وَعِبَادُ الرَّحْمَنِ الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ هَوْنًا وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ الْجَاهِلُونَ قَالُوا سَلَامًا ﴿۶۳﴾ وَالَّذِينَ يَبِيتُونَ لِرَبِّهِمْ سُجَّدًا وَقِيَامًا ﴿۶۴﴾ وَالَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا اصْرِفْ عَنَّا عَذَابَ جَهَنَّمَ إِنَّ عَذَابَهَا كَانَ غَرَامًا ﴿۶۵﴾ إِنَّهَا سَاءَتْ مُسْتَقَرًّا وَمُقَامًا ﴿۶۶﴾

﴾63﴿ Wa 'ibaadur Rahmaanil lazeena yamshoona 'alal ardi hawnanw wa izaa khaata bahumul jaahiloona qaaloo salaamaa
﴾64﴿ Wallazeena yabeetoona li Rabbihim sujjadanw wa qiyaamaa
﴾65﴿ Wallazeena yaqooloona Rabbanas rif 'annaa 'azaaba Jahannama inna 'azaabahaa kaana gharaamaa
﴾66﴿ Innahaa saaa'at mustaqarranw wa muqaamaa

﴾63﴿ And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth humbly, and when the ignorant address them, they say [words of] peace
﴾64﴿ And they are those who spend the night in devotion to their Lord, prostrating and standing in prayer
﴾65﴿ And they are those who say, Our Lord, avert from us the punishment of Hell. Indeed, its punishment is ever severe
﴾66﴿ Indeed, it is an evil abode and a permanent residence

[63] From here, fifteen qualities of the people of tawḥīd are mentioned — meaning that it is necessary for monotheists to develop these traits within themselves.
Since the previous verse mentioned those who remember (dhākirīn) and give thanks (shākirīn), now these verses describe the ways of remembrance and gratitude.
In this verse, the first three of these fifteen traits are mentioned:
1. “ʿIbād al-Raḥmān” — meaning they recognize Allah the Exalted as the Most Merciful (Rahmān) and dedicate their worship solely to Him, unlike those who deny and detest prostrating to the Rahmān.
This implies that the foundation of all virtues is tawḥīd, and the phrase “ʿIbād al-Raḥmān” indicates that all forms of worship must be dedicated exclusively to Allah the Exalted.
This includes all types of worship:
(1) whether it is performed during the day or (2) at night,
(3) whether it involves carrying out commands or (4) refraining from prohibitions,
(5) whether it involves the feet, (6) hands, (7) eyes, (8) ears, or (9) heart,
(10) whether it is related to the head, (11) physical body, or (12) wealth,
(13) whether it involves fulfilling the rights of Allah the Exalted or (14) the rights of creation.
All these forms of worship are alluded to in this term.
2. “Those who walk on the earth humbly” — meaning they behave with softness and humility according to the sharʿī (Islamic) way, the standard of which is the Sunnah of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace), in terms of both how one walks and the purpose behind it.
In Sūrah Luqmān (verse 19), this is referred to as waqṣid — walk with moderation.
3. The ignorant people try to obstruct them from correct conduct — if they are cursed, mocked, or falsely accused, they protect themselves from such people and respond with truth.
One meaning of “Salām” is taslīm — showing disapproval and turning away, as mentioned in Sūrah al-Qaṣaṣ (verse 55).
Another meaning is responding with correct and truthful speech.
[64] In this verse, the fourth quality is mentioned.
The point is that in the previous verse, their daytime actions (which involve going about for the sake of daʿwah) were described — now, their nighttime actions are mentioned.
This indicates that in order to convey the message and invite toward the truth, worship and night prayer (tahajjud) are essential — to seek help and forgiveness from Allah the Exalted.
Prostration (sujūd) and standing (qiyām) are specifically mentioned because both are extended during tahajjud at night.
This same quality is also mentioned in Sūrah as-Sajdah (verse 16).
[65] In this verse, the fifth attribute is mentioned. The point is that despite their obedience and worship, they fear punishment, as in Surah Al-Mu’minun (23:60).
This is the purpose of worship: to be saved from the punishment of Hell. That is, they say, "Grant us the ability to worship in such a way that it becomes a means of salvation from punishment."
"Gharāmā" refers to something that is always required—an inescapable penalty and destruction.
[66] In this, the severity of the punishment is mentioned—that is, this punishment is extremely evil and destructive. Therefore, fearing it is necessary.
"Muqāmā" with a fatḥah (zabar) on the mīm means "a place of standing" (i.e., a station where one is made to stand), and with a ḍammah (pesh) on the mīm, it means "residence" or "dwelling" (i.e., a place of staying and settling).