Surah Ash-Shura Ayat 21 in Arabic Text
English Translation
Here you can read various translations of verse 21
Or have they other deities who have ordained for them a religion to which Allah has not consented? But if not for the decisive word, it would have been concluded between them. And indeed, the wrongdoers will have a painful punishment.
What! have they partners (in godhead), who have established for them some religion without the permission of Allah? Had it not been for the Decree of Judgment, the matter would have been decided between them (at once). But verily the Wrong-doers will have a grievous Penalty.
Do they have any associates (of Allah) who have laid down for them a way pertaining to faith which Allah did not sanction? But for the fact that a decree had already been made, the matter between them would have been decided once and for all. Surely a grievous chastisement awaits the wrong-doers.
Or have they partners with Allah (false gods), who have instituted for them a religion which Allah has not allowed. And had it not been for a decisive Word (gone forth already), the matter would have been judged between them. And verily, for the Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers), there is a painful torment.
Or have they partners (of Allah) who have made lawful for them in religion that which Allah allowed not? And but for a decisive word (gone forth already), it would have been judged between them. Lo! for wrong-doers is a painful doom.
Or even do they have associates (with Allah) who have legislated for them as the religion that which Allah has not given permission? And had it not been for the Word of Verdict, indeed it would have been decreed between them, and surely the unjust will have a painful torment.
How can they believe in others who ordain for them things which God has not sanctioned in the practice of their faith? If it were not for God’s decree concerning the final Decision, judgement would already have been made between them. The evildoers will have a grievous punishment-
کیا ان لوگوں نے ایسے (اللہ کے) شریک (مقرر کر رکھے) ہیں جنہوں نے ایسے احکام دین مقرر کر دیئے ہیں جو اللہ کے فرمائے ہوئے نہیں ہیں۔ اگر فیصلے کے دن کا وعده نہ ہوتا تو (ابھی ہی) ان میں فیصلہ کردیا جاتا۔ یقیناً (ان) ﻇالموں کے لیے ہی دردناک عذاب ہے
Quran 42 Verse 21 Explanation
For those looking for commentary to help with the understanding of Surah Ash-Shura ayat 21, we’ve provided two Tafseer works below. The first is the tafseer of Abul Ala Maududi, the second is of Ibn Kathir.
Ala-Maududi
(42:21) Do they have any associates (of Allah) who have laid down for them a way pertaining to faith which Allah did not sanction?[38] But for the fact that a decree had already been made, the matter between them would have been decided once and for all. Surely a grievous chastisement awaits the wrong-doers.[39]
38. In this verse the word shuraka (associates) obviously does not mean those beings whom the people invoke, or those in whose names they make offerings, or those before whom they carry out rites of worship, but inevitably it refers to those men whom the people regard as associates in the authority and sovereignty of Allah, whose thoughts, creeds, ideologies and philosophies they believe in, whose values they adopt, whose moral precepts and norms of civilization and culture they accept, and whose laws and rules and regulations they adopt to their rituals and rites of worship, in their personal and collective lives, in their trade and business dealings, in their politics and governments, as if they constituted the shariah that they had to follow faithfully. This is a complete code of life which the inventors invented against the legislation of Allah, Lord of the worlds, without His sanction and followed by the followers. This is the same sort of shirk as prostrating oneself before another and invoking another than Allah. For further explanation, see (Surah An-Nisa, Ayat 60); (Surah Al-Maidah, Ayat 87); (Surah Al-Anaam, Ayat 121), (Surah Al-Anaam, Ayat 136-137); (Surah At-Taubah, Ayat 31); (Surah Younus, Ayat 59); (Surah Ibrahim, Ayat 22); (Surah An-Nahl, Ayat 115-116); (Surah Al-Kahf, Ayat 52); (Surah Al-Qasas, Ayat 62-64); (Surah Saba, Ayat 41); (Surah YaSeen, Ayat 74) and the relevant E.N.s.
39. That is, this is such a boldness against Allah that had not judgment been deferred till Resurrection, the torment would have been sent down on every such person, who in spite of being Allah’s servant, enforced his own religion and way of life on Allah’s earth, and those people also would have been visited by it, who forsook Allah’s religion and accepted the religion invented by others.
Ibn-Kathir
The tafsir of Surah Shura verse 21 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Shura ayat 19 which provides the complete commentary from verse 19 through 23.
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