Sūra XLII. Shūrā, or Consultation

The Holy Quran, tr. by Yusuf Ali, [1934], at sacred-texts.com

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Sūra XLII.

Shūrā, or Consultation.

In the name of God, Most Gracious,
Most Merciful.

1. Hā-Mīm;

2. ‘Ain. Sīn. Kāf.

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,

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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-ān:
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

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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
Thereof 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:

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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

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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.

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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:

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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 thereof, 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

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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) whereof
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 thereof: 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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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,

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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.

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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).

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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

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(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

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Inspiration to thee:
Thou knewest not (before)
What was Revelation, and
What was Faith; but We
Have made the (Qur-ān)
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!

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