Surah 42. Ash-Shuraa

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Verses [Section]: 1-9[1], 10-19 [2], 20-29 [3], 30-53 [4]

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Quran Text of Verse 1-942. Ash-Shuraa Page 48342. Ash-Shuraaبِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِحٰمٓۚHa Meem عٓسٓقٓ Ayn Seen Qaaf كَذٰلِكَThusیُوْحِیْۤrevealsاِلَیْكَto youوَ اِلَیand toالَّذِیْنَthoseمِنْbefore youقَبْلِكَ ۙbefore youاللّٰهُAllahالْعَزِیْزُthe All-Mightyالْحَكِیْمُ the All-Wise لَهٗTo Himمَا(belong) whateverفِی(is) inالسَّمٰوٰتِthe heavensوَ مَاand whateverفِی(is) inالْاَرْضِ ؕthe earthوَ هُوَand Heالْعَلِیُّ(is) the Most Highالْعَظِیْمُ the Most Great تَكَادُAlmostالسَّمٰوٰتُthe heavensیَتَفَطَّرْنَbreak upمِنْfromفَوْقِهِنَّabove themوَ الْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةُand the Angelsیُسَبِّحُوْنَglorifyبِحَمْدِ(the) praiseرَبِّهِمْ(of) their Lordوَ یَسْتَغْفِرُوْنَand ask for forgivenessلِمَنْfor thoseفِیonالْاَرْضِ ؕthe earthاَلَاۤUnquestionablyاِنَّindeedاللّٰهَAllahهُوَHeالْغَفُوْرُ(is) the Oft-Forgivingالرَّحِیْمُ the Most Merciful وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoاتَّخَذُوْاtakeمِنْbesides Himدُوْنِهٖۤbesides HimاَوْلِیَآءَprotectorsاللّٰهُAllahحَفِیْظٌ(is) a Guardianعَلَیْهِمْ ۖؗover themوَ مَاۤand notاَنْتَyouعَلَیْهِمْ(are) over themبِوَكِیْلٍ a manager وَ كَذٰلِكَAnd thusاَوْحَیْنَاۤWe have revealedاِلَیْكَto youقُرْاٰنًاa Quranعَرَبِیًّا(in) Arabicلِّتُنْذِرَthat you may warnاُمَّ(the) motherالْقُرٰی(of) the townsوَ مَنْand whoeverحَوْلَهَا(is) around itوَ تُنْذِرَand warnیَوْمَ(of the) Dayالْجَمْعِ(of) Assemblyلَا(there is) noرَیْبَdoubtفِیْهِ ؕin itفَرِیْقٌA partyفِی(will be) inالْجَنَّةِParadiseوَ فَرِیْقٌand a partyفِیinالسَّعِیْرِ the Blazing Fire وَ لَوْAnd ifشَآءَAllah willedاللّٰهُAllah willedلَجَعَلَهُمْHe could have made themاُمَّةًa communityوَّاحِدَةًoneوَّ لٰكِنْbutیُّدْخِلُHe admitsمَنْwhomیَّشَآءُHe willsفِیْin (to)رَحْمَتِهٖ ؕHis Mercyوَ الظّٰلِمُوْنَAnd the wrongdoersمَاnotلَهُمْfor themمِّنْanyوَّلِیٍّprotectorوَّ لَاand notنَصِیْرٍ any helper اَمِOrاتَّخَذُوْاhave they takenمِنْbesides Himدُوْنِهٖۤbesides Himاَوْلِیَآءَ ۚprotectorsفَاللّٰهُBut AllahهُوَHeالْوَلِیُّ(is) the Protectorوَ هُوَand Heیُحْیِgives lifeالْمَوْتٰی ؗ(to) the deadوَ هُوَAnd Heعَلٰی(is) onكُلِّeveryشَیْءٍthingقَدِیْرٌ۠All-Powerful

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Translation of Verse 1-9In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

(42:1) Ha'. Mim.

(42:2) Ayn. Sin. Qaf.

