(63–77) “The servants of the Most Compassionate are those who walk humbly upon the earth, and when the foolish address them, they respond with words of peace; those who spend the night before their Lord, prostrating and standing; and those who say, ‘Our Lord, avert from us the punishment of Hell, for its punishment is ever inescapable. It is indeed an evil place in which to settle and reside,’” to the end of this noble surah.
Servitude to Allah is of two kinds. The first is servitude under His lordship, which encompasses all creation: Muslims and disbelievers, the righteous and the wicked. They are all servants of Allah, subject to His lordship and governance: “There is no one in the heavens or on earth who will not come to the Most Compassionate as a servant.” The second is devotional servitude to Him as the only God, bestowed through His mercy. This is the servitude of His prophets and close servants, and it is what is meant here. This is why their servitude is linked to His name, “the Most Compassionate,” indicating that they attained this state only through His mercy.
He then mentions that their qualities are the most perfect and their characteristics the finest. He describes them as those “who walk humbly upon the earth”; that is, calmly and humbly before Allah and His creation. This describes them as possessing dignity, composure, and humility before Allah and His servants.
“And when the foolish address them”—that is, in an ignorant manner, as indicated by the attribution of the action to this quality—“they respond with words of peace.” In other words, they respond in a manner that keeps them free of sin and prevents them from meeting the ignorance of the foolish with like ignorance. This praises their great forbearance, their response to wrongdoing with kindness, their pardon of the ignorant, and the soundness of mind that brought them to this state.
“Those who spend the night before their Lord, prostrating and standing”; that is, they frequently perform the night prayer, sincerely devoting it to their Lord and humbling themselves before Him. As the Most High says: “Their sides forsake their beds; they call upon their Lord in fear and hope, and they spend from what We have provided them. No soul knows what delights have been kept hidden for them as a reward for what they used to do.”
“And those who say, ‘Our Lord, avert from us the punishment of Hell’”; that is, keep it from us by safeguarding us from its causes and forgiving whatever we have committed that warrants punishment. “For its punishment is ever inescapable”; that is, it clings to its inhabitants as a creditor clings to his debtor.
“It is indeed an evil place in which to settle and reside.” They say this in humble supplication to their Lord, expressing their dire need of Him and acknowledging that they have no power to endure this punishment. It also enables them to remember Allah’s favor upon them, for the more severe and dreadful a hardship is, the more profound the effect of being spared it and the greater the joy at its removal.
“And those who, when they spend”—on obligatory and recommended causes—“are neither extravagant,” exceeding the proper bounds and thereby falling into wastefulness and neglecting obligatory rights, “nor stingy,” thereby falling into miserliness and avarice. “Rather, their spending is balanced between the two”: they spend on obligatory duties such as zakat, expiations, and required maintenance, and they spend where and as they should, without harming themselves or others. This is part of their justice and moderation.