SURAH (42) ASH-SHU'RA (AYA 1 to 20)

Sura (42) ASH-SHU’RA (The Council) Aya 1 to 53 in 5 Section

Revealed at Makka (according to Abdullah ibne Abbas this Chapter is Makka with the exception of its Verse 23-26 which were revealed in Madina)

SECTION 1

ALLAH (SWT) (alone) the Protector

ALLAH (SWT) revealed His will to His apostle---Angels in heavens seek forgiveness for those on earth---ALLAH (SwT)’s watch is over everyone---ALLAH (SWT) alone is the true Protector

حم {42:1}

[Q42:1] Haa-Meeem; 
[Q42:1] Ha Mim.

[Q42:1] Haa, Miim.

Refer to the commentary of Baqarah 2:1 for huruf maqatti-at.

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(42:1) Ha’. Mim.

عسق {42:2}

[Q42:2] 'Ayyyn Seeen Qaaaf. 
[Q42:2] Ain Sin Qaf.

[Q42:2] Ain, Siin, Qaaf.

These three letters are also a divine mystery known to none but the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) 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---refer verses 33:33.

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(42:2) Ayn. Sin. Qaf.

كَذَٰلِكَ يُوحِي إِلَيْكَ وَإِلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ اللَّهُ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ {42:3}

[Q42:3] Kazaalika yooheee ilaika wa ilal lazeena min qablikal laahul 'Azeezul Hakeem. 
[Q42:3] Thus does ALLAH (SWT), the Mighty, the Wise, reveal to you, and (thus He revealed) to those before you.

[Q42:3] Sebagaimana yang terkandung dalam surah ini dan surah-surah yang lain diwahyukan kepadamu (wahai Muhammad) dan kepada Rasul-rasul yang terdahulu daripadamu, oleh ALLAH (SwT) Yang Maha Kuasa, lagi Maha Bijaksana. 

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(42:3) Thus does Allah, the Most Mighty, the Most Wise reveal to you even as (He revealed) to those (Messengers) who preceded you. *1

*1 The style of the opening verses by itself shows that in the background there are the misgivings, wonder and amazement which were being expressed at that time in every assembly, every meeting place, every street and every house and shop of Makkah at the message of the Holy Prophet and the themes of the Qur'an. The people said, "Wherefrom is this man bringing us new revelations everyday? The like of these we had never heard nor seen before. How strange that he rejects as false the religion that our forefathers have been following in the past, the religion that is still being followed by all of us, and the traditions and ways that have been prevalent in the country for so many centuries; and he says that the religion that he presents only is right and true." They said: `Had he presented even this new religion in a way as to substitute some of the falsehood he found in the ancestral paganism and prevalent customs with certain others which might be the result of his own thought, there could be a dialogue with him. But he says that what he recites is Divine Word. How can we accept this? Does God visit him, or does he visit God? Or does some dialogue take place between him and God?" IT IS IN THE BACKGROUND OF SUCH EXPRESSION OF WONDER AND DOUBT THAT ALTHOUGH THE ADDRESS IS APPARENTLY DIRECTED TO THE HOLY PROPHET, the disbelievers have in fact been told: "Yes: these very things are being revealed by the Almighty, All-Wise Allah, and with the same themes has its Revelation been coming down to all the former Prophets."
Lexically, wahi means "swift and secret instruction", i.e. an inspiration which is made with such haste and speed that none may know it except the inspirer and the one being inspired. As a term this word has been used for the guidance and instruction that is put in the mind of a man by Allah like a flash of lightning. What is meant to be said here is this: `There is no question of Allah's visiting somebody or somebody's visiting Allah and speaking face to face with Him. He is All-Mighty and All-Wise.
Whenever He pleases to have a contact with a servant for the guidance and instruction of mankind, nothing can obstruct His will and intention, for He adopts the method of revelation for the purpose by His wisdom. "This very theme has been repeated in the last verses of the Surah with greater clarity and detail. As to the people's objection that the Holy Prophet was presenting strange and novel things, it has been said: There is nothing strange and novel in what Muhammmad (upon whom be Allah's peace) presents; Allah has been giving the same guidance and instruction to the Prophets who came before him in the world. " 

لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ {42:4}

[Q42:4] Lahoo maa fis samaawaati wa maa fil ardi wa Huwal 'Aliyul ‘Azeem. 
[Q42:4] His is what is in the heavens and what is in the earth, and He is the High, the Great.

[Q42:4] Dialah yang mempunyai dan menguasai segala yang ada di langit dan yang ada di bumi dan Dialah Yang Tertinggi keadaanNya, lagi Maha Besar (kekuasaanNya). 

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(42:4) His is all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth; He is the Most High, the All-Great. *2

*2 These introductory sentences are not meant to be said merely in praise of Allah Almighty, but their each word has a deep link with the background in which these verses were sent down. The foremost basis of the objections of the people who were expressing wonder and doubts against the Holy Prophet and the Qur'an was that he was inviting them to Tauhid and they were being alarmed at this and saying that if AIlah alone is the Creator, Sustainer and Ruler, what would be the position of their saints and holy men? At this it has been said: "This whole Universe belongs to Allah. How can therefore the godhead of another work and operate in the kingdom of the real Sovereign, particularly when those others whose godhead is acknowledged, are themselves also His subjects?" Then, it has been said: `He is the High, the Great!" That is, He is far above that somebody else should be equal to Him in rank and should became His associate in His Being, attributes, powers or rights. " 

تَكَادُ السَّمَاوَاتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِنْ فَوْقِهِنَّ ۚ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِمَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ ۗ أَلَا إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ {42:5}

[Q42:5] Takaadus samaawaatu yatafattarna min fawqihinn; walmalaaa'ikatu yusabbihoona bihamdi Rabbihim wa yastaghfiroona liman fil ard; alaaa innaL Laaha huwal Ghafoorur Raheem. 
[Q42:5] The heavens may almost rend asunder from above them and the angels sing the praise of their Lord and ask forgiveness for those on earth; now surely ALLAH (SWT) is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

[Q42:5] Alam langit nyaris-nyaris pecah dari sebelah atasnya (kerana ngeri dan takutnya kepada kemurkaan ALLAH (SwT) terhadap penduduk bumi yang lupakan kebesaran ALLAH (SwT) sehingga menyeleweng dari jalan yang benar) dan malaikat bertasbih dengan memuji Tuhannya serta memohon ampun bagi makhluk-makhluk yang ada di bumi. Ingatlah! Sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT), Dialah Yang Maha Pengampun, lagi Maha Mengasihani.

"The heavens are almost rent asunder" refers to the displeasure of ALLAH (SWT) when man associates false gods with Him.

v  THE ANGELS ARE THE NOBLEST AND PUREST BEINGS, and among them are those, superior in excellence, who are in the neighbourhood of the arsh. All the angels [1] not only celebrate the glory of their Lord BUT also [2] pray for the protection of human beings.

To save the transgressing human beings from the wrath of ALLAH (SWT), the angels, who only carry out the will of ALLAH (SWT), under His command, pray for His protection and mercy so that the erring human beings may not be totally annihilated by the rendering asunder of the heavens.

ì  As stated in Anam 6:12 and 54, ALLAH (SWT) HAS PRESCRIBED MERCY FOR HIMSELF.

ì  A general amnesty has been promised if man turns repentant to ALLAH (SWT) and seek His mercy, see Al-Mumin 40:7.

THE TWO DIVINE ATTRIBUTES OF FORGIVENESS AND MERCY mentioned in the close of this verse, have their own significance to indicate that ALLAH (SWT) is not only the Lord of Warth BUT also of unbounded goodness and bounty to all His creatures.

The angels seeking forgiveness for man indicates the fulfillment of ALLAH (SWT)’s will to forgive man for the angels are beings who work only the will of ALLAH (SWT) and nothing which would ever in the least displease Him OR would earn His disapproval.

v  According to Imam Jafar bin Muhammad as Sadiq, Shura 42:5 and Al-Mumin 40:7 are closely linked together.

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(42:5) The heavens may well nigh rend asunder from above *3 while the angels proclaim the praise of their Lord and ask forgiveness for those on earth. *4 Lo, it is Allah, and He alone, Who is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. *5

*3 That is, "It is not a trivial matter that a creature should be joined in lineage with Allah and regarded as His son or daughter; another regarded as fulfiller of the needs and the answerer of the petitions so that the people should start invoking him for help; another taken as the maintainer of the entire world, and his devotees should start proclaiming that their holy saint heard the prayer of everyone at all places at all times and Games to his help and answers his petition; another invested with the authority to egjoin and prohibit things and declare them as lawful and unlawful, and the people should start obeying his commands, instead of the Commands of God, as if he alone was their God. These boldnesses against God are such that they may well cause the heavens to break asunder." (This same theme has also been presented in Surah Maryam: 88-91 above). 
*4 It means: `The angels shudder with disgust when they hear such nonsense being uttered by the people in respect of their Lord, and they regard it as a rebellion against Him." They say: `Glorified be Allah! No one can have the position that he should become an associate with Allah, Lord of the worlds, in Divinity and Command; there is none beside Him who may be our and all other servants' benefactor so that hymns be sung in his praise and he be thanked. "So, they feel that it is a grave crime being committed in the world, and it may provoke AIlah Almighty's wrath any moment. Therefore, they implore Allah for mercy again and again for the dwellers of the earth, who have forgotten themselves and their God, and pray that they may yet be spared from the torment and given more respite to mend their ways.
*5 That is , "It is only Allah's clemency, mercifulness and forgiveness that the people who have touched the extreme limits in disbelief, polytheism, atheism, sinfulness and tyranny, have been receiving respite after respite for years and years, even for centuries; yet they not only go on receiving their sustenance but are also acclaimed as the great people of the world and they are provided with such adornments of the worldly life as cause the ignorant people the misunderstanding that this world perhaps has no God. "

وَالَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهُ حَفِيظٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَمَا أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ بِوَكِيلٍ {42:6}

[Q42:6] Wallazeenat takhazoo min dooniheee awliyaaa'aL Laahu hafeezun 'alaihim wa maaa anta 'alaihim biwakeel. 
[Q42:6] And (as for) those who take guardians besides Him, ALLAH (SWT) watches over them, and you have not charge over them.

