Tazkirul Quran, Qur’an 65:8–11

Translation

(8) How many a town rebelled against the commands of its Lord and His messengers and We called them sternly to account and punished them severely, (9) so they tasted the evil consequences of their conduct and the result of their conduct was ruin. (10) God has prepared a severe punishment for them. So, fear God, O men of understanding, who have believed. God has sent down to you a Reminder (11) and a messenger who conveys to you God’s clear messages, so that he might lead those, who believe and do good deeds, out of darkness into light. God will admit those who believe in Him and do good deeds into Gardens with rivers flowing through them, where they will remain forever. God has indeed made excellent provision for them.

Commentary

(a) ‘So, fear God, O men of understanding.’ This statement indicates that the fountainhead of piety (taqwa) is the mind. Only by using his wisdom and consciousness does a man achieve that status which is called (taqwa) in the Islamic law.

(b) God sent His messenger ‘so that he might lead those, who have attained to faith and do good deeds, out of darkness into light.’ This statement at this juncture relates to family laws. In ancient times, superstition prevailed throughout the world. Different types of superstitious beliefs had caused the relations between man and woman to rest on an unnatural basis. The Quran banished these superstitions, and re-established the relations between men and women on a natural basis. Despite this, there are people who do not adopt the way of reform, and who can, therefore, expect nothing but loss on God’s earth.