(42:3) Thus does Allah, the Most Mighty, the Most Wise reveal to you even as (He revealed) to those (Messengers) who preceded you.¹

(42:4) His is all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth; He is the Most High, the All-Great.²

(42:5) The heavens may well nigh rend asunder from above³ while the angels proclaim the praise of their Lord and ask forgiveness for those on earth.⁴ Lo, it is Allah, and He alone, Who is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.⁵

(42:6) Those who have taken others than Him as their protectors beside Him,⁶ it is Allah Who oversees them; you are no guardian over them.⁷

(42:7) And thus did We reveal this Arabic Qur'an⁸ to you that you may warn the people of the Mother of Cities (to wit, Makkah) and those who dwell around it;⁹ and warn them of the Day of Gathering¹⁰ concerning which there is no doubt: whereon some will be in Paradise, and some in the Blazing Fire.

(42:8) If Allah had so willed, He could have made them all a single community. But He admits whomsoever He pleases into His Mercy. As to those given to wrong-doing, they shall have none as protector or helper.¹¹

(42:9) (Are they so foolish that) they have chosen others rather than Allah as their protectors? Yet it is Allah Who is the Protector and Who resurrects the dead and Who has power over everything.¹²

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Commentary

1. The style of the opening verses clearly implies that a hostile whispering campaign was fully in action throughout Makkah against the Prophet’s message and the Qur’an. In every bazaar, on every street, in every house and shop, and wherever a few people got together they engaged in a hostile, gossipy chatter against the Prophet (peace be on him). His opponents accused him of having brought forth a discourse full of absolutely bizarre ideas that had never been heard of before. They expressed their outrage at his having openly proclaimed their centuries-old, ancestral faith, which was followed by the whole community, to be utterly false, offering a faith all his own to replace it. Had he suggested some partial modifications to their ancestral faith and way of life, they could have condescended to give some consideration. However, the Prophet (peace be on him) claimed that he was expounding to them the Word of God verbatim. What could possibly prompt them to accept that? Is it the Word of God because God seeks out Muhammad or Muhammad goes to Him? Or, does any conversation take place between the two? What is being said here on these matters is ostensibly addressed to the unbelievers, but is actually meant for the Prophet's attention. It is being affirmed that the revelation received by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) had earlier been communicated to the Prophets of yore. Both the content of the teaching and the mode of communicating it were the same.

As for wahy, it denotes a quick, secret suggestion, one that is known ‘only to him who makes it and to him who receives it. As a term it stands for the Guidance communicated with the speed of lightning by God to the hearts of any of His chosen servants. What the verse states is that there is no question of anyone visiting God or of God visiting anyone and, thus, of face-to-face communication. God is Most Mighty and Most Wise.

Whenever He decides to communicate His Guidance to any of His servants, He encounters no difficulty in doing so. Thanks to His Wisdom, He resorts to wahy (revelation). The same idea is repeated in the concluding verses of this surah and even in clearer terms (see verses 51-52 below). The unbelievers thought that the Prophet’s message consisted of things that were outlandish and bizarre. In response, they are told that that impression is false, for the Prophets who had been raised before the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) had also received similar teachings.

2. These introductory remarks are not simply aimed at glorifying God.

Rather, all that has been said here profoundly relates to the background} against which these verses were revealed. The primary reason motivating those engaged in a virulent campaign of opposition against the Prophet & (peace be on him) and the Qur’an was that the Prophet was calling people to monotheism. Astounded by this, they vociferously shrieked at the idea that if God alone were the Deity, the Lord, the Provider and the Lawgiver, then what was the locus standi of their venerated ancestors who worshipped other deities? In this regard they were firmly told that the whole universe belongs to God. Since God is the Lord of the universe, how can there be any other’s lordship? This is specially so because those that are accepted as deities or would like to be treated as lords and masters themselves belong to God. It is also stated that God is ‘the Highest, the All Great’ (verse 4), which implies that none can be His compeer, that | none can share with Him His essence, attributes, and rights.

3. It is the height of blasphemy that a created being’s lineage be established with God by declaring someone to be His son or daughter: - Likewise, it is outrageous to invoke or and address supplications to: anyone other than God for the fulfilment of one’s needs. No less heinous} is the fact that someone say a saint be considered to have the power to dispose of the affairs of all people at all places and that he comes to their help and answers their supplications. So is the phenomenon of regarding some people as having the mandate to bid and to forbid, to regard some people as having the authority to declare some things to be lawful and others unlawful, being sure that-people will follow their commands in disregard of God as though they were invested with God’s authority. These blasphemous acts are so outrageous that there should be no wonder if the sky were to rend apart. (Almost the same point is made in Surah Maryam 19: 88-91.)

