(15–17) “The only ones who believe in Our signs are those who, when reminded of them, fall down in prostration, glorify their Lord with praise, and are not too proud. Their sides forsake their beds as they call upon their Lord in fear and hope, and they spend from what We have provided them. No soul knows what delights of the eyes have been kept hidden for them as a reward for what they used to do.”
Having mentioned those who disbelieve in His signs and the punishment He has prepared for them, Allah Most High then mentions those who believe in them, describes them, and states the reward He has prepared for them. He says: “The only ones who believe in Our signs” [that is] (1), with true faith, are those in whom the marks of faith are found. They are “those who, when reminded” of their Lord’s signs—when the verses of the Quran are recited to them, counsel reaches them through Allah’s messengers, and they are called upon to take heed—listen to them, accept them, submit, and “fall down in prostration”; that is, humbling themselves before them with a submission characterized by remembrance of Allah and joy in knowing Him.
“They glorify their Lord with praise and are not too proud.” They are not too proud in their hearts or their bodily conduct, such that they refuse to submit to the signs. Rather, they humble themselves before them, receiving them with acceptance and submission and welcoming them with open hearts and surrender. Through them, they attain the pleasure of the Most Merciful Lord and are guided to the straight path.
“Their sides forsake their beds”; that is, their sides rise and pull away from their comfortable beds toward something even more delightful and beloved to them: prayer at night and private communion with Allah Most High.
For this reason, He says: “They call upon their Lord”; that is, asking Him to bring about what benefits their religion and worldly lives and to ward off what harms either. “In fear and hope”; that is, combining both qualities: fearing that their deeds may be rejected and hoping that they will be accepted, fearing Allah’s punishment and hoping for His reward.
“And they spend from what We have provided them,” whether that provision is little or much. He has mentioned no restriction on the kind of spending or its recipient, thereby indicating its general scope. It includes obligatory expenditures such as zakāt, expiations, and the maintenance of wives and relatives, as well as recommended spending on charitable causes. Spending and showing financial generosity are always good, whether they benefit someone rich or poor, near or distant; the reward, however, varies according to the benefit achieved. Such are their deeds.
As for their reward, He says: “No soul knows.” This encompasses every created soul because the word “soul” is an indefinite noun occurring in a negative context. In other words, no one knows “what delights of the eyes have been kept hidden for them”: abundant good, plentiful bliss, joy and happiness, pleasure and delight. As Allah Most High has said through His Messenger: “I have prepared for My righteous servants what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and has never occurred to a human heart.”
Just as they prayed at night, supplicated, and concealed their deeds, He rewarded them in kind by concealing their reward. For this reason, He says: “As a reward for what they used to do.”