﴿ وَٱصْبِرْ نَفْسَكَ مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِٱلْغَدَوٰةِ وَٱلْعَشِىِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُۥ ۖ وَلَا تَعْدُ عَيْنَاكَ عَنْهُمْ تُرِيدُ زِينَةَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ وَلَا تُطِعْ مَنْ أَغْفَلْنَا قَلْبَهُۥ عَن ذِكْرِنَا وَٱتَّبَعَ هَوَىٰهُ وَكَانَ أَمْرُهُۥ فُرُطًۭا ﴾

“And contain thyself in patience by the side of all who at morn and at evening invoke their Sustainer, seeking His countenance, and let not thine eyes pass beyond them in quest of the beauties of this world's life; and pay no heed to any whose heart We have rendered heedless of all remembrance of Us because he had always followed [only] his own desires, abandoning all that is good and true.”

In ancient Makkah, for those who supported the Prophet Muhammad and who had embraced a religion free from any human interpolation, it was not an easy task. This amounted to renouncing a system which served their interests and accept a belief which appeared to be quite the reverse. The believers had almost become strangers in the society, while those who denied the truth drew strength from the firm ground of the established order of the day. The believers’ thinking is God-oriented, the importance of which would be known only in the Hereafter. As opposed to this those who deny the truth have a worldly approach. Their concern is this world, not the Hereafter. As such they are more successful than the believers in this present life. They are surrounded with worldly glory. But a preacher of truth should not be impressed by the worldly glamour of these people. A dayee is not allowed to compromise on the matter of truth at any cost. If he does so, he will be deprived of God’s succour. In God’s world he will be so isolated that no tree will give him shade, and no water will quench his thirst. Ibn Jarir, commenting on this verse, writes, ‘God says, O Muhammad, if you do not recite (or convey) the Quran to the people, then you will have no refuge against God.’