4, Angels are outraged at the blasphemous utterances of earth’s rebellious residents. They find it altogether incredible that anyone could be considered to be God’s co-sharer in His Godhead and Sovereign authority. They find it beyond comprehension that anyone should sing hymns of and lavish praises on any other than God, the Great Benefactor of all. They are ablaze with the graveness of the offence committed on earth, fearing that it will provoke God’s wrath. They, therefore, over and again implore God’s mercy for the dwellers of the earth who have forgotten themselves and their God. They pray that they be spared God’s punishment and be granted respite to mend their ways.

5. God is Most Forbearing and Most Merciful and is inclined to _overlook and indulge those engrossed in unbelief, polytheism, atheism, sin and iniquity. As a result, they are granted respites that extend to years, and in the case of communities, to centuries. During this period, they continue to receive sustenance, the acclaims of the world and such resplendent means of worldly adornment that make foolish people think that perhaps no God exists.

6. The word used is awliya’ (sing. wali) which is a very wide-ranging term in Arabic. Misguided people entertain many notions about and adopt flawed attitudes towards their false deities. The Qur’an brands these people as those who take others than God as their awliya’ or protectors.

A careful study of the Qur’an yields the following connotations of the term wali: (i) He is the one who is generally followed and the ways, rituals and laws prescribed by him are commonly obeyed, (see al-Nisa’ 4: 118-120 and al-Ar‘af 7: 3 and 27-30.) (ii) He is the one on whose guidance others rely, believing that he will direct them to the Straight Way and dissuade them from falsehood (al-Baqarah 2: 257; Bani Isra’il 17: 97; al-Kahf 18: 17 and 50 and al-Jathiyah 45: 19). (iii) He is the one whom men take as their protector, irrespective of his deeds, and think that if there is a God and the Hereafter then that person will save them from punishment, (al-Nisa’ 4: _ 123 and 173; al-An‘am 6: 51; al-Ra‘d 13: 37; al-‘Ankabut 29: 22; al-Ahzab 33: 65 and al-Zumar 39: 3.) (iv) He is the one who is considered to help men “in a supernatural manner, defending them against calamities, granting them livelihood, blessing them with children, and meeting their needs, (Hud: 11: 20; al-Ra‘d 13: 16 and al-‘Ankabut 29: 41.) At places the Qur’an employs wali in one of the above meanings and at some places all the above-mentioned meanings are intended. In the verse under study all the above connotations of the term are implied; that is, reference is to the unbelievers who take others besides God as their patron and guardian.

7. ‘God oversees them’ means that He watches all of men’s deeds and is preparing the scroll of their deeds and that it is for Him to call them to account. The Prophet (peace be on him) is not charged with taking the unbelievers to task. That the Prophet (peace be on him) is not a ‘guardian over them’ means that the fate of the unbelievers has not been left in the hands of the Prophet (peace be on him). He cannot just turn them into ashes, nor he could overthrow the dominance of those who do not accept his message, nor he could annihilate them. This, of course, does not at all imply that the Prophet (peace be on him) ever entertained such notions and what is said here is to remove such misperceptions.

Although the verse is addressed to the Prophet (peace be on him), its objective is to inform the unbelievers that the Prophet (peace be on him): makes no tall claims of the kind spouted by claimants of spiritual holiness. and godliness in their own ranks. Such false beliefs are quite common in societies steeped in Jahiliyah where their ‘Holinesses’ are considered to have the power to instantly ruin the destiny of whosoever shows any disrespect to them. In fact, they are considered to have such power that even if someone were to show any lack of respect to their graves, or if there are any in whose mind a negative idea about them makes inroad, these divines are apt to destroy them. Baseless stories are spread by these holy persons themselves. As for the truly pious who do not lay any: such, claim, their names and their skeletal remains are used as capital by some of these worldly wise who circulate such stories. The public perception about a saintly figure, therefore, is that, being close to God, he can harm or benefit people. The Qur’an strikes a blow ‘at this false notion, telling the Prophet (peace be on him) that even though he has been blessed with Divine Revelation, the task assigned to him was no more than to direct mankind to the Straight Way. It is only God Who decides what man’s fate is. Again, it is God’s prerogative and His alone to punish or spare people in view of their deeds.