[Q42:6] Dan (sebaliknya) orang-orang yang menjadikan sesuatu yang lain dari ALLAH (SwT) sebagai pelindung (yang disembah dan diharapkan pertolongannya), ALLAH (SwT) sentiasa mengawasi tingkah laku mereka (serta akan membalasnya) dan engkau (wahai Muhammad hanyalah penyampai) bukanlah menjadi wakil yang menguasai soal (bawaan dan amalan) mereka. 

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(42:6) Those who have taken others than Him as their protectors beside Him, *6 it is Allah Who oversees them; you are no guardian over them. *7

*6 The word auliya (sing., wall) as used in the Text is very comprehensive in meaning. The different beliefs and all sorts of diverse practices with regard to the false deities held and worshipped by the polytheistic people, have been described as "taking others as auliya' (guardians) instead of Allah" in the Qur'an. According to the Qur'an, a person takes such a one his wati: (1) whom he obeys in all matters, whose instructions he carries out and Whose ways and customs and rules he follows in all affairs of life (An-Nisa: 118-120; ALA'raf: 3, 27-30); (2) in whose guidance he has full faith, and who he thinks will lead him aright and save him from error and deviation (Al-Baqarah: 257, Bani Isra'il: 97, Al-Kahf: 17-50, AI-Jathiah: 19); (3) about whom he trusts he will protect him from the torment of God in the Hereafter if it really existed (An Nisa: 123, 173; Al-An'am: 51, Ar-Ra'd: 37, AI-'Ankabut: 22, AI-Ahzab: 65, Az-Zumar: 3); (4) about whom he has the belief that he helps him in the world in supernatural ways, protects him from disaster and afflictions, gets him jobs, blesses him with children, and fulfils his desires and aII other needs. (Hud: 20, Ar-Ra'd: 16, Al-`Ankabut: 4l). 
At some places in the Qur'an the word wati has been used in one of these senses and at hers in all its meanings. The verse being commented upon is one of such verses. In it, taking others as guardians instead of Allah implies regarding them as one's patron and supporter and helper in all the four about-mentioned meanings. 
*7 "Allah is watching them": Allah sees whatever they are doing and is recording their conduct. It is His responsibility to call them to account and punish them. As for the words "You are not responsible for their conduct", these have been addressed to the Holy Prophet. They mean: "Their destiny has not been placed under yow control so that you may burn to ashes anyone who does not listen to you, or depose him from power, or annihilate him." This, however, dces not mean that, God forbid, the Holy Prophet regarded himself as such, and this was said in order to remove his misunderstanding or self-conceit, but this was meant for the disbelievers. Although apparently the Holy Prophet himself is the addressee, the real object is to tell the disbelievers that the Prophet of Allah has made no such claims as were usually made by their so-called saints who posed to possess great spiritual powers. Among the ignorant people it is generally thought that the so-called "holy men" have the power to ruin the destiny of anyone who behaves insolently towards them in any way; so much so that even after their death if somebody happened to dishonor their grave, or if nothing else, only nursed an evil thought about them in his mind, they destroyed him completely. Such a thought is in most casts spread by the "holy men" themselves. As for the good men who do not themselves say any such thing, their names are exploited by some other clever people, who spread such thoughts about them in order to promote their business. In any case this is regarded as a necessary corollary of spirituality and piety among the common people that one should possess the powers of making and marring destinies. To destroy the spell of this same fraud, Allah is addressing His Holy Messenger, as if to tell the disbelievers: "You are no doubt Our Messenger and We have blessed you with Our Revelations, but yow duty is only to guide the people to the Right Path. Their destinies have not boon placed under yow control; they arc in Our hand; therefore, to watch over the deeds and acts of the servants and to punish or not to punish them is Our own responsibility." 

وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا لِتُنْذِرَ أُمَّ الْقُرَىٰ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا وَتُنْذِرَ يَوْمَ الْجَمْعِ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ ۚ فَرِيقٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَفَرِيقٌ فِي السَّعِيرِ {42:7}

[Q42:7] Wa kazaalika awhainaaa ilaika Qur-aanan 'Arabiyyal litunzir aUmmal Quraa wa man hawlahaa wa tunzira Yawmal Jam'ilaa raiba feeh; fareequn fil jannati wa fareequn fissa’eer. 
[Q42:7] And thus have We revealed to you an Arabic Quran, that you may warn the mother city and those around it, and that you may give warning of the day of gathering together wherein is no doubt; a party shall be in the garden and (another) party in the burning fire.

[Q42:7] Dan sebagaimana Kami tetapkan engkau hanya penyampai, Kami wahyukan kepadamu Al-Quran dalam bahasa Arab, supaya engkau memberi peringatan dan amaran kepada (penduduk) "Ummulqura" dan sekalian penduduk dunia di sekelilingnya, serta memberi peringatan dan amaran mengenai hari perhimpunan (hari kiamat) yang tidak ada syak tentang masa datangnya; (pada hari itu) sepuak masuk Syurga dan sepuak lagi masuk Neraka.

Refer to the commentary of Ha Mim 41:2 to 4 and Ya Sin 36: 2 to 6. Umm al Qura refers to Makka, and "all around it" refers to the whole world.

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(42:7) And thus did We reveal this Arabic Qur’an *8 to you that you may warn the people of the Mother of Cities (to wit, Makkah) and those who dwell around it; *9 and warn them of the Day of Gathering *10 concerning which there is no doubt: whereon some will be in Paradise, and some in the Blazing Fire.

*8 The same thing which had been said in the beginning of the discourse has been said again with greater emphasis, and by making mention of the "Arabic Qur'an", the listeners have been warned to the effect: "The Qur'an is not in any foreign language but in your own language: you can understand it yourself directly; study its themes and see for yourself that the pure and selfless guidance that is being given in it can be from none other than the Lord of the Universe."
*9 That is, "Arouse them from slumber and warn them that there is nothing but destruction in store for them in consequence of the errors of morality and conduct in which they are involved and of the perverse principle on which they have ordered their individual and collective lives." 
*10 That is, "Tell them also that this destruction is not confined only to this world but the Day has to come when Allah will gather together all mankind and subject them to accountability. Even if a person escaped the evil consequences of his deviation and wickedness in the world, there will be no chance of his escape on that Day, and highly unfortunate is he, who is doomed to a tragic fate both in this world and in the Hereafter." 

وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَجَعَلَهُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَلَٰكِنْ يُدْخِلُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ فِي رَحْمَتِهِ ۚ وَالظَّالِمُونَ مَا لَهُمْ مِنْ وَلِيٍّ وَلَا نَصِيرٍ {42:8}

[Q42:8] Wa law shaaa'aL Laahu laja'alahum ummatanw waahi datanw walaakiny yudkhilumany yashaaa'u fee rahmatih; waz zaalimoona maa lahum minw waliyyinw wa laa naseer. 
[Q42:8] And if ALLAH (SWT) had pleased He would surely have made them a single community, but He makes whom He pleases enter into His mercy, and the unjust it is that shall have no guardian or helper.

[Q42:8] Dan jika ALLAH (SwT) menghendaki, tentulah Dia menjadikan mereka satu umat (yang bersatu dalam agama ALLAH (SwT) yang satu); akan tetapi ALLAH (SwT) (tidak merancang yang demikian bahkan Dia akan) memasukkan sesiapa yang dikehendakiNya ke dalam rahmatNya (menurut peraturan yang telah ditetapkan) dan orang-orang yang zalim tidak ada baginya sesiapapun yang dapat memberikan perlindungan dan pertolongan. 

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(42:8) If Allah had so willed, He could have made them all a single community. But He admits whomsoever He pleases into His Mercy. As to those given to wrong-doing, they shall have none as protector or helper. *11

