وَلَا تُفۡسِدُواْ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ بَعۡدَ إِصۡلَٰحِهَا وَٱدۡعُوهُ خَوۡفًا وَطَمَعًا ۚ إِنَّ رَحۡمَتَ ٱللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ مِّنَ ٱلۡمُحۡسِنِينَ
And cause not corruption upon the earth after its reformation. And invoke Him in fear and aspiration. Indeed, the mercy of Allah is near to the doers of good.
Through Ibrahim (peace be upon him), Allah had brought guidance to the earth, and especially to the land of Makkah. The corruption warned against here is turning back to falsehood and idolatry after the truth has taken root.
Then the command continues:
وَٱدۡعُوهُ خَوۡفًا وَطَمَعًا
Invoke Him in fear and aspiration.
The fear of not being worthy of His reward, the fear that your sins may stand as a barrier between you and His mercy… Yet at the same time, a hope that fills you within: that He will answer, that His mercy will reach you…
Both of these feelings must be present together in the heart of the one who supplicates.
إِنَّ رَحۡمَتَ ٱللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ مِّنَ ٱلۡمُحۡسِنِينَ
Indeed, the mercy of Allah is near to the doers of good.
There is a fine grammatical subtlety here. The word رَحۡمَةٌ is feminine, so one would expect the adjective describing it to be in the feminine form as well: قَرِيبَةٌ.
But Allah used the masculine form قَرِيبٌ. This usage teaches us:
It is not only Allah’s mercy that is near; Allah Himself is near to the believers, that is, to those who strive to bring forth the very best in worship and in character.
Both Allah and His mercy are near to the one who strives for excellence.