(Makki)

42:1. Ha’. Meem.

42:2. ‘Ayn. Seen. Qaf.

42:3. Thus does Allah, the Almighty, the Most Wise, send revelation to you [O Muhammad], as He did to those who came before you.

42:4. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth, and He is the Most High, the Most Great.

42:5. The heavens are almost rent asunder [because of the might and majesty of the One Who is] above them, and the angels glorify and praise their Lord, and pray for forgiveness for those who are on earth. Verily it is Allah Who is the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

42:6. As for those who take others besides Him as protectors, Allah is watching them, and you are not their keeper.

42:7. Likewise We have revealed to you an Arabic Qur’an, so that you may warn the Mother of Cities [Makkah] and all those around it, and warn them of the Day of Gathering, concerning which there is no doubt, when some will be in paradise and some will be in the raging fire.

42:8. If Allah had so willed, He would have made them a single community, but Allah admits whomever He wills to His mercy, and the wrongdoers will have neither protector nor helper.

42:9. How could they take others as protectors besides Him? But Allah alone is the Protector, for it is He Who brings the dead to life, and He has power over all things.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us that He has revealed this mighty Qur’an to a noble Prophet (ﷺ), as He sent revelation to the Prophets and Messengers who came before him. This is highlighting His favour and blessing by sending down the Books and sending the Messengers for people of both the past and the future. Muhammad (ﷺ) is not unprecedented among the Messengers, for his path is the path of those who came before him, and his character and attitude are in harmony with those of the previous Messengers. The message hehas brought is similar to that which they brought, for they are all truthful and sincere, and it is all revelation from One Who is divine, Whose attributes are divinity, great majesty and immense wisdom. Both realms, upper and lower, are His dominion, under His control and subject to His commands.

﴾and He is the Most High﴿ in His essence and status, for everything is under His control ﴾the Most Great﴿ and by His greatness,

﴾The heavens are almost rent asunder [because of the might and majesty of the One Who is] above them﴿, despite their great size ﴾and the angels﴿ that is, the noble angels who are close to Allah, who submit to His greatness, are subject to His might and are humble before His Majesty

^glorify and praise their Lord﴿, declaring Him to be above all shortcomings, ascribing all perfection to Him ﴾and pray for forgiveness for those who are on earth﴿ for what they do that is not befitting to the might and majesty of the Lord, even though He is ﴾the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful﴿; were it not for His forgiveness and mercy, He would have hastened to send an eradicating punishment upon the people.

The fact that He describes Himself in these terms, after stating that He sent revelation to all the Messengers in general, and to Muhammad (ﷺ) in particular, indicates that this Holy Qur’an contains evidence, proofs and signs that point to the perfect nature of the Creator and attribute to Him these sublime names, which fill the heart with knowledge of Him, love for Him, and veneration and respect for Him, and lead one to devote all kinds of worship, both outward and inward, to Him alone.

One of the gravest kinds of wrongdoing and most abhorrent kinds of speech is ascribing rivals to Allah that have no power to benefit or harm; rather they are created beings that are in need of Allah in all their affairs. Hence Allah says in the next verse:

﴾As for those who take others besides Him as protectors﴿, directing their worship to them and obeying them as they should worship and obey Allah, they are indeed turning to falsehood, for these are not protectors in a true sense.

﴾ Allah is watching them﴿ and recording their deeds, and He will requite them for all their deeds, both good and evil ﴾and you are not their keeper﴿ so you will not be asked about their deeds; rather your role is to convey the message and you have done what is required of you.

Then Allah mentions His blessings to His Messenger (ﷺ) and to humankind, as He has sent down ﴾an Arabic Qur’an﴿ with clear words and meanings

﴾so that you may warn the Mother of Cities [Makkah] and all those around it﴿ that is, the cities of the Arabs, then this warning is to go further, to all of humankind

﴾and warn﴿ people ﴾of the Day of Gathering﴿ on which Allah will gather together the first and the last; and so that you may inform them that ﴾there is no doubt﴿ concerning it, and that on that day they will be divided into two categories:

﴾some will be in paradise﴿ - they are the ones who believed in Allah and believed the Messengers

﴾and some will be in the raging fire﴿ - they are the various types of disbelievers.

However, if Allah had so willed, He could have made them ﴾a single community﴿), all following guidance, because He is Omnipotent and nothing is beyond Him. But He wanted to include in His mercy whomever He will of the elite of His creation.

As for the wrongdoers who are not Fit for anything good, they are deprived of divine mercy, and they will have, besides Allah, ﴾neither protector﴿ to protect them and take care of them so that they can attain what is good

﴾nor helper﴿ to ward off from them what is bad.

Those who ﴾take others as protectors besides Him﴿) and worship them have committed the most grievous error, for it is Allah Who is the protector Whose protection a person should seek by worshipping Him, obeying Him and seeking to draw near to Him by means of whatever acts of worship of all kinds he may do. Allah protects and takes care of His slaves in general terms by means of His control and by causing to happen whatever He decrees for them. And He protects and takes care of His believing slaves in particular, by bringing them forth from darkness to light, caring for them, showing kindness to them and helping them in all their affairs.

﴾for it is He Who brings the dead to life, and He has power over all things﴿) it is He Who has control over life and death. His will is always done and He has power over all things. So it is He alone, with no partner or associate, Who deserves to be worshipped.

Ar-

42:10. Whatever the subject of your differences, it is for Allah to judge. That is Allah my Lord, in Whom I put my trust and to Whom I turn.

42:11. the Originator of the heavens and the earth. He has given you spouses of your own kind, and of livestock [He has given you] pairs [of male and female]; by this means He causes you to multiply. There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All- Hearing, All-Seeing.

42:12. To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth; He grants abundant provision to whomever He wills, or gives it in scant measure. Verily He has knowledge of all things.

﴾Whatever the subject of your differences﴿ concerning fundamental or minor issues of your religion on which you do not agree,

﴾it is for Allah to judged that is, it is to be referred to His Book and to the Sunnah of His Messenger (ﷺ). Whatever ruling they give is the truth, and whatever is different from that is false.

﴾That is Allah my Lord﴿ that is, just as He is the Lord, the Creator, the Provider, the Controller, so too He is the Judge Who judges between His slaves according to His laws in all their affairs.

What this verse implies is that the agreement of the Ummah constitutes definitive proof, because Allah did not instruct us to refer to Him except concerning that in which we differ. As for that on which we are agreed, the unanimous agreement of the Ummah is sufficient proof, because the Ummah as a whole is infallible and cannot agree upon error; its consensus must be in agreement with what is in the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (ﷺ).

﴾in Whom I put my trust﴿ that is, in my heart I rely on Him to bring what is beneficial and ward off what is harmful, and I trust Him to help me with that

﴾and to Whom I tum﴿ that is, I turn to Him with my heart and soul, in obedience to Him and worshipping Him.

Allah often mentions these two principles (trusting Allah and turning to Him) in His Book, because with both of them together one may attain perfection that is not possible without them or without one of them, such as in the verses in which He says:

﴾You [Alone] we worship, and You [Alone] we ask for help.﴿ (al-Fatihah 1: 5)

- and:

﴾... So worship Him [alone] and put your trust in Him ...fy (Hood 11:123)

﴾the Originator of the heavens and the earth p that is, the One Who created them by His might, will and wisdom.

