Overall meaning : Allah Almighty mentions that righteousness and obedience to Him does not lie in facing the direction of the east or the west in prayer unless commanded by Allah Almighty to do so. Rather, true goodness lies in firm belief in Allah Almighty, the Last Day, His angels, all His books, all His prophets and messengers; giving away some of one’s wealth, however much one loves it and however much one is eager to keep it, to one’s relatives, to the orphans, the needy, the travellers who cannot afford travel expenses to return to their homelands; the beggars asking for help; and for freeing slaves and captives.
True goodness and righteousness also lies in duly performing the prescribed prayers, paying the prescribed zakat to those eligible for it, and honouring one’s promises and pledges, whether they are made with Allah or with people.
Righteousness is also to exercise patience when undergoing poverty and sickness and when fighting, which involves desisting from displaying any form of displeasure, apprehension, complaint or discontent. Those with such qualities, which comprise beliefs, actions and moral traits, are genuine believers who are truly righteous as a result of obeying what Allah commands and avoid what He has forbidden.
Then Allah enlightens the believers about what He has prescribed for them regarding the law of equality and fair retaliation in cases of murder, stating that a free man is to be killed for a free man, a slave for a slave, a male for a male and a female for a female.
If the victim’s heirs and relatives pardon the offender, the retaliation claim is waived but the blood money becomes due. In this case, the party that grants pardon must not follow acquittal with reproach and injury, nor make unreasonable demands on the offender which Allah Almighty has not authorized, such as demanding an amount he cannot possibly afford to pay or one that is bound to cause him a great deal of hardship to raise. The offender must be appreciative and must pay the required amount to the victim’s heirs and relatives in full without procrastination and without offending them by word or deed in any way whatsoever.
Such divinely laid down rulings, which afford the aggrieved party the opportunity to grant pardon to the offender and receive blood money instead of inflicting the death punishment on the offender, provide an alleviation and merciful dispensation from Allah Almighty to the Muslim nation, as well as an act of Allah’s grace and mercy towards His servants. Nonetheless, whoever violates Allah’s limits (for example, if the victim’s heirs or relatives kill the offender after granting him pardon, or if the offender commits the crime again) will suffer a severe punishment.
Allah Almighty then informs the believers that the law of equality and fair retaliation He has ordained for them serves to save human life. This fact becomes crystal clear upon pausing to reflect on the consequences ensuing from observing this law: If someone contemplates committing murder and then realizes the fair retaliation awaiting him if he goes ahead with his plan will surely be deterred from committing such a crime. By the same token, people will be deterred from committing the crime again if they perceive that the murderer has suffered the punishment he deserves by way of fair retaliation.