Ash-Shuraa

This sūrah begins with the disconnected letters, the explanation for which has already preceeded in Sūrah Baqarah.

The One Who has revealed this Qur’ān to you is Allah. He, (may He be glorified), is the One Who sent revelation to the prophets before you. You are thus not the first to whom Allah sent revelation. He is the Mighty in His decision and the Dominant in His affair.

Everything in the heavens and on earth belong to Him alone. He created, owns and controls all of it. He is High in His self and in terms of His status and domination, and Majestic in His self.

Part of His majesty, (may He be glorified), is that the heavens despite their greatness and height are almost split apart. The angels glorify the praises of their Lord out of submission and in reverence of Him, and they seek forgiveness from Allah for those on earth. Indeed, Allah is the One Who forgives the sins of those servants of His who repent and He is merciful to them.

Those who take idols besides Allah whom they align with and worship besides Allah, Allah lies in wait for them. He records their actions and He will recompense them for that. You, O Messenger, are not in charge of them and you will not be questioned about their actions. You are only one who conveys the message.

Just as I sent revelation to the prophets before you, O Messenger, I have revealed to you an Arabic Qur’ān so that you may warn Makkah and the Arab towns around it and thereafter the entire mankind, and warn people of the day of resurrection when Allah will gather the earlier ones and the later ones in one plain for reckoning and recompense. There is no doubt in the occurrence of that day, on which people will be divided into two groups: One group will be in Paradise, and these are the believers; and one group will be in the Fire, and these are the disbelievers.

If Allah willed to make them one nation on the religion of Islam He would have done so and entered them all into Paradise. But, His wisdom demanded that He enters whoever He wills into Islam and then enters him into Paradise. Those who wrong themselves by disbelief and sins, will have no one to protect them and no helper to rescue them from Allah’s punishment.

Instead, these idolaters have taken allies whom they align with besides Allah. Allah is the true Protector. Others besides Him can bring no benefit nor harm. He gives life to the dead by resurrecting them for reckoning and recompense. He has power over all things and nothing is outside His ability, (may He be glorified).

Whatever you, O People, differ in about the principle and secondary matters of your religion, the judgement for that rests with Allah, and His book and the tradition of His Messenger (peace be upon him) must be used as a reference. The One who possesses these attributes is my Lord. It is on Him that I rely in all my affairs and it is to Him that I turn by repenting to Him.

Allah is the creator of the heavens and the creator of the earth without any precedent. He made for you from amongst your own kind spouses. He also made for you pairs of camels, cattle and sheep, so that they can multiply for your sake. He creates you through the spouses that He made for you by your marrying one another. He provides livelihood for you through the cattle that He made for you, from their meat and milk. Nothing of His creation resembles Him. He is the One Who hears the statements of His servants, and the One Who sees their actions. Nothing of that escapes Him and He will recompense them for their actions: if good then with good, and if evil then with bad.

To Him alone belong the keys to the treasures of the heavens and the earth. He expands provision for whoever of His servants He wills, as a test to see whether they are grateful or not? He narrows it for whoever of His servants He wills, as a trial to see whether they are patient or become angry with Allah’s decree? He has knowledge of all things. Nothing in which lies the interests of His servants is hidden from Him.

He has ordained for you religious matters similar to what I instructed Noah to convey and act on and what I have revealed to you, O Messenger. He has ordained for you similar to what I instructed Abraham, Moses and Jesus to convey and act on. The gist of this is: Uphold the religion and leave out division therein. What you call the idolaters towards, such as the declaring the oneness of Allah and leaving out the worship of others besides Him, is difficult for them. Allah chooses whichever of His servants He wills and guides them to His worship and obedience and He guides to Him those of them who return to Him by repenting from their sins.

The disbelievers and the idolaters only became divided after the proof for the mission of Muhammad (peace be upon him) to them was established. Their division was only on account of rivalry and oppression. Were it not for what had already been in Allah’s knowledge that the punishment will be postponed from them until a time determined in His knowledge, which is the day of resurrection, Allah would have decided between them and punished them quickly on account of their rejection of Allah and denial of His messengers. Those Jews who were made to inherit the Torah, and those Christians who were made to inherit the Gospel, after their predecessors and these idolaters, are in doubt about and deny this Qur’ān which Muhammad (peace be upon him) has brought.

Call to this upright religion and remain firm on it as Allah has instructed you. Do not follow their false desires and say them when disputing with them: I have faith in Allah and in the scriptures which Allah sent down to His messengers. Allah has instructed me to judge between you with justice. Allah, the One Whom I worship, is both our Lord and your Lord. We have our deeds, whether good or bad and you have your deeds, whether good or bad. There is no quarrel between us after the evidence is apparent and the path is clear. Allah will bring us all together and to Him is the return on the day of resurrection. He will then recompense each one as He deserves and then it will become clear who is true and who is false and who is right and who is wrong.