﴾He has given you spouses of your own kind﴿ so that you may find comfort in them and they may produce offspring for you, and bring other benefits to you.

﴾and of livestock [He has given you] pairs [of male and female] that is, of all types of livestock he has given you pairs, male and female, so that they may continue and increase in numbers, bringing you many benefits. Allah has made that for your sake and as a blessing to you. Hence He says:

﴾by this means He causes you to multiply﴿ that is, He causes you and your livestock to multiply, by means of giving you spouses from among yourselves and giving you livestock in pairs.

﴾There is nothing like unto Him﴿ that is, nothing of His creation resembles Him and nothing can match Him, whether in His essence, His names, His attributes or His deeds, because all of His names are beautiful, all His attributes are attributes of perfection and might, and by means of His deeds He brought into being mighty creations, with no partner. So there is nothing like unto Him, because He is unique and He alone is perfect in all aspects.

﴾and He is the All-Hearing]j Who hears all voices, in all languages, expressing all kinds of needs

(]A11-Seeing﴿ Who sees the movement of a black ant in a dark night on a solid rock, and He sees nourishment flowing through the veins of tiny creatures and he sees the sap flowing in the branches of the trees.

This and similar verses offer evidence for the views of ahl as-Sunnah wal-jama ‘ah^{1Wherever possible, Arabic terms have been translated into English. In cases where we have chosen to retain the Arabic, the transliterated word or phrase is shown in italics the first time it appears in the text. =} who affirm the divine attributes and deny that His attributes in any way resemble those of created beings. Itoffers a refutation of those who liken the divine attributes to those of created beings, in the words ﴾There is nothing like unto Him﴿; and it offers a refutation of those who deny the divine attributes (by interpreting them in a manner that differs from the apparent meaning), in the words ﴾and He is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing﴿.

﴾)To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earthy that is, to Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and in His hand are the keys of mercy, provision and blessing, both visible and hidden. All creatures are in need of Allah and need His help to attain that which is in their best interests and ward off that which is harmful, in all situations. No one has any control over anything at all.

It is Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) Who gives and withholds, causes harm and brings benefit; there is no blessing that people have but it is from Him, and no one wards off harm except Him.

﴾Whatever Allah opens up for people of His mercy, none can withhold it, and whatever He withholds, none can grant it thereafter... ﴿ (Fatir

35: 2)

Hence Allah says here: ﴾He grants abundant provision to whomever He wills﴿ that is, He gives a great deal of different kinds of provision, however He wills

﴾or gives it in scant measure﴿ that is, He restricts provision to whomever He wills, so that it is just as much as he needs, and no more. All of that is in accordance with His knowledge and wisdom. Hence He says:

﴾Verily He has knowledge of all things﴿, so He knows the situation of His slaves and gives each one what is appropriate for him, in accordance with His wisdom and as dictated by His will.

= The term is also defined in the glossary found at the end of this book. (Editor)

42:13. He has prescribed for you the same religion as that which He enjoined upon Nooh - and that which We have revealed to you [O Muhammad] - and that which We enjoined upon Ibraheem, Moosa and ‘Eesa: that you should uphold the religion and not be divided therein. What you are calling the polytheists to is very hard for them. Allah brings close to Himself whomever He wills, and He guides to Himself whoever turns to Him.

This is the greatest blessing that Allah has bestowed upon His slaves, that He has prescribed for them the best and purest of religions, namely the religion of Islam, which Allah has prescribed for the chosen ones among His slaves. Indeed Allah prescribed it for the best of the best, the elite of the elite, namely the Messengers of strong resolve who are mentioned in this verse, who are the highest of humankind in status and the most perfect in all aspects. The religion which Allah has prescribed for them must be appropriate to their circumstances and compatible with their perfection. Indeed the only reason why Allah perfected them and selected them is their adherence to it. Were it not for the Islamic religion, no one would ever be elevated in honour, for it is the essence of happiness and the prerequisite for attaining perfection. Islam is what is contained in this noble Book, and it is what the Book calls to of affirming divine oneness, and righteous deeds, manners and behaviour.

Hence Allah says: ﴾that you should uphold the religion﴿ that is, He has instructed you to uphold all the teachings of the religion, bothfundamental and minor. You should uphold the religion yourselves and call others to do so, and you should help one another in righteousness and piety, but do not help one another in sin and transgression.

﴾and not be divided therein﴿ that is, so that you may be in agreement with regard to the fundamental and minor issues of religion. And be careful lest some issues cause division among you and cause you to become sects and groups, opposing one another, at the time when you agree on the fundamentals of your religion.

What helps in being united and avoiding division is what the Lawgiver has prescribed of general gatherings, such as the gatherings of Hajj, Eid, Jumu'ah, the five daily prayers, assembling for jihad, and other acts of worship that cannot be done properly except by coming together and not being divided.

﴾What you are calling the polytheists to is very hard for them﴿ that is, it is extremely difficult for them, because you are calling them to show devotion to Allah alone. This is like what Allah tells us about them elsewhere:

﴾When Allah alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who do not believe in the hereafter shrink with aversion, but when [gods] other than Him are mentioned, they rejoice.﴿ (az-Zumar 39: 45)

- and He tells us that they said:

﴾What! Has he made all the gods into one God? This is indeed most

﴾Allah brings close to Himself whomever He wills﴿ that is. He chooses from among His creation whoever He knows is fit to be chosen to convey His message or to be His close friend. One aspect of this is that He chose this Ummah and favoured it over all other nations, and He chose for it the best of religions.

﴾and He guides to Himself whoever turns to Him﴿; this is the measure that a person may take so as to attain the guidance of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), namely turning to his Lord, so that his heart becomes attachedto Him and He becomes his aim and goal. For a person to strive with good intentions, seeking guidance, is one of the things that make it easy for him to attain it, as Allah (te) says elsewhere:

﴾With which Allah guides all who seek His good pleasure to ways of peace and safety...﴿ (al-Ma 'idah 5: 16)

This verse, which tells us that Allah ﴾guides to Himself whoever turns to Him﴿, along with the verse:

﴾...and follow the way of those who turn to Me...﴿ (Luqmdn 31. 15) - and knowing the character of the Sahabah (radiya Allahu 'anhum - may Allah be pleased with all of them) and how sincere they were in turning to Allah, indicates that their views constitute shar'i proof, especially the Rightly-Guided Caliphs

42:14. They [the People of the Book] did not differ except after knowledge had come to them, out of mutual envy and rivalry. Were it not for a prior decree from your Lord, [giving them respite] for an appointed term, a decisive judgement would already have been passed between them. Verily those who inherited the Book after them^{1This refers to the People of the Book at the time when this verse was revealed.} are in grave doubt concerning it.

42:15. Therefore call people [to the religion that Allah prescribed], and keep to the straight path as you have been commanded, and do not follow their desires; and say: I believe in all the Books that Allah has sent down, and I have been commanded to deal justly with you [all]. Allah is our Lord and your Lord. We have our deeds and you have your deeds. Let there be no [further] argument between us and you;^{2After the truth has been established, there is no room for further argument.} Allah will bring us together, and unto Him is the return [of all].

