Home > Library > New > Yusuf Ali > The Holy Quran > Sura Xlii. Shura, Or Consultation

Sura Xlii. Shura, Or Consultation

*
"The Holy Quran", tr. by Yusuf Ali, [1934],

p. 1305

Sra Xlii.

\"SHR", Or Consultation.

In the name of God, Most Gracious,

Most Merciful.

1.
\"H-Mm;"

2.
\"'Ain". "Sn". "Kf".

3.
Thus doth (He) send

Inspiration to thee

As (He did) to those before thee,--

God, Exalted in Power,

Full of Wisdom.

4.
To Him belongs all

That is in the heavens

And on earth: and He

Is Most High, Most Great.

5.
The heavens are almost

Rent asunder from above them

(By His Glory):


And the angels celebrate

The Praises of their Lord,

And pray for forgiveness

For (all) beings on earth:


Behold! Verily God is He,

p. 1306

The Oft-Forgiving,

Most Merciful.

6.
And those who take

As protectors others besides

Him,--

God doth watch over them;

And thou art not

The disposer of their affairs.

7.
Thus have We sent

By inspiration to thee

An Arabic Qur-n:


That thou mayest warn

The Mother of Cities

And all around her,--

And warn (them) of

The Day of Assembly,

Of which there is no doubt:


(When) some will be

In the Garden, and some

In the Blazing Fire.

8.
If God had so willed,

He could have made them

A single people; but He

Admits whom He will

To His Mercy;

And the wrong-doers

Will have no protector

Nor helper.

9.
What! Have they taken

(For worship) protectors

p. 1307

Besides Him? But it is

God,--He is the Protector,

And it is He Who

Gives life to the dead:


It is He Who has power

Over all things.

Section 2.

10.
Whatever it be wherein

Ye differ, the decision

Ther is with God:


Such is God my Lord:

In Him I trust,

And to Him I turn.

11.
(He is) the Creator

Of the heavens and

The earth: He has made

For you pairs

From among yourselves,

And pairs among cattle:


By this means does He

Multiply you: there is nothing

Whatever like unto Him,

And He is the One

That hears and sees (all things).

12.
To Him belong the keys

Of the heavens and the earth:

p. 1308

He enlarges and restricts.

The Sustenance to whom

He will: for He knows

Full well all things.

13.
The same religion has He

Established for you as that

Which He enjoined on Noah--

The which We have sent

By inspiration to thee--

And that which We enjoined

On Abraham, Moses, and Jesus:

Namely, that ye should remain

Steadfast in Religion, and make

No divisions therein:


To those who worship

Other things than God,

Hard is the (way)

To which thou callest them,

God chooses to Himself

Those whom He pleases,

And guides to Himself

Those who turn (to Him).

14.
And they became divided

Only after knowledge

Reached them,--through selfish

Envy as between themselves.

Had it not been

For a Word that

p. 1309

Went forth before

From thy Lord,

(Tending) to a Term appointed,

The matter would have

Been settled between them:


But truly those who have

Inherited the Book after them

Are in suspicious (disquieting)

Doubt concerning it.

15.
Now then, for that (reason),

Call (them to the Faith),

And stand steadfast

As thou art commanded,

Nor follow thou their vain

Desires; but say: "I believe

In the Book which

God has sent down;

And I am commanded

To judge justly between you.

God is our Lord

And your Lord. For us

(Is the responsibility for)

Our deeds, and for you

For your deeds. There is

No contention between us

And you. God will

Bring us together,

And to Him is

(Our) final goal.

p. 1310

16.
But those who dispute

Concerning God after He

Has been accepted,--

Futile is their dispute

In the sight of

Their Lord: on them

Is Wrath, and for them

Will be a Penalty

Terrible.

17.
It is God Who has

Sent down the Book in truth,

And the Balance

(By which to weigh conduct).

And what will make thee

Realise that perhaps the Hour

Is close at hand?

18.
Only those wish to

Hasten it who believe not

In it: those who believe

Hold it in awe,

And know that it is

The Truth. Behold, verily

Those that dispute concerning

The Hour are far astray.

19.
Gracious is God

To His servants:

p. 1311

He gives Sustenance

To whom He pleases:

And He has Power

And can carry out

His Will.

Section 3.

20.
To any that desires

The tilth of the Hereafter,

We give increase

In his tilth; and to any

That desires the tilth

Of this world, We grant

Somewhat ther, but he

Has no share or lot

In the Hereafter.

21.
What! Have they partners

(In godhead), who have

Established for them some

Religion without the permission

Of God? Had it not

Been for the Decree

Of Judgment, the matter

Would have been decided

Between them (at once).

But verily the wrong-doers

Will have a grievous Penalty.

22.
Thou wilt see the wrong-doers

In fear on account of what

p. 1312

They have earned, and (the burden

Of
) that must (necessarily)

Fall on them. But those

Who believe and work

Righteous deeds will be

In the luxuriant meads

Of the Gardens: they shall

Have, before their Lord,

All that they wish for.

That will indeed be

The magnificent Bounty

(Of God).

23.
That is (the Bounty) wher

God gives Glad Tidings

To His Servants who

Believe and do righteous deeds.

Say: "No reward do I

Ask of you for this

Except the love

Of those near of kin."

And if any one earns

Any good, We shall give

Him an increase of good

In respect ther: for God

Is Oft-Forgiving, Most Ready

To appreciate (service).

