Surely, those who have declared: “Our Lord is Allah”,then remained steadfast, on them the angels willdescend, saying, “Do not fear, and do not grieve; and be
happy with the good news of the Jannah that you had been promised. [30] We have been your friends in the worldly life, and (will remain as such) in the Hereafter.And for you here is whatever your souls desire, and for you here is whatever you call for [31] –
Commentary
Those who rejected the Qur’an, the prophethood and the Oneness ofAllah have been addressed from the beginning of the Surah. With reference to the signs of Allah’s Omnipotence, they are invited to believe in Oneness of Allah. Mentioned thereafter is the evil fate of those who reject the life hereinafter with a detailed account of the punishment of hell in that life. Now the text takes up, henceforth, the conditions of the believing people and of those having perfect faith, their being honored and exalted in this world and in eternity along with some special directions for them. Believers and those having perfect faith are those people who not only stick to the straight path and abide by the revealed laws themselves in their deeds and morals, but also call others towards Allah and care about their reformation. It is in this connection that those who invite others towards Islam are directed to remain patient and to repay evil with goodness.
The sense of being upright
(Surely, those who have declared: “Our Lord isAllah”, then remained steadfast – 4~30) This verse has mentioned two qualities of these people. One is affirming Allah as their Lord. This refers to their “imiin'(faith). The other quality is of their remaining steadfast which refers to their good deeds. In this way, the verse says that these people combine the true faith with good practice. The word used in the text for this second aspect is istiqamah (translated above as being steadfast) which has been taken by MaulZnZ ThZnawi to mean firmness in unshaken faith. This explanation is reported from SayyidnZ Abti Bakr &. The explanation given by SayyidnZ ‘Uthman & is nearly the same,as according to him istiqamah means ikhlEs (sincerity) in deeds. And SayyidnZ ‘Umar & has explained istiqiimah in the following words,