Those who quarrel with invalid arguments about this religion sent down to Muhammad (peace be upon him) after people have responded to his call due to the strength of its proof and have entered into it, the argument of these people who quarrel is void and holds no weight by their Lord and by the believers. It has no effect. On them is Allah’s anger due to their disbelief and rejection of the truth and they will have a severe punishment that awaits them on the day of resurrection.

Allah is the One Who sent down the Qur’ān with the truth, in which there is no doubt. In it He commanded with justice so that people judge by it. The hour that these people deny may be close, and it is known that everything that is coming is close.

Those who do not believe in it seek to hasten it, because they do not believe in reckoning, reward or punishment. But those who have faith in Allah are fearful of it because they do not know their fate after it and they certainly know it to be the truth in which there is no doubt. Indeed, those who dispute about the Hour and doubt its occurrence are in error that is far from the truth.

Allah is kind towards His servants. He provides for whoever He wills and expands their provision, and He narrows it for whoever He wills out of mercy for them, even though it may appear otherwise. He is the Strong, Whom none can overpower and the Mighty, Who takes retribution from His enemies.

Whoever wants the rewards of the afterlife and works for it, I will multiply his reward for him, by multiplying the reward of a good deed by ten times up to seven hundred times or even more. Whoever wants the world alone, I will give him his alotted share in it and he will not have any share in the afterlife as he preferred the world over it.

Or do these idolaters have gods besides Allah, who have ordained for them religious matters that Allah did not authorize them to ordain such as ascribing partners to Allah, declaring unlawful what He made lawful and declaring lawful what He made unlawful? Had it not been for the fixed time that Allah had set to decide between those who differ, and that He will postpone them until such time, He would have decided between them. Those who wrong themselves by ascribing partners to Allah and committing sins, will have a painful punishment that awaits them on the day of resurrection.

You, O Messenger, will see those who wrong themselves by ascribing partners to Allah and committing sins fearful of the punishment because of the wrongdoing they did. The punishment will inevitably fall on them. Their mere fear that is devoid of repentance will not be of any use to them. Those who have faith in Allah and in His messengers, and do righteous actions will be in contrast to them. They will be enjoying luxury in gardens of Paradise. They will have whatever type of endless bliss they wish for by their Lord. That is the great bounty which no other bounty can come close to.

That is the good news that Allah gives at the hand of His Messenger to those have faith in Allah and His messengers and do righteous actions. Say, O Messenger: I do not ask of you, for conveying the truth, any reward besides one reward the benefit of which returns to you. That is, you love me because of my blood relationship with you. Whoever does a good deed, I will multiply its reward for him, by multiplying the reward of a good deed by ten times. Allah Forgiving towards the sins of those of His servants who repent to Him, and is grateful for the righteous actions they do seeking His pleasure.

One of the claims of the idolaters is that they say: Muhammad has invented a lie against his Lord by his claim of being His messenger. One of the things that confirm that the Qur’ān is revelation from Allah is that if He willed He could have made you forget this Qur’ān. But Allah removes falsehood and establishes the truth. This is what occurred to the call of the idolaters, which was removed, and the call of Islam which was established. He knows what is in the hearts of His servants. Nothing is hidden from Him.

He, (may He be glorified), is the One Who accepts the repentance of His servants from disbelief and sins when they repent to Him. He overlooks the wrongdoings that they committed. He knows everything that you do. Nothing of your actions are hidden from Him and He will give you the recompense for them.

He responds to the supplication of those who have faith in Allah and His messengers, and gives them more out of His bounty that they did not ask for. Those who reject Allah and His messengers will have a strong punishment awaiting them on the day of resurrection.

If Allah had to expand the provision for all of His servants, they would have transgressed on earth by oppression. But He, (may He be glorified), sends down provision to the extent that He wills to expand or narrow it. He is well aware and observant of the states of His servants. He gives for a reason and withholds for a reason also.

He is the One Who sends down the rain to His servants after they had lost hope of its coming down. He spreads His mercy by causing the earth to sprout after sending down the rain. He is the One Who takes charge of the affairs of His servants, the One Who deserves praise in every state.

One of the signs of Allah that prove His power and oneness is the creation of the heavens and the creation of the earth, and the wondrous creations that He spread throughout them. He is able to bring them all together for the gathering and recompense whenever He wills. He is not incapable of doing this just as He was not incapable of creating them the first time.

Whatever difficulty afflicts you, O people, in yourselves and your wealth it is because of the sins that your hands earned. Allah overlooks many of them and does not take you to task for them.

You are not able to save yourselves from your Lord by running away when He wants to punish you. You do not have anyone besides Him to take charge of your affairs nor anyone to help you by removing the punishment if He intends it for you.

From among His signs that prove His power and oneness, are the ships sailing the ocean like mountains in their height and elevation.

