So now, surely slyness and cheating will be in Hell. Fear God and be cautious of His power. God does not accept to surprise the servants with destructions before He warns them. From this cause, a servant slackens the efforts until he forgets the pledge; God’s warning and thinks he is doing well. Thus, a servant sinks in guess, hope, and inattentiveness of what has come to him. He ties himself in many knots, destroys himself through exerting all efforts while God grants him a respite for the pledge between them.
He falls with the mindless, walks with the sinful, disputes the believers about their obedience to God, and prefers the falsification of the indifferent. These are the people whose hearts are open for doubts. They dare forge lies against others and regard their deeds as a way of seeking God’s favor, because they pursued their whims and changed and distorted the words of the wise people ignorantly and blindly, seeking reputation and showing off, without right paths, circulating indications, or familiar marks of their final hours or final point of their lives.
When God discloses the reward of their policies and strips their cloaks of inadvertence, they welcomed that which would fade away and turned the backs to that which is to come. They could not get use of the wishes and demands when they attained them and did not benefit by the times that they have had. Moreover, this was changed into misfortunes for them. Now, they are escaping what they were seeking.
I warn you against this slippery ground and order you to fear God other than whom nothing is helpful. The honest should help themselves if they are truly honest. The true perceptive is that who listens, ponders, thinks, understands, learns lessons, takes clear course that saves him from falling behind, evades the path of misguidance, and does not give any opportunity for the seducers to control him by means of abusing the right, speaking incorrectly, or changing a truth. All power belongs to God.
Say only what is said to you, submit to what is narrated to you, and do not impose on others what is not imposed upon you, because the result will be against you due to your own deeds, words, and intentions. Beware of doubt, because it was arranged for testing you. Seek ease. Use good deeds and words for each other. Opt for submission to God, feel fearful and subservient to God. Treat each other modestly, fairly, generously, and calmly. This is God’s commandment. Beware of envying each other or bearing malice, because they are the traditions of the pre-Islamic era (Jahilism).
A soul must see what it has done for the future. Have fear of God for He is All-aware of what you do. (59:18).
You, O people, should know certainly that God will not permit a servant to do more than what has been counted to him in the Wise Reminder, even if he exerts excessive efforts, finds more ways, and practices exaggerative endeavors. Likewise, God will never preclude what has been counted in the Wise Reminder for a servant despite his weakness and lack of practice.
O people, neither skill nor will idiocy add or reduce a single atom of one’s (previously decided) lot. He who realizes this fact and acts upon it will surely be the calmest in profits, while he who disregards this fact will be the weariest in loss. It often happens that he whom is bestowed with graces is waylaid through that bestowment, while he whom people see as unlucky is in fact fortunate.
Sober up, O listener, from your inebriety, wake up from your inadvertence, slow down your haste, and ponder over God’s words that are not reneged and that are inescapable and unavoidable. Then forsake your pride, leave your arrogance, take heed, and remember your grave and abode, because it will be your passage and destiny. You will be treated as you treat and you will harvest only what you sowed, and whatever you did will be done to you.
Tomorrow, you will indisputably find only (the results of) what you did. Benefit by considering the admonition that has been provided to you. Understand what you have listened to and what you have been promised, because, through this, you will be undoubtedly engaged in one of two matters, either to obey God and follow what you have heard, or to have God’s claim instituted against you and you should submit to it according to your knowledge.
Beware, and keep up seriousness.
Not one can tell you the truth in the way that an expert reporter can do. (35:14).
One of the firm decisions of Allah in the Wise Reminder upon which He bestows reward or gives punishment, and through which He likes or dislikes is that it will not benefit a man, even though he exerts himself and acts sincerely if he leaves this world to meet Allah with one of these acts without repenting, namely that he believed in a partner with Allah during his obligatory worship, or appeased his own anger by killing an individual, or declared an act but he opted for another, or sought fulfillment of his needs from people by introducing an innovation in his religion, or met people with a double face, or moved among them with a double tongue, or using arrogance or pride. Understand this because an illustration is a guide for its like.
Beasts are concerned with their bellies. Carnivores are concerned with assaulting others. Women are concerned with the adornments of this ignoble life and the creation of mischief herein. On the other hand, believers are humble, admonishers and afraid of Allah.