Having commanded the Muslims to be united in their religion, and forbidden them to be divided, here Allah tells them that they should not take it for granted that they will remain united just because Allah has sent down the Book to them, for the People of the Book did not become divided until Allah sent down to them the Book which required them to be united, but they did the opposite of what their Book instructed them to do. All of that stemmed from transgression and enmity on their part, because of the mutual rivalry and envy among them. Grudges and ill feeling arose among them, which led to dissent and differences. So beware, O Muslims, lest you become like them.

﴾Were it not for a prior decree from your Lord﴿ to delay the punishment that would destroy them

﴾for an appointed term, a decisive judgement would already have been passed between them﴿. But His wisdom and forbearance dictated that the punishment should be delayed in their case.

﴾Verily those who inherited the Book after them﴿ that is, those who became their successors, the people of knowledge among them,

﴾﴾are in grave doubt concerning it﴿ that is, they have many doubts that cause differences among them. Just as their forebears differed out of mutual envy and rivalry, their successors differed because of doubts, and all of them are partners in blameworthy differences.

﴾Therefore call people﴿ to the true religion and the straight path that Allah revealed in His Books and with which He sent His Messengers. Call your nation to it and urge them to follow it, and strive against those who do not accept it.

﴾fand keep to the straight path﴿ yourself ﴾fas you have been commanded﴿ that is, by complying with the commands of Allah, without going to extremes or being negligent, in obedience to the commands of Allah and heeding His prohibitions, and persist in that. Thus Allah instructed him to perfect himself by adhering to the straight path, and to perfect others by calling them to that.

It is well known that a command to the Messenger (ﷺ) is a command to his Ummah, if there is nothing to indicate that it is only for him.

﴾and do not follow their desires)* that is, the desires of those who deviate from the religion, such as the disbelievers and the hypocrites, whether that is by following them in some of their religion or by refraining from calling people to Allah or not adhering to the straight path. If you were to follow their desires after the knowledge that has come to you, then you would surely be in the wrong (2:145). He did not say “do not follow their religion” because their original religion, that Allah had prescribed for them, was the religion of all the Messengers, but they did not follow it; rather they followed their whims and desires and they took their religion as a mockery and a mere game (7: 51).

﴾and say﴿ to them, when they argue with you: ﴾fl believe in all the Books that Allah has sent down﴿ that is, let your argument with them be based on this great principle that highlights the noble nature of Islam, and indicates that it supersedes all other religions and that the religion that the People of the Book claim to follow is in fact part of Islam. This teaches us that if the People of the Book argue on the basis of belief in some of the Books or someof the Messengers, but not others, that is not to be accepted from them, because according to the Book to which they call people and the Messenger whom they claim to follow it is required to believe in this Qur’an and the one who brought it. Our Book and our Messenger only instruct us to believe in Moosa and ‘Eesa, and in the Torah and Gospel, that it tells us about and confirms, and tells us that these books confirm its soundness.

With regard to the Torah and Gospel, and the description they give of Moosa and ‘Eesa, which is not in accordance with what is mentioned in our Book, Allah did not instruct us to believe in that.

﴾and I have been commanded to deal justly with you [alljjs that is, when judging concerning that wherein you differ. So your enmity and resentment, O People of the Book, do not prevent me from judging between you justly. Part of being just when judging between people who hold differing views, whether they are People of the Book or otherwise, is to accept what they have of truth and reject what they have of falsehood.

Allah is our Lord and your Lord﴿ that is, He is the Lord of all, and you are not closer to Him than us.

﴾We have our deeds and you have your deeds﴿, both good and evil ﴾Let there be no [further] argument between us and you﴿ that is, after the facts have become clear, and truth has become distinct from falsehood, and guidance from misguidance, there is no longer any room for argument, because the purpose of arguing is only to distinguish truth from falsehood, so that the person of mature thinking will be guided, and proof will be established against the misguided. This does not mean that the People of the Book are not to be engaged in argument. How could that be the case, when Allah says:

﴾Do not dispute with the People of the Book except in the most courteous manner... ﴿ (al- 'Ankaboot 29. 46)

Rather what is meant is what we have mentioned.

Allah will bring us together, and unto Him is the return [of all]﴿ on the Day of Resurrection, when He will requite each person for his deeds, at which time it will become clear who is sincere and who is lying.

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42:16. As for those who argue against [the religion of] Allah after it has been accepted, their argument carries no weight with their Lord; they have incurred divine wrath and theirs will be a severe punishment.

This is connected to the words (in the previous verse): ﴾Let there be no [further] argument between us and you﴿ (42: 15). Here Allah states that ﴾those who argue against [the religion of] Allah﴿ on the basis of false arguments and contradictory specious arguments

Rafter it has been accepted﴿ that is, after people of mature thinking and reason responded to the call of Allah because of what became clear to them of definitive proof and evidence. As for these people who argue against the truth after it has become clear, ﴾their argument carries no weight with their Lord﴿, because it is a rejection of the truth, and everything that is contrary to the truth is false.

﴾they have incurred divine wrath﴿ because of their sins and their turning away from and rejecting the evidence and clear signs of Allah ﴾and theirs will be a severe punishment﴿ which is the impact of divine wrath upon them. This is the punishment of everyone who argues against the truth on the basis of falsehood.

42:17. It is Allah Who has sent down the Book with the truth and justice. How could you know? The Hour may well be near at hand.

42:18. Those who do not believe in it seek to hasten it, whereas those who believe are apprehensive about it and know that it is the truth. Verily those who dispute concerning the Hour have indeed gone far astray.

Having stated that His proof and signs are clear, as anyone in whom there is any good responded to them, Allah now mentions the basis and foundation of that evidence; in fact all signs that Allah sent to people are based on that foundation:

﴾lt is Allah Who has sent down the Book with the truth and justice﴿. The Book is this great Qur’an, which was sent down with the truth and which contains truth and certainty. All of it is clear verses and clear proof that speaks of all issues of divinity and religious beliefs. So it discusses the best of issues and presents the clearest of proof.

Then Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says, in order to alarm those deniers who seek to hasten the onset of the Hour: ﴾How could you know? The Hour may well be near at hand﴿ that is, no one knows how far off it is or when it will begin, so it may be expected at any time.

(﴾Those who do not believe in it seek to hasten it﴿ out of stubborn disbelief, trying to outwit their Lord﴾whereas those who believe are apprehensive about it﴿ that is, they are afraid because of their belief in it and their knowledge of what it will involve of requital for deeds. Their fear is due to their knowledge of their Lord, for they fear that their deeds will not save them or lead them to a place of happiness. Hence Allah says:

﴾fand﴿ they ﴾know that it is the truths concerning which there is no doubt.

﴾Verily those who dispute concerning the Hour﴿ that is, after doubting it they disputed with the Messengers and their followers, demanding proof of it. They have gone far astray in stubbornness and in arguing in a manner that is not even close to being right and proper; rather it is far removed from that.

