Overall meaning : Allah Almighty points out the great significance, true nature and tremendous value of the Qur’an: With the truth have We sent down this Qur’an, and it has come down containing the truth and safeguarded against any form of corruption, omission, interpolation and change. We have sent you forth, Muhammad, only to give the good news of Paradise to the obedient and to warn the disobedient against the Fire. We have explained and detailed the Qur’an, and made it a criterion whereby to distinguish truth from falsehood and right from wrong, so that you, Muhammad, may recite it to the people slowly and with deliberation, and We have revealed it piecemeal, in stages, according to the different events and circumstances.
The Almighty then instructs His Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to address the idolaters in such a way as to show them that the Qur’an is the unquestionable truth and that their belief in it will by no means make it more perfect, nor will their disbelief in it will diminish its worth in any way whatsoever, placing before them the good example of the believing learned Jews and Christians who were given knowledge in their books before its revelation: Say to them, Muhammad, ‘Whether you believe in the Qur’an or not, it is the truth in either case. When it is recited to the believers from among the People of the Book, who were given knowledge before it was revealed, they fall on their faces, prostrating themselves to Allah, and say, ‘Glory be to our Lord and Exalted be He above what the idolaters attribute to Him! Our Lord’s promise in our books to send His Prophet Muhammad and to reveal the Qur’an to him has surely been fulfilled.’ They fall to the ground in prostration, weeping and deeply affected by the exhortations in the Qur’an; and it increases their earnest humility and devotion.
Say to the people, Muhammad: Call upon Allah, or call upon the Most Merciful. Both these are Allah’s names, and so by whichever one you call upon Him, you are indeed calling one and the same Lord; for His are the most beautiful names with all attributes of perfection. Do not recite the Qur’an, remember or invoke Allah in your prayers too loudly or in too low a voice, but follow a middle course.
Allah then concludes this surah by instructing His Prophet to praise him and declare Him free of all manner of deficiency and imperfection: Say, Muhammad, ‘Praise be to Allah to whom belong all praise and perfect attributes, who is far exalted above begetting any offspring and having any partners in His kingdom, and who has no weakness, and therefore no need of any protector.’ And proclaim his immeasurable greatness.