the essentials of human life and the divine guarantees granted by Allah, the All-Wise. Among them are the following: Allah, Exalted is He, says concerning livestock: “And they carry your burdens to a land you could not have reached except with great difficulty to yourselves. Truly, your Lord is Kind and Merciful. (7) And [He created] horses, mules, and donkeys for you to ride and as adornment. And He creates that which you do not know. (8) And upon Allah rests [the direction of] the way, and among them is one that deviates. And if He willed, He would have guided you all. (9)” (Sūrat al-Naḥl) He, Exalted is He, also says: “O children of Adam, We have bestowed upon you clothing to cover your nakedness and as adornment. But the garment of piety—that is best. This is among the signs of Allah, that they might take heed. (26)” (Sūrat al-A‘rāf) “And whatever good you do—Allah knows it. And take provision, but indeed, the best provision is piety. So fear Me, O people of understanding. (197)” (Sūrat al-Baqarah) “And We have not sent down to you the Book except that you may clarify for them that over which they differ, and as guidance and mercy for a people who believe. (64) And Allah sends down rain from the sky, and by it revives the earth after its death. Indeed, in that is a sign for a people who listen. (65)” (Sūrat al-Naḥl) “So let them worship the Lord of this House, (3) Who has fed them against hunger and secured them against fear. (4)” (Sūrat Quraysh) “There is no soul but that it has a guardian over it. (4)” (Sūrat al-Ṭāriq) It is therefore permissible to understand this guardianship as referring to the angels, for Allah says: “For him are successive angels before him and behind him, protecting him by the decree of Allah.” (Sūrat al-Ra‘d, 11) “And indeed, [appointed] over you are keepers.” (Sūrat al-Infiṭār, 10) “And He sends over you guardians.” (Sūrat al-An‘ām, 61) Ibn Kathīr, in his Tafsīr, noted: They are four angels by day and four by night: two to the right and left recording deeds, and two in front and behind protecting him. Ibn Rajab, in Jāmi‘ al-‘Ulūm wa’l-Ḥikam, transmitted from Ibn ‘Abbās: They are the angels who guard him by Allah’s command. When the decree arrives, they withdraw. ‘Alī (may Allah be pleased with him) said: With every person are two angels who guard him from what has not been decreed. When the decree comes, they step aside, for the appointed term is an impregnable fortress. Mujāhid said: There is no servant but that he has an angel guarding him in his sleep and wakefulness from jinn, humans, and harmful creatures. Nothing reaches him but that the angel says: “Turn back!”—unless Allah permits it, then it afflicts him. And Allah knows best. Allah, Exalted is He, further warns: “And they will say: If only we had listened or reasoned, we would not have been among the companions of the Blaze. (10)” (Sūrat al-Mulk) “If only you could see when the guilty lower their heads before their Lord, [saying]: ‘Our Lord, we have seen and heard, so send us back; we will do righteousness. Indeed, we are now certain.’ (12)” (Sūrat al-Sajdah) ⸻ The Central Indication These verses, and others like them, point toward the three absolute necessities of life, without which human existence cannot be sustained: 1. Provision (rizq) 2. Security and safety (amān wa salāmah) 3. Guidance (hudan: monotheism and faith) Allah, Glorious and Exalted, has undertaken to provide these essentials, for He alone is the Creator, the Sovereign, the All-Knowing, and the All-Wise. ⸻ Sheikh Professor Dr. Fakhriy Al-Qaisi 11 September 2025