The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 907
CHAPTER 42 ASH-SHŪRĀ (Revealed before Hijrah) Title and Date of Revelation The Surah derives its title from v. 39 where Muslims are enjoined to decide all affairs of State and other matters of national importance by mutual consultation. The Sūrah, like its predecessor, was revealed at Mecca and about the same time; but according to Nöldeke it was revealed a little later. Ibn 'Abbās, as reported by Merdawaih and Ibn Zubair, also holds the view that the whole of the Surah was revealed at Mecca at a time when opposition to Islam was extremely severe and Muslims were in a tight corner. Context The preceding Surah had ended on the note that anyone who rejects and opposes heavenly teaching injures only his own soul, and himself suffers the consequences of rejection. The present Surah opens with the declaration that the Quran has been revealed by the High and Great God, Who is Wise and Mighty and is Possessor of Power and is the Lord of Honour. The duty of the Holy Prophet is confined only to conveying to his people the Divine Message, and to warning disbelievers that there is a life after death when man shall have to render an account of his actions. So, if his people rejected him they would be doing so at their own cost. Subject Matter The Surah, like its predecessor, opens with the important subject of the Quranic revelation and proceeds to say that God is High and Almighty, the Possessor of Power and Praise, the Great Forgiver and Merciful. Man's sins are many and great. But God's forgiveness is even greater and His grace unbounded. His mercy and grace demanded that the Quran should have been revealed to deliver man from the bondage of sin. But man is so constituted that he does not benefit from God's mercy, or from the warning of Divine Prophets, and worships gods of his own creation. The Holy Prophet, therefore, is told not to grieve over what the disbelievers do, as he is not appointed a guardian over them. His duty is to convey the Divine Message, the rest is God's own affair. He watches over them and keeps an account of their actions. The Surah then refers to the invariable Divine practice, viz. that whenever differences arise among the followers of various faiths on basic principles of religion, God raises a Prophet to remove those differences and to lead them to the right path. But the basic principles of all religions being the same, all Divine Messengers followed the same religion, that is, total 2821