Sura XLII (42)
Counsel
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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Ha.
Mim. Ain. Sin. Kaf. Thus unto thee as unto those who preceded thee doth God,
the Mighty, the Wise, reveal!
All
that is in the Heavens and all that is in the Earth is His: and He is the High, the Great!
Ready
are the Heavens to cleave asunder from above for very awe: and the angels celebrate the praise of their Lord,
and ask forgiveness for the dwellers on earth:
Is not God the Indulgent, the Merciful?
But
whoso take aught beside Him as lords -- God watcheth them! but thou hast them
not in thy charge.
It is
thus moreover that we have revealed to thee an Arabic Koran, that thou mayest
warn the mother city and all around it, and that thou mayest warn them of that
day of the Gathering, of which there is no doubt -- when part shall be in
Paradise and part in the flame.
Had
God so pleased, He had made them one people and of one creed: but He bringeth whom He will within His mercy; and
as for the doers of evil, no patron, no helper shall there be for them.
Will
they take other patrons than Him? But God is man's only Lord: He quickeneth the dead; and He is mighty over all
things.
And
whatever the subject of your disputes, with God doth its decision rest. This is
God, my Lord: in Him do I put my trust, and to
Him do I turn in penitence;
Creator
of the Heavens and of the Earth! he hath given you wives from among your own
selves, and cattle male and female -- by this means to multiply you: Nought is there like Him! the Hearer, the Beholder
He!
42:10 His, the keys of the Heavens and of
the Earth! He giveth with open hand, or sparingly, to whom He will: He knoweth all things.
To you
hath He prescribed the faith which He commanded unto Noah, and which we have
revealed to thee, and which we commanded unto Abraham and Moses and Jesus,
saying, "Observe this faith, and be not divided into sects therein."
Intolerable to those who worship idols jointly with God
Is
that faith to which thou dost call them. Whom He pleaseth will God choose for
it, and whosoever shall turn to Him in penitence will He guide to it.
Nor
were they divided into sects through mutual jealousy, till after that "the
knowledge" had come to them: and had not
a decree from thy Lord gone forth respiting them to a fixed time, verily, there
had at once been a decision between them. And they who have inherited "the
Book" after them, are in perplexity of doubt concerning it.
For
this cause summon thou them to the faith, and go straight on as thou hast been
bidden, and follow not their desires: and Say: In whatsoever Books God hath sent down do I
believe: I am commanded to decide justly
between you: God is your Lord and our Lord: we have our works and you have your works: between us and you let there be no strife: God will make us all one:
and to Him shall we return.
And as
to those who dispute about God, after pledges of obedience given to Him, their
disputing shall be condemned by their Lord, and wrath shall be on them, and
theirs shall be a sore torment.
It is
God who hath sent down the Book with truth, and the Balance: but who shall inform thee whether haply "the
Hour" be nigh?
They
who believe not in it, challenge its speedy coming:
but they who believe are afraid because of it, and know it to be a truth. Are
not they who dispute of the Hour, in a vast error?
Benign
is God towards hie servants: for whom He will
doth He provide: and He is the Strong, the
Mighty.
Whoso
will choose the harvest field of the life to come, to him will we give increase
in this his harvest field: and whoso chooseth
the harvest field of this life, thereof will we give him: but no portion shall there be for him in the life to come.
42:20 Is it that they have gods who have
sanctioned for them aught in the matter of religion which God hath not allowed.
But had it not been for a decree of respite till the day of severance, judgment
had ere now taken place among them; and assuredly the impious shall undergo a
painful torment.
On
that day thou shalt see the impious alarmed at their own works, and the
consequence thereof shall fall upon them: but
they who believe and do the things that are right, shall dwell in the meadows
of paradise: whatever they shall desire
awaiteth them with their Lord. This, the greatest boon.
This
is what God announceth to his servants who believe and do the things that are
right. Say: For this ask I no wage of you,
save the love of my kin. and whoever shall have won the merit of a good deed,
we will increase good to him therewith; for God is forgiving, grateful.