*11 This theme has three objects in this context: 
First, it is meant to instruct and console the Holy Prophet, as if to say: "Do not grieve so much at the ignorance and deviation of the disbelievers of Makkah and their stubbornness and obduracy. It is Allah's will that man should be granted the freedom of choice and action: then whoever desires to have guidance should be given guidance, and whoever wants to remain. astray should be allowed to go astray. Had this not been Allah's will, there was no need whatever of sending the Prophets and the Book; for this only a creative hint of Allah Almighty's was enough: all human beings would have become as obedient as the rivers, mountains, trees, stones, and alI other creatures." (In this connection, please also see AI-An'am: 35-36, 107).
Secondly, its addressees are all those people who were involved in the confusion, and even now are, that if Allah really had wanted to show guidance to human beings and He did not like the differences of creed and practice that were prevalent among the people, and wanted to have the people adopt the way of the Faith and Islam, there was no need of the Revelation and the Book and the Prophethood. He could have easily achieved this object by creating everyone a believer and Muslim by birth. Another result of this confusion was also this reasoning: "When Allah has not done so, the different ways that we are following, are approved by Him, and whatever we are doing, is according to His will. Therefore, nobody has any right to object to it." (To remove this misunderstanding also this theme has been mentioned at several places in the Qur'an. Please see Al-An'am: 112, 137, 148-149; Yunus: 99; Hud: 118-119; An-Nahl: 9, 35 and the relevant E.N.'s). 
Thirdly, its object is to make the believers realize the truth about the difficulties that one generally faces in the way of preaching religion and reforming the people. Those people who do not understand the reality of the God, given freedom of choice and will and of the resulting differences of temperament and methods, sometimes become despondent at the slow progress of the reformatory work and wish that some supernatural things should appear from Allah, which should change the hearts of the people, and are sometimes inclined to adopt unsound methods of bringing about reformation, owing to excessive enthusiasm. (For this object also this theme has occurred at some places in the Qur'an, for which see Ar-Ra'd: 31, An-Nahl: 91-93).
To highlight these objects a very important theme has been expressed in these brief sentences. Allah's real vicegerency in the world and His Paradise in the Hereafter is not an ordinary blessing, which may be distributed over creatures of the rank of the earth and stones and donkeys and horses as a common blessing. This is indeed a special blessing and a blessing of a very high order for which even the angels were not considered fit. That in why Allah created man as a creature endowed with power and authority and placed vast means of His earth under his control and blessed him with these special powers so that he may pass through the test, success in which alone can entitle a servant to His blessings. This blessing, is Allah's own; no one has a monopoly over it, nor can anyone claim to have it on the basis of a personal right, nor has anyone the power to take it by force. He who presents service before Allah, who takes Him as his Guardian and comes under His protection, alone can have it. Then Allah blesses him with help, guidance and grace to pass this test, so that he may enter His Mercy. As for the unjust Tnan who turns away from Allah Himself and instead takes others as his patrons, Allah-Has no need that he should become his guardian by force. And the others whom He takes as his guardians do not possess any knowledge and power and authority that they may enable him to achieve success by dint of their guardianship of him. 

أَمِ اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ ۖ فَاللَّهُ هُوَ الْوَلِيُّ وَهُوَ يُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ {42:9}

[Q42:9] Amit takhazoo min dooniheee awliyaaa'a faLLaahu Huwal Waliyyu wa Huwa yuhyil mawtaa wa Huwa 'alaa kulli shai'in Qadeer. 
[Q42:9] Or have they taken guardians besides Him? But ALLAH (SWT) is the Guardian, and He gives life to the dead, and He has power over all things.

[Q42:9] Tidaklah patut mereka menjadikan sesuatu yang lain dari ALLAH (SwT) sebagai pelindung-pelindung (yang disembah dan dipuja) kerana ALLAH (SwT) jualah Pelindung yang sebenar-benarnya, dan Dialah yang menghidupkan makhluk-makhluk yang mati dan (ingatlah), Dia Maha Kuasa atas tiap-tiap sesuatu. 

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(42:9) (Are they so foolish that) they have chosen others rather than Allah as their protectors? Yet it is Allah Who is the Protector and Who resurrects the dead and Who has power over everything. *12

*12 That is, "Guardianship is not a thing of one's personal choice and satisfaction that one may take anyone one may please as one's guardian, and the other may also become ones real and true guardian and may do full justice to the function of guardianship. This is an actual reality, which does not change with the whims of the people; the Guardian is He Who is really the Guardian, whether someone regards and acknowledges Him as his Guardian or not, and the one who is not in reality the guardian is not the guardian, no matter whether someone continues to regard and acknowledge him as his guardian till the last moment. Now, as for the question: What is the proof of only Allah's being the real Guardian and of no one else's being the guardian? The answer is: Man's real Guardian can be the one who changes death into life, who has created a living man by breathing life into inorganic substances, and who also possesses the powers and authority to do full justice to the function of Guardianship. If there is such a one, apart from AIlah, he may be made the guardian, and if He is Allah alone, then taking another beside Him as one's guardian is nothing but ignorance and folly and self-destruction. 

SECTION 2

The Book and the Balance

ALLAH (SWT) shall judge all differences---The True Religion which was revealed to the apostles in the past---The treasures of the heavens and the earth belong only to ALLAH (SWT)---ALLAH (SWT) chooses whomsoever He pleases---The Prophet given the Book and the Balance---ALLAH (SWT) amplified sustenance to whomsoever He pleases.

وَمَا اخْتَلَفْتُمْ فِيهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَحُكْمُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبِّي عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْهِ أُنِيبُ {42:10}

[Q42:10] Wa makh-talaftum feehi min shai'in fahukmuhooo ilaLLaah; zaalikumuL Laahu Rabbee 'alaihi tawakkaltu wa ilaihi uneeb. 
[Q42:10] And in whatever thing you disagree, the judgment thereof is (in) ALLAH (SWT)'s (hand); that is ALLAH (SWT), my Lord, on Him do I rely and to Him do I turn time after time.

[Q42:10] Dan (katakanlah wahai Muhammad kepada pengikut-pengikutmu): Apa jua perkara agama yang kamu berselisihan padanya maka hukum pemutusnya terserah kepada ALLAH (SwT); Hakim yang demikian kekuasaanNya ialah ALLAH (SwT) Tuhanku; kepadaNyalah aku berserah diri dan kepadaNyalah aku rujuk kembali (dalam segala keadaan).

VERSES 10 TO 21 OF THIS SURAH ASSERT THAT ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY BELONGS ONLY TO ALLAH (SWT) [1] in the REALM OF CREATION as well as [2] in the REALM OF LEGISLATION. His sovereignty is delegated to the chosen prophets and their successors on the earth. **The people of the book and the disbelievers differ in this arrangement in order to save their privileges and advantages.

THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) IS COMMANDED NOT TO GIVE ANY IMPORTANCE TO THEIR OPPOSITION.

The mission of the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad), as decreed by ALLAH (SWT), was to do justice to friends and foes alike and preach the truth so that his opponents, who are also the opponents of ALLAH (SWT), may have no excuse whatsoever, and they may rely on ALLAH (SWT) for their sustenance and pay attention to the life of hereafter.

Refer to Nisa 4:65 and Ahzab 33:36.

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(42:10) The *13 judgement on whatever you differ rests with Allah. *14 Such is Allah, *15 my Lord; in Him I have put all my trust and to Him I always turn in devotion. *16

*13 From here to the end of verse 12, though the whole discourse is a Revelation from Allah, the speaker is not Allah but the Holy Messenger of Allah. In other words, Allah Almighty is telling His Prophet to make this proclamation to the people. Such themes in the Qur'an sometimes begin with qul (say, O Prophet) and sometimes without it. Only the style indicates that the speaker at a place is not Allah but Allah's Messenger. Even at some places though the words are Allah's, the speaker are the believers, as for example in Surah AI-Fatihah; or, the speaker are the angels as in Surah Maryam: 64-65.
*14 This is the natural and logical demand of Allah Almighty's being the Master of the Universe and His being the real Guardian. When Sovereignty and Guardianship belong to Him only inevitably He alone is also the Ruler, and it is for Him to judge human beings' mutual disputes and differences. Those who restrict it only to the Hereafter make a mistake. There is no argument to prove that Allah's position as a Ruler has no effect in this world but is meant only for the life hereafter. Likewise, those who restrict it only to beliefs and a few questions of "religious nature" are also in the wrong. The words are general and they clearly proclaim Allah as having the sole right to judge all disputes and differences. According to them, just as Allah is the Master of the Day of Judgement in the Hereafter; so He is the best of Judges in this world too; and just as He is the Settler of the differences pertaining to beliefs as to what is the Truth and what is falsehood, so also in legal matters He is the Settler of differences as to what is pure for man and what is impure. What is lawful and desirable for him and what is forbidden and undesirable, what is evil and vicious in morals and what is good and virtuous, what are the rights of the people in their mutual dealings and what are the right practices in social political and economic life and what arc wrong. On this very basis the Qur'an has declared this principle as the fundamental of law:
"lf there arises any dispute between you about anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger." (An-Nisa: 59). And: "It does not behove a believing man and a believing woman that when Allah and His Messenger have given their verdict in a matter, they should exercise an option in that matter of theirs." (AI-Ahzab: 36). And: °O people, follow what has been sent down to you from your Lord and do not follow other patrons beside Him." (AI-A'raf: 3).
Then, in the context in which this verse has occurred, it gives another meaning also and it is: 'To decide differences is not only Allah's legal right on accepting or rejecting which depends man's being a believer or an unbeliever, but Allah, in fact, practically also is deciding between the truth and falsehood due to which falsehood and its worshippers are ultimately being destroyed and the truth and the faithful are being honoured and exalted, no mattcr how delayed the enforcement of this decision may seem to be. This theme occurs in verse 24 below, and has been expressed at several places above in the Qur'an. For this please see Ar-Ra'd: 17, 41; Ibrahim: 24-27; Bani Isra'il 81; AI-Anbiya': 18, 44; and the E N.'s. 
*15 "The same Allah" Who is the real Settler of disputes. 
*16 These are two verbs one of which is in the past tense and the other in the present which contains the sense of perpetuity. In the past verb it was said: "In Him did I put my trust," i.e. "I decided once and for all that as long as I live I have to rely on His help, on His guidance, on His support and protection, and on His decision." Then in the present verb it was said: "To Him I turn," i.e. "Whatever situation I face in lift, I turn only to Allah in it. I do not look towards others in an affliction or trouble or difficulty but invoke only Him for help; I Beck only His refuge when I face a danger and depend on His protection; I turn to Him' for guidance whenever I am confronted by a problem and seek its solution in His teaching and guidance; and I look up only to Him when I have a dispute with somebody with the belief that He alone will give the final decision, and have the faith that whatever decision He gives will be the right one. " 

فَاطِرُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ جَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا وَمِنَ الْأَنْعَامِ أَزْوَاجًا ۖ يَذْرَؤُكُمْ فِيهِ ۚ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ ۖ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ {42:11}

[Q42:11] Faatirus samaawaati wal ard; ja'ala lakum min anfusikum azwaajanw wa minal an'aami azwaajany yazra'ukum feeh; laisa kamislihee shai'unw wa Huwas Samee'ul Baseer.
[Q42:11] The Originator of the heavens and the earth; He made mates for you from among yourselves, and mates of the cattle too, multiplying you thereby; nothing like a likeness of Him; and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.

