Translation
Let them ask: “To whom does all that is in the universe and the earth belong to?” Say: “It is to God, and He willed His grace and mercy to permeate [anything and everything in the natural world]. He will gather everyone on the Day of Judgment—an eventuality about which there is no doubt. Those who neglect their soul will not achieve faith. All that dwell during the night and the day are His—He Knows and He Hears.”
Ask them: “Shall I be aligned with others against God Almighty, Who is the Originator of the Universe and the Earth? He [God] feeds others but does not need to be fed.” Say: “I am commanded to be first among those who submit to God and not to be a polytheist.” Say: “I fear the consequences on a Day of awesome calamity, if I were to rebel against my Sustainer God. Whoever avoids such a calamity on that Day is indeed blessed with God’s mercy. This is an achievement to celebrate!”
If God lets a misfortune touch you, there is none who can remove it except He; if He provides you with good fortune, then you should know that God is ever powerful over all that exists. He alone is Supreme above all His creations; He is Wise, and He is Aware! Ask: “What thing is the best as a witness?” Say: “It is God Who is a witness between you and me; this Qur’an has been revealed to me so that I can inform and warn you and those it will eventually touch. Yet do you really bear witness that there are other deities besides God?” Say: “I bear no such witness; God is One, and I am clear of any other divine association [you make with God].” 329
To those who were given books before recognizing this (the Qur’an, the prophet, and the unity of God) just as they recognize their own children; those who neglect their soul will not strive for faith. Who is more unjust than he who invents lies against God and His messages? Surely such unjust will not achieve any measure of success. We will gather them together on a given Day and ask those who associated partners with God: “Where are the deities you asserted?” Their [self-deprecating] excuse on that day would be nothing other than this: “God, You are our Lord; we were not polytheists.” See how they will belie themselves and all their false assertions will fail them.
Interpretation
329 The presence of fortune and misfortune is a constant reminder of our vulnerability in life, and their numerous alterations throughout our short span of life is another way for God to remind us that we need to be thankful and humble when fortune is gifted to us and to reflect on our own actions and aspirations when misfortune touches us rather than blame others or be disheartened. Both scenarios are there to continuously propel us toward striving for the betterment of ourselves and strengthening our collective responsibility to do good, no matter what the circumstances might be, even in the presence of evils all around us.
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REFLECTION
These verses provide a glimpse of our own condition, which might lead us down a path of failing to demonstrate our faith in One God and His messages as contained in the Books of Revelations, be it the Qur’an, the Bible, the Torah, or any other book of such stature. Some of us are comforted by the notion that unlike some other coreligionists, we have not succumbed to elevating some of God’s creation to Godhead, which is well and good. But that does not absolve us from failing to act according to what our faith in God and the revealed texts require us to do. We are too quick to blame others for our failures and take credit for our success. We become oblivious to the fact that God permeates all our existence within us and the world we live in, and we are subject to the laws or codes that God has put in place to govern our existence and our accountability.
ACTION
All of us have to strive to be true to our faith in God and our commitment to do good; otherwise true success will always elude us.