Will
they say he hath forged a lie of God? If God pleased, He could then seal up thy
very heart. But God will bring untruth to nought, and will make good the truth
by his word: for He knoweth the very secrets
of the breast.
He it
is who accepteth repentance from his servants, and forgiveth their sins and
knoweth your actions:
And to
those who believe and do the things that are right will he hearken, and augment
his bounties to them: but the unbelievers doth
a terrible punishment await.
Should
God bestow abundance upon his servants, they might act wantonly on the earth: but He sendeth down what He will by measure; for
he knoweth, beholdeth his servants.
He it
is who after that men have despaired of it, sendeth down the rain, and
spreadeth abroad his mercy: He is the
Protector, the Praiseworthy.
Among
his signs is the creation of the Heavens and of the Earth, and the creatures
which he hath scattered over both: and, for
their gathering together when he will, He is all-powerful!
Nor
happeneth to you any mishap, but it is for your own handy-work: and yet he forgiveth many things.
42:30 You cannot weaken him on the earth: neither, beside God, patron or helper shall you
have.
Among
his signs also are the sea-traversing ships like mountains: if such be his will, He lulleth the wind, and they
lie motionless on the back of the waves: --
truly herein are signs to all the constant, the grateful; --
Or if,
for their ill deserts, He cause them to founder, still He forgiveth much:
But
they who gainsay our signs shall know that there will be no escape for them.
All
that you receive is but for enjoyment in this life present: but better and more enduring is a portion with
God, for those who believe and put their trust in their Lord;
And
who avoid the heinous things of crime, and filthiness, and when they are
angered, forgive;
And
who hearken to their Lord, and observe prayer, and whose affairs are guided by
mutual counsel, and who give alms of that with which we have enriched them;
And
who, when a wrong is done them, redress themselves:
- Yet
let the recompense of evil be only a like evil -- but he who forgiveth and is
reconciled, shall be rewarded by God himself; for He loveth not those who act
unjustly.
And
there shall be no way open against those who, after being wronged, avenge
themselves;
42:40 But there shall be a way open against
those who unjustly wrong others, and act insolently on the earth in disregard
of justice. These! a grievous punishment doth await them.
And
whoso beareth wrongs with patience and forgiveth; -- this verily is a bounden
duty;
But he
whom God shall cause to err, shall thenceforth have no protector. And thou
shalt behold the perpetrators of injustice,
Exclaiming,
when they see the torment, "Is there no way to return?"
And
thou shalt see them when set before it, downcast for the shame: they shall look at it with stealthy glances: and the believers shall say, "Truly are the
losers they who have lost themselves and their families on the day of
Resurrection! Shall not the prepetrators of injustice be in lasting
torment?"
And no
other protectors shall there be to succour them than God; and no pathway for
him whom God shall cause to err.
Hearken
then to your Lord ere the day come, which none can put back when God doth
ordain its coming. No place of refuge for you on that day! no denying your own
works!
But if
they turn aside from thee, yet we have not sent thee to be their guardian. 'Tis
thine but to preach. When we cause man to taste our gifts of mercy, he
rejoiceth in it; but if for their by-gone handy-work evil betide them, then lo!
is man ungrateful.
God's,
the kingdom of the Heavens and of the Earth! He createth what He will! and he
giveth daughters to whom He will, and sons to whom He will:
Or He
giveth them children of both sexes, and He maketh whom He will to be childless;
for He is Wise, Powerful!
42:50 It is not for man that God should
speak with him but by vision, or from behind a veil:
Or, He
sendeth a messenger to reveal, by his permission, what He will: for He is Exalted, Wise!
Thus
have we sent the Spirit (Gabriel) to thee with a revelation, by our command.
Thou knowest not, ere this, what "the Book" was, or what the faith.
But we have ordained it for a light: by it
will we guide whom we please of our servants. And thou shalt surely guide into
the right way,
The
way of God, whose is all that the Heaven and the Earth contain. Shall not all
things return to God?