8. What was said at the outset is repeated here with greater force. The addressees are told that the Qur’an is in their own tongue. They can directly approach it. On reflection they will realize that only the Lord of the universe can provide such perfect guidance.

9. The Prophet (peace be on him) is directed to warn those immersed in heedlessness. They should be told plainly and warned that their errors f thought and belief and the moral corruptions which have overtaken them and the flawed principles upon which their individual and national lives are re operating, all are bound to lead to their perdition.

10. The Prophet (peace be on him) was also asked to impress on the unbelievers that their loss will not be confined to this-worldly life. What more, they will soon be confronted with the Day of Judgement when God will gather together everyone and call them to account. If one failed to receive punishment in this world for one’s misdeeds and errors, one cannot escape punishment in the Hereafter. Anyone who suffers in both this world and the Hereafter will indeed be an ill-fated person.

11. This point is made in the present context for the following three considerations: (1) It aims at comforting and consoling the Prophet (peace be on him). He is directed not to grieve over the ignorance and error of the unbelievers. It is part of God’s dispensation that man should exercise free will and choose between guidance and error. Had it not been a part of God’s plan, there would have been no need to reveal Books and raise Messengers. With a single command God could direct everyone to follow the Straight Way and all mankind would have obeyed Him unquestioningly in the way rivers, mountains, trees, the earth, stones and animals do. (This truth is also enunciated in al-An‘am 6, nn. 23-5 and 71, Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. I, pp. 228-9 and 262-3.) (2) The verse is addressed to all those people who had mental reservations that if God indeed sought to guide mankind, there was hardly any need for revelation and Messengers. He could easily accomplish the same by creating everyone as a true believer.

Another corollary of the same delusion was that since God has not done this, it means that He approves the different paths pursued by men. It is rather part of His will and hence the Prophet (peace be on him) should not object to it. The above misperception has been removed at several places in the Qur’an. (Illustrative of this are the following passages: al-An‘am 6, nn. 80, 110 and 124-5, Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. II, pp. 266-7, 280 and 288-9; Yunus 10, n. 101, vol. IV, p. 68; Hud 11, n. 116, vol. IV, pp. 140-1; and al-Nahl 16, nn. 10 and 30-2, vol. IV, pp. 327-28.) (3) The purpose of the verse is to explain to the believers that they will confront hardships and obstructions in the cause of faith.

Some people fail to grasp the true nature of the free will granted by God and it is precisely as a result of this free will that men act differently. Again, there are some who are demoralized by the slow success and progress of faith. They look for miracles which could instantly change people’s hearts. At times, some well-intentioned people tend to be over-zealous in serving the cause of their faith, thereby adopting injudicious means to effect reform. The Qur’an also takes up this point elsewhere, (see al- Ra‘d 13: 31 and al-Nahl 16: 91-95.) It is for the above considerations that the passage under discussion brings out these truths quite succinctly. It is asserted that God’s vicegerency and admission to Paradise are not ordinary favors which may be bestowed upon every Tom, Dick and Harry. Rather, these represent the highest degree of felicity, for which even angels were not considered worthy. God has created man as a species with free will and has placed the vast resources of the earth at his disposal so that he may successfully pass the test to which he has been put, the test that will entitle him to enjoy God’s mercy. No one can lay any special claim to His mercy. He showers it upon whom He wills. Nor can anyone force God to grant it.

Only those who surrender themselves wholly to Him, who take Him as their only patron and repose all trust in Him, are helped and supported and enabled by God to pass the test and receive His mercy. However, the wrong-doers who turn away from Him and take others besides Him as their patrons are not succored by Him. In any case, others do not have any knowledge, power or authority to act as man’s patron.

12. patron ship is not a matter of intuitive choice. Man cannot just take anyone or anything as patron in so far as the latter cannot fulfil the expectations and act effectively as a patron. A true patron alone can help and assist mankind whereas others cannot render such service. As to the contention that God alone is the true Patron, one may appreciate this point with reference to the fact that God alone exercises control over man’s life and death. It is He Who invests lifeless material with life. It is He Alone Who can best discharge the role of a patron. It would be tantamount to ignorance, foolishness and self-destruction if someone were to take others as patrons besides God.