The Quran

Preface

وَاصبِر نَفسَكَ مَعَ الَّذينَ يَدعونَ رَبَّهُم بِالغَداةِ وَالعَشِيِّ يُريدونَ وَجهَهُ ۖ وَلا تَعدُ عَيناكَ عَنهُم تُريدُ زينَةَ الحَياةِ الدُّنيا ۖ وَلا تُطِع مَن أَغفَلنا قَلبَهُ عَن ذِكرِنا وَاتَّبَعَ هَواهُ وَكانَ أَمرُهُ فُرُطًا

Yusuf Ali

And keep thy soul content with those who call on their Lord morning and evening, seeking¹ His Face; and let not thine eyes pass beyond them, seeking the pomp and glitter of this Life; no obey any whose heart We have permitted to neglect the remembrance of Us, one who follows his own desires, whose case has gone beyond all bounds.²

Cf. 6:52 and n. 870. The true servants of God are those whose hearts are turned to Him morning, noon, and night, and who seek not worldly gain, but God’s Grace, God’s own Self, His presence and nearness. “Face” is the symbol of Personality or Self. Even if they are poor in this world’s goods, their society gives far more inward and spiritual satisfaction than worldly grandeur or worldly attraction.
For those who stray from God’s path, God’s Grace is ever anxious: it seeks to reclaim them and bring them back to the path. If such a one resists, and follows his own lusts, a point is reached when his case becomes hopeless. God’s Grace does not then reach him, and he is abandoned to his pride and insolence. Beware of following the example or advice of such a one or seeking his society, or hankering after his wretched idols.