“Allah Has Promised Those Among You Who Believe”: The Marks of Succession
Why “among you”, righteous deeds that relate to Allah, the self and the building of the earth, and the establishment of religion across all of life
Occasion: Transcription of a Fajr khatira delivered on 10 September 2026Source: A transcription of a video khatira by Dr. Ahmed Abouseif — [Watch the original video on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LQ1F0X2VEg)
In the Noble Qur'an there is a promise from Allah, Glory be to Him, to the believers: ﴿وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَىٰ لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّن بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا ۚ يَعْبُدُونَنِي لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِي شَيْئًا﴾ (“Allah has promised those among you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession in the land, as He granted it to those before them; that He will surely establish for them their religion which He has approved for them; and that He will surely replace their fear with security — they worship Me, associating nothing with Me”).[1]
Why “Among You”?
The sūrah by its nature addresses the people of faith, so why did the word ﴿مِنكُمْ﴾ (“among you”) come? It is as though the people of faith themselves will differ in their degree of response to Allah and His Messenger.
The Doing of Righteous Deeds That Leads to Succession
﴿وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ﴾ (“and do righteous deeds, that He will surely grant them succession”): the doing of righteous deeds that leads to succession is a deeper concept, and at the same time more comprehensive than certain specific particulars in the minds of the people of faith. For the people of faith imagine that doing righteous deeds, in our societies, is your being in the mosque, your giving zakāh, more fasting, and a trip to the Sacred House of Allah. But the doing of righteous deeds that is tied to succession is deeper and more comprehensive than that.
For succession is tied to three depths: the first relates to Allah, the second relates to the self, and the third relates to the earth and its cultivation. Just as the Lord of the worlds, Glory be to Him, told us that He created us to worship Him, He told us that the mission of the self's existence is purification, and then He told us about the cultivation of the earth: ﴿هُوَ أَنشَأَكُم مِّنَ الْأَرْضِ وَاسْتَعْمَرَكُمْ فِيهَا﴾ (“He brought you forth from the earth and settled you in it”).[2]
Establishing the Religion in All of Life
﴿وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمْ﴾ (“and He will surely establish for them their religion”): the establishment of the religion in our lives from birth to death until we meet Allah, Blessed and Exalted, and we have no other way. And the Prophet ﷺ used to teach his Companions in every aspect of life: how to be good armies, how to be righteous people of politics, how to be people of trade and business; he used to teach them all the affairs of life and how to be the foremost of people in society, leading everyone else.
Then he completed the verse: ﴿يَعْبُدُونَنِي لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِي شَيْئًا﴾ (“they worship Me, associating nothing with Me”), and he swore by Allah, besides whom there is no god, that one of his teachers had charged him beforehand to write this verse and to keep it before him wherever he was.
May Allah bless you and bless you all, and may Allah reward you with good, and may Allah protect your steps.
--- [1]: Editor's documentation: Sūrat al-Nūr (24:55); the speaker recited it in pieces at various points in the khatira. [2]: Editor's documentation: Sūrat Hūd (11:61).