[Q42:11] Dialah yang menciptakan langit dan bumi; Dia menjadikan bagi kamu pasangan-pasangan dari jenis kamu sendiri dan menjadikan dari jenis binatang-binatang ternak pasangan-pasangan (bagi bintang-binatang itu); dengan jalan yang demikian dikembangkanNya (zuriat keturunan) kamu semua. Tiada sesuatupun yang sebanding dengan (ZatNya, sifat-sifatNya dan pentadbiranNya) dan Dialah Yang Maha Mendengar, lagi Maha Melihat. 

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(42:11) The Originator of the heavens and the earth, He has appointed for you pairs of your own kind, and pairs also of cattle. Thus does He multiply you. Naught in the universe is like Him. *17 He is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. *18

*17 Literally, "Nothing is like His likeness," which implies this: Even if there were a likeness of Allah, nothing would be like it not to speak of being like unto Allah Himself. 
*18 That is, "At one and the same time He is hearing everybody and seeing everything in the Universe " 

لَهُ مَقَالِيدُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۖ يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَقْدِرُ ۚ إِنَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ {42:12}

[Q42:12] Lahoo maqaaleedus samaawaati wal ardi yabsutur rizqa limany yashaaa'u wa yaqdir; innahoo bikulli shai'unw wa Huwas Samee'ul Baseer. 
[Q42:12] His are the treasures of the heavens and the earth; He makes ample and straitens the means of subsistence for whom He pleases; surely He is Cognizant of all things.

[Q42:12] Dialah jua yang menguasai urusan dan perbendaharaan langit dan bumi; Dia memewahkan rezeki bagi sesiapa yang dikehendakiNya (menurut peraturan yang telah ditetapkan), dan Dia juga yang menyempitkannya (menurut peraturan itu); sesungguhnya Dia Maha Mengetahui akan tiap-tiap sesuatu. 

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(42:12) His are the keys of the heavens and the earth. He enlarges and straitens the sustenance of whomsoever He pleases. Surely He has knowledge of everything. *19

*19 These are the arguments to prove why Allah alone is the true Guardian and why putting trust in Him alone is right and correct and why He alone should be turned to in all matters. (For explanation, see An-Naml: 60-66, Ar-Rum: 20-22 and the E.N.'s). 

شَرَعَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الدِّينِ مَا وَصَّىٰ بِهِ نُوحًا وَالَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ وَمَا وَصَّيْنَا بِهِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَىٰ ۖ أَنْ أَقِيمُوا الدِّينَ وَلَا تَتَفَرَّقُوا فِيهِ ۚ كَبُرَ عَلَى الْمُشْرِكِينَ مَا تَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَيْهِ ۚ اللَّهُ يَجْتَبِي إِلَيْهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَهْدِي إِلَيْهِ مَنْ يُنِيبُ {42:13}

[Q42:13] Shara'a lakum minad deeni maa wassaa bihee Noohanw wallazeee awhainaaa ilaika wa maa wassainaa biheee Ibraaheema wa Moosa wa 'Eesaaa an aqeemud adeena wa laa tatafarraqoo feeh; kabura 'alal mushrikeena maa tad'oohum ilaih; ALLaahu yajtabee ilaihi many yashaaa'u wa yahdeee ilaihi mai yuneeb. 
[Q42:13] He has made plain to you of the religion what He enjoined upon Nuh and that which We have revealed to you and that which We enjoined upon Ibrahim and Musa and Isa that keep to obedience and be not divided therein; hard to the unbelievers is that which you call them to; ALLAH (SWT) chooses for Himself whom He pleases, and guides to Himself him who turns (to Him), frequently.

[Q42:13] ALLAH (SwT) telah menerangkan kepada kamu di antara perkara-perkara agama yang Ia tetapkan hukumnya apa yang telah diperintahkanNya kepada Nabi Nuh dan yang telah Kami (ALLAH (SwT)) wahyukan kepadamu (wahai Muhammad) dan juga yang telah Kami perintahkan kepada Nabi Ibrahim dan Nabi Musa serta Nabi Isa, iaitu: Tegakkanlah pendirian agama dan janganlah kamu berpecah belah atau berselisihan pada dasarnya. Berat bagi orang-orang musyrik (untuk menerima agama tauhid) yang engkau seru mereka kepadanya. ALLAH (SwT) memilih serta melorongkan sesiapa yang dikehendakiNya untuk menerima agama tauhid itu dan memberi hidayat petunjuk kepada agamaNya itu sesiapa yang rujuk kembali kepadaNya (dengan taat).

THE RELIGION PREACHED BY THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD) WAS THE SAME IN ESSENCE, GIVEN TO NUH, IBRAHIM, MUSA OR ISA. They all preached [1] the unity (tawhid) of ALLAH (SWT) and [2] admonished their followers to do good and shun evil.

Every religion was named by its followers after their prophet's departure from this world, BUT Islam was named by ALLAH (SWT)---see Baqarah 2:112; Ali Imran 3:19; Nisa 4:125 and Ma-idah 5:3---when the religion of ALLAH (SWT) was perfected and completed. **IT IMPLIES THAT ALL OTHER RELIGIONS, PRIOR TO ISLAM, WERE IN THE STATE OF TRANSITION.

John 16:5 to 13 clearly show that Isa, before leaving this world, gave the news of the advent of the spirit of truth, the comforter, who would certainly come and guide all mankind into all the truth, for he would not speak on his own authority, but tell only what he heard from the Lord.

5. “But now I go my way to Him that sent me; and none of you asked me, Whither goest thou?

6. “But because I have said these things ontu you, sorrow hath filled your heart.

7. “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

8. “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.

9. “Of sin, because they believe not on me;

10. “Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

11. “Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

12. “I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now.

13. “Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of Truth is, come, he will guide you in all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall shew it unto you.” John 16:5-13

It will be seen from the above reference from John that Jesus (Isa) left this world only prophesying the advent of the Spirit of Truth to give the Whole Truth. What was preached to men until Jesus was only part of the truth. HENCE could not be named.

v  THE NAME ISLAM was given only to the whole truth given out by the Spirit of Truth the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) who spoke only what he heard from the Lord--- (John 16:13).

Though the religion had not been complete and thus not received any name, yet what was given to them was the basic laws of Islam to discipline the human mind leading towards a perfected form of life to be named ISLAM.

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(42:13) He has prescribed for you the religion which He enjoined upon Noah and which We revealed to you (O Muhammad), and which We enjoined upon Abraham and Moses and Jesus, commanding: “Establish this religion and do not split up regarding it.” *20 What you are calling to is very hard upon those who associate others with Allah in His Divinity. Allah chooses for Himself whomsoever He pleases and guides to Himself whoever penitently turns to Him. *21