Who could be further astray than one who disbelieves in the realm that is real in a true sense, namely the realm that was created to remain and exist forever? It is the realm of requital in which Allah will make manifest His justice and grace. Indeed this present realm, in comparison to it, is like a rider who rests in the shade of a tree, then moves on and leaves it behind. It is a realm to pass through, not a place in which to settle.

They believe in this transient realm because they see it and experience it, and they disbelieve in the hereafter which is mentioned in all the divinely-revealed Books, and of which the noble Messengers and their followers spoke, who are the most mature of people in thinking, the most well versed in knowledge and the smartest and brightest.

v. ' ILL; o*

42:19. Allah is kind towards His slaves; He grants provision to whomever He wills, and He is the Strong, the Almighty.

42:20. Whoever seeks the harvest of the hereafter. We will increase for him his harvest; and whoever seeks the harvest of this world. We will give him thereof [what is already decreed for him], but he will have no share in the hereafter.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us of His kindness to His slaves, so that they may know Him, love Him, and seek His kindness and generosity. Another shade of meaning of the word lateef (translated here as ﴾kind﴿) indicates that He knows what is in their hearts and minds, which leads His slaves - especially the believers - to that which is good for them in a manner that they do not know or anticipate.

One aspect of His kindness to His believing slave is that He guides him to that which is good in ways that never cross his mind, by means of what He makes available to him of causes that lead him to that, such as creating in him the love of truth and submission to it, and His inspiring His noble angels to help the believers to be steadfast, and urge them to do good, and make truth fair-seeming in their hearts in order to motivate them to follow it.

Another aspect of His kindness is that He enjoins the believers to do communal acts of worship which strengthen their resolve and motivate them, and lead them to compete in doing good and seeking it and to follow one another’s example.

A third aspect of His kindness is that He has made available to His slave every means that may form a barrier between him and sin, to the extent that if Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) knows that worldly gain, wealth, leadership and other things for which people compete in this world could cause His slave to turn away from obedience to Him or make him negligent or lead him into sin, He diverts it from him and restricts his provision. Hence He says here: ﴾He grants provision to whomever He wills﴿ according to what is dictated by His wisdom and subtle knowledge﴾and He is the Strong, the Almighty﴿ to Whom all power belongs, so no created being has any power or strength except through Him, to Whom all things submit.

﴾Whoever seeks the harvest of the hereafter﴿ that is, its rewards and gains, so he believes in it and strives hard for that,

﴾We will increase for him his harvest﴿ by greatly multiplying the reward for his deeds, as Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says elsewhere:

﴾But whoever seeks the hereafter and strives for it as it should be striven for, and is a [true] believer - such are the ones whose effort will be appreciated.﴿ (al-lsra 17: 19)

Nevertheless, his share of worldly provision will inevitably come to him.

﴾and whoever seeks the harvest of this world﴿ in the sense that this world is his only aim, and he does not give precedence to the hereafter, as he has no hope for its reward and does not fear its punishment, ﴾We will give him thereof﴿ his share that is already decreed for him ﴾but he will have no share in the hereafter﴿ for he will be deprived of paradise and its delights, and he will deserve hell and its blazing fire.

This is like the verse in which Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

﴾Those who seek the life of this world and its splendour - We will repay them in full in this life for their deeds, and they will not be given less than they deserve. Those are the ones for whom there will be nothing in the hereafter but the fire. There all their efforts will come to nothing, and all they did will be in vain.﴿ (Hood 11: 15-16)

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42:21. Or do they have partners^{1The partners are the false gods, idols, or devils amongy7«« and humans who made fair-seeming to them the ascription of partners to Allah and the denial of the resurrection, and encouraged them to focus only on this world.} who have prescribed for them a religion for which Allah has not given any authority? Had it not been for a prior decree of respite, a decisive judgement would already have been passed between them. Verily for the wrongdoers there will be a painful punishment.

42:22. You will see the wrongdoers filled with apprehension about what they have earned, but [the requital thereof] will inevitably befall them. But those who believe and do righteous deeds will be in the meadows of paradise. They will have all that they wish for with their Lord; that is the great bounty.

42:23. That is [the bounty] of which Allah gives glad tidings to His slaves who believe and do righteous deeds. Say: No recompense do I ask of you for this, except that you should be kind to me for my kinship with you. Whoever does a good deed. We will increase its merit for him. Verily Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Appreciative.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us that the polytheists took their partners as allies, and they had something in common with them, namely disbelief and deeds based on disbelief. These allies were the devils among humankind, who call others to disbelief; they ﴾prescribed for them a religion for which Allah has not given any authority﴿.involving polytheism and innovation, forbidding that which Allah had permitted, permitting that which Allah had forbidden, and other matters as dictated by their whims and desires.

No doubt true religion cannot be anything but what Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) has prescribed so that people may follow it and draw near to Him thereby. In principle there should be no one who prescribes anything that was not prescribed by Allah for His Messenger (ﷺ), so how about these evildoers who have in common with their forefathers their adherence to disbelief?

﴾Had it not been for a prior decree of respite﴿ that is, were it not for the appointed term set by Allah, and His decree that He would give them respite until that time, He would have passed judgement among them immediately by rewarding those who are in the right and destroying those who are in the wrong, because the justification for their destruction is present. But ahead of them lies the painful punishment in the hereafter, for these and for all other wrongdoers.

On that day, ﴾You will see the wrongdoers﴿ that is, those who wronged themselves by disbelieving and committing sins ﴾filled with apprehension﴿ that is, afraid and filled with dread ﴾about what they have earned﴿ lest they be punished for it.

When a person is afraid, that which he fears may or may not happen to him. Therefore Allah confirms here that there ﴾will inevitably befall them﴿ the punishment that they fear, because they did that which incurs the punishment, without anything to offset it, such as repentance and so on, and they have reached the point where there is no longer any respite or postponement.

﴾But those who believe﴿ with all their hearts in Allah and in His Books and His Messengers, and what they brought ffand do righteous deeds﴿ which includes both beliefs and physical actions, obligatory and recommended, they will be ﴾jin the meadows of paradise﴿. So do not ask about the beauty of those verdant meadowsand what they contain of flowing rivers, green grass, beautiful views, fruitful trees, singing birds, melodious voices, and meeting loved ones and enjoying their company to the fullest.

They are gardens that will forever increase in beauty and splendour, and their people will never tire of delighting in their pleasures. ﴾They will have all that they wish for﴿ that is, in those gardens; whatever they want they will get, and whatever they ask for they will receive, such as no eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor has it ever crossed the mind of man.

﴾that is the great bounty﴿. Can there be any bounty greater than attaining the pleasure of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) and the joy of being close to Him in paradise?

﴾That is [the bounty] of which Allah gives glad tidings to His slaves who believe and do righteous deeds﴿ that is, these are great glad tidings, the greatest of all, given by the Most Merciful, Most Gracious, at the hands of the best of His creation, to those who believe and do righteous deeds. This is the most sublime of goals and the means that lead to that goal are the best of means.

﴾Say: No recompense do I ask of you for this﴿ that is, for conveying this Qur’an to you and calling you to follow its rulings. I do not want to take your wealth or become your leader, or seek any other aims, ﴾except that you should be kind to me for my kinship with you﴿.

