With regard to righteousness, people are of two kinds:

The first is someone who, once he recognizes the truth and it becomes clear to him, follows it and acts upon it. Such a person is invited with wisdom; he takes heed, and the Quran awakens remembrance within him. The second is someone whose desires and resistance to the truth make him need fear to restrain his soul from desire. Such a person is invited with good admonition. This is the second category mentioned in His words:

“Or be moved to fear,”

and in His words:

“So that they may become God-fearing.”

In the surah, in the account of Pharaoh, He says:

“Go to Pharaoh, for he has transgressed. Then say, ‘Would you be willing to purify yourself, and let me guide you to your Lord so that you may fear Him?’”

He thus brings together purification, guidance, and fear, just as He brings together knowledge and fear in His words:

“Only those of His servants who have knowledge truly fear Allah,”

and in His words:

“And in their inscription was guidance and mercy for those who stand in awe of their Lord,”

and in His words:

“If they had done what they were admonished to do, it would have been better for them and would have strengthened them more firmly. Then We would have granted them a great reward from Us and guided them to a straight path.”

This is because, as we have mentioned, both knowledge of the truth—embodied in taking heed and in the remembrance that the Quran brings about—and the fear that prevents one from following desire are causes of a person’s well-being. Each necessarily entails the other when it prevails over