*20 Here the same thing as already mentioned in the first verse has been further elaborated. It clearly states that Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) is not the founder of any new religion, nor was any of the Prophets a founder of a separate religion, but it has been one and the same Religion which all the Prophets have been presenting from Allah from the very beginning, and the same is being presented by Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace). In this regard, the first name mentioned is of the Prophet Noah, who was the first Prophet after the Flood. After him the Holy Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) has been mentioned, who is the last of the Prophets; then the Prophet Abraham has been mentioned, whom the Arabs acknowledged as their guide, and last of all, the Prophets Moses and Jesus have been mentioned to whom the Jews and the Christians attribute their religions. This does not mean that only these five Prophets had been enjoined this Religion, but what is meant to be said is that all the Prophets who came to this world, brought one and the same Religion and the names of the five illustrious Prophets have been mentioned only as examples through whom the world received the most well known codes of Divine Law.
As this verse throws important light on Din (Religion) and its aim, it is necessary that we should study it to understand it well.
Lexically, the word shara'a in shara'a !a kum (ordained for you) means to make the way. As a term it implies appointing a way, a code and a rule. Accordingly, in Arabic the words tashri' ` and shari'at and shari' are understood as the synonyms of legislation and law and law giver respectively. This Divine legislation, in fact, is the natural and logical result of the fundamental truths which have been stated in verses l, 9 and 10 above: that Allah alone is the Owner of everything in the Universe, and He alone is man's real Guardian and it is for Him to judge the disputes that arise between human beings. Now, when Allah alone is the Owner and Guardian and Ruler, inevitably He alone is entitled to make the code of law for man and it is His responsibility that He should give this code of law to man. So, He has carried out His responsibility like this.
Then the words min-ad-din (of the nature of din) denote that the way appointed by Allah is legislation pertaining to din. If the explanation of the word din that we have given in E.N. 3 of Surah Zumar above, is kept in view, there can be no difficulty in understanding that din means nothing but acknowledging the sovereignty and leadership of someone and obeying his commands. And when this word is used in the meaning of the way, it implies the way which man must regard as obligatory for himself to follow and the one appointing it as the one whom he ought to obey. On this basis, calling God-appointed Way as legislation pertaining to din clearly means that it is not merely recommendatory in nature or a mere counsel, but it is a law enjoined by the Master, which must necessarily be obeyed by the servants and disobedience of which is tantamount to rebellion, and the one who does not obey it, in fact, denies Allah's being the Sovereign and Ruler and his own position of a servant.
"Then, it has been said that this legislation which pertains to din is the same as was enjoined on Noah. Abraham and Moses (peace be upon them all) and the same now has been enjoined on Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace). This contains several points: (1) That Allah did not send this legislation of His directly to every man, but appointed Whenever He deemed proper and necessary a person as His Messenger and consigned the legislation with him; (2) that this legislation has been the same from the beginning: it did not so happen that in one age one particular din was appointed for a nation, and in another age another and contradictory din was sent for another nation. ALLAH DID NOT SEND MANY DINS BUT ON EVERY OCCASION HE SENT ONE AND THE SAME DIN; (3) that it is an essential part of this din to acknowledge the apostleship of those men through whom the legislation has been sent and the Revelation in which the legislation has been couched, besides acknowledging the Sovereignty of Allah; and it is the demand of reason and logic too, that it should be a necessary part of it, for a man cannot obey this legislation at all unless he is satisfied that it is authentically from Allah.
Then it has been said that the Prophets were given this legislation pertaining to din ", with the express instruction: "Aqim-ud-din "; "Establish this din", or "Keep this din established," as variously translated by Shah Waliullah, Shah Rafi'uddin and Shah `Abdul Qadir. Both these translations are correct, for iqamat means both to establish and to keep established, and the Prophets were appointed to perform both the functions. Their first duty was to establish this din wherever it was not established, and the second that they should keep it established after they had established it, or had found it already established in a place. Obviously, a thing can be kept established only when it has already been established, otherwise the primary requirement would be to establish it first, and then make continuous effort to keep it established.
Here, two questions arise: First, what is the meaning of establishing the din? Second, what is din itself, which we have been enjoined to establish and then keep it established? Let us try to understand these questions well.
The word iqamat (to establish) when used in respect of a material or physical object implies causing it to rise from the sitting or lying positions or assembling the scattered parts of a thing and raising it up high. But when iqamat is used in respect of a thing which is not material but spiritual in nature it does not merely imply preaching it, but also acting according to it as best as one can, introducing it and enforeing it practically. For example, when we say that so and-so established his rule, it does not mean that he invited others to his government but that he subdued the people of the land and organised the different departments of the government in a way that the administration of the country began to function according to his orders. Similarly, when we say that courts have been established in the country, it means that judges have been appointed to do justice and they ate hearing the cases and giving judgements, and not that hymns in praise of justice arc being sung and the people being impressed. Likewise, when the Qur'an enjoins the establishment of the Prayer (Salat), it does not imply that one should merely preach and exhort others to the Prayer but that one should not only perform it oneself, observing aII its conditions, but should also strive to make arrangement so that it becomes a' regular practice among the believers. There should be mosques, there should be arrangements for offering the Prayer collectively and for the Friday congregational Prayer, and for making calls to the Prayer punctually; there should be the Imams to lead the Prayers and the scholars to give sermons, and the people should visit the mosques regularly and punctually and make offering the Prayer an essential part of their daily routine. AFTER THIS EXPLANATION, there should remain no difficulty in understanding that when the Prophets were enjoined to establish the din and to keep it established, it did not simply mean that they should practise it themselves and not even this that they should preach it to others so that the people may accept its truth, but also that when the people have accepted it, steps should be taken to introduce and enforce the entire din practically among them so that they may start living according to it for ever afterwards. No doubt preaching is the primary necessary stage of this work without which there can be no second stage, but every intelligent person can himself see that in this Command preaching has not been made the object, but the real object is to establish the din and keep it established. Preaching is certainly a means to the end but not the end in itself, but nobody can say that it was the only and foremost object of the mission of the Prophets.
Now, Iet us take the second question. When some people saw that the din which has been enjoined to be established is common among all the Prophets, and their shari'ahs have been different, as Allah Himself says: "We appointed for each community among you a law and a way of life", they formed the view that inevitably this din did not imply the shari' ah commandments, rules and regulations BUT ONLY the acceptance of Tauhid, the Hereafter and the Book and the Prophethood and performance of certain acts of devotion to Allah, or at the most, it included some of the major moral principles which have been common to alI the shari ahs. But this is a superficial view, which has been formed after having a cursory glance over the unity of religion and the difference of the shari'ahs. This is, however, a dangerous view, which if not corrected in time, may well lead to the separation between din (religion) and shari'ahs (law). It was this very view in, which St. Paul was involved, who presented the doctrine of the din (religion) without shari'ah (law), and corrupted the community of the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him). For, if shari'ah (law) is something separate from din (religion) and the command is only for establishing the din and not the shari'ah, inevitably the Muslims also, like the Christians, would regard the shari ah as unimportant and overlook its establishment as not being the real object by itself, and would remain content with only beliefs and a few important moral principles. Instead of determining the meaning of din from such speculations, Iet us turn to the Qur'an itself and see whether the din which we have been enjoined here to establish unplies the beliefs and a few important moral principles only, or the shari'ah values and commandments as well. When we explore the Qur'an we find that what it regards as din includes the following things as well:
(1) "And the only Command they were given was to worship Allah, making their din sincerely His, turning all their attention towards Him, and to establish the ,salat and to pay the Zakat.' this alone is the true and right din." (Al-Bayyinah: 5).  This shows that the Salat and the Zakat are included in this din, whereas the commandments pertaining to both have been different in the different shari ahs. No one can say that in all the previous shari ahs the Salat has had the same form, the same elements, the same number of the rak ahs, the same direction of the qiblah, the same times and the same other commands concerning it. Likewise, no one can claim also about the Zakat that in all the shari’ahs the same has been the exemption limit, the same rates and the same injunctions concerning its collection and distribution. But in spite of the difference of the shari'ahs, Allah has regarded both these as part of din. 
(2) 'You are forbidden carrion and blood, the flesh of swine and of that animal which has been slaughtered in any other name than of Allah, and of the strangled animal, and of that beaten to death or killed by a fall or gored to death or mangled by a beast of prey---save of that you duly slaughtered while it was still alive - and of that which is slaughtered at (ungodly) shrines. It is also unlawfirl for you to try to find your fortune by means of divining devices, for all these things are sinful acts. Today the disbelievers have despaired of (vanquishing) your religion; therefore do not fear them but fear Me. Today I have perfected your din for you and completed My blessing on you and approved Islam as the din (way of life) for you." (AI-Ma'idah: 3). This shows that aII these shari sh commandments are also din.
(3) Fight with those from among the people of the Book, who do not believe in AIlah nor in the Last Day; who do not make unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have made unlawful, and do not adopt the right din as their din. " (At-Taubah: 29). This shows that besides belief in Allah and the Hereafter it  is also din to accept and follow the Commands about the lawful and the unlawful, which have been given by Allah and His Messenger.
(4) "The woman and the man guilty of fornication, flog each one of them with a hundred stripes, and let not any pity for them restrain you in regard to a matter prescribed in the din of Allah, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day." (An-Nur: 2). "It did not behove Joseph to seize his brother by the king's din " (Yusuf: 76). This shows that the criminal law is also din. If a man follows the criminal law prescribed by God, he is a follower of God's din and if he follows a king's law, he is a follower of the king's din.
These are the four specimens in which the shari'ah commandments have been described as din in clear words. But, besides these, a careful study shows that the eradication of the sins for which Allah has held out the threat of Hell (e.g. adultery, taking of interest, killing of a believer, consuming the property of the orphan, taking possession of the other peoples properties in unlawful ways etc.), and the crimes which become the cause of God's torment, e.g. sodomy (the act of Lot's people) and dishonesty in business dealings (as practised by the Prophet Shu'aib's people) should necessarily be included in din, FOR IF DIN CANNOT SAVE ONE FROM HELL AND ALLAH'S TORMENT, WHAT USE COULD IT BE? Likewise, those shari'ah commandments also should be part of the din violation of which has been regarded as cause of entry into the Fire, e.g. injunctions relating to inheritance, after stating which it has been said: "And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger and transgresses the limits prescribed by Him, Allah will cast him into the Fire wherein he will have a disgraceful torment." (An-Nisa: 14,). Likewise, the prohibition of those things whose prohibition Allah has mentioned with great emphasis and absoluteness, e.g. prohibition of the mother, sister and daughter and prohibition of wine, theft, gambling, false evidence, etc. if not included in the establishment of the din, it would mean that Allah has given some unnecessary Commands also, which are not meant to be introduced and enforced. Similarly, establishing those things which Allah has made obligatory, e g. fasting and pilgrimage; cannot be excluded from the establishment of din only on the pretext that the 30 fasts of Ramadan had not been enjoined in the previous shari ah, and pilgrimage to the Ka'bah was enjoined only in the Shariah which was inherited by the Ishmaelite branch of the Prophet Abraham's progeny.
As a matter of fact, the misunderstanding was caused only because the verse: "We appointed for each community among you a law and a way of life", has been misconstrued to mean that since the shari'ah appointed for every community was separate and the command given was only to establish the din (way of life) which was common to all the Prophets, the establishment of the shari ah was not included in the establishment of the din, whereas the real meaning of this verse is just the opposite of it. If the context (vv. 41-50) in which this verse has occurred in Surah AI-Ma'idah is studied carefully, it will be seen that the correct meaning of this verse is: Whatever shari 'ah was given by Allah to the community of a Prophet, was the din for that community, and the establishment of the same din was the object during his Prophethood. And since now is the period of the Holy Prophet Muhammad's Prophethood, the shari ah which has been given to the Ummah of Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) is the din of this time, and to establish the same is to establish the din. As for the difference of the shari ah, it does not mean that the shari 'ahs sent by God were mutually contradictory, but it means that in their details there have been some differences owing to the different environments, take, for instance, the Prayer and the Fast. The Prayer has been obligatory in aII the shari' ahs, but the qiblah of all the shari ahs was not the same, and there was a difference in its times and rakahs and elements as well. Likewise, the Fast was obligatory in every shari'ah, but the 30 fasts of Ramadan were not there in the other shari ahs. From this it is not correct to conclude that the Prayer and the Fast as such are included in the establishment of din but performing the Prayer in a particular way and observing the Fast at a particular time is excluded from it. However, the correct conclusion that one can draw is: To perform the Prayer and observe the Fast according to the rules and procedures that had been appointed for the people in the shari'ah of every Prophet amounted to establishment of din in his time. In the present age the establishment of the din is that these acts of worship be performed according to the procedures enjoined in the Shari 'ah of the Prophet Muhammad. The same is true about all other Shari'ah commandments as well.
Whoever studies the Qur'an carefully will see that this Book does not envisage that its adherents will live as subjects of the disbelievers and will pass a religious lift under them, but it openly proclaims that it will have its own rule established; it demands from its followers that they should struggle with their lives for the intellectual, cultural, Iegal and political supremacy of the true Faith; and it gives them a programme for the reformation of human life, the major part of which can be acted upon only when political power and authority is in the believers' hand. As stated by itself, the object of this Book's being sent down is: "We have sent down this Book to you with the Truth so that you may judge between the people in accordance with the light that Allah has shown you." (An-Nisa: 105). **The Commandments given in this Book about the collection and distribution of the Zakat expressly envisage a government who should be responsible for collecting the Zakat and distributing it among the deserving people according to a laid down procedure. (At-Taubah;60,103). The prohibition of interest that has been enjoined in this Book and the declaration of war that has been made against those who do not abstain from taking interest (AI-Baqarah: 27_5-279) can be enforced only when the political and economic system of the country is entirely in the believers' hand. The Law of Retribution for murder (AI-Baqarah: 178), cutting off of the hand for theft (AI-Ma'idah 38) and carrying out of the prescribed punishment for adultery and calumny (An-Nur: 2-4) have not been enjoined on the assumption that the believers will remain subject to the police and courts of the disbelievers. The Command to fight the disbelievers (AlBaqarah: 190, 216) has not been given with the idea that the followers of this din will carry out this Command by getting enlisted in the army of disbelief. The command to take Jizyah from the followers of the former Books (At-Taubah: 29) has not been given on the assumption that the Muslims will take Jizyah from them while being their subjects and will be responsible for their protection. And this thing is not true only about the Madinite Surahs; in the Makkan Surahs as well a discerning eye can clearly see that the scheme envisaged from the very beginning was of Islam's supremacy and dominance and not of Islam's and the Muslims' subjugation under an un-Islamic rule. See, for instance, Bani Isra`il: 76-89; AlQasas: 85-86; Ar-Rum: 1-6; As-Saaffat: 171-179; Suad: Introduction, v. 11 and E.N. 12 on it.**
ABOVE ALL, THIS MISINTERPRETATION CLASHES WITH THE GREAT WORK THAT THE HOLY PROPHET HIMSELF ACCOMPLISHED DURING THE 23 YEARS OF HIS PROPHETHOOD. Who can deny the fact that he subdued entire Arabia by means of both preaching and the sword and established in it a full fledged system of government with a detailed law, covering all aspects of life, from beliefs and rites of worship to personal conduct, collective morality, culture and civilization, economic and social life, politics and judiciary, peace and war. If this entire work of the Holy Prophet is not accepted as a commentary of the Command of "iqamat din " (establishment of din) which, according to this verse, he had been enjoined to undertake like aII other Prophets, then it could have one of the two meanings: [1] That earlier, God forbid, the Holy Prophet should be blamed that he had been appointed only to preach and teach beliefs and a few important moral rules but he exceeded his mandate and established a government of his own whim and laid down a code of law, which was different from the common law of the Prophets as well as in excess of it; or [2] that Allah should be blamed that after having made the abovementioned declaration in Surah Ash-Shura. He went back on His own word, and made His Last Prophet do something which was not only much over and about and different from the objective of "iqamat din" as stated in this Surah but on the completion of this mission He also made this declaration, contrary to His first declaration: "Today I have perfected your din for you." (Al-Ma'idah:3). May Allah keep us safe from this! Apart from these two, if there is any third alternative,, which makes this-interpretation of "iqamat din" plausible and also does not lay any blame on Allah or His Messenger, we would like to know it.
After giving the Command for "iqamat din ", the last thing that Allah has stated in this verse is this: La tatafarraqu fi-hi: "Do not create schisms in the din: Be not divided in it" Creating schisms in din implies that one should introduce something new in religion for which there exists no sound basis, and then should insist that belief and unbelief depend on the acceptance of the innovation, and should separate along with those who have accepted it from those who have not accepted it. This new thing can be of several kinds: (1) To introduce something entirely new into din; (2) to exclude from din something which actually belonged to it; (3) to tamper with the fundamentals of din by misinterpretations and introduce new beliefs and novel practices; and (4) to distort the din by making changes of fundamental nature in it, for example, by reducing what was important in it to un-important, by raising what was at most permissible to the position of imperative and obligatory, even to the position of the most fundamental pillar of Islam. Owing to such innovations, divisions first appeared in the communities of the Prophets; then gradually the creeds of the sects developed into wholly separate and mutually exclusive religious systems whose followers now do not have any idea that once they all belonged to one and the same origin. These divisions have nothing to do with the permissible and reasonable difference of opinion which naturally takes place among the scholars when they are engaged in understanding and studying the injunctions and fundamentals of the din for the purpose of deriving and extracting points of law, and for which there is room in the words of the Book of Allah itself owing to the considerations of lexicon, idiom and rules of grammar. (For a detailed discussion of this subject, see Al-Baqarah: 213, Al'Imran: 19, 50; An-Nisa: 171, Al-Ma'idah: 77; Al-An'am; 159; An-Nahl: 118124; Al-Anbiya': 9293; Al-Hajj: 67; Al-Mu'minun: 53-54; Al-Qasas: 53; ArRum: 32 and the E.N.'s) 2).
*21 Here the same thing as stated in vv. 8-9 above, has been reiterated, and we have explained it in E.N. 11 above. The object of repeating it here is as if to say: °You are presenting the clear highway of religion before them but the foolish people, instead of appreciating the blessing, are becoming annoyed over it. But even among them there are the people of their own tribe, who are turning to AlIah and Allah also is drawing them closer to Himself. But one should understand that Allah's bestowal of His blessings is not blind: HE DRAWS ONLY HIM TOWARDS HIMSELF WHO IS INCLINED TO BE DRAWN AND NOT HIM WHO URNS AWAY FROM HIM. " 

