Surah Al-Ahzaab (33) — Ayah 35

35. Surely, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the obedient men and obedient women, the truthful men and truthful women, the patient men and patient women, the humble men and humble women, the charitable men and charitable women, the fasting men and fasting women, those who guard their chastity, and those who remember Allah much—Allah has prepared forgiveness [54] and a great reward for all of them.

[54]
The Ten Fundamental Values of Islam:

In this verse, ten such qualities of Muslims are mentioned which can be called the fundamental values of Islam. The first quality is embracing Islam, and this depends on two testimonies: that whoever declares that there is no deity except Allah and that Muhammad ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah, enters the fold of Islam. After Islam, the second quality is faith (iman). Faith means that the two testimonies settle in the heart, and the heart also affirms them, and a person becomes ready to fulfill the demands and basic pillars of Islam. As long as a person does not affirm with the heart and perform righteous deeds along with the claim of Islam, his claim to faith will be considered false and a lie. The third quality is that such people are not only verbally convinced of the commands of Allah and His Messenger, but are also always ready, in practice, to accept and obey them. The fourth quality is that they are truthful and upright. In their dealings, they avoid lying, deceit, hypocrisy, and treachery as much as possible. The fifth quality is that they endure the difficulties encountered in the path of Allah with a cheerful heart. They also act upon the divine commands with full patience and steadfastness. The sixth quality is that they have no trace of arrogance. Their appearance, manner of walking, and speech are free from pride and haughtiness. Instead, they possess humility and modesty towards others. They treat everyone with respect and honor. At this point, the word "khashi'een" is used, and "khushu'" means such fear or feeling whose effects become apparent on the limbs. Then, by using this word, prayer can also be meant, because khushu' is the soul of prayer, and taking prayer as the meaning here is also appropriate since charity and fasting are mentioned ahead. The seventh quality is that they are charitable, and this word includes three meanings. First, that they pay zakat (obligatory charity). Second, that they remove the needs of the needy through voluntary charity and spend in those matters which the Shariah has commanded. Third, that if someone owes them a debt, they forgive it, i.e., they forgo their right. The eighth quality is that they not only observe obligatory fasts but also keep voluntary fasts as much as they are able. The ninth quality is that they avoid adultery as well as indecency and nakedness. The tenth quality is that they remember Allah most of the time and keep Him in mind. By remembering is meant to keep the tongue moist with tasbih, tahlil, and the remembrance of Allah, and by keeping in mind is meant that whatever they do, they always have the fear of Allah in their hearts, which saves them from disobeying Allah. And the reality is that the soul of all worships is this remembrance of Allah or the remembrance of Allah. All other acts of worship have a fixed time, but this worship has no fixed time, and it can be done at all times. And it is through this remembrance of Allah that it becomes known how strong or weak a servant's relationship with his Lord is.

Why Are Men Generally Addressed? Men and Women Are Equal in the Reward of Deeds:

The context of this verse is that some of the noble wives asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ why, in the Quran, men are generally addressed, and women are rarely mentioned. Thus, in this verse, women are mentioned alongside men in each quality. And this was merely the eager desire of some of the wives (Sayyidah Umm Salamah ؓ) that women should be mentioned separately. Otherwise, it is the custom of every language, and likewise of the Arabic language, that when addressing a mixed gathering of men and women, the masculine plural form is used, and women are included in this address by implication. Thus, in this verse, it has been clarified that whether the doer is a man or a woman, no one's effort and earning is wasted with Allah. Secondly, there will be no difference in the reward of their deeds. The path to moral development and spiritual perfection is equally open to both. It is a separate matter that the sphere of action for men is different from that of women. If men have a higher rank in jihad, then women have a higher rank in the proper upbringing of children. However, in matters that pertain specifically to women, women are addressed directly.