42. Ash-Shura/The Consultation

I/We begin by the Blessed Name of Allah

The Immensely Merciful to all, The Infinitely Compassionate to everyone.

42:01
a. Ha. Mim.

42:02
a. `Ayn. Sin. Qaf.

42:03
a. Likewise Allah, The Almighty, The All-Wise reveals on to you – O The Prophet - as HE did
to those Prophets before you.

42:04
a. Whatever is within the celestial realm and whatever is within the terrestrial world belongs to HIM,
b. for HE is All-Exalted, All-Supreme.

42:05
a. The celestial realm above them will almost burst apart, in awe of HIM, exalted be HE,
b. while the angels glorify the Praise of their Rabb- The Lord, and
c. seek forgiveness of whoever is on the earth.
d. Indeed, Allah is The Oft-Forgiving to the one who repents, The Infinitely Compassionate
towards the one who lives repentantly.

42:06
a. And as for those who take protectors other than HIM,
b. Allah is Ever-Watchful over them, and
c. you - O The Prophet - are not a guardian over them.

42:07
a. And so WE have revealed onto you a Qur’an in Arabic -
b. so you may warn people of the Mother of all Cities – Makkah – and communities and lands
around it.
c. And warn them of the coming of the Time of Assembly, about which there is absolutely no doubt,
d. when a group of them will be in the Paradise, and a group in the Blazing Fire.

42:08
a. And if Allah had so wanted, HE could have easily made them all into one single community
of believers,
b. but HE admits into HIS Mercy whoever HE likes.
c. As for the evildoers, for them will neither be a protector nor a helper against their verdict at the Time of Judgment.

42:09
a. Or have they taken protectors other than HIM?
b. But Allah – HE alone is The Protector of all that exists, and
c. HE alone gives life to the lifeless, and
d. HE alone has the Overwhelming Control over everything: whether it is taking of life or giving of life.

42:10
a. And in whatever matter of faith and religious law you may differ, its judgment rests with Allah.
b. Say, therefore:
c. ‘This is Allah, my Rabb - The Lord.
d. In HIM I trust, and
e. to HIM, I turn’ for guidance.

42:11
a. Allah is the Creator of the celestial realm and the terrestrial world without a precedent -
b. HE has made for you pairs/spouses - males, and females - from among yourselves.
c. just as HE has made pairs/mates - males and females – from among the livestock.
d. Thus, in this way, HE multiplies you just as the livestock.
e. There is really nothing at all in existence or could ever exist like HIM -
f. for HE alone is The All-Listening of whatever you say, and The All-Watching of whatever you do.

42:12
a. The reins and control of the celestial realm and the terrestrial world belong to HIM.
b. HE spreads out the provision of life for whoever HE Wills as a test of their gratitude and
c. restricts it for whoever HE Wills as a trial.
d. Surely HE is Fully Aware of everything regarding the needs and increasing and restricting of provisions.

42:13
a. HE has prescribed for you from the religion, what HE once enjoined upon Noah, and
b. that which WE are now revealing on to you O The Prophet, and
c. that which WE enjoined upon all former Prophets like Abraham and Moses and Jesus.
d. And all it denotes is that you should always uphold the same one true religion of Islam, and
e. never make any division, sects, deviations and/or factions within it.
f. Preserve its unity!
g. It is very hard upon the polytheists to comprehend the concept and respond positively to which you call them.
h. But Allah Chooses for HIMSELF - whoever HE Wants,
i. and HE Guides to HIMSELF whoever turns to HIM heartily and obediently.

42:14
a. And as for they - Followers of Former Scriptures - did not break up their religious unity until after knowledge had come to them,
b. and this break-up was solely out of rivalry and insolence among themselves.
c. And had it not been for a prior Word/Verdict from your Rabb - The Lord for an appointed time, they would have already been judged, punished, and perished.
d. And as it is now those who had inherited the Scripture after them are indeed in serious doubt about it.

42:15
a. So you – O The Prophet - keep on inviting people to this – The Qur’an/Islam, and
b. remain steadfast and motivate the believers too in pursuing the Right Path as you are commanded.
c. And do not follow their whims,
d. but say:
e. ‘I believe in every Scripture that Allah has sent down, and
f. I am commanded to pronounce judgments in all fairness among you.
g. Allah is our Rabb - The Lord as well as your Rabb - The Lord.
h. For us are our beliefs and deeds, and,
i. for you are your beliefs and deeds.
j. Let there be no argument between us and you regarding religion and its oracles.
k. Allah will bring us all together and settle our differences -
l. as to HIM is our final destination.’

