Translation of the meanings Ayah 35 Surah Al-Mā’idah - English Translation - Dr. Waleed Bleyhesh Omary - The Noble Qur'an Encyclopedia

Ayah: 35

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَٱبۡتَغُوٓاْ إِلَيۡهِ ٱلۡوَسِيلَةَ وَجَٰهِدُواْ فِي سَبِيلِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تُفۡلِحُونَ

(35) ^[1172]You who Believe, be Mindful of Allah, seek the means ˹to be nearer˺ to Him^[1173] and strive in His path, that you may be successful.

[1172] This passage is parenthetical, separating the two thematically related passages that precede and follow it and whereby both deal with the severe punishment incumbent on aggression against others (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr). To be encouraged to carry out these penalties, hard as they, Believers have to be reminded of the wider issues involved: being Mindful of God and seeking His Pleasure through submission to His will, as well as the severe Punishment that God promises the Deniers who rebel against His will. Should perpetrators sincerely repent, however, and make amends, they are to be pardoned (cf. al-Tafsīr al-Muyassar): thus, the judicious employment of God’s Most Elevated Attributes – “All-Forgiving, Most Merciful” – in both instances.
[1173] Ibtaghū ilayhi al-wasīlah is to do one’s absolute best and seek out the ways and means to be closer to Godliness; by doing what pleases God Almighty. (al-Ṭabarī, al-Saʿdī)