Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allāh, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakāh; [those who] fulfill their promise when they promise; and [those who] are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is those who are the righteous.
وَٱلصَّٰبِرِينَand those who are patientwal-ṣābirīna
فِيinfī
ٱلۡبَأۡسَآءِ[the] sufferingl-basāi
وَٱلضَّرَّآءِand [the] hardshipwal-ḍarāi
وَحِينَand (the) timewaḥīna
ٱلۡبَأۡسِۗ(of) [the] stressl-basi
أُوْلَٰٓئِكَThoseulāika
ٱلَّذِينَ(are) the ones whoalladhīna
صَدَقُواْۖare trueṣadaqū
وَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَand thosewa-ulāika
هُمُ[they]humu
ٱلۡمُتَّقُونَ(are) the righteousl-mutaqūna
Tafsir
Doing good that pleases Allah does not just mean turning towards the east or the west or disputing about that. Rather, it is having faith in Allah as the only God, the Day of Judgement, all of the angels, all of the revealed scriptures and all of the prophets, without distinguishing between them; charitable spending, despite loving and valuing wealth, to relatives, orphans, the poor, the stranger who is cut off from his family and homeland because of a journey, and whoever has a need that makes it necessary for them to ask people for help; giving money to free slaves from captivity; establishing the prayer as Allah instructed; giving Zakat; being true to promises; and patience in poverty, hardship, illness and in times of conflict without fleeing. Such people are those who are true to Allah in their faith and in what they do. They are the Mindful who follow what Allah has instructed them to do, and who stay away from what Allah has prohibited.