Quran Universe
7:201

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوۡاْ إِذَا مَسَّهُمۡ طَـٰٓئِفٞ مِّنَ ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنِ تَذَكَّرُواْ فَإِذَا هُم مُّبۡصِرُونَ

Inna allatheena ittaqaw itha massahum taifun mina alshshaytani tathakkaroo faitha hum mubsiroona

Indeed, those who fear Allah - when an impulse touches them from Satan, they remember [Him] and at once they have insight.

Word by word
  1. إِنَّIndeed
  2. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  3. ٱتَّقَوۡاْfear (Allah)
  4. إِذَاwhen
  5. مَسَّهُمۡtouches them
  6. طَـٰٓئِفٞan evil thought
  7. مِّنَfrom
  8. ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنِthe Shaitaan
  9. تَذَكَّرُواْthey remember (Allah)
  10. فَإِذَاand then
  11. هُمthey
  12. مُّبۡصِرُونَ(are) those who see (aright)
Al-A'raf · 7:201Makkah

They remember, and suddenly they see clearly.

How the mindful recover

The recovery
an evil thoughtanger, a whisper
they
remember AllahHis promise and warning
then
they seeaware of the error
What taqwa looks like
never tempteda perfect person
quick to remembertouched, then turning back

Ibn Kathir describes the people of taqwa: when an evil thought, anger, or the intention to do wrong crosses their mind, they remember Allah's punishment and His great reward, repent and seek refuge. Then they see aright, aware of the error of their ways.

You are halfway through typing the angry email. Then a verse you heard in Friday khutbah floats up. You stop. Suddenly the email looks different. You delete it.

Good people do not get bad thoughts.

The mindful get touched by bad thoughts too. They just remember quickly.

Try this

Choose one short dhikr to be your stop word today, and use it when a bad impulse shows up.

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

Verily, those who have Taqwa, when an evil thought comes to them from Shaytan, they remember (Allah), and (indeed) they then see (aright)(201)But (as for) their brothers (the devils' brothers) they (the devils) plunge them deeper into error, and they never stop short (202)

The Whispering of Shaytan and the People of Taqwa

Allah mentions His servants who have Taqwa, obeying His orders, and avoid what He forbade:

إِذَا مَسَّهُمْ

(when comes to them) an evil thought, or anger, or the whispers of Shaytan cross their mind, or intend to err, or commit an error,

تَذَكَّرُوا 

(they remember) Allah's punishment, as well as, His tremendous reward. They remember Allah's promises and threats, then repent, go back to Him, seek refuge with Him and ask for forgiveness before death,

فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْصِرُونَ

(and (indeed) they then see (aright)) they become aright and aware of the error of their ways.

A Brethren of Devils among Mankind lure to Falsehood

Allah said next,

وَإِخْوَانُهُمْ يَمُدُّونَهُمْ

(But (as for) their brothers they plunge them deeper) in reference to the devils' brothers among mankind. Allah said in another Ayah,

إِنَّ الْمُبَذِّرِينَ كَانُوا إِخْوَانَ الشَّيَاطِينِ

(Verily, the spendthrifts are brothers of the Shayatin)[17:27] for they are followers of the Shayatin, who listen to them and obey their orders.

يَمُدُّونَهُمْ فِي الْغَيِّ

(They plunge them deeper into error) the devils help them commit sins, making this path easy and appealing to them

ثُمَّ لَا يُقْصِرُونَ

(and they never stop short) for the devils never cease inciting mankind to commit errors. 'Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn 'Abbas commented on Allah's statement,

وَإِخْوَانُهُمْ يَمُدُّونَهُمْ فِي الْغَيِّ ثُمَّ لَا يُقْصِرُونَ

(But (as for) their brothers they plunge them deeper into error, and they never stop short.)

"Neither mankind stop short of the evil that they are doing nor the devils stop short of luring them. " Therefore,

لَا يُقْصِرُونَ

(they never stop short) refers to the devils getting tired or stopping their whispering. Allah said in another Ayah,

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا الشَّيَاطِينَ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ تَؤُزُّهُمْ أَزًّا

(See you not that We have sent Shayatin against the disbelievers to push them to do evil)[19:83] persistently luring the disbelievers to commit evil, according to Ibn 'Abbas and others.