Ash-Shūrā ( ar, الشورى, ''al shūrā'', "Council, Consultation") is the 42nd chapter (
sūrah
A ''surah'' (; ar, سورة, sūrah, , ), is the equivalent of "chapter" in the Qur'an. There are 114 ''surahs'' in the Quran, each divided into '' ayats'' (verses). The chapters or ''surahs'' are of unequal length; the shortest surah (''Al-Ka ...
) of the
Qur'an
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...
(Q42) with 53 verses (
āyāt). Its title derives from the question of "shūrā" (''consultation'') referred to in Verse 38. The term appears only once in the Quranic text (at Q42:38). It has no pre-Quranic antecedent.
Regarding the timing and contextual background of the believed
revelation
In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities.
Background
Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...
(''
asbāb al-nuzūl
Occasions or circumstances of revelation ( ''al-nuzūl'', ) names the historical context in which Quranic verses were revealed from the perspective of traditional Islam. Though of some use in reconstructing the Qur'an's historicity, ''asbāb'' is ...
''), it is an earlier "
Meccan surah
The Meccan surat are, according to the timing and contextual background of supposed revelation (''asbāb al-nuzūl''), the chronologically earlier chapters ('' suwar'', singular ''sūrah'') of the Qur'an. The traditional chronological order attrib ...
", which means it has been revealed in Mecca, rather than later in Medina.
Summary
*1-2 The Almighty reveals his will to Muhammad
*3
Angels
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles incl ...
intercede with God on behalf of sinful man
*4 Muhammad not a steward over the idolaters
*5 The Quran revealed in the Arabic language to warn Makkah
*6-10 God the only helper, creator, and preserver, the all-knowing
*11-13 Islam the religion of all the former prophets
*14 Muhammad commanded to declare his faith in the Bible
*15 Disputers with God shall be severely punished
*16-17 God only knows the hour of the judgment
*18-19 The Almighty will reward the righteous and the
wicked
Wicked may refer to:
Books
* Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe
* '' Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name
* ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' s ...
according to their deeds
*20 Sinners only spared through God’s forbearance
*21-22 Rewards of the just and of the unjust
*
23 Muhammad charged with imposture
*24-27 The sovereign God forgives and blesses whom he will
*28-33 God’s power manifested in his works
*34-41 A true believer’s character decided
*42-45 The miserable fate of those whom God causes to err
*46 Sinners exhorted to repent before it is too late
*47 Muhammad only a preacher
*48-49 God controls all things
*50-51 Why God reveals himself by inspiration and through
apostles
*52-53 Muhammad himself ignorant of Islam until he had received the revelation of the Quran
Q42:23 Verse of affection
Q42:51 Revelation in Islam
In
Islamic tradition,
Quran 42:51 serves as the basis of understanding for ''
Revelation in Islam (waḥy)''.
:"''It is not fitting for a man that Allah should speak to him except by inspiration, or from behind a veil, or by the sending of a messenger to reveal, with Allah's permission, what Allah wills''".
Abdullah Yusuf Ali
Abdullah Yusuf Ali, CBE, MA, LL.M, FRSA, FRSL (; ur, عبداللہ یوسف علی; 14 April 1872 – 10 December 1953) was an Indian-British barrister who wrote a number of books about Islam including an exegesis of the Qur'an. A sup ...
translation
Based on this verse, Islamic scholars have described three ways in which
God
In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
's revelation can reach His chosen individuals, especially
prophets
In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...
.
[Muhammad Shafi Usmani, '']Maariful Quran
''Ma'ariful Qur'an'' ( ur, ) is an eight-volume ''tafsir'' (exegesis) of the Quran written by Islamic scholar Mufti Muhammad Shafi (1897–1976). Originally written in Urdu, it is the most prominent work of its author.
Background
About the ...
'', see commentary on 42:51
*An inspired message – not a word but an idea – can enter the heart of the chosen individuals either in the state of consciousness or in dream.
*The second mode, it is said, is the word heard by the person spoken to, as from behind a veil.
*In the third mode, the revelation is sent from God through archangels like
Gabriel
In Abrahamic religions ( Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብ ...
and is delivered to the prophets. It is the highest form of revelation, and
Muslims believe the whole Quran was revealed in this mode.
References
External links
Quran 42Clear Quran translation
Mustafa Khattab is a Canadian–Egyptian Muslim scholar, author, youth mentor, public speaker, imam, and university chaplain. He holds a professional ijâzah in the Ḥafṣ style of recitation. He is known for his translation of the Quran in ...
Q42:1 50+ translations, islamawakened.com
Shura
Shura ( ar, شُورَىٰ, translit=shūrā, lit=consultation) can for example take the form of a council or a referendum. The Quran encourages Muslims to decide their affairs in consultation with each other.
Shura is mentioned as a praisewort ...
{{Quran-stub