سورة الشّوریٰ
Surah Al-Shûrâ 42:38
The Council · Verse 38 of 53
وَالَّذِينَ اسْتَجَابُوا لِرَبِّهِمْ وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَأَمْرُهُمْ شُورَىٰ بَيْنَهُمْ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ
Abdul Mannan Omar
And those who respond to their Lord and observe Prayer and whose affairs are (decided by) mutual consultation, and who go on spending (in Our cause) out of what We have provided for them,
Abdullah Yusuf Ali
Those who hearken to their Lord, and establish regular Prayer; who (conduct) their affairs by mutual Consultation; who spend out of what We bestow on them for Sustenance;
Ahmed Ali
Who obey the commands of their Lord and fulfil their devotional obligations, whose affairs are settled by mutual consultation, who spend of what We have given them,
12 more translations
Ali Unal
And those who answer the call of their Lord and obey Him (in His orders and prohibitions), and establish the Prayer in conformity with its conditions; and whose affairs are by consultation among themselves; and who spend out of what We provide for them (to provide sustenance for the needy, and in God’s cause);
Daryabadi
And those who answer the call of their Lord and establish prayer and whose affair being matter of counsel among themselves, and who of that wherewith We have provided them expend.
Faridul Haque
And those who obeyed the command of their Lord and kept the prayer established; and whose affairs are with mutual consultation; and who spend in Our cause from what We have bestowed upon them.
Maulana Muhammad Ali
And those who respond to their Lord and keep up prayer, and whose affairs are (decided) by counsel among themselves, and who spend out of what We have given them;
Maulvi Sher Ali
And those, who hearken to their Lord, and observe Prayer, and whose affairs are decided by mutual consultation, and who spend out of what WE have provided for them,
Muhammad Asad
and who respond to [the call of] their Sustainer and are constant in prayer; and whose rule [in all matters of common concern] is consultation among themselves; and who spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance;
Muhammad Musin Khan
And those who answer the Call of their Lord [i.e. to believe that He is the only One Lord (Allah), and to worship none but Him Alone], and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and who (conduct) their affairs by mutual consultation, and who spend of what We have bestowed on them;
Muhammad Pickthall
And those who answer the call of their Lord and establish worship, and whose affairs are a matter of counsel, and who spend of what We have bestowed on them,
Muhammad Sarwar
who have pledged their obedience to the Lord, who are steadfast in prayer, who conduct their affairs with consultation among themselves, who spend for the cause of God out of what We have given them,
Muhammed ali Shakir
And those who respond to their Lord and keep up prayer, and their rule is to take counsel among themselves, and who spend out of what We have given them.
Rashad Khalifa
They respond to their Lord by observing the Contact Prayers (Salat). Their affairs are decided after due consultation among themselves, and from our provisions to them they give (to charity).
Shabbir Ahmed
They respond to their Lord by establishing Salaat, and conduct their affairs by mutual consultation, and they keep open for the welfare of others what We have given them.
Commentary 42:38 Shûrâشُورَىٰ means consultation. Literally it means the process by which honey is extracted from the hives. In matters of society Shûrâشُورَىٰ is a…
وَالَّذِينَ اسْتَجَابُوا لِرَبِّهِمْ وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَأَمْرُهُمْ شُورَىٰ بَيْنَهُمْ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ
42:38 Shûrâشُورَىٰ means consultation. Literally it means the process by which honey is extracted from the hives. In matters of society Shûrâشُورَىٰ is a continuous dialogue between stakeholders until a consensus is reached. This rule applies equally at the individual level. Refusing to consult others for counsel before making major decisions is a sign of arrogance, and arrogance is the characteristic of Pharaoh.
In this verse as in many others, the Muslims are enjoined to observe Prayer and give in charity, yet between these two commandments, which always go side by side, a third is placed – and their affair is decided by mutual consultation. This injunction lays down the principle that all governmental business must be transacted in consultation. Here the Holy Qur’ân has laid the basis of a political system based on mutual consultation and consensus. There should be a venue in which all interest groups are represented and a decision is made once a consensus develops in a process after mutual consultation. The injunction was implemented in practice in the early days of the Caliphate. The system is different from a parliamentary democratic system, where the decision is based on majority vote and the legitimate wishes and concerns of as many as 49.99% of voters can be ignored.