Surah 37: Those Ranged in Ranks - Overview
Surah 38: Sad - Overview
Surah 39: Crowds - Overview
Surah 40: Forgiver, The Believer - Overview
Surah 41: Expounded, Ha Mim - Overview
Surah 42: Consultation - Overview

Essential Koran

The Unsurpassable Victory [37:40-61] 
Except for God's sincere servants; for them awaits a known provision, fruits -- and they high-honored in the Gardens of Bliss upon couches, set face to face, a cup from a spring being passed round to them, white, a delight to the drinkers, wherein no sickness is, neither intoxication; and with them wide-eyed maidens restraining their glances as if they were hidden pearls. They advance one upon another, asking each other questions. One of them says, 'I had a comrade who would say, "Are you a confirmer? What, when we are dead and become dust and bones, shall we indeed be requited?" ' He says, 'Are you looking down?' The he looks, and sees him in the midst of Hell. He says, 'By God, well nigh thou didst destroy me; but for my Lord's blessing, I were one of the arraigned. What, do we then not die except for our first death, and are we not chastised? This is indeed the mighty triumph, and for the like of this let the workers work.'

Primal Arrogance [38:71-85] 
When thy Lord said to the angels, 'See, I am creating a mortal of a clay. When I have shaped him, and breathed My spirit in him, fall you down, bowing before him!' Then the angles bowed themselves all together, save Iblis; he waxed proud, and was one of the unbelievers. Said He, 'Iblis, what prevented thee to bow thyself before that I created with My own hands? Has thou waxed proud, or art thou of the lofty ones?' Said he, 'I am better than he; Thou createdst me of fire, and him Thou createdst of clay.' Said He, 'Then go thou forth hence; thou art accursed. Upon thee shall rest my curse, till the Day of Doom.' Said he, 'My Lord, respite me till the day they shall be raised.' Said He, 'Thou art among the ones that are respited until the day of the known time.' Said he, 'Now, by Thy glory, I shall pervert them all together, excepting those Thy servants among them that are sincere.' Said He, 'This is the truth, and the truth I say; I shall assuredly fill Gehenna with thee, and with whosoever of them follows thee, all together.'

The Constant Touch [39:22-23] 
Is he whose breast God has expanded unto Islam, so he walks in a light from his Lord...? But woe to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of God! Those are in manifest error. God has sent down the fairest discourse as a Book, consimilar in its oft-repeated, whereat shiver the skins of those who fear their Lord; then their skins and their hearts soften to the remembrance of God. That is God's guidance, whereby He guides whomsoever He will; and whomsoever God leads astray, no guide has he.

The Day of Truth [39:67-70] 
They measure not God with His true measure. The earth altogether shall be His handful on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens shall be rolled up in His right hand. Glory be to Him! High be He exalted above that they associate! For the Trumpet shall be blown, and whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is in the earth shall swoon, save whom God wills. Then it shall be blown again, and lo, they shall stand, beholding. And the earth shall shine with the light of its Lord, and the Book shall be set in place, and the Prophets and witnesses shall be brought, and justly the issue be decided between them, and they not wronged. Every soul shall be paid in full for what it has wrought; and He knows very well what they do.

The Prayer of Love [40:7-9] 
Those who bear the Throne, and those round about it proclaim the praise of their Lord, and believe in Him, and they ask forgiveness for those who believe: 'Our Lord, Thou embracest every thing in mercy and knowledge; therefore forgive those who have repented, and follow Thy way, and guard them against the chastisement of Hell. Our Lord, and admit them to the Gardens of Eden that Thou hast promised them and those who were righteous of their fathers, and their wives, and their seed; surely Thou art the All-mighty, the All-wise. And guard them against evil deeds; whomsoever Thou guardest against evil deeds on that day, on him Thou hast had mercy; and that is indeed the mighty triumph.

Alienated Ones [41:2-8] 
A sending down from the Merciful, the Compassionate. A Book whose signs have been distinguished as an Arabic Koran for a people having knowledge, good tidings to bear, and warning, but most of them have turned away, and do not give ear. They say, 'Our hearts are veiled from what thou callest us to, and in our ears is a heaviness, and between us and thee there is a veil; so act; we are acting!' Say: 'I am only a mortal, like you are. To me it has been revealed that your God is One God; so go straight with Him, and ask for His forgiveness; and woe to the idolaters who pay not the alms, and disbelieve in the world to come. Surely those who believe, and do righteous deeds shall have a wage unfailing.'

Six Mysterious Days of Power [41:9-12] 
Say: 'What, do you disbelieve in Him who created the earth in two days, and do you set up compeers to Him? That is the Lord of all Being. And He set therein firm mountains over it, and He blessed it, and He ordained therein its diverse sustenance in four days, equal to those who ask. Then He lifted Himself to heaven when it was smoke, and said to it and to the earth, "Come willingly, or unwillingly!" They said, "We come willingly." So He determined them as seven heavens in two days, and revealed its commandment in every heaven.' And We adorned the lower heaven with lamps, and to preserve; that is the ordaining of the All-mighty, the All-knowing.

The Single, Direct, and Universal Path [42:13-18] 
He has laid down for you as religion that He charged Noah with, and that We have revealed to thee, and that We charged Abraham with, Moses and Jesus; 'Perform the religion, and scatter not regarding it.' Very hateful is that for the idolaters, that thou callest them to. God chooses unto Himself whomsoever He will, and He guides to Himself whosoever turns, penitent. They scattered not, save after knowledge had come to them, being insolent one to another,; and but for a Word that preceded from thy Lord until a stated term, it had been decided between them. But those to whom the Book has been given as an inheritance after them, behold, they are in doubt of it disquieting. Therefore call thou, and go straight as thou hast been commanded; do not follow their caprices. And say: 'I believe in whatever Book God has sent down; I have been commanded to be just between you. God is our Lord and your Lord. We have our deeds, and you have your deeds; there is no argument between us and you; God shall bring us together, and unto Him is the homecoming.' And those who argue concerning God after that answer has been made to Him, their argument is null and void in the sight of their Lord; anger shall rest upon them, and there awaits them a terrible chastisement. God it is who has sent down the Book with the truth, and also the Balance. And what shall make thee know? Haply the Hour is nigh. Those that believe not therein seek to hasten it; but those who believe in it go in fear of it, knowing that it is the truth. Why, surely those who are in doubt concerning the Hour are indeed in far error.

Coming Home [42:51-53] 
It belongs not to any mortal that God should speak to him, except by revelation, or from behind a veil, or that he should send a messenger and he reveal whatsoever He will, by His leave; surely He is All-high, All-wise. Even so We have revealed to thee a Spirit of Our bidding. Thou knewest not what the Book was, nor belief; but We made it a light, whereby We guide whom We will of Our servants. And thou, surely thou shalt guide them unto a straight path -- the path of God, to whom belongs whatsoever is in the earth. Surely unto God all things come home.