وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ طَرَفَيِ النَّهَارِ وَزُلَفًا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ ذَلِكَ ذِكْرَى لِلذَّاكِرِينَ ﴿۱۱۴﴾ وَاصْبِرْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿۱۱۵﴾ فَلَوْلَا كَانَ مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ أُولُو بَقِيَّةٍ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْفَسَادِ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِمَّنْ أَنْجَيْنَا مِنْهُمْ وَاتَّبَعَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مَا أُتْرِفُوا فِيهِ وَكَانُوا مُجْرِمِينَ ﴿۱۱۶﴾

﴾114﴿ Wa aqimis Salaata tarafayin nahaari wa zulafam minal layl; innal hasanaati yuzhibnas saiyi aat; zaalika zikraa liz zaakireen
﴾115﴿ Wasbir fa innal laaha laa yudee'u ajral muhsineen
﴾116﴿ Falaw laa kaana minal qurooni min qablikum ooloo baqiyyatiny yanhawna 'anil fasaadi fil ardi illaa qaleelam mimman anjainaa minhum; wattaba'al lazeena zalamoo maaa utrifoo feehi wa kaanoo mujrimeen

﴾114﴿ And establish prayer at the two ends of the day and at the approaches of the night. Indeed, good deeds remove bad deeds. That is a reminder for those who remember
﴾115﴿ And be patient; indeed, Allah does not let the reward of the good-doers go to waste
﴾116﴿ So why were there not, among the generations before you, people of understanding who forbade corruption on earth, except for a few among them whom We saved? But those who wronged pursued the luxuries they were given, and they were sinners

[114] In this verse, there is a command to establish prayer in five specific times, and two benefits of prayer are mentioned. This is considered the fourth etiquette for the caller to truth.
(طَرَفَيِ النَّهَارِ) — refers to the two edges of the day, meaning Fajr (dawn) and ‘Asr or Ẓuhr. Ẓuhr is included because in Arabic, ṭarf (edge) can also refer to the middle, so it encompasses the core parts of the day.
(زُلَفًا مِّنَ اللَّيْلِ) — refers to Maghrib and ‘Ishā’, as zulf means “the near parts”, i.e., the portions of the night closest to the day:
1. When the sun sets, and
2. When the twilight disappears.
Then, the verse mentions two major benefits of prayer:
1. (إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ) — This is the first benefit: Performing prayer with excellence erases sins, protects from future wrongdoing, and even from bad labels or reputations.
2. (ذَٰلِكَ ذِكْرَىٰ لِلذَّاكِرِينَ) — This is the second benefit: Performing prayer is itself a reminder, a means of remembering Allah, and a source of continuous spiritual reflection and guidance.
[115] In this verse, the fifth etiquette is mentioned.
When all the previous qualities — steadfastness, avoiding transgression, not inclining toward wrongdoers, establishing prayer, and remembrance of Allah — are combined in a person, then such a person is referred to as a muḥsin — one who does good with excellence.
A muḥsin is not just someone who performs good deeds, but one who does so with sincerity, awareness, and adherence to the highest standard of conduct, making him beloved to Allah.
[116] Since the previous verse mentioned the responsibility of the caller (dāʿī), this verse now presents the consequence of neglecting that duty — namely, that abandoning da‘wah and forbidding evil leads to punishment.
The verse states that the past nations were destroyed because their knowledgeable and virtuous individuals did not fulfill their duty of forbidding wrongdoing.
Only a few people stood up to forbid evil, and Allah saved them from the punishment due to their action.
(أُولُو بَقِيَّةٍ) — means those who possessed goodness, virtue, or intellectual and moral strength (such as knowledge and sound judgment). They were people of wisdom and insight (luraʾ) — but most of them failed to act.
The phrase (وَاتَّبَعَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا...) introduces the second reason for punishment: The majority followed their desires, indulging in corruption and oppression.
This verse teaches that passivity in the face of evil, especially by those who know better, is a serious cause of divine punishment — while even a small group who stand for truth can be saved by Allah’s mercy.