33:70 Al-Ahzaab (The Clans)

يأمر تعالى المؤمنين بتقواه، في جميع أحوالهم، في السر والعلانية، ويخص منها، ويندب للقول السديد، وهو القول الموافق للصواب، أو المقارب له، عند تعذر اليقين، من قراءة، وذكر، وأمر بمعروف، ونهي عن منكر، وتعلم علم وتعليمه، والحرص على إصابة الصواب، في المسائل العلمية، وسلوك كل طريق يوصل لذلك، وكل وسيلة تعين عليه.ومن القول السديد، لين الكلام ولطفه، في مخاطبة الأنام، والقول المتضمن للنصح والإشارة، بما هو الأصلح.

يقول تعالى آمرا عباده المؤمنين بتقواه وأن يعبدوه عبادة من كأنه يراه وأن يقولوا "قولا سديدا "أي مستقيما لا اعوجاج فيه ولا انحراف.

The Command to the Believers to have Taqwa and speak the Truth

Here Allah commands His servants to have Taqwa of Him, worshipping Him as if they can see Him, and to

قَوْلاً سَدِيداً

(speak (always) the truth.) meaning, to speak in a straightforward manner, with no crookedness or distortion. He promises them that if they do that, He will reward them by making their deeds righteous, i.e., enabling them to do righteous deeds, and He will forgive them their past sins. With regard to whatever sins they may commit in the future, He will inspire them to repent from them. Then He says:

وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزاً عَظِيماً

(And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, he has indeed achieved a great victory.) meaning, he will be saved from the fire of Hell and will enjoy everlasting delights (in Paradise).

O you who believe fear God and speak words of integrity what is proper.

Customarily, Allah Ta'ala keeps prophets free from physical defects causing aversion

In this event, Allah Ta'ala has demonstrated such unusual concern to have Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) absolved of the blame imputed to him by his people which took no less than a miracle whereby a rock ran away with Sayyidna Musa's clothes and he, compelled by circumstances beyond his control, came out undressed before the people. This extra-ordinary care shown by Allah Ta’ ala to free his prophet from this blame points out to the fact that Allah Ta'ala keeps even the bodies of His prophets generally free and pure from defects that appear repulsive and undignified - as it stands proved from the Hadith of Bukhari that all prophets are lineally high-born. The reason is that it would be hard to agree to listen to, accept and follow someone from the line and family regarded by people as customarily low. Similarly, the history of prophets does not bear out that any prophet was blind, deaf, dumb or handicapped. As for the case of Sayyidna Ayyub (علیہ السلام) it cannot be used to raise any objection, for what happened to him was the dictate of Divine wisdom, a particular trial, a temporary discomfort which was eliminated later on. Allah knows best.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا ﴿70﴾ يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ‌ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ

O those who believe, fear Allah, and speak what is straight forward. Allah will correct your deeds for your benefit, and forgive for you your sins. (33:70-71)

The original word used in the text for "what is straight forward" is 'sadid' which has been explained by some exegetes as what is the truth. Others explain it as straight, while still others, as correct. Quoting all of these, Ibn Kathir calls all these true (on the beam hitting the target). The Holy Qur'an has chosen this word, instead of sadiq or mustaqim, because the present word holds all these attributes of ideal speech within itself. It was for this reason that Kashifi said in Ruh-ul-Bayan: Qawl Sadid is the saying of what is true having no trace of falsity; correct having no trace of error, right thing being no joke or fun; spoken softly, not harshly.

O you who have faith, be wary of God and speak proper words. Proper words are the words of tawḤīd. TawḤīd is the basis of the religion and the greatest pillar of the submission. The beginning of all the sciences is tawḤīd, the basis of all the recognitions is tawḤīd. The partition between enemy and friend is tawḤīd, the fixity of the seven heavens and the seven earths is through tawḤīd. The light of the two realms of being and the two worlds comes from the light of tawḤīd. The first pearl from the oyster shell of recognition is tawḤīd, the first mark of finding the Haqiqah tawḤīd. When you put tawḤīd in place, your gaze takes on the form of heedfulness, your tongue be- comes the treasury of wisdom, your hearing the oyster shell of the pearl of the Trust, your heart the center point of contemplation, your secret core the place where passion puts down its saddlebags. MuṣṬafā said, “TawḤīd is the fee to the Garden, and tawḤīd is sufficient as worship”: TawḤīd is the price of the Garden and tawḤīd suffices for all acts of worship. TawḤīd is not that you say that He is one. True tawḤīd is that you be one for Him. He-ma- jestic is His majesty-is solitary and unique. He wants the servant solitary and unique. The unique man has no use for middling passion; middling passion is not fit for the unique man. Either passion, or blame, or the road of safety- the arrow of trial has no target but man's spirit. If you are passionate, toss your shield into the ocean- otherwise, stick to the shore, or your grief will have no end.