It may be that what is meant is: I am not asking you for any recompense for this except one thing, which is in your favour, and will benefit you, namely that you should love me because of the ties of kinship between us, and this is a kind of love that is extra to the love (of the Prophet [3§;]) that is required by faith. Loving the Messenger (ﷺ) on the basis of faith, and giving precedence to love of him over love of anyone else after Allah, is required of every Muslim. But he asked these people for something in addition to that, which was to love him on the basis of kinship, because he began his mission by calling the closest of people to him, to the extent that it was said thatthere was no one among the clans of Quraysh that did not have ties of kinship to the Messenger of Allah

This exception indicates that he was not asking them for any recompense at all, except something that would benefit them, so it was not a recompense for him at all; rather he was rewarding them.

﴾Whoever does a good deed﴿ such as prayer, fasting, Hajj or treating people kindly, f﴾We will increase its merit for him﴿ that is, Allah will give him a sense of comfort and make things easy for him, and that good deed will be a cause of doing another good deed. Thus the good deeds of the believer will increase, and he will rise in status with Allah and with His creation, and will attain reward in this world and the hereafter. ﴾Verily Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Appreciative﴿ - He forgives major sins, no matter how great they are, when one repents from them, and He appreciates a small good deed by giving a great reward for it. By His forgiveness He forgives sins and conceals faults, and by His appreciation He accepts good deeds and multiplies their reward greatly.

42:24. Or do they say: He has fabricated lies against Allah? But if Allah so willed. He could seal up your heart. Allah eliminates falsehood and establishes the truth by His words. Verily He knows well what is in [people’s] hearts.

That is, do those who reject the Messenger (ﷺ) say, audaciously and mendaciously: ﴾He has fabricated lies against Allah﴿, thusmaking the worst of accusations against you? They accused you of fabricating lies against Allah by claiming to be a Prophet and by attributing to Allah that which He had nothing to do with, when they were well aware of your truthfulness and honesty; how can they dare to tell such blatant lies?

In fact by doing this they also transgressed against Allah, for it is an implicit criticism of Him for giving you full authority and control over this great call which - according to their claim - is the greatest mischief on earth, for Allah allowed him to proclaim this call and attribute it to Him, then He supported him with clear miracles, definitive proof, clear victories and dominance of those who opposed him. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) could have put an end to this call from the outset and wiped it out, by sealing up the heart of the Messenger (ﷺ) so that he would not be able to understand anything and no goodness would enter his heart. If He had sealed up his heart, the matter would have come to a complete halt.

This definitively points to the soundness of the message brought by the Messenger (ﷺ), and is the strongest testimony from Allah in support of what he said; there can be no testimony greater or stronger than that. Hence by His wisdom and mercy, and in accordance with the way He always deals with things, Allah erases falsehood and removes it; even if it has the upper hand sometimes, it will ultimately diminish.

﴾fand establishes the truth by His words﴿ - one way that Allah uses to establish and strengthen the truth is that He allows falsehood to stand up to it, then when it stands up to the truth, truth attacks it by presenting its proofs and evidence. Thus truth will make manifest His light and guidance, because of which falsehood will diminish and be suppressed, and its falseness will become apparent to everyone, whilst the truth is manifested and is made clear for everyone.

﴾Verily He knows well what is in [people’s] hearts﴿ that is, what there is in them of good and evil, and what they are concealing and not disclosing.

42:25. It is He Who accepts repentance from His slaves and pardons bad deeds, and He knows all that you do.

42:26. He responds to [the supplication of] those who believe and do righteous deeds, and gives them yet more out of His bounty. But as for the disbelievers, theirs will be a severe punishment.

42:27. If Allah were to grant abundant provision to [all] His slaves, they would indeed transgress all bounds [and commit much injustice] in the land; but He sends it down in due measure as He wills. Verily He is well aware of His slaves and sees them all.

42:28. It is He Who sends down the [much-needed] rain after they have lost all hope, and spreads His mercy far and wide. And He is the Protector, Worthy of all praise.

This highlights the perfect generosity and immense kindness of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), as He accepts the repentance of His slaves when they give up their sins, regret them and resolve not to go back to them, if they seek thereby the pleasure of their Lord. Allah accepts their repentance after their doom had become due as a result of their committing sin, and after punishments in this world were carried out as prescribed in Sharia.

﴾and pardons bad deeds﴿; He erases them and erases what they leave of shame and what they incur of punishment. The one whorepents is restored to honour before Him, as if he never did those bad deeds, and He loves him and enables him to do that which brings him close to Him.

Because repentance is one of the great deeds that may be perfected because of complete sincerity and resolve, or it may be imperfect if sincerity is lacking, or it may be invalid if the aim is to attain some worldly goal, and because the place of repentance is the heart which no one knows except Allah, He concludes this verse with the words: ﴾fand He knows all that you do﴿.

Allah calls all His slaves to turn to Him and repent from their shortcomings, and according to their response, people are divided into two categories:

The first category is those who respond, whom He describes in the following verse: ﴾He responds to [the supplication of] those who believe and do righteous deeds j﴿ that is, they respond to their Lord and do what He calls them to do; they submit to Him and answer His call, because what they have of faith and righteous deeds motivates them to do that. Once they respond to Him, Allah responds to them and shows appreciation to them, for He is the Oft-Forgiving, Appreciative.

By His grace, He gives them more, by helping them and giving them energy to do righteous deeds, and He gives them a multiple reward, far greater than what they deserve for their good deeds, granting them reward and the great triumph.

As for those who do not respond to Allah, namely those who stubbornly disbelieve in Him and in His Messengers, ﴾theirs will be a severe punishment﴿ in this world and the hereafter.

Then Allah tells us that by His kindness to His slaves, He does not bestow on them a great deal of worldly provision that would be detrimental to their religious commitment:

﴾If Allah were to grant abundant provision to [all] His slaves, they would indeed transgress all bounds [and commit much injustice] inthe land)i that is, they would neglect their duties towards Allah and would focus on indulging in worldly pleasures, and abundant wealth would make them concentrate on their desires, even if that involved sin and wrongdoing.

﴾but He sends it down in due measure as He wills﴿ according to what is dictated by His knowledge and wisdom.

Verily He is well aware of His slaves and sees them all’p as it says in some reports that Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

«Among My slaves are those whose faith cannot be sound except through wealth, and if I were to make them poor, their faith would be corrupted. And among My slaves are those whose faith cannot be sound except through poverty, and if 1 were to make them rich, their faith would be corrupted. And among My slaves are those whose faith cannot be sound except through good health, and if 1 were to make them ill, it would corrupt their faith. And among My slaves are those whose faith cannot be sound except through sickness, and if I were to give them good health, their faith would be corrupted. I control the affairs of My slaves according to My knowledge of what is in their hearts, for verily I am All-Aware, All-Seeing.» (Recorded by at-Tabarani; graded weak by al-Albani)^{1All hadiths in this text have been checked and verified by lIPH’s researchers. It is rare, but it does happen that a hadith is not verifiable within the timeframe of researching and editing the book. In that case, a decision is made by the editorial board as to whether or not to include the hadith. It is IlPH’s policy not to include weak hadiths or fabricated (fake) hadiths in our publications. If a weak hadith is included in any text, it is only because the author of the book discusses it as a weak hadith. (Editor)}

﴾flt is He Who sends down the [much-needed] rain]j that is, abundant rain that is much needed by the land and the people Rafter they have lost all hope﴿ and rain had ceased for a while, so they thought that the rain would not come and they despaired anddid things to try to bring it. So Allah sends down the much-needed rain and thereby ﴾spreads His mercy far and wide﴿, by bringing forth provision for humans and animals, so that they appreciate it greatly, and they rejoice in it and feel happy.