وَمَا تَفَرَّقُوا إِلَّا مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَهُمُ الْعِلْمُ بَغْيًا بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ وَلَوْلَا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِنْ رَبِّكَ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى لَقُضِيَ بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُورِثُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ لَفِي شَكٍّ مِنْهُ مُرِيبٍ {42:14}

[Q42:14] Wa maa tafarraqooo illaa mim ba'di maa jaaa'ahumul 'ilmu baghyam bainahum; wa law laa Kalimatun sabaqat mir Rabbika ilaaa ajalim musammal laqudiya bainahum; wa innal lazeena oorisul Kitaaba mim ba'dihim lafee shakkim minhu mureeb. 
[Q42:14] And they did not become divided until after knowledge had come to them out of envy among themselves; and had not a word gone forth from your Lord till an appointed term, certainly judgment would have been given between them; and those who were made to inherit the Book after them are most surely in disquieting doubt concerning it.

[Q42:14] Dan umat tiap-tiap Rasul tidak berpecah belah dan berselisihan (dalam menjalankan agama ALLAH (SwT)) melainkan setelah sampai kepada mereka ajaran-ajaran yang memberi mereka mengetahui (apa yang disuruh dan apa yang dilarang); berlakunya (perselisihan yang demikian) semata-mata kerana hasad dengki sesama sendiri dan kalaulah tidak kerana telah terdahulu kalimah ketetapan dari Tuhanmu (untuk menangguhkan hukuman) hingga ke suatu masa yang tertentu, tentulah dijatuhkan hukuman azab dengan serta-merta kepada mereka dan sesungguhnya orang-orang yang diberikan ALLAH (SwT) mewarisi Kitab agama kemudian daripada mereka, berada dalam keadaan syak yang menggelisahkan terhadap Kitab itu.

Refer to the commentary of Baqarah 2:213; Ali Imran 3:19, 63 to 66; Yunus 10:19 and Ibrahim 14:9. As stated everywhere in this book all the prophets of ALLAH (SWT) brought almost similar guidance in basic principles, so when the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) came with ISLAM, there should have been no opposition by the people of the book, BUT through selfish envy they plunged in antagonism and rejected the truth.