If Allah wished to make the wind that moves them still He would have done so, and they will remain fixed on the ocean motionless. In that which has been mentioned about the creation of ships and the subjugation of the winds there are clear signs of Allah’s power for every person who is patient in difficulty and trials, and who is grateful for Allah’s favours to him.

Or if Allah, (may He be glorified), willed to destroy those ships by sending gale-force winds, He would have done so on account of the sins that people earn. He overlooks many of the sins of His servants and does not punish them for those.

When those ships are destroyed by sending gale-force winds, those who dispute in respect of Allah’s signs, in order to refute them, will know that they have no escape from destruction. Then they will only call on Allah and leave those besides Him.

The wealth, fame and children that you have been given, O people, is the enjoyment of this worldly life which will vanish and come to an end. The everlasting bliss is the bliss of Paradise that Allah has prepared for those who have faith in Allah and His messengers and who rely on him alone in all their matters.

Those who distance themselves from major and offensive sins and when they are angry at those who offend them by words or deeds they forgive their mistake and do not punish them for it. This pardon is a grace they offer when there is goodness and benefit in it.

Those who respond to their Lord, by doing what He instructed and leaving out what He prohibited, and they complete their ritual prayer in the most perfect manner. Those who consult one another in matters of importance to them and who spend from what He have provided for them seeking Allah’s pleasure.

Those who when afflicted by oppression, they defend themselves, in honour and respect for themselves, if the oppressor is not worthy of pardon. This defence is justified, especially if there is no benefit in pardon.

Whoever wants to take his right is allowed to do so, but in equal measure without any excess or transgression. Whoever pardons the one who wrongs him and does not take him to task for that wrong, and sets right the relationship with his brother, then his reward is with Allah. He does not love those who do wrong by oppressing people in their selves, wealth, or honour. Rather, He detests them.

For those who defend themselves, there will be no blame as they had taken their right.

Blame and retribution will only be for those who oppress people and commit sins on earth. For such people there will be a painful punishment in the Hereafter.

As for those who are patient and who overlook the harm caused to them by others, then such patience will bring good for them and for the society. This is a praiseworthy thing and only a person of great fortune is blessed with this.

Those whom Allah does not bless with guidance and lets them stray from the truth, they will have no one to take charge of their affairs after Him. You will see those who wrong themselves by disbelief and sins, when they will see the punishment on the day of resurrection, longingly saying: If only we are able to return to the world and repent to Allah.

You will see, O Messenger, these wrongdoers when they are exposed to the fire, whilst they are humiliated and disgraced, looking at people surreptitiously due to their extreme fear for it. Those who had faith in Allah and His messengers will say: The true losers are those who lost themselves and their families on the day of resurrection on account of the punishment of Allah that they received. Indeed, those who wrong themselves by disbelief and sins will be in a lasting punishment that will never end.

They will have no allies to help them by rescuing them from Allah’s punishment on the day of resurrection. Those whom Allah does not bless with the truth and lets them go astray, will never have any path that leads them to guidance to the truth.

Respond, O people, to your Lord by rushing to fulfil His instructions and avoid His prohibitions and leaving out procrastination, before the Day of Resurrection comes, which cannot be pushed back when it arrives. You will have no place to take refuge in and you will not be able to deny the sins that you have perpetrated in the world.

If they turn away from what you instruct them, then I have not sent you, O Messenger, as a guardian over them to watch their actions. Your duty is only to convey what I have instructed you to convey and their reckoning is left to Allah. When I give man a taste of My mercy of riches, health etc. he rejoices in it. But when a trial of difficulty befalls them on account of their sins, their nature is to be ungrateful for Allah’s favours and become angry at what Allah had in His wisdom decreed.

Or He makes for whoever He wills both males and females and makes whoever He wills barren and childless. He knows what occurs and what will occur in the future. This is on account of the completeness of His knowledge and perfection of His wisdom. Nothing is hidden from Him. He is able to do all things, nothing is outside His ability.

It is not correct for a human being that Allah speaks to Him except through revelation that He sends to him, or by direct speech but from behind a veil without seeing Him, or by sending an angel as a messenger such as Gabriel, who then reveals to the human messenger with Allah’s permission what Allah wishes to reveal. He, (may He be glorified), is high in His Self and Attributes, and is wise in His creation, decree and laws.

Just as I sent revelation to the prophets before you, O Messenger, I revealed to you a Qur’ān from Me. Prior to it you did not know about the heavenly scriptures revealed to the messengers, and you did not know what is faith? But I revealed this Qur’ān as a light by which I guide whomever of My servants I wish. You show people a straight path, which is the religion of Islam.

The path of Allah to Whom belongs whatever is in the heaven and whatever is in the earth. He created, owns and controls all of it. Definitely all matters return to Allah alone in their estimation and planning.