English Translation of Al-Quran
[39].Surah Al-Zumar [The Groups]
Ayat 10. Say (O Muhammad ﷺ [SAWW](PBUH): “O Allah’s servants who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism), be afraid of your Lord (Allah) and keep your duty to Him. Good is (the reward) for those who do good in this world, and Allah’s earth is spacious (so if you cannot worship Allah at one place, then go to another)! Only those who are patient shall receive their rewards in full, without reckoning.”
Tafseer of Surah Al Zumar Ayat 10. The “fear of Allah” Taqwa , and the verbs and nouns connected with the root, signify: (1) the fear of Allah, which, according to the writer of Proverbs 1:7 in the Old Testament, is the beginning of Wisdom; (2) restraint, or guarding one’s tongue, hand, and heart from evil; (3) hence righteousness, piety, good conduct. All these ideas are implied: in the translation, only one or other of these ideas can be indicated, according to the context. Their hearts are full of reverence for Allah and fear lest their charity or their hearts be not good enough for acceptance before their Lord; for they have the certainty of a future life, in which they will stand before the Judgment Seat. They fear for their own worthiness, but they hope in Faith. The fear of Allah is akin to love, for it means that we are afraid to displease Him. Cf. 29:56. There is no excuse for anyone to plead that he could not do good or was forced to evil by his circumstances and surroundings, or by the fact that he lived in evil times. We must shun evil and seek good, and Allah’s Creation is wide enough to enable us to do that, provided we have the will, the patience, and the constancy to do it. It may be that we have to change our village or city or country; or that we have to change our neighbors or associates; or to change our habits or our hours, our position in life or our human relationships, or our callings. Our integrity before Allah is more important than any of these things, and we must be prepared for exile for Hijrah) in all these senses. For the means with which Allah provides us for His service are ample, and it is our fault if we fail. We must always do right. We cannot plead that the circumstances in which we find ourselves force our hands. If our home conditions do not allow us to act according to the Faith that is in us, we must be prepared to suffer ostracism or even exile.
English Translation of Hadith
Hazrat Abu Dharr and Mu`adh bin Jabal (May Allah be pleased with them) reported that: Messenger of Allah ﷺ[SAWW](PBUH) said, “Fear Allah wherever you are, do good deeds after doing bad ones, the former will wipe out the latter, and behave decently towards people”
[At-Tirmidhi Hadith # 1987].
Lesson: as mentioned above in Surah Al-Zumar Ayat 10. “O Allah’s servants who believe, be afraid of your Lord (Allah)” Virtue obliterates vice means that virtue becomes an atonement for sin. But this applies to minor sins only because major ones will not be forgiven without sincere repentance. Similar is the case of encroachment on public rights which will not be forgiven without their compensation.
