ash-Shura (Council, Consultation, The Counsel) at IslamAwakened.com

42:3 Hereby the Almighty and the Most Wise reveals His revelations to you (Mohammad) the same way that He revealed His revelations to the prophets before you

42:4 To God belongs everything in the heavens and the earth; He is the Most High (in rank) and the Greatest

42:5 The entire universe would like to explode [out of rage when man assigns a son to God or deifies a creature of God] and the angles, praising and glorifying their Lord, ask for forgiveness for those [ignorant] on earth. God is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful

42:6 Those who choose other than God as their Lord, God holds them responsible for their wrongdoings and you (Mohammad) are not responsible for their behavior

42:7 Thus I (God) have revealed to you this Qur’an in Arabic language so that you may warn the people of your hometown and surroundings about the inevitable Day of resurrection. [On that Day] some will go to Paradise and the rest will go to Hell

42:8 Had God willed, He would have made everybody the member of one community [Muslim]. Instead, God [has given man the freedom of choice to chose between good and bad and] will admits whoever He wills [and deserves] into His mercy and the wrongdoers [who will naturally not be admitted into His mercy] have neither any protector nor a helper

42:9 [What a foolish thing that the disbelievers] have chosen other guardians besides God. Man’s Guardian is God alone [for the simple reason that]: He is the only One Who gives life to the dead and He has power over everything

42:10 God is the final judge in whatever you differ in. The same Judge is my Lord. I have put my trust in God and only to Him I return [for guidance.]

42:11 God is the Initiator of the heavens and the earth. He is the One Who has created for man, and other living species, spouses of the same kind so that you populate [the earth.] There is nothing similar to God; He sees everything and hears everythin

42:12 God alone owns the key to the treasure of the heavens and earth. [In his absolute wisdom,] He gives to some more and to some less. God is the Most Knowledgeable

42:13 God has prescribed for you the same way of life that He prescribed to Noah. God has revealed to you (Mohammad) the same principles revealed to Abraham, Moses and Jesus. Do not make any division [in the religion of God.] It is difficult for the disbelievers to submit themselves to the God pleasing way of life. God chooses for Himself whoever He decides and guides to His way those who turn to Him

42:14 [Ironically, the followers of the scriptures] broke up into sects after the knowledge was revealed to them, in account of jealousy between themselves! If God had not made a pre-determined decision to take care of them on the Day of Judgment, He would have settled the matter immediately. The fact of the matter is that the followers of the Scriptures have inherited nothing but a bunch of doubts

42:15 Therefore, invite them to the same [straight] way and accomplish your mission as you (Mohammad) are commanded and do not compromise and do not follow their whims and say: “I believe in the [the original] Scriptures that God has sent down. I have been commanded to establish justice between you [by reference to a Divine code of justice revealed in Qur’an.] God is our Lord as well as yours. We are all personally responsible for our deeds. There is no dispute between us [as God has made everything clear in Qur’an.] Know well that God one day will gather us together in His court and we will all eventually return to Him.”

42:16 Now that the message of God is clearly presented, those who dispute it are inviting God’s anger and will be severely punished

42:17 Know that it is God Who has sent down this Book to be used as a balance [as it is the symbol of any legal system]; as you do not know how close the Hour of Judgment is

42:18 Those who do not believe in the Day of Judgment are [jokingly] looking forward to meet it and those who believe in it are deeply concerned about it. Those who challenge the happening of the Day of Resurrection are deeply in disbelief

42:19 God is Aware and Kind to His servants. He gives whatever He pleases to whom He decides. He is the Most Powerful, the Almighty

42:20 The one who wants to receive the reward of his deeds in Hereafter, I (God) will give it to him in a multiplied way then. The one who wants to receive the reward of his deeds in this world, I will give it to him here on one to one basis; however, in the Hereafter, he will receive no share whatsoever

42:21 How dare some to adopt a way of life [such as Western way of life these days] laid by those whom they are fascinated with and not sanctioned by God. If I (God) had not predetermined to reserve my judgment for the Day of Judgment, I would have dealt with them immediately. For such wrongdoers, for sure there is a painful punishment in reserve

42:22 You will witness a Day when these wicked people will fearfully analyze their deeds and will certainly pay for it. As for those who believed and did good deeds, they will end up in the Gardens of Paradise. they will receive from their Lord whatever they desire. This is the greatest achievement

42:23 This is God’s good news to His faithful and righteous servants. Mohammad, say: “I do not ask any reward from you [for my “consulting” services of guiding you to the Paradise]. The only thing that I am asking is your love [which does not cost you anything] toward those who are close to me.” Those who do a good deed, I (God) will reward him many folded as I am Forgiving and Appreciative

