The Quran

Preface

قُل مَن رَبُّ السَّماواتِ وَالأَرضِ قُلِ اللَّهُ ۚ قُل أَفَاتَّخَذتُم مِن دونِهِ أَولِياءَ لا يَملِكونَ لِأَنفُسِهِم نَفعًا وَلا ضَرًّا ۚ قُل هَل يَستَوِي الأَعمىٰ وَالبَصيرُ أَم هَل تَستَوِي الظُّلُماتُ وَالنّورُ ۗ أَم جَعَلوا لِلَّهِ شُرَكاءَ خَلَقوا كَخَلقِهِ فَتَشابَهَ الخَلقُ عَلَيهِم ۚ قُلِ اللَّهُ خالِقُ كُلِّ شَيءٍ وَهُوَ الواحِدُ القَهّارُ

Yusuf Ali

Say: “Who is the Lord and Sustainer¹ of the heavens and the earth?” Say: “(It is) God.” Say: “Do ye then take (for worship) protectors other than Him, such as have no power either for good or for harm to themselves?”² Say: “Are the blind equal with those who see? Or the depths of darkness equal with light?” Or do they assign to God³ partners who have created (anything) as He has created, so that the creation seemed to them similar? Say: “God is the Creator of all things: He is the One, the Supreme and Irresistible.”

The meaning of Rabb is explained in n. 20, to 1:2.
Cf. 5:76.
This verse may be analysed into six parts, each two parts going together like question and answer. Each except the fifth part is introduced by the word “Say”, which is equivalent in old Arabic to inverted commas. The fifth part, “or do they assign . . . similar?” is not introduced by “Say”, because it is in the indirect form. (1) Who is the Lord and Sustainer of the Worlds? It is God. (2) And yet you worship other gods? No, no one can be equal to Him, any more than darkness is equal to light. (3) Your other gods have created nothing by which you can be misled? No indeed; He is the only Creator, the One and Supreme.