• and in the stations of daʿwah (calling others to God), patience, and steadfastness when faced with every distressing calamity, meeting such trials with tranquillity, composure, and unwavering resolve.
• and in the station of truthfulness and sincerity toward God in every movement and moment of stillness, seeking reward solely from God Most High, never asking people for payment, recompense, or even thanks—except insofar as it brings real benefit to them.

• The stories likewise teach a lesson in the fact that all the prophets agreed upon one religion and the same foundational principles; they all summoned mankind to every noble character trait, to righteous deeds and reform, and they all forbade whatever opposes that.
• They also contain a vast treasury of juristic benefits, legal rulings, and wise subtleties—matters no seeker of knowledge can afford to ignore.
• They abound as well in exhortation and reminder, encouragement and warning, relief after hardship, ease after difficulty, the good outcomes visibly granted in this world, and the fair renown and love God places in people’s hearts. All this is provision for the godfearing, joy for the devoted, solace for the grieving, and admonition for the believers. Thus the purpose of their stories is not merely to entertain; the greater aim is that they serve as reminders and lessons.
• Know, before delving into them, that many of those stories—may God’s blessings and peace be upon the prophets—are repeated by God in His Book numerous times, each rendition suited to its particular context. One passage may contain additions and benefits not found in another, or the wording may differ while the meanings remain identical or nearly so.
  Accordingly, since this commentary is concise, I shall relate these stories, gathering each narrative in one place and giving careful attention to what the wording of the Book indicates through its context from the beginning to