Those are upon [right] guidance from their Lord, and it is those who are the successful.
Sahih International
Grammar, phrase by phrase
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ
(Those)
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَword 1
Demonstrative Pronoun · اسم إشارةA pointing word singles out a specific thing or group. أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ is the plural pointing word 'those', gathering up the believers just described and pointing at them as a group. L3 · R8
Subject (Mubtada') · مبتدأThe subject is the noun a sentence opens by talking about — its topic — and it stands in the nominative, the 'topic form' usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl written above the final letter. A pointing word can serve as this topic, and أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ 'those' opens the sentence as what is spoken about — a pointing word keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one; what follows ('are upon guidance') tells us about them. L6 · R2
'Those' refers to the ones who believe in the unseen, establish the prayer, spend from what Allah gave them, believe in what was revealed to the Messenger and the Messengers before him, and are certain of the Hereafter.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:5
عَلَىٰ هُدًۭى
(…are upon [right] guidance)
Root هدي — to guide, show the right path · 316 times in the Quran
عَلَىٰword 2
Particle · حرفA particle is a small helper word with no meaning standing alone; it takes no ending and does not name or act. عَلَىٰ is such a helper word here. L1 · R8
Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little helper word that relates one thing to another and pulls the noun after it into the genitive ending. عَلَىٰ is one of these little words, meaning 'on' or 'upon' — here relating 'those' to the guidance they are upon. L4 · R2
هُدًۭىword 3
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. هُدًى names an idea — 'guidance', being shown the right path — from the root هدي, to guide and show the way. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every naming word as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. هُدًى carries no feminine marker such as a ة at its end, so it falls to the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Indefinite Noun · نكرةAn indefinite noun means 'a' or 'some' something — no particular one — and usually shows this with the doubled end-mark tanwīn. هُدًى carries the tanwīn ـً, the double-stroke that adds an 'an' sound at the end, so it means guidance in a general, open sense. L2 · R8
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a naming word takes after a preposition. Because هُدًى stands right after the preposition عَلَىٰ 'upon', it is in the genitive; on this word ending in a weak letter the mark leans in and is written as the tanwīn ـً: عَلَىٰ هُدًى, 'upon guidance'. L2 · R12
'Upon guidance' means they are following a light, guidance, and clear insight from their Lord.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:5
مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ ۖ
(…from their Lord,)
Root ربب — Lord, Sustainer, Nourisher, Regulator, Perfector · 980 times in the Quran
مِّنword 4
Particle · حرفA particle is a small helper word with no meaning standing alone; it takes no ending and does not name or act. مِّن is such a helper word here. L1 · R8
Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little helper word that relates one thing to another and pulls the noun after it into the genitive ending. مِّن means 'from', marking the source of the guidance: 'from their Lord'. L4 · R1
رَّبِّهِمْ ۖword 5
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. رَّبِّ names 'Lord' — the One who sustains and nurtures — from the root ربب, Lord, Sustainer, Nourisher. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every naming word as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. رَّبِّ carries no feminine marker such as a ة at its end, so it falls to the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a naming word takes after a preposition, shown by a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke below the letter. Because رَّبِّ stands right after the preposition مِّن 'from', it carries that kasrah ـِ: مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ. L2 · R12
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'their' glued onto the end of another word. The ending هِمْ on رَّبِّهِمْ is such a suffix, meaning 'their', so the word reads 'their Lord'. L3 · R7
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهA possessive chain joins two words into an 'of' phrase, and the second, the owner, takes the genitive. Here the attached هِمْ 'their' fills that owner slot on رَّبِّ 'Lord' — literally 'the Lord of them', that is, 'their Lord'. L5 · R5
So far: “Those are upon [right] guidance from their Lord,”
وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ
(…and it is those)
وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَword 6
Conjunction · حرف عطفA conjunction is a particle like 'and' that joins statements together. The prefix وَ means 'and', tying this second statement about them to the first. L4 · R4
Demonstrative Pronoun · اسم إشارةA pointing word singles out a specific group. أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ is the plural pointing word 'those', again gathering up the same believers and pointing at them. L3 · R8
Subject (Mubtada') · مبتدأThe subject is the noun a sentence opens by talking about — its topic — and it stands in the nominative, the 'topic form' usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl written above the final letter. أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ 'those' opens this second statement as its topic — a pointing word keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one; what follows ('are the successful') tells us about them. L6 · R2
هُمُ
(…who)
هُمُword 7
Detached Pronoun · ضمير منفصلA detached pronoun is a standalone word for 'they', 'you', 'I', and the like. هُمُ is the standalone word 'they', placed between the topic 'those' and what is said about them. L3 · R2
Emphasis · توكيدEmphasis follows the word it strengthens and reinforces it, matching it in number, adding no new quality but pressing the point home. هُمُ 'they' stands after 'those' to reinforce the statement about them: those — they — are the successful. L7 · R5
ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ
(…are the successful.)
Root فلح — to prosper, be successful, succeed, be blissful · 40 times in the Quran
ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَword 8
Definite Article · أل التعريفThe prefix ٱلْ at the front of a noun means 'the' — one specific, known one. Here it marks مُفْلِحُونَ as 'the successful ones', a known, definite group: the ones who prosper. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA word that accepts the prefix ٱلْ ('the') is a noun — a naming word. This word carries that prefix and names a group of people — the successful — from the root فلح, to prosper and succeed. L1 · R1
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every naming word as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. This word carries no feminine marker such as a ة at its end, so it falls to the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Plural Noun · جمعA plural noun refers to three or more. The masculine sound plural in the nominative adds the ending ـُونَ. مُفْلِحُونَ ends in ـُونَ, so it names the many who succeed, not just one. L2 · R6
Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending a naming word takes when it completes what is said about the topic; for this kind of plural that ending is ـُونَ. مُفْلِحُونَ carries that ـُونَ ending, marking it as what is said about 'those' — that they are the successful. L2 · R10
Predicate (Khabar) · خبرThe predicate is the part that tells you something about the topic, in the nominative ending. The topic was 'those'; ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ is what is told about them — 'those … are the successful' — completing the statement. L6 · R3
Active Participle · اسم فاعلAn active participle is a naming word built from a verb's root to name the one who does the action. Built from the root فلح (to prosper, succeed), مُفْلِحُونَ names the doers — the ones who attain success. L11 · R3
They are the successful in this world and the Hereafter: they attain what they seek and are saved from the evil they avoided, gaining reward, eternal life in Paradise, and safety from the torment prepared for Allah's enemies.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:5
So far: “Those are upon [right] guidance from their Lord, and it is those who are the successful.”