﴾And He is the Protector﴿ Who protects and takes care of His slaves in all ways, looking after their interests both spiritual and worldly ﴾Worthy of all praise﴿ for His protection and control, worthy of all praise for His perfect attributes and for what He bestows on His creation of all kinds of favours.

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42:29. Among His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and what He has scattered throughout them of all kinds of creatures. And He has the power to gather them together whenever He wills.

That is, among the signs of His great might, and that He will bring the dead back to life ﴾is the creation of the heavens and the earth﴿ despite their greatness and vastness. This is indicative of His might and vast power. What is seen in both of them of precision and perfection is indicative of His wisdom, and what they contain of benefits that serve people’s interests is indicative of His mercy. This demonstrates that He alone is deserving of all kinds of worship, and that the so-called divinity of all others is false.

﴾and what He has scattered throughout them﴿ that is, what He has distributed throughout the heavens and the earth of all kinds of creatures which Allah has made to be of service and benefit to His slaves.﴾And He has the power to gather them together﴿ that is, to bring all creatures back together after their death, for the standing on the Day of Resurrection

﴾whenever He wills﴿. His power and will are fit for that purpose, but to believe that this will happen is subject to whether there is a truthful divine text to this effect. It is known that the reports from the Messengers and the texts of the divine books that were revealed to them all point to the fact that this will happen.

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42:30. Whatever calamity befalls you is because of the deeds that your own hands have wrought, but He overlooks much.

42:31. You can never escape [Allah’s punishment] on earth, and besides Allah you have neither protector nor helper.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us that no calamity befalls people, affecting their health, property, children and what they love and is dear to them, but it is because of what their own hands have sent forth of evil deeds, but what Allah pardons is much more than that. Allah does not wrong people; rather they wrong themselves.

If Allah were to take humankind to task for what they have earned. He would not leave on the face of [the earth] a single living creature... ﴿

The delay in the punishment is not due to neglect or incapability on His part.

﴾You can never escape [Allah’s punishment] on earth﴿ that is, you cannot escape the power that Allah has over you; rather you are helpless on earth, for you cannot resist what Allah wills concerning you

﴾and besides Allah you have neither protector﴿ to protect you and bring you benefits

﴾nor helper﴿ to ward off harm from you.

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42:32. Among His signs are the ships, sailing on the sea like mountains.

42:33. If He so willed, He could still the wind, so that they would remain motionless on its surface. Surely in that there are signs for every steadfastly patient and deeply thankful person.

42:34. Or He could cause them to sink on account of their [passengers’] misdeeds, but He overlooks much.

42:35. Then those who argue against Our signs will know that they have no escape.^{1That is, when they are in the middle of the sea and strong winds begin to blow from all directions - or, conversely, their ship remains motionless for lack of wind - at that point they will realise that they have no one to turn to except Allah, and no one can save them except Him, so they will turn to Him with utter sincerity. (al-Qurtubi)}

That is, among the signs of His mercy and care for His slaves ﴾are the ships, sailing on the sea﴿ this includes all kinds of ships, driven by engines or under sail, that are so big that they are ﴾like mountains﴿.Allah has made the deep sea to be of service to the ships, and He protects them from the tossing of the high waves. He causes the ships to carry you and your many belongings to distant lands and remote regions, and He has made available for the ships all the means that help them to be of service to you.

Then He highlights these means further: ?flf He so willed. He could still the wind﴿ that Allah has made the means of moving the ships ﴾so that they﴿ namely the ships ﴾would remain motionless﴿ on the surface of the sea, not moving forwards or backwards. This also applies to ships that are driven by engines, because they are also affected by the wind.

If Allah so willed, He could cause the ships to sink, because of the deeds of their passengers; He could drown them in the sea and destroy them, but He is forbearing and overlooks much.

﴾Surely in that there are signs for every steadfastly patient and deeply thankful person﴿ that is, for the one who has great patience in putting up with what he finds burdensome or difficult, so he forces himself to bear it with patience, whether it is hardship in doing acts of obedience or in restraining himself from sin, or restraining himself from becoming discontent in the face of calamities. And he is thankful at times of ease and when blessings come, acknowledging the blessings of his Lord, humbling himself before Him and striving to please Him. Such is the one who benefits from the signs of Allah.

As for the one who does not have patience and is not grateful for the blessings of Allah, this is the one who is negligent or heedless, and he does not benefit from the signs of Allah.

Then Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: ﴾Then those who argue against Our signs﴿ and try to invalidate them by their falsehood ﴾will know that they have no escape﴿ that is, no one will save them from what will befall them of punishment.

42:36. Whatever you have been given is but the enjoyment of the life of this world; but that which is with Allah is better and more lasting, for those who believe and put their trust in their Lord;

42:37. and who avoid major sins and shameful deeds, and, when angered, are willing to forgive;

42:38. and who respond to their Lord and establish prayer, and conduct their affairs by mutual consultation, and spend out of what We have provided for them;

42:39. and, when they are wronged, stand up for themselves [and respond in kind].

This is aimed at making people lose interest in this world and have a greater interest in the hereafter, by mentioning deeds that may help one to attain that.

﴾Whatever you have been given﴿ of power, leadership, wealth, sons, good health and physical well-being

﴾fis but the enjoyment of the life of this world﴿ and its imperfect and transient pleasures

﴾but that which is with Allah﴿ of great reward and eternal bliss ﴾ is better﴿ than the pleasures of this world, and there is no comparison between them.

﴾)and more lasting﴿ because it is bliss that is not imperfect or tainted with distress, and it will never depart.

Then Allah tells us for whom this reward is: it is ﴾for those who believe and put their trust in their Lord﴿ that is, they combine sound faith which is based on righteous deeds, both outward and inward, with trust in Allah, which is the means of achieving all good deeds. Any deed that is not accompanied by trust in Allah is imperfect. This trust means relying with all one’s heart on Allah to bring what one loves and ward off what one dislikes, whilst having confidence in Him.

﴾fand who avoid major sins and shameful deeds﴿; the difference between major sins and shameful deeds - although both are major sins - is that shameful deeds are major sins to which there is a natural inclination, such as fornication and the like, whereas major sins are not like that. This applies when they are mentioned together; when either of them is mentioned on its own, then the other is included with it.

﴾fand, when angered, are willing to forgive﴿ that is, they have attained such good manners and attitudes that forbearance has become second nature to them, to the extent that if someone angers them with his words or deeds, they suppress their anger and do not act on it; rather they forgive him and do not respond to bad treatment except with kindness, forgiveness and tolerance.

