Surah 23

Surah 23:59

"and those who – they do not associate (anything) with their Lord,"
Description of the People of Good Deeds Verses 23:57-61
Show Full Scripture Context (23:57-61) — 5 Verses
Verse 57

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ هُم مِّنۡ خَشۡيَةِ رَبِّهِم مُّشۡفِقُونَ

Surely those who – they are apprehensive on account of fear of their Lord,

Verse 58

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم بِـَٔايَٰتِ رَبِّهِمۡ يُؤۡمِنُونَ

and those who – they believe in the signs of their Lord,

Verse 59

وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم بِرَبِّهِمۡ لَا يُشۡرِكُونَ

and those who – they do not associate (anything) with their Lord,

Verse 60

وَٱلَّذِينَ يُؤۡتُونَ مَآ ءَاتَواْ وَّقُلُوبُهُمۡ وَجِلَةٌ أَنَّهُمۡ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمۡ رَٰجِعُونَ

and those who give what they give, while their hearts are afraid because they are going to return to their Lord –

Verse 61

أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ يُسَٰرِعُونَ فِي ٱلۡخَيۡرَٰتِ وَهُمۡ لَهَا سَٰبِقُونَ

(it is) those who are quick in the (doing of) good deeds, and they are foremost in them.

Verily, those who live in awe for fear of their Lord;
means, even though they have reached the level of Ihsan and have faith and do righteous deeds, they are still in awe of Allah and fear Him and His hidden plans for them, as Al-Hasan Al-Basri said, “The believer combines Ihsan with awe, while the disbelievers combine evil deeds with a sense of security.”
And those who believe in the Ayat of their Lord;
means, they believe in His universal and legislative signs, as Allah says about Maryam, peace be upon her:
and she testified to the truth of the Words of her Lord, and His Scriptures 66:12,
meaning that she believed that whatever existed was by the will and decree of Allah, and that whatever Allah decreed, if it was a command, it would be something that He liked and accepted; if it was a prohibition, it would be something that He disliked and rejected; and if it was good, it would be true. This is like the Ayah:
And those who join not anyone (in worship) as partners with their Lord;
meaning, they do not worship anyone or anything else besides Him, but they worship Him Alone and know that there is no god except Allah Alone, the One, the Self-Sufficient Master, Who does not take a wife or have any offspring, and there is none comparable or equal unto Him.
And those who give that which they give with their hearts full of fear, because they are sure to return to their Lord.
means, they give in charity, fearing that it may not be accepted from them because of some shortcoming or failure to meet the required conditions of giving. This has to do with fear and taking precautions, as Imam Ahmad recorded from ‘A’ishah: I said: “O Messenger of Allah,
And those who give that which they give with their hearts full of fear...
Are these the ones who steal and commit Zina, and drink alcohol while fearing Allah?” The Messenger of Allah replied:
«No, O daughter of Abu Bakr. O daughter of As-Siddiq, the one who prays, fast and gives in charity, fearing Allah.»
This was recorded by At-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Abi Hatim recorded something similar in which the Prophet said:
«No, O daughter of As-Siddiq, they are the ones who pray and fast and give in charity while fearing that it will not be accepted from them, It is these who hasten in the good deeds.»
This is also how Ibn ‘Abbas, Muhammad bin Ka'b Al-Qurazi and Al-Hasan Al-Basri interpreted this Ayah

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.