42:16
a. As for those who continue to argue about Allah even after profession of Faith has already
been made -
b. their argument holds no value in the Sight of their Rabb - The Lord.
c. And HIS Wrath will befall them, and
d. for them will be an awful punishment.

42:17
a. It is Allah WHO has sent down the Book of Qur’an in all truth,
b. and the scale of justice - to distinguish truth from falsehood as well as weigh your deeds, speech, and dealings.
c. And how can you tell - The Last Hour might be close at hand?

42:18
a. Those who do not believe in it mockingly seek to hurry it,
b. whereas those who believe in it are in awe of its advent,
c. for they know that it is going to be a reality -
d. while those who dispute about coming of The Last Hour are far astray from the truth of the reality.

42:19
a. Allah is Most Gracious to HIS servants -
b. HE grants provisions of life to whoever HE wants, and
c. HE alone is The Powerful in effecting what HE wants, and The Almighty – who always prevails.

42:20
a. Whoever desires by living righteously the harvest/reward of the Hereafter,
b. WE will increase for him in his harvest/reward.
c. And whoever desires the harvest/reward of this world - materialistic harvest/reward -
d. WE will grant him some of it, but he will have no share in the Hereafter.

42:21
a. Or do they have entities of worship which have prescribed a religion for them that Allah has never authorized?
b. And if it were not for a prior Word of Decision that judgment on such matters will be deferred until the Time of Final Judgment, all would already have been decided between them.
c. Indeed, the evildoers – for them is going to be an awful punishment.

42:22
a. At the Time of Final Judgment, you are going to see the evildoers apprehensive about the consequences of what they have earned,
b. for it will inevitably befall them.
c. As for those who believed and practiced righteousness, they will be in Meadows of the Paradise.
d. They will have whatever they wish from their Rabb - The Lord.
e. That will be the greatest of blessings!

42:23
a. This is what Allah gives as good news to HIS servants who believe and practice righteousness.
b. Say O The Prophet:
c. ‘I am not asking you for any payment for my advocacy;
d. it is just amity of kinship that is compelling me to deliver Allah’s Message to you over and over again.
e. And whoever practices righteousness, WE will increase the good for him in it.
f. Surely, Allah is Ever-Forgiving and Most Appreciative of your right faith and righteousness.

42:24
a. Or do they allege:
b. ‘He – Muhammad ibn Abdallah - has fabricated a falsehood against Allah by ascribing The Qur’an to HIM?’
c. Thus Allah responds:
d. ‘If Allah wanted, HE could have sealed your heart O The Prophet.
e. And Allah wipes out the falsehood which they thus speak and enforces the truth with HIS Word.
f. Indeed, HE is Fully-Aware of what is hidden within the hearts.’

42:25
a. And it is HE WHO –
- accepts the repentance from HIS servants, and
- also forgives their sinful trespasses.
b. And HE is Fully Aware of whatever you do.

42:26
a. And HE responds to the pleas and prayers of those who believe and practice righteousness.

b. And also increases for them of HIS Blessings more than they will have deserved.
c. However, for the disbelievers – for them there will be an awful punishment.

42:27
a. And if Allah were to extend and expand the provision of life in great abundance for all of HIS servants in this world,
b. they would surely have acted oppressively in the world.
c. However, HE sends it down in precise measure as HE Wills -
d. for HE is Fully-Aware of the needs of HIS servants and also The All-Watching them.

42:28
a. And it is HE WHO sends down the blessed rain after they have lost hope, and
b. thus spreads out HIS Mercy for them.
c. And HE is The Protector WHO Sends down rain year after year, HE is The All-Praised for HIS benevolence.

42:29
a. And among HIS Wonders are the creation of the celestial realm and the terrestrial world
without a precedent, and
b. that HE has dispersed all the moving creatures throughout both of them.
c. And since HE has created them, HE is All-Powerful to gather them all together, whenever HE may Will.

42:30
a. And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your own hands have earned -
b. yet HE overlooks most of your oversights.

42:31
a. And you can never escape Allah’s Power anywhere on the earth,
b. for you have no protector and no helper other than Allah to defend or ward off HIS Punishment.

42:32
a. And among HIS Wonders are the ships sailing smoothly through the seas and oceans like
floating mountains.

42:33
a. If HE were ever to Will, HE could stop the winds, leaving them motionless on its surface.
b. Indeed, in this are lessons for everyone who is steadfast in times of hardship, and ever
grateful to his Rabb - The Lord in times of plenty and comfort.