This forgiveness and tolerance leads to beneficial consequences and wards off many bad things regarding themselves and others. This is like the verses in which Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

﴾Good deeds and evil deeds are not equal. Repel evil with that which is good, whereupon he between whom and you there was ill feeling will become like a close friend. But none can attain that except those who are patient, and none can attain it except one who is blessed with a great share of good and righteousness.(Fussilat 41: 34-35)

ffand who respond to their Lord﴿ that is, they submit and obey Him, and answer His call, and it becomes their aim to please Him and attain nearness to Him.

Part of responding to Allah is establishing prayer and giving zakah, therefore they are mentioned after that, by way of following the mention of something in general terms with something specific, which is indicative of its importance and virtue. Hence Allah says:

﴾and establish prayer﴿ that is, both outwardly and inwardly, both obligatory and voluntary prayers

﴾fand spend out of what We have provided for them﴿ of obligatory spending such as zakah and spending on relatives and the like, and encouraged kinds of spending such as charity to people in general.

﴾and conduct their affairs﴿ both religious and worldly ﴾by mutual consultation﴿ that is, no one forces his own view with regard to any matter of their common affairs. This can only be a sign of their unity, harmony, mutual love and perfect mature thinking, because if they want to do something that requires discussion and exchange of views, they get together and discuss and examine the issue. Then once it becomes clear to them what is the best option that will serve the interests of the community, they hasten to take a decision concerning that option. This has to do with matters such as decisions concerning war and jihad, and appointing people to positions as governors, judges and so on, or discussing some religious issues in general. That is because such issues are of common concern, and discussing them and exchanging views in order to reach the correct conclusion is something that is loved by Allah and is included in this verse.

﴾and, when they are wronged﴿ that is, by their enemies ﴾stand up for themselves [and respond in kind]﴿ because of their strength and pride; they do not react like people who have no pride and are helpless.

Here Allah describes them as having faith, putting their trust in Him, avoiding major sins and shameful deeds, by means of which minor sins are absolved, submitting perfectly to Him, respondingto the call of their Lord, establishing prayer, spending on charitable causes, consulting one another regarding their affairs and standing up to their enemies. These are all attributes of perfection and the fact that they have acquired them all means that they will do other good deeds of lesser importance, and will refrain from the opposite.

42:40. Harm [or offence] may be requited by the like thereof,^{1The requital may be equal to the harm done by the one who committed the original offence against the one who is wronged, but must go no further than that. For example, in the case of a verbal wrong, such as saying “May Allah humiliate you”, the wronged party may respond in the same terms, but is not allowed to add anything else to it.} but whoever forgives and reconciles, his reward is with Allah; verily He does not love the wrongdoers.

42:41. But whoever settles the score after having been wronged, there is no reason to reproach them.

42:42. But there is reason to reproach [and punish] those who wrong people and spread mischief throughout the land without justification. For such there will be a painful punishment.

42:43. But whoever shows patience and forgives, that is indeed something that is recommended by Allah.

Here Allah mentions the various levels of settling scores, of which there are three: justice, charitable forgiveness, and injustice.

Justice means requiting an offence with a similar action, no more and no less. So it is a life for a life, and any injury may be requited with a similar injury, and damage to property is to be compensated by replacing it with something similar.

Charitable forgiveness means pardoning and reconciling with the person who did wrong. Hence Allah says: ﴾but whoever forgives and reconciles, his reward is with Allah﴿ - Allah will reward him greatly and abundantly. But if the offender does not deserve to be forgiven and there is a shar'i interest to be served by punishing him, then in that case he is not enjoined to forgive him. Stating that the reward of the one who forgives is with Allah motivates him to forgive and to treat others as he wants Allah to treat him. Just as he wants Allah to forgive him, let him forgive others, and just as he wants Allah to pardon him, let him pardon others, for the requital matches the deed.

As for injustice, it is mentioned in the words ﴾verily He does not love the wrongdoers﴿ who initiate offence against others, or retaliate with a greater offence; the additional element is wrongdoing or injustice.

﴾But whoever settles the score after having been wronged﴿ that is, he settles the score with the one who wronged him after he was wronged

﴾there is no reason to reproach them﴿ that is, there is no blame on them for that.

The words tjand, when they are wronged, stand up for themselves [and respond in kind]﴿ (42: 39) and ﴾But whoever settles the score after having been wronged﴿ indicate that it is inevitable that one will be faced with aggression and mistreatment.

As for the one who wants to wrong others and mistreat them, without having been subjected to any offence by them, such a personshould not be requited only with a punishment that is commensurate with his offence; rather he should be disciplined with a punishment that will deter him from aggressive words or deeds.

﴾But there is reason to reproach [and punish]﴿ that is, there is justification for carrying out Islamically prescribed punishments in the case of *[those who wrong people and spread mischief throughout the land without justification﴿. This includes wrongdoing and transgression against people with regard to their blood, wealth and honour.

﴾For such there will be a painful punishment﴿ that is, one that will cause both psychological and physical pain, commensurate with their wrongdoing and aggression.

﴾But whoever shows patience﴿ in bearing what he is faced with of offence

﴾fand forgives﴿ the offenders by pardoning them for what they have done,

﴾that is indeed something that is recommended by Allah﴿ that is, it is one of the things that Allah encourages and emphasises, and states that no one will be able to do it except those who are patient and are blessed with a great share of good and righteousness. It is one of the things that no one is helped to do except people with strong resolve and motivation, and people of mature thinking and deep insight.

Not settling the score or standing up for oneself in word or deed is something very difficult, and bearing offence with patience, pardoning it and forgiving it, and responding to it with kindness, are actions that are even more difficult, but that is easy for those for whom Allah makes it easy and who strive to attain such characteristics, seeking the help of Allah to achieve that. Then after that, if a person tastes the sweetness thereof and sees its positive consequences, then he will do it willingly, feel comfortable with it and delight in it.

42:44. Whomever Allah causes to go astray, he will have no protector thereafter. And you will see the wrongdoers, when they behold the punishment, saying: Is there any way to go back [and make amends]?

42:45. You will see them brought before it [the fire] in a state of abject humiliation, stealing furtive glances at it. Those who believed will say: Indeed the real losers are those who lose their own souls and their families on the Day of Resurrection. Verily the wrongdoers will suffer everlasting punishment.

42:46. They will have no protectors to save them from Allah’s punishment. For those whom Allah has caused to go astray, there is no way [to guidance and salvation].

Here Allah tells us that He alone guides people or causes them to go astray, and ﴾Whomever Allah causes to go astray﴿ because of his wrongdoing

﴾he will have no protector thereafter﴿ to take care of his affairs and guide him.

﴾And you will see the wrongdoers, when they behold the punishment﴿ they will see something very terrifying, difficult andhorrific, and they will express great regret and sorrow for their previous deeds.

﴾saying: Is there any way to go back [and make amends]?﴿ That is, is there any way we could go back to the previous world and do something other than what we did before? This is a request for something impossible that can never happen.

﴾You will see them brought before it [the fire] in a state of abject humiliation﴿ that is, you will see reflected in their physical posture what is in their hearts

﴾stealing furtive glances at it﴿ that is, they will look stealthily at the fire, because of its fearsome appearance.

