God says
True] servants of the Most Gracious are [only] they who walk gently on earth, and who, whenever the foolish address them,* reply with [words of] peace; and who remember their Sustainer far into the night, prostrating themselves and standing; and who pray: “O our Sustainer, avert from us the suffering of hell – for, verily, the suffering caused by it is bound to be a torment dire: verily, how evil an abode and a station!” --: and who, whenever they spend on others, are neither wasteful nor niggardly but [remember that] there is always a just mean between those [two extremes]; and [true servants of the Most Gracious are they] who never invoke any [imaginary] deity side by side with God, and do not take any human being’s life -- [the life] which God has willed to be sacred – otherwise than in [the pursuit of] justice, and do not commit adultery. And [know that] he who commits ought thereof (i.e., any of the three sins mentioned) shall [not only] meet with a full requital [but] shall have his suffering doubled on Resurrection Day: for on that [Day] he shall abide in ignominy. Excepted, however, shall be they who repent and attain to faith and do righteous deeds: for it is they whose [erstwhile] bad deeds God will transform into good ones – seeing that God is indeed much forgiving, and dispenser of grace, and seeing that he who repents and [henceforth] does what is right has truly turned away unto God by [this very act of] repentance. And [know that true servants of God are only] those who never bear witness to what is false,** and [who], whenever they pass by [people engaged in] frivolity, pass on with dignity; and who, whenever they are reminded of their Sustainer’s messages, do not throw themselves upon them [as if] deaf and blind;*** and who pray: “O our Sustainer! Grant that our spouses and our offspring be a joy to our eyes,**** and cause us to be foremost among those who are conscious of Thee!” [Such as] these will be rewarded for all their patient endurance [in life] with high station [in paradise], and will be met therein with a greeting of welcome and peace, therein to abide: [and] how goodly an abode and [how high] a station! -Q.25:63-76
*Sc., “with the aim to ridicule them or to argue against their beliefs”.
**Implying that neither do they themselves ever bear false witness (i.e., in the widest sense of this expression, tell any lie) nor do they knowingly take part in anything that is based on falsehood (Razi).
***Explaining this verse, Zamakhshari remarks that whereas the average run of people approach the divine writ with a mere outward show of eagerness, “throwing themselves upon it” for the sake of appearances but, not making the least attempt to understand the message as such and, hence, remaining deaf and blind to its contents – the truly God-conscious are deeply desirous of understanding it, and therefore “listen to it with wide-awake ears and look into it with seeing eyes”.
****I.e., by living a righteous life
Prophet said
1. “Among believers the one most perfect in faith is the one best in manners” – H: Abu Daud. N: Abu Hurairah.