42:24 How dare they to accuse you (Mohammad) of lying [fabricating this Qur’an]? If God wanted, He could have made you resent them [so that you forget about them and do not continue your mission which is guiding them to the right path]; but God has decided to erase the falsehood and present the truth with His own words. God is fully aware of anyone’s most intimate thoughts

42:25 The Forgiver is the One Who accepts His servants’ repentance and covers their sins. God is aware of whatever you do

42:26 God accepts the prayers of the believers who do good deeds and showers them with His blessings. As for the disbelievers, an awful destiny is in reserve for them

42:27 If God gives His servants too much, their wealth would turn them rebellious. That is why He [does them a favor and] gives them as much as it is the best for them as God knows His servants and sees what they do

42:28 God is the One Who spreads His mercy and sends down the rain in a time when people loose their hope. He is the only master, the Most Praiseworthy

42:29 Among the signs of the Lord’s power is the creation of the heavens and the earth as well as the living species which he has scattered in the heavens and the earth [informing of the existence of life outside our planet]. God can gather them all together whenever He decides

42:30 Any misfortune that happens to you (the disbelievers) is the consequence of your deeds; and this in spite of the fact that God overlooks most of your wrongdoings

42:31 You can not overpower and escape God and you do not have any helper nor any protector but God

42:32 Among the signs of the Lord’s power is the huge ships [which He has created by the hand of His creature, i.e., man and are] as tall as mountains in the sea [which do not sink by the will of God in spite of their weights]

42:33 If God wills, He may order the winds to stop and let your ship stay still. These are proofs [that God is mentioning] for those who remain patient and are grateful to their Lord

42:34 God can easily destroy the wrongdoers in account of their deeds; instead He overlooks many of their sins [giving them every opportunity to return to the right path]

42:35 Those argumentative disbelievers who challenge God’s signs and proofs have no rational basis for their arguments

42:36 Anything at your disposition is merely loaned to you by God so that you pass through this transitory life. Whatever God grants in Hereafter is far better and everlasting for the believers who put their trust in their Lord,

42:37 They are those who avoid great sins and indecencies and when [for some reason] become angry they ask God to forgive them [for letting anger to take control over them]

42:38 They are those who respect the law of their Lord, worship Him, manage their affairs by mutual consultation [the basis for a parliamentary system in any Islamic community] and give a part of their income (which is given to them by God at first place) to charity

42:39 They are those who stand up for their rights when facing a gross injustice [and retaliate]

42:40 [Principle #1:] An evil act should be retaliated by an equal act [eye for an eye]; however, [principle #2:] God rewards those who pardon and lead a righteous life. [Principle #3:] God does not love the wrongdoers [who retaliate excessively]

42:41 Certainly, those who defend themselves in face of injustice have not done anything wrong

42:42 The wrongdoers are those who oppress others and establish themselves by force in the land; for them there is a painful punishment in reserve

42:43 In any case, bear in mind that patience and forgiveness reflect strength of character

42:44 Those who [deserve that] God let them slide more and more into darkness will never find any protector. You will see them on the Day of Judgment begging for a second chance when they see with their own eyes how awful of a punishment is waiting for them

42:45 You will see how humiliated they are when they encounter the hell. They look at Hell while trying to avoid looking at it. The believers then will have the last word saying: “The real failure is to loose one’s soul and folks on the Day of Judgment. Indeed the losers will suffer an everlasting torture.”

42:46 The wrongdoers will have no protector to save them from God’s punishment. Those who [deserve that] God let them slide toward darkness will never be guided to the right path again

42:47 Answer to your Lord’s call before the inevitable Day of Judgment. Remember, there will be no refuge for you on that Day nor a defense

42:48 Now [after all being told,] if the disbelievers turn away, remember that I have not sent you (Mohammad) as their guardian. Your only mission is to deliver the message. Man [in general] behaves in a proud manner when I (God) shower him with my mercy. When, on the contrary, in account of his deeds, a misfortune happens to him, he turns into disbelief

42:49 God [and no power but God] is in absolute control in the heavens and on the earth. He creates whatever He wills. He may decide to give a son to someone and a daughter to someone else

42:50 God may wed men and women and then either grant them children or make them barren.. God knows everything and has power over everything

42:51 It is beneath the dignity of God, the Most High and the Most Wise to directly communicate with man. His form of communications are through inspiration [which is the source of so many inventions], talking behind a veil [Moses is the only one known in this respect] or through revelation to his prophets

42:52 Thus, I (God) have revealed my commandments to you [through Angle Gabriel] while you had no idea about the Book nor the faith. I sent this light (Qur’an) to guide whoever I choose [and deserves to be chosen]. Indeed you (Mohammad) are guiding man to the right path