Quran Universe
33:70

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَقُولُواْ قَوۡلٗا سَدِيدٗا

Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo ittaqoo Allaha waqooloo qawlan sadeedan

O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice.

Word by word
  1. يَـٰٓأَيُّهَاO you who believe
  2. ٱلَّذِينَO you who believe
  3. ءَامَنُواْO you who believe
  4. ٱتَّقُواْFear
  5. ٱللَّهَAllah
  6. وَقُولُواْand speak
  7. قَوۡلٗاa word
  8. سَدِيدٗاright
Al-Ahzab · 33:70Madinah

Fear Allah and say what is straight.

Words with no twist in them

Two commands
taqwaas if you see Him
shows in
straight wordsno twist, no spin
Truth with a twist
technically truebut misleading
straight speechno crookedness

After warning against hurting the Prophet ﷺ as Musa was hurt with words, Allah commands the believers to have taqwa and speak qawlan sadida. Ibn Kathir explains it as speaking in a straightforward way, with no crookedness or distortion.

Your manager asks if the report is done. You say it is basically finished. It is not. Nobody lied exactly. The twist is in the word basically. Straight speech leaves no gap between what you say and what is true.

As long as I do not tell an outright lie, a little spin is fine.

Taqwa shows in my words. Straight speech has no twist hidden in it.

Try this

Catch one moment today where you would usually spin the truth. Say it straight instead.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

O you who believe! Have Taqwa of Allah and speak (always) the truth (70)He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, he has indeed achieved a great victory (71)

The Command to the Believers to have Taqwa and speak the Truth

Here Allah commands His servants to have Taqwa of Him, worshipping Him as if they can see Him, and to

قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا

(speak (always) the truth.) meaning, to speak in a straightforward manner, with no crookedness or distortion. He promises them that if they do that, He will reward them by making their deeds righteous, i.e., enabling them to do righteous deeds, and He will forgive them their past sins. With regard to whatever sins they may commit in the future, He will inspire them to repent from them. Then He says:

وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا

(And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, he has indeed achieved a great victory.) meaning, he will be saved from the fire of Hell and will enjoy everlasting delights (in Paradise).