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(42:14) They did not split up except after knowledge had come to them, *22 and then only because they wished to commit excesses against each other. *23 Had your Lord not already decreed that judgement would be made later at an appointed time, the matter between them would surely have been decided once and for all. *24 Indeed those who were later made the heirs of the Book are in disquieting doubt about it. *25

*22 That is, "The divisions were created not because Allah had failed to send the Prophets and the Books, and therefore, the people could not know the Right Way and so invented their own separate religions, sects, schools of thought and systems of life, BUT DIVISIONS APPEARED after knowledge had come to them from Allah. Therefore, Allah is not responsible for it, but the people who abandoned the clear principles of religion and commands of the Shari'ah and created their own creeds and religions arc themselves responsible for it."
*23 That is, "The motive for creating the divisions was not good, but they resulted from the desire for ostentation, love of an independent entity, mutual rivalry and stubbornness, the urge to humiliate and defeat one another, and greed for worldly wealth and position. When the clever and ambitious saw that if the godly people followed the true religion honestly, there would only be One God before whom the people would bow, there would be one Messenger whom they would acknowledge as their guide and leader, there would be one Book which they would turn to and there would be a clearly defined creed and code of life which they would be following. IN SUCH A SYSTEM there could be no place of distinction for themselves, on the strength of which they could have their own leadership flourish so that the people should rally round them, and bow to them and also make rich offerings to them. This was the real cause which became the motive of the invention of new creeds and philosophies, new ways and rites of worship and new systems of life, and diverted a large part of humanity from the highway of Divine Religion and misled them into blind alleys. Then the mutual disputes of the factions and their religious, economic and political conflicts gave rise to intense bitterness, which in turn led to bloodshed and violence among humanity. "
*24 That is, all such people who were guilty of inventing false systems and followed them would have been annihilated in the world itself by a torment, and only the righteous ones allowed to survive, which should have indicated as to who was a follower of the Truth and who of falsehood in the sight of Allah. BUT ALLAH HAS DEFERRED THIS PLAIN DECISIONS TILL RESURRECTION, for after such a decision in the world, the trial of mankind becomes meaningless. 
*25 It means: After the passage of the time of every Prophet and his closest followers when the Divine Book reached the later generations, they did not receive it with faith and conviction but were involved in doubts and suspicions and confusions about it. There were many causes for this state of affairs, which can be easily understood by a study of the case of the Torah and the Gospel. The earlier generations have not conveyed both these Books to the later generations well preserved in their original state and in their original words and language. They mixed up the Divine Word in them with the human word in the form of their commentary, history, verbal traditions and juristic hair-splitting. They made their translations prevail until the original was lost and only the translations remained. Their historical authenticity also was ruined; so much so that nobody now can say with certainty that the Book in his hand is the same that the world had once received through the Prophet Moses or the Prophet Jesus. Then their elders in the different periods of history initiated such discussions on religion, divinity, philosophy, law, physics, psychology and sociology and invented such systems of thought that the people were lost in them and it became impossible for them to decide as to which was the straight highway of the Truth among the countless crooked ways. And since the Divine Book did not exist in its original, reliable state they could neither turn to any authority that could help them to distinguish the truth from falshood. 

فَلِذَٰلِكَ فَادْعُ ۖ وَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَا أُمِرْتَ ۖ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ ۖ وَقُلْ آمَنْتُ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ مِنْ كِتَابٍ ۖ وَأُمِرْتُ لِأَعْدِلَ بَيْنَكُمُ ۖ اللَّهُ رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّكُمْ ۖ لَنَا أَعْمَالُنَا وَلَكُمْ أَعْمَالُكُمْ ۖ لَا حُجَّةَ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمُ ۖ اللَّهُ يَجْمَعُ بَيْنَنَا ۖ وَإِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ {42:15}

[Q42:15] Falizaalika fad'u wastaqim kamaaa umirta wa laa tattabi' ahwaaa'ahum wa qul aamantu bimaaa anzalaL Laahu min Kitaab, wa umirtu li a'dila bainakum ALLaahu Rabbunaa wa Rabbukum lanaaa a'maa lunaa wa lakum a'maalukum laa hujjata bainanaa wa baina kumuL Laahu yajma'u bainanaa wa ilaihil maseer. 
[Q42:15] To this then go on inviting, and go on steadfastly on the right way as you are commanded, and do not follow their low desires, and say: I believe in what ALLAH (SWT) has revealed of the Book, and I am commanded to do justice between you: ALLAH (SWT) is our Lord and your Lord; we shall have our deeds and you shall have your deeds; no plea need there be (now) between us and you: ALLAH (SWT) will gather us together, and to Him is the return.

[Q42:15] Oleh kerana yang demikian itu, maka serulah (mereka wahai Muhammad kepada beragama dengan betul), serta tetap teguhlah engkau menjalankannya sebagaimana yang diperintahkan kepadamu dan janganlah engkau menurut kehendak hawa nafsu mereka; sebaliknya katakanlah: Aku beriman kepada segala Kitab yang diturunkan oleh ALLAH (SwT) dan aku diperintahkan supaya berlaku adil di antara kamu. ALLAH (SwT) jualah Tuhan kami dan Tuhan kamu. Bagi kami amal kami dan bagi kamu amal kamu. Tidaklah patut ada sebarang pertengkaran antara kami dengan kamu (kerana kebenaran telah jelas nyata). ALLAH (SwT) akan menghimpunkan kita bersama (pada hari kiamat), dan kepadaNyalah tempat kembali semuanya (untuk dihakimi dan diberi balasan).

THE MISSION OF THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD) WAS TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF UNITY TO UNITE THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SUNK DEEP IN SECTARIANISM AND DIVISION, WITHOUT MAKING ANY COMPROMISE ON ACCOUNT OF WORLDLY OR POLITICAL MOTIVES. He always relied upon ALLAH (SWT) and His revelation, judged justly between warring factions, as the greatest upholder of peace and unity.

ACCORDING TO ISLAM IT IS DEEDS WHICH DECIDE THE FATE OF EVERY INDIVIDUAL IN THE LIFE HEREAFTER. Personal responsibility for one's own conduct is the basis of judgment on the Day of Reckoning when all will be brought together before the Lord of the worlds who is ALLAH (SWT) of every created being.

IT WAS THE TIME [**] when Walid Bin Mughairah had offered to the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) the whole of his wealth if he only gave up his mission AND [**] Shaiba Bin Uthbah had offered to give his daughter in marriage to him in return for stopping the preaching of Islam.

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(42:15) (This being so, O Muhammad), call people to the same religion and be steadfast about it as you were commanded, and do not follow their desires, *26 and say (to them): “I believe in the Book Allah has sent down. *27 I have been commanded to establish justice among you. *28 Allah is our Lord and your Lord. We have our deeds and you have your deeds. *29 There is no contention between us and you. *30 Allah will bring us all together. To Him all are destined to return.”

*26 That is, 34: 
*27 In other words, "I am not like those schismatic people who believe in some Books sent down by God and disbelieve in others; I believe in every Book sent down by Him. " 
*28 This pithy sentence has several meanings: 
(1) "I have been appointed to discard the schisms and adopt true impartiality: I do not like to harbour prejudice in favour of one and against the other schism: I have one and the same kind of relationship with all human beings, and it is the relationship of justice and equity. I am a companion and supporter of everyone who follows the truth, whether he is an utter stranger for me, and an opponent of everyone who follows falsehood, whether he is a neighbour or a close kinsman. 
(2) `There is no place of distinction for anybody in the system of truth, which I have, been appointed to present before you. It honours everyone equally. It does not contain separate sets of the rights for the kindred and the stranger, the big and the small, the poor and the rich, the noble and the humble. Whatever is good in it is good for everyone; and whatever is sinful and unlawful and criminal in it is sinful, unlawful and criminal for everybody. In its just system, there is no exception oven for my own self." 
(3) "I have been appointed to establish justice in the world. I have been entrusted with the mission of doing justice between the people and should put an end to their excesses and injustice, which are prevalent in your society." Besides, there is a fourth meaning also of this sentence, which remained hidden in Makkah life but became clear after emigration to Madinah, and it was: "I am a judge appointed by God: I am responsible to do justice between you. "
*29 That is, "Each one of us is himself responsible and accountable for his deeds. If you do good, you will yourself profit by its good results, and not we. If we do evil, we ourself shall bear all its evil consequences and not you. The same thing has been stated in AI-Baqarah: 139, Yunus: 41, Hud: 35, and Al-Qasas: 55 above. 
*30 That is, "We have done our best in conveying to you the message in a rational way. Now there is no use wrangling and disputing; therefore, even if you try to have a dispute with us, we have no desire to join in." 

وَالَّذِينَ يُحَاجُّونَ فِي اللَّهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا اسْتُجِيبَ لَهُ حُجَّتُهُمْ دَاحِضَةٌ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ وَعَلَيْهِمْ غَضَبٌ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ {42:16}

[Q42:16] Wallazeena yuhaaajjoona fiL Laahi mim ba'di mastujeeba lahoo hujjatuhum daahidatun 'inda Rabbihim wa 'alaihim ghadabunw wa lahum 'azaabun shadeed. 
[Q42:16] And (as for) those who dispute about ALLAH (SWT) after that obedience has been rendered to Him, their plea is null with their Lord, and upon them is wrath, and for them is severe punishment.

[Q42:16] Dan orang-orang yang berhujah menyangkal dan membantah tentang kebenaran agama ALLAH (SwT) sesudah disambut dan diterima agamaNya itu bantahan (dan tuduhan palsu) mereka itu sia-sia belaka di sisi Tuhan mereka dan mereka pula ditimpa kemurkaan (dari ALLAH (SwT)) serta mereka beroleh azab seksa yang seberat-beratnya.

The people of the book were fully aware of the advent of the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) (see commentary of Baqarah 2:40, 89 and 253), BUT when he came they disbelieved in him BECAUSE of their arrogance, selfish motives and desire to maintain status quo IN ORDER to save their privileges, advantages and leadership.

Ì  ANY ARGUMENT TO QUESTION THE ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY OF ALLAH (SWT) IS UNACCEPTABLE.

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(42:16) Those who contend concerning Allah *31 (after His call has been responded to), their contention is absolutely void in the sight of their Lord. Allah’s wrath is upon them and a grievous chastisement awaits them.

*31 This is an allusion to the state of affairs that was being experienced in Makkah at that time almost daily. Whenever it became known about somebody that he had become a Muslim, the people would start treating him mercilessly: they would worry and vex him, would neither Iet him have peace in the house nor in the street nor in society; wherever he went, they would start an endless discussion with the object to somehow make him abandon Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) and return to the same creed of ignorance which he had rejected. 