42:34
a. Or if HE were ever to Will, HE could sink them by sending violent winds for what they have earned of HIS disobedience and sinful trespasses,
b. though HE overlooks many things.

42:35
a. And those who dispute or argue about the truth of OUR Messages in The Qur’an should know
b. that for them will be no place to escape from OUR Vengeance.

42:36
a. So whatever of the provisions of life you have been granted are simply for temporary
enjoyment of the worldly life and these shall not last,
b. whereas whatever is with Allah - your reward in Paradise - is far better, and more/
everlasting for those -
c. who believe and trust their Rabb - The Lord.

42:37
a. And also for those who refrain from major sins and obscene behavior/acts,
b. and they are willing to forgive rather than retaliate even when they get furious,

42:38
a. and those who respond to the Call of their Rabb - The Lord,
b. and establish the Salat/Prayers,
c. and settle their affairs through consultations among themselves,
d. and spend generously in OUR Cause and for the needy of that which WE provide for them,

42:39
a. and those who defend themselves, when they suffer aggression and injustice.

42:40
a. And the payback for an evil deed is the like of that evil deed,
b. but whoever forgoes retaliation and forgives and reconciles, his reward will then be with Allah.
c. Certainly, HE has no love for the evildoers who are unjust in undue acts of revenge.

42:41
a. And whoever defends oneself in a lawful manner after having suffered evil,
b. then he will not be blamed for it.

42:42
a. The blame/retaliation is only against those who do injustice to people and behave oppressively in the land without any justification.
b. Those – for them will be an agonizing punishment.

42:43
a. Nevertheless, whoever endures patiently and forgives the evil done to him -
b. this would, indeed, be a meritorious thing.

42:44
a. And whoever Allah lets go astray, then, for him there will no longer be any protector.
b. And you are going to see how the evildoers cry out as they see the punishment:
c. Is there ‘any way of going back’ to the worldly life and practice righteousness?

42:45
a. And you are going to see them brought to it - the Fire - abject in humiliation, and
b. looking around in utter humility/furtively.
c. While those who believed will say:
d. ‘Indeed, the real losers are those who lost themselves and their families at the Time of Resurrection.’
e. Indeed, the evildoers are going to be in everlasting punishment.

42:46
a. And they will have no friends to help them against Allah, other than Allah.
b. And whoever Allah lets go astray, he can no longer have a way to guidance.

42:47
a. Respond to the Call of your Rabb - The Lord before a Time comes from Allah which cannot be averted or revoked -
b. for at that Time you will neither have any refuge nor any possibility of denial of your misdeeds as these would have been recorded in the book of your deeds.

42:48
a. But if they turn away, then let it be so because WE have not assigned you – O The Prophet
- as a task-master over them.
b. You are only required to convey OUR Message.
c. And, indeed WE - when WE give a person a taste of Mercy from US, he is delighted with it without giving thanks for it,
d. but when some adversity afflicts him for what his hands have sent forward - then, indeed,
the person becomes ungrateful and blasphemous.

42:49
a. To Allah alone belongs the sovereignty of the celestial realm and the terrestrial world.
b. HE creates whatever HE Likes.
c. HE grants baby-females to whoever of the married couple HE Likes, and
d. HE grants baby-males to whoever of the married couple HE Likes.

42:50
a. Or HE pairs them males and females - granted to whoever HE Likes, and
b. HE renders infertile of the married couple whoever HE Likes.
c. Surely, HE is both The All-Knowing of whatever HE creates, and The All-Powerful in bringing about whatever HE Likes.

42:51
a. And it is not fitting for any human being that Allah should speak to him directly,
b. except it be
- through Revelation, or
- from the other side of Veil of Grandeur, where HE makes the person able to hear HIS Speech but without being able to see HIM, or
- assigning an angelic-messenger to reveal, with HIS authorization, whatever HE may Will to reveal.
c. Surely HE is The Exalted and The All-Wise in HIS command and decree.

42:52
a. And thus, in the same way, WE are revealing on to you - O The Prophet - the Spirit from
OUR Command.
b. And before this Revelation you neither knew any Scripture,
c. nor did you know through your own endeavor details of injunctions of belief.
d. But WE made it – The Qur’an - a Light,
e. by which WE Guide whoever WE Will of OUR servants.
f. And, certainly, you too will guide people to a Right Path-

42:53
a. - the Path of Allah,
b. the One to WHOM belongs whatever is within the celestial realm and whatever is within the terrestrial world.
Indeed, all matters will eventually go back to Allah for resolution.