• God reveals His will to His apostles

• Angels in heavens seek forgiveness for those on earth

• Allah’s watch is over everyone

• God alone is the true Protector

Ash-Shu’ra Verses 1 – 9

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

“In the name of God the Beneficent the Merciful”

حم

Ha. Mim. (H. M.) (42:1)

عسق

Ain. Seen. Qaf. (Y. S. Q.) (42:2)

كَذَٰلِكَ يُوحِي إِلَيْكَ وَإِلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ اللَّهُ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ

Thus doth reveal unto thee as (did He) unto those before thee, God, the Almighty, The All Wise. (42:3)

لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ

His is whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, and He is the Highest, the Greatest. (42:4)

تَكَادُ السَّمَاوَاتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِنْ فَوْقِهِنَّ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِمَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ أَلَا إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

Nigh it is (that) the heavens cleave asunder from above1(for the very awe of His glory), while the angels are (there) celebrating2the praise of their Lord and seeking forgiveness for those in the earth; Be it known that verily, God, He (alone) is the Oft- Forgiving, the Most Merciful. (42:5)

وَالَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهُ حَفِيظٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَمَا أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ بِوَكِيلٍ

And those who take aught besides God as their guardians, God watcheth over them, and thou art not over them a guardian.3(42:6)

وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا لِتُنْذِرَ أُمَّ الْقُرَىٰ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا وَتُنْذِرَ يَوْمَ الْجَمْعِ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ فَرِيقٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَفَرِيقٌ فِي السَّعِيرِ

And thus have We revealed unto thee (O’ Our Apostle Muhammad!) an Arabic Qur’an, that thou mayest warn the Mother City (Mecca) and those around4it, and (that) thou warn of the Day of Gathering5together (the Resurrection), wherein (there) is no doubt; (when) a party shall be in the garden (of Paradise) and a party (shall be) in the burning (Hell) fire. (42:7)6

وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَجَعَلَهُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَلَٰكِنْ يُدْخِلُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ فِي رَحْمَتِهِ وَالظَّالِمُونَ مَا لَهُمْ مِنْ وَلِيٍّ وَلَا نَصِيرٍ

And had God (so) pleased certainly would He have made them a single people, but admitteth He whosoever He willeth into His mercy; and the unjust, for them shall not be any guardian or a helper. (42:8)

أَمِ اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ فَاللَّهُ هُوَ الْوَلِيُّ وَهُوَ يُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

Or have they taken besides Him, guardians? But God, He is the Guardian, and He giveth life unto the dead, and He is, over all things powerful. (42:9)

Commentary

Verse 2

Ha, Meem (H.M.)

Ain, Seen, Qaf (A. S. Q.)

These three letters are also a divine mystery known to none but the Holy Prophet and the custodians of his knowledge the holy Imams. What all the others have said about these letters are personal conjectures. The conjectures are the unwarranted interpretations of the mysteries treasured in the Holy Qur’an the knowledge of which has been secured only with the chosen ones, the purified ones of the Lord.7

Verse 5

The rending asunder of the heavens, signifies God’s displeasure and wrath at man’s associating any one with Him.

The noblest and the purest spiritual beings, which we men can conceive outside the human ranks of God’s creation, are the angels, and among the angels, the nearer ones to the ‘Arsh’ or the Central Seat of the Divine Authority, are those with greater or superior excellence. The pure, noble and venerable abstract beings function one side in celebrating the praise and the glory of God and as the side in the solicitous prayers to the Lord for the protection or the forgiveness of their human fellows in creation below.

The Two divine attributes of forgiveness and Mercy mentioned in the close of this verse, have their own significance to indicate that God is not only the Lord of Wrath but also of unbounded goodness and bounty to all His creatures. The angels seeking forgiveness for man indicates the fulfilment of God’s will to forgive man for the angels are beings who work only the will of God and nothing which would ever in the least displease Him or would earn His disapproval.

Verses 6:12, and 6:54 clearly declare that God has made mercy incumbent on Himself - and 39:53 a general amnesty of His mercy is promised to man but it would naturally be for those who would seek it duly,8 which indicates that even this general mercy is only for those who seek it repentantly for their shortcomings and also amend their faith and practical conduct.

The tradition from the Sixth Imam says: ‘And the angels’ he read - the rest of the verse ‘Those around it’ in verse 40:7 ‘is merely a commentary for these two verses here.’ This verse is in conformity with 40:7. (A.P.)

Verse 7

‘Ummul-Qura’, i.e., The Mother City in Mecca and ‘All around it’ i.e., the whole world.

• 1. Refers to the relative pronoun ‘Whatever’ in the previous verse 42:4.
• 2. Refer to verse 40:7.
• 3. A watcher.
• 4. To begin with those around - not to be confined to the particular people or restricted to the area, but the whole around with Mecca as the Centre.
• 5. The Total Resurrection.
• 6. Refer to notes on verses 41:3 & 36:6.
• 7. Refer to verse 33:33. Refer to note on verse 2:1.
• 8. See also verse 40:7.