اللَّهُ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ وَالْمِيزَانَ ۗ وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّ السَّاعَةَ قَرِيبٌ {42:17}

[Q42:17] ALLahul lazeee anzalal Kitaaba bilhaqqi wal Meezaan; wa ma yudreeka la'allas Saa'ata qareeb? 
[Q42:17] ALLAH (SWT) it is Who revealed the Book with truth, and the balance, and what shall make you know that haply the hour be nigh?

[Q42:17] ALLAH (SwT) yang menurunkan Kitab Suci dengan membawa kebenaran dan menurunkan keterangan yang menjadi neraca keadilan dan apa jalannya engkau dapat mengetahui? Boleh jadi hari kiamat itu sudah hampir (masa datangnya).

Refer to the commentary of Baqarah 2:2 for the book and Araf 7:8 and Anbiya 21:47 to know about mizan (balance or scale).

Ø  Mizan implies the balance of mind, a god-given faculty, which is fully aware of the meanings and interpretation of all the revealed books.

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(42:17) Allah it is Who sent down this Book with the Truth and the Balance. *32 And what would make you know that the Hour (of Judgement) has drawn near? *33

*32 Mizan (Balance): the Shari ah of AIlah, which, like a balance, brings out clearly the distinction between the right and the wrong, the Truth and falsehood, justice and injustice, and righteousness and wickedness. In verse 15 above, the Holy Prophet has been made to say: "I have been commanded to do justice between you." Here, it has been told that with this Holy Book the "Balance" has come by which justice will be established. 
*33 That is, "The one who is inclined to mend his ways, must mend his ways forthwith: he should not lose time under the delusion that the Hour of lodgement is yet far off. Man cannot be sure whether he will be able to take another breath or not: his present breath may be his last. "

يَسْتَعْجِلُ بِهَا الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهَا ۖ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مُشْفِقُونَ مِنْهَا وَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهَا الْحَقُّ ۗ أَلَا إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُمَارُونَ فِي السَّاعَةِ لَفِي ضَلَالٍ بَعِيدٍ {42:18}

[Q42:18] Yasta'jilu bihal lazeena laa yu'minoona bihaa wallazeena aamanoo mushfiqoona minhaa wa ya'lamoona annahal haqq; alaaa innal lazeena yumaaroona fis Saa'ati lafee dalaalim ba’eed. 
[Q42:18] Those who do not believe in it would hasten it on, and those who believe are in fear from it, and they know that it is the truth. Now most surely those who dispute obstinately concerning the hour are in a great error.

[Q42:18] Orang-orang yang tidak beriman kepada hari kiamat itu meminta (secara mengejek-ejek) supaya disegerakan kedatangannya dan (sebaliknya) orang-orang yang beriman merasa takut ngeri kepadanya serta mereka mengetahui dengan yakin bahawa ia adalah benar. Ketahuilah! Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang membantah mengenai hari kiamat itu, tetap berada dalam kesesatan yang jauh terpesong.

The disbelievers do not believe in the Day of Reckoning and laugh at it. They say defiantly: "If there is to be a punishment, let it come at once." One day they shall certainly know how far they strayed from the right path. Refer to Yunus 10:19 and Rad 13:6.

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(42:18) Those who do not believe in it seek to hasten its coming. But those who believe (in it) hold it in dread and know that the Hour (of Judgement) is bound to come. Lo, those who dispute concerning the coming of the Hour are gone far in error.

اللَّهُ لَطِيفٌ بِعِبَادِهِ يَرْزُقُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۖ وَهُوَ الْقَوِيُّ الْعَزِيزُ {42:19}

[Q42:19] ALLahu lateefum bi'ibaadihee yarzuqu mai yashaaa'u wa Huwal Qawiyyul 'Azeez. 
[Q42:19] ALLAH (SWT) is Benignant to His servants; He gives sustenance to whom He pleases, and He is the Strong, the Mighty.

[Q42:19] ALLAH (SwT) Maha Lembut tadbirNya (serta melimpah-limpah kebaikan dan belas kasihanNya) kepada hamba-hambaNya; Dia memberi rezeki kepada sesiapa yang dikehendakiNya (menurut peraturan yang telah ditetapkan) dan Dialah Yang Maha Kuat, lagi Maha Kuasa. 

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(42:19) Allah is Most Gentle to His servants *34 and grants sustenance to whomsoever He pleases. *35 He is All-Strong, Most Mighty. *36

*34 The word "Kind" cannot fully convey the meaning of the word "Latif" as used in the original. This word contains two meanings: First, that Allah is very Kind and Compassionate to His servants; second, that He is a subtle observer and keeps in view even their minutest and most ordinary needs, which none else can see, and He fulfils them in such ways that they themselves do not perceive as to which need of theirs has been fulfilled at what time and by whom. Then the "servants" here dces not imply only the believers but aII servants. That is, Allah is Kind and Compassionate to all His servants."
*35 It means: The demand of His general kindness and compassion is not this that all the servants should be given everything equally. For although He is providing for each and every one from His treasures, there is no equality and uniformity in the measure of His provisions. He has given one thing to one and another to another: He has provided someone with something in a greater measure and another with another thing more generously.
*36 That is, "His system of providence is functioning undo His own might. No one .has the power to change it or take away something forcibly from Him, or prevent Him from providing for somebody."

SECTION 3

The recompense for the apostolic labours

Gains of this world or the next, as desired by an individual, will be given---He who seeks the gain of this world shall not have anything in the hereafter---The Prophet ordained to demand from his followers nothing as recompense for his apostolic labours save the love of his kith and kin---ALLAH (SWT) responds to whomsoever sincerely calls upon Him.

مَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الْآخِرَةِ نَزِدْ لَهُ فِي حَرْثِهِ ۖ وَمَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الدُّنْيَا نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا وَمَا لَهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنْ نَصِيبٍ {42:20}

[Q42:20] Man kaana yureedu harsal Aakhirati nazid lahoo fee harsihee wa man kaana yureedu harsad dunyaa nu'tihee minhaa wa maa lahoo fil Aakhirati min naseeb. 
[Q42:20] Whoever desires the gain of the hereafter, We will give him more of that gain; and whoever desires the gain of this world, We give him of it, and in the hereafter he has no portion.

[Q42:20] Sesiapa yang menghendaki (dengan amal usahanya) mendapat faedah di akhirat, Kami akan memberinya mendapat tambahan pada faedah yang dikehendakinya dan sesiapa yang menghendaki (dengan amal usahanya) kebaikan di dunia semata-mata, Kami beri kepadanya dari kebaikan dunia itu (sekadar yang Kami tentukan) dan dia tidak akan beroleh sesuatu bahagian pun di akhirat kelak.

YOU REAP AS YOU SOW. Those who believe and do good in this life to seek ALLAH (SWT)'s pleasure are blessed in this life and also in the hereafter. ALLAH (SWT) will also add manifold blessings in the spiritual life of the hereafter. To those who are only engrossed in the vain desires and gains of this world, something may be available to them here BUT in the blessings of the spiritual world to come they shall have no share because whatever good they did was a show-off.

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(42:20) Whoever seeks the harvest of the Hereafter, We shall increase for him his harvest, and whoever seeks the harvest of this world, We shall give him thereof; but he will have no share in the Hereafter. *37

*37 Two of the truths have been mentioned in the previous verse, which we areobserving everywhere at aII times: (1) THAT ALLAH IS KIND AND COMPASSIONATE TO AII HIS SERVANTS; and (2) THAT THE MEASURE OF HIS PROVISIONS IS NOT THE SAME FOR EVERYBODY, BUT IT VARIES FROM MAN TO MAN. Now, in this verse it is being told that although the partial differences in kindness and measures of Provisions are countless, there is also a difference of fundamental nature, which is: there is one kind of the provision for the seeker of the Hereafter and of another kind for the seeker of the world.
This is a very important truth which has been stated here briefly. Let us understand it fully, for it helps every man to determine his attitude to life.
Both the seeker of the Hereafter and the seeker of the world have been likened to the farmer in this verse, who labours persistently hard right from the time he prepares the soil till the time his crop is ready for harvesting. He puts in aII his labour so that he may reap and gather the crop of the seeds he sowed. But because of the difference of the intention and objective and also the difference of the attitude and conduct, to a large extent, a vast difference takes place between the famer who sows for the Hereafter and the farmer who sows for this world. Therefore, Allah has ordained different results and consequences of the labours of each, although the place of activity of both is this very earth.
As to the farmer who is sowing for the Hereafter, Allah has not said that he will get no share from the world. The world, in a more or less measure, he will get in any case. for he also has a share in the common provisions being bestowed by Allah, and every person, good or bad, is getting his sustenance here. But Allah has not given him the good news of the harvest of this world but that his harvest of the Hereafter will be increased, for he is a seeker of the same, and is concerned about his end there There are several ways in which this harvest can be increased; for example, as he will go on doing righteous deeds with sincere mentions, he will be blessed with the grace to do more and more righteus deeds and his breast will be opened out for more and more good works. When he will make up his mind to adopt pure means for thieving pure aims, he will be blessed with pure means only and AIlah will not Iet it so happen that aII doors to goodness he closed and only doors to evil to remain open for him. Above aII, his each good work, however small and insignificant, will at least be increased ten times over in the Hereafter, and there is no limit to this increase. Allah will increase it hundreds of thousands of tithes for whomever He may please
As for the one who is only sowing for this world, and is not at aII concerned about the Hereafter, Allah has plainly told him of two of the results of his labours: (1) That, however hard he may struggle and strive. he will not get the whole of what he is trying for, but only a fraction of it, which Allah has ordained for him; and (2) that whatever he has to get, he will get only in this world: there is no share for him in the good things of the Hereafter.