The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)

312
The Quran 42: 12
you may multiply. There is nothing like Him: He is the All Hearing,
the All Seeing. 12 The keys of the heavens and the earth are His;
He provides abundantly or sparingly for whoever He will; He has
full knowledge of all things.
13 In matters of faith, He has laid down for you [people] the same
commandment that He gave Noah, which We have revealed to you
[Muhammad] and which We enjoined on Abraham and Moses and
Jesus: ‘Uphold the faith and do not divide into factions within it’–
what you [Prophet] call upon the idolaters to do is hard for them;
God chooses whoever He pleases for Himself and guides towards
Himself those who turn to Him. 14 They divided, out of rivalry,
only after knowledge had come to them, and, if it had not been for
a decree already passed by your Lord to reprieve them until an
appointed time, they would already have been judged. Those after
them, who inherited the Scripture, are in disquieting doubt about it.
15 So [Prophet] call people to that faith and follow the straight path
as you have been commanded. Do not go by what they desire, but
say, ‘I believe in whatever Scripture God has sent down. I am commanded
to bring justice between you. God is our Lord and your
Lord – to us our deeds and to you yours, so let there be no argument
between us and you – God will gather us together, and to Him we
shall return.’ 16 As for those who argue about God after He has been
acknowledged, their argument has no weight with their Lord: anger
will fall upon them and agonizing torment awaits them. 17 It is God
who has sent down the Scripture with Truth and the Balance. a How
can you tell? The Last Hour may well be near: 18 those who do not
believe in it seek to hasten it, but the believers stand in awe of it.
They know it to be the Truth; those who argue about the Hour are
far, far astray.
19 God is most subtle towards His creatures; He provides [bountifully]
for whoever He will; He is the Powerful, the Almighty. 20 If
anyone desires a harvest in the life to come, We shall increase it for
him; if anyone desires a harvest in this world, We shall give him a
share of it, but in the Hereafter he will have no share. 21 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
a The balance of justice and of nature; cf. verse 27.