(70–71) “O you who believe, fear Allah and speak words that are right. He will set your deeds aright for you and forgive you your sins. Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has indeed attained a great triumph.”

The Most High commands the believers to fear Him in all circumstances, in private and in public. In particular, He exhorts them to speak rightly—that is, to say what accords with the truth, or comes as close to it as possible when certainty cannot be attained. This includes Quran recitation, remembrance of Allah, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, acquiring and teaching knowledge, striving to reach the correct conclusion in matters of knowledge, and pursuing every path and means that assists in doing so.

Right speech also includes addressing people gently and graciously, and offering sincere counsel and guidance toward what is best.

He then mentions what results from fearing Him and speaking rightly: “He will set your deeds aright for you.” That is, these will be a cause of their soundness and a means to their acceptance, for deeds are accepted through observing fear of Allah, as the Most High says: “Allah accepts only from those who fear Him.”

Through this, a person is also granted success in performing righteous deeds. Allah sets deeds aright [also] by protecting them from whatever would spoil them and by preserving and multiplying their reward. Conversely, failing to fear Allah and to speak rightly causes deeds to become corrupt, to be rejected, and to fail to produce their intended effects.

“And forgive you” also “your sins,” which are the cause of your ruin. Through fear of Allah, affairs are set right and every danger is averted. He therefore says: “Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has indeed attained a great triumph.”