42:1  Ha Mi

42:2  Ayn Sin Qa

42:3  This is how God, the Mighty, the Wise, sends revelation to you [Prophet] as He did to those before you

42:4  All that is in the heavens and earth belongs to Him: He is the Exalted, the Almighty

42:5  The heavens are almost broken apart from above as the angels proclaim the praises of their Lord and ask forgiveness for those on earth. God is indeed the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful

42:6  As for those who take protectors other than Him, God is watching them; you are not responsible for them

42:7  So We have revealed an Arabic Quran to you, in order that you may warn the capital city and all who live nearby. And warn [especially] about the Day of Gathering, of which there is no doubt, when some shall be in the Garden and some in the blazing Flame

42:8  If God had so pleased, He could have made them a single community, but He admits to His mercy whoever He will; the evildoers will have no one to protect or help them

42:9  How can they take protectors other than Him? God alone is the Protector; He gives life to the dead; He has power over all things

42:10  Whatever you may differ about is for God to judge. [Say], ‘Such is God, my Lord. In Him I trust and to Him I turn

42:11  the Creator of the heavens and earth.’ He made mates for you from among yourselves––and for the animals too––so that you may multiply. There is nothing like Him: He is the All Hearing, the All Seeing

42:12  The keys of the heavens and the earth are His; He provides abundantly or sparingly for whoever He will; He has full knowledge of all things

42:13  In matters of faith, He has laid down for you [people] the same commandment that He gave Noah, which We have revealed to you [Muhammad] and which We enjoined on Abraham and Moses and Jesus: ‘Uphold the faith and do not divide into factions within it’- what you [Prophet] call upon the idolaters to do is hard for them; God chooses whoever He pleases for Himself and guides towards Himself those who turn to Him

42:14  They divided, out of rivalry, only after knowledge had come to them, and, if it had not been for a decree already passed by your Lord to reprieve them until an appointed time, they would already have been judged. Those after them, who inherited the Scripture, are in disquieting doubt about it

42:15  So [Prophet] call people to that faith and follow the straight path as you have been commanded. Do not go by what they desire, but say, ‘I believe in whatever Scripture God has sent down. I am commanded to bring justice between you. God is our Lord and your Lord- to us our deeds and to you yours, so let there be no argument between us and you- God will gather us together, and to Him we shall return.’

42:16  As for those who argue about God after He has been acknowledged, their argument has no weight with their Lord: anger will fall upon them and agonizing torment awaits them

42:17  It is God who has sent down the Scripture with Truth and the Balance. How can you tell? The Last Hour may well be near

42:18  those who do not believe in it seek to hasten it, but the believers stand in awe of it. They know it to be the Truth; those who argue about the Hour are far, far astray

42:19  God is most subtle towards His creatures; He provides [bounti-fully] for whoever He will; He is the Powerful, the Almighty

42:20  If anyone desires a harvest in the life to come, We shall increase it for him; if anyone desires a harvest in this world, We shall give him a share of it, but in the Hereafter he will have no share

42:21  How can they believe in others who ordain for them things which God has not sanctioned in the practice of their faith? If it were not for God’s decree concerning the final Decision, judgement would already have been made between them. The evildoers will have a grievous punishment

42:22  you will see them fearful because of what they have done: punishment is bound to fall on them- but those who believe and do good deeds will be in the flowering meadows of the Gardens. They will have whatever they wish from their Lord: this is the great bounty

42:23  it is of this that God gives good news to His servants who believe and do good deeds. Say [Prophet], ‘I ask no reward from you for this, only the affection due to kin.’ If anyone does good, We shall increase it for him; God is most forgiving and most appreciative

42:24  How can they say, ‘He has invented a lie about God’? If God so willed, He could seal your heart and blot out lies: God confirms the Truth with His words. He has full knowledge of what is in the heart

42:25  it is He who accepts repentance from His servants and pardons bad deeds- He knows everything you do

42:26  He responds to those who believe and do good deeds, and gives them more of His bounty; agonizing torment awaits the disbelievers

42:27  If God were to grant His plentiful provision to [all] His creatures, they would act insolently on earth, but He sends down in due measure whatever He will, for He is well aware of His servants and watchful over them

42:28  it is He who sends relief through rain after they have lost hope, and spreads His mercy far and wide. He is the Protector, Worthy of All Praise

42:29  Among His signs is the creation of the heavens and earth and all the living creatures He has scattered throughout them: He has the power to gather them all together whenever He will

42:30  Whatever misfortune befalls you [people], it is because of what your own hands have done- God forgives much

42:31  you cannot escape Him anywhere on earth: you have no protector or helper other than God

42:32  Among His signs are the ships, sailing like floating mountains

42:33  if He willed, He could bring the wind to a standstill and they would lie motionless on the surface of the sea- there truly are signs in this for anyone who is steadfast and thankful

42:34  or He could cause them to be wrecked on account of what their passengers have done- God pardons much

42:35  to let those who argue about Our messages know that there is no escape for them

42:36  What you have been given is only the fleeting enjoyment of this world. Far better and more lasting is what God will give to those who believe and trust in their Lord

42:37  who shun great sins and gross indecencies; who forgive when they are angry

42:38  respond to their Lord; keep up the prayer; conduct their affairs by mutual consultation; give to others out of what We have provided for them

42:39  and defend themselves when they are oppressed

42:40  Let harm be requited by an equal harm, though anyone who forgives and puts things right will have his reward from God Himself––He does not like those who do wrong

42:41  There is no cause to act against anyone who defends himself after being wronged

42:42  but there is cause to act against those who oppress people and transgress in the land against all justice- they will have an agonizing torment

42:43  though if a person is patient and forgives, this is one of the greatest things

42:44  Anyone God allows to stray will have no one else to protect him: you [Prophet] will see the wrongdoers, when they face the punishment, exclaiming, ‘Is there any way of going back?’

42:45  You will see them exposed to the Fire, abject in humiliation, glancing furtively, while those who believed exclaim, ‘The losers are the ones who have lost themselves and their people on the Day of Resurrection.’ Truly the evildoers will remain in lasting torment

42:46  they will have no allies to help them against God. There is no way [forward] for those God allows to stray

42:47  So [people] respond to your Lord before there comes a Day that cannot, against God’s will, be averted- you will have no refuge on that Day, and no possibility of denying [your sins]. If they still turn away [remember that]

42:48  We have not sent you [Prophet] to be their guardian: your only duty is to deliver the message. When We give man a taste of Our mercy, he rejoices in it, but if some harm befalls him on account of what he has done with his own hands, then he is ungrateful

42:49  God has control of the heavens and the earth; He creates whatever He will- He grants female offspring to whoever He will

42:50  male to whoever He will, or both male and female, and He makes whoever He will barren: He is all knowing and all powerful

42:51  It is not granted to any mortal that God should speak to him except through revelation or from behind a veil, or by sending a messenger to reveal by His command what He will: He is exalted and wise

42:52  So We have revealed a spirit to you [Prophet] by Our command: you knew neither the Scripture nor the faith, but We made it a light, guiding with it whoever We will of Our servants. You give guidance to the straight path

42:53  the path of God, to whom belongs all that is in the heavens and earth: truly everything will return to God