24.
What! Do they say,

"He has forged a falsehood

Against God"? But if God

Willed, He could seal up

p. 1313

Thy heart. And God

Blots out Vanity, and proves

The Truth by His Words.

For He knows well

The secrets of all hearts.

25.
He is the One that accepts

Repentance from His Servants

And forgives sins:


And He knows all

That ye do.

26.
And He listens to

Those who believe and

Do deeds of righteousness,

And gives them increase

Of His Bounty: but

For the Unbelievers there is

A terrible Penalty.

27.
If God were to enlarge

The provision for His Servants,

They would indeed transgress

Beyond all bounds

Through the earth;

But He sends (it) down

In due measure

As He pleases.

For He is with His Servants

Well-acquainted, Watchful.

28.
He is the One that sends down

Rain (even) after (men) have

p. 1314

Given up all hope,

And scatters His Mercy

(Far and wide). And He

Is the Protector, Worthy

Of all Praise.

29.
And among His Signs

Is the creation of

The heavens and the earth,

And the living creatures

That He has scattered

Through them: and He

Has power to gather them

Together when He wills.

Section 4.

30.
Whatever misfortune

Happens to you, is because

p. 1315

Of the things your hands

Have wrought, and for many

(Of them) He grants forgiveness.

31.
Nor can ye frustrate (aught),

(Fleeing) through the earth;

Nor have ye, besides God,

Any one to protect

Or to help.

32.
And among His Signs

Are the ships, smooth-running

Through the ocean, (tall)

As mountains.

33. If it be His Will,

He can still the Wind:


Then would they become

Motionless on the back

Of the (ocean). Verily

In this are Signs

For everyone who patiently

Perseveres and is grateful.

34.
Or He can cause them

To perish because of

The (evil) which (the men)

Have earned; but much

Doth He forgive.

p. 1316

35.
But let those know, who

Dispute about Our Signs,

That there is for them

No way of escape.

36.
Whatever ye are given (here)

Is (but) a convenience

Of this Life: but that

Which is with God

Is better and more lasting:


(It is) for those who believe

And put their trust

In their Lord;

37.
Those who avoid the greater

Crimes and shameful deeds,

And, when they are angry

Even then forgive;

38.
Those who hearken

To their Lord, and establish

p. 1317

Regular prayer; who (conduct)

Their affairs by mutual

Consultation;

Who spend out of what

We bestow on them

For Sustenance;

39.
And those who, when

An oppressive wrong is inflicted

On them, (are not cowed

But
) help and defend themselves.

40.
The recompense for an injury

Is an injury equal thereto

(In degree): but if a person

Forgives and makes reconciliation,

p. 1318

His reward is due

From God: for (God)

Loveth not those who

Do wrong.

41.
But indeed if any do help

And defend themselves

After a wrong (done)

To them, against such

There is no cause

Of blame.

42.
The blame is only

Against those who oppress

Men with wrong-doing

And insolently transgress

Beyond bounds through the land,

Defying right and justice:

For such there will be

A Penalty grievous.

43.
But indeed if any

Show patience and forgive,

That would truly be

An exercise of courageous will

And resolution in the conduct

Of affairs.

p. 1319

Section 5.

44.
For any whom God

Leaves astray, there is

No protector thereafter.

And thou wilt see

The wrong-doers, when

In sight of the Penalty,

Say: "Is there any way

(To effect) a return?"

45.
And thou wilt see them

Brought forward to the (Penalty),

In a humble frame of mind

Because of (their) disgrace,

(And) looking with a stealthy

Glance. And the Believers

Will say: "Those are indeed.

In loss. who have given

To perdition their own selves

And those belonging to them

On the Day of Judgment.

Behold! Truly the wrong-doers

Are in a lasting Penalty!"

46.
And no protectors have they

To help them,

Other than God.

And for any whom God

Leaves to stray, there is

No way (to the Goal).

p. 1320

47.
Hearken ye to your Lord,

Before there come a Day

Which there will be

No putting back, because

Of (the ordainment of) God!

That Day there will be

For you no place of refuge

Nor will there be for you

Any room for denial

(Of your sins)!

48.
If then they turn away,

We have not sent thee

As a guard over them.

Thy duty is but to convey

(The Message). And truly,

When We give man

A taste of a Mercy

From ourselves, he doth

Exult thereat, but

When some ill happens

To him, on account

Of the deeds which

His hands have sent forth,

Truly then is man ungrateful!

49.
To God belongs the dominion

Of the heavens and the earth.

He creates what He wills

(And plans). He bestows

p. 1321

(Children) male or female

According to His Will (and Plan),

50.
Or He bestows both males

And females, and He leaves

Barren whom He will:


For He is full

Of knowledge and power.

51.
It is not fitting

For a man that God

Should speak to him

Except by inspiration,

Or from behind a veil,

Or by the sending

Of a Messenger

To reveal, with God's permission,

What God wills: for He

Is Most High, Most Wise.

52.
And thus have We,

By Our command, sent

p. 1322

Inspiration to thee:

Thou knewest not (before)

What was Revelation, and

What was Faith; but We

Have made the (Qur-n)

A Light, wherewith We

Guide such of Our servants

As We will; and verily

Thou dost guide (men)

To the Straight Way,--

53.
The Way of God,

To Whom belongs

Whatever is in the heavens

And whatever is on earth.

Behold (how) all affairs

Tend towards God!

p. 1323

parchment scroll graphic| croll parchment
Home > Library > New > Yusuf Ali > The Holy Quran > Sura Xlii. Shura, Or Consultation