﴾Those who believed will say﴿ when the fate of people is decided and the sincere and faithful people become distinct from others: ﴾Indeed the real losers are those who lose their own souls and their families on the Day of Resurrection﴿ when they cause themselves to miss out on the reward and incur a painful punishment, and they are separated from their families and are not reunited with them. ﴾Verily the wrongdoers﴿ who wronged themselves by disbelieving and committing sins

﴾will suffer everlasting punishment﴿ that is, they will be immersed in the midst of it and will never emerge from it; it will never be alleviated and they will lose all hope.

﴾They will have no protectors to save them from Allah’s punishment﴿ as they used to hope for themselves. On the Day of Resurrection, it will become clear to them and others that the connections on which they pinned their hopes will be severed, and when the punishment of Allah comes to them it will not be warded off.

﴾For those whom Allah has caused to go astray, there is no way [to guidance and salvation]﴿. They went astray when they claimed that their so-called partners could bring them benefits or ward off harm, then it became clear to them that they were astray.

42:47. Respond to your Lord, before there comes from Allah a day which no one can avert. On that day you will have no refuge and no means of denying [your sins].

42:48. But if they turn away. We have not sent you to be their keeper; your duty is only to convey the message. If We bestow upon a man mercy [prosperity], he rejoices in it; but when misfortune befalls them because of the deeds which their own hands have wrought, then verily man becomes ungrateful.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) instructs His slaves to respond to Him by complying with His commands and heeding His prohibitions, and by hastening to do so and not procrastinating, before the Day of Resurrection comes which, when it comes, cannot be put back and it will not be possible to make up for what was missed. On that day, the individual will have no refuge to turn to, and no way to escape or flee from his Lord; rather the angels will surround all creatures from the rear and will call out:

jinn and humans, if you are able to pass beyond the confines of the heavens and the earth, then do so. But you cannot pass beyond them unless you have power.﴿ (ar-Rahman 55: 33)

On that day, no one will be able to deny what he committed of sins; in fact even if he does deny it, his own physical faculties will testify against him.

In this and similar verses, there is a condemnation of those who hope to live long, and a command to make the most of any opportunitythat comes along to do a good deed, because procrastinating leads to a great deal of trouble.

﴾But if they turn away﴿ from what you have brought to them, after you have conveyed the message clearly,

﴾ We have not sent you to be their keeper﴿, recording their deeds and finding out about them.

﴾your duty is only to convey the message﴿, and if you have done what is required of you, then your reward is due from Allah, whether they respond or turn away, and their reckoning will be with Allah, Who is recording all their deeds, great and small, visible and invisible.

Then Allah Be) mentions the condition of man, stating that if Allah gives him a taste of mercy, such as good physical health, abundant provision, high status and the like, ?(he rejoices in it﴿ that is, his joy is based solely on that, and he does not look beyond it, which implies that he is quite content with it whilst turning away from the Bestower of those blessings.

﴾but when misfortune﴿ such as sickness, poverty and the like ﴾befalls them because of the deeds which their own hands have wrought, then verily man becomes ungrateful﴿ that is, by nature he is ungrateful for previous blessings and discontent with whatever befalls him of misfortune.

42:49. To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. He creates whatever He wills; He bestows female [offspring]

upon whomever He wills, and bestows male [offspring] upon whomever He wills,

42:50. or He bestows both males and females; and He leaves barren whomever He wills. Verily He is All-Knowing, Omnipotent.

This verse tells us of the vastness of Allah’s dominion, which is complete, for He controls His creation however He wills; His control over all things is so comprehensive that it includes the outcomes of all measures that people take. Marriage is one of the means of having children, but it is Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) Who bestows whatever He wills of offspring.

There are some people to whom He gives female offspring, some to whom He gives males, and some to whom He gives both males and females. And some of them he makes barren, so that they have no offspring at all.

﴾Verily He is All-Knowing﴿ and knows all things ﴾Omnipotent﴿ that is. He has the power to do all things, and He controls all things on the basis of His knowledge and precision in creation, and by His power over His creation.

42:51. It is not fitting for any man that Allah should speak to him except by inspiration or from behind a veil, or by sending a Messengerto reveal, by Allah’s leave, whatever Allah wills. Verily He is Most High, Most Wise.

42:52. Likewise We have revealed to you [O Muhammad] a life-giving message by Our command. You knew nothing of the scripture or matters of faith, but We have made it [the Qur’an] a light whereby We guide whomever We will of Our slaves. Verily you are indeed calling people to a straight path,

42:53. the path of Allah, to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth. Verily the affairs of all will ultimately come back to Allah [for judgement].

When those who rejected the Messengers of Allah and disbelieved in Him said in their arrogance,

﴾...If only Allah would speak to us or some sign would come to

- Allah responded to them with this verse, stating that His speaking is only for the elite of His creation, namely the Prophets and Messengers, and the chosen ones of humankind, and that it can only occur in one of the following ways:

Either Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) speaks through inspiration, which is sent directly to the heart of the Messenger, without sending an angel and without speaking directly to him;

or He speaks directly, but it is ﴾from behind a veil﴿ as happened to Moosa ibn ‘Imran, Kaleem ar-Rahman (the one to whom the Most Gracious spoke directly);

or Allah speaks through an angelic messenger, ﴾by sending a messenger﴿ such as Jibreel or another angel, ﴾to reveal, by Allah’s leave﴿ that is, by the permission of his Lord, not on the basis of mere whims and desires.

﴾Verily He is Most High﴿, sublime in His essence, sublime and great in His attributes, sublime in His actions. He has subjugated all things, and all creatures have submitted to Him.﴾Most Wise﴿ for He does everything that is appropriate, and is wise in all that He creates and prescribes.

﴾Likewise﴿ just as We revealed to the Messengers who came before you,

﴾We have revealed to you [O Muhammad] a life-giving message by Our command﴿ namely this noble Qur’an, which He calls life-giving. The Qur’an gives life to hearts and souls, through which both worldly and spiritual interests are revived, because of what it contains of much good and abundant knowledge.

It is a pure blessing from Allah to His Messenger (ﷺ) and His believing slaves, without any effort on their part. Hence He says: ﴾You knew nothing﴿ before it came down to you ﴾of the scripture or matters of faith﴿ that is, you had no knowledge of the texts of the previous scriptures or of faith, and you had no experience in implementing divine instructions; rather you were unlettered, unable to read or write, then this Book came to you, which ﴾We have made... a light whereby We guide whomever We will of Our slaves﴿, by means of which they find illumination in the darkness of disbelief, innovation and whims and desires that lead to doom; by means of it they come to know reality and are guided by it to the straight path.

﴾Verily you are indeed calling people to a straight path﴿ that is, you are showing it to them and explaining it, encouraging them to follow it, forbidding them to do the opposite and warning against that. Then Allah describes the straight path:

﴾the path of Allah, to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth﴿ that is, the path which Allah has prescribed for His slaves and has told them that it leads to Him and to His paradise.

﴾Verily the affairs of all will ultimately come back to Allah [for judgement]﴿ that is, all affairs, good and bad, will return to Him and He will requite everyone according to his deeds; if they are goodthen the outcome will be good, and if they are evil then the outcome will be bad.

This is the end of the commentary on Soorat ash-Shoora.

All praise and thanks are for Allah, and may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), his family, and his Companions abundantly until the Day of Judgement.