This is how Asad has described the first Surah of the Qur'an: 

1:1

In the name of God, The Most Gracious, The Dispenser of Grace:¹

1:2

ALL PRAISE is due to God alone, the Sustainer of all the worlds,² (1:3) the Most Gracious,  the Dispenser of Grace, (1:4) Lord of the Day of Judgment!

1:5

Thee alone do we worship; and unto Thee alone do we turn for aid.

1:6

Guide us the straight way  (1:7) the way of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings,³  not of those who have been condemned [by Thee], nor of those who go astray!⁴

  1 According to most of the authorities, this invocation (which occurs at the beginning of every 
    surah with the exception of surah 9) constitutes an integral part of "The Opening" and is, 
    therefore, numbered as verse 1. In all other instances, the invocation "in the name of God" 
    precedes the surah as such, and is not counted among its verses. - Both the divine epithets 
    rahman and rahim are derived from the noun rahmah, which signifies "mercy", "compassion", 
    "loving tenderness" and, more comprehensively, "grace". From the very earliest times, Islamic 
    scholars have endeavoured to define the exact shades of meaning which differentiate the two 
    terms. The best and simplest of these explanations is undoubtedly the one advanced by Ibn 
    al-Qayyim (as quoted in Manar I,48): the term rahman circumscribes the quality of abounding 
    grace inherent in, and inseparable from, the concept of God's Being, whereas rahim expresses 
    the manifestation of that grace in, and its effect upon, His creation - in other words, an 
    aspect of His activity. 

  2 In this instance, the term "worlds" denotes all categories of existence both in the physical 
    and the spiritual sense. The Arabic expression rabb - rendered by me as "Sustainer" - 
    embraces a wide complex of meanings not easily expressed by a single term in another language. 
    It comprises the ideas of having a just claim to the possession of anything and, consequently, 
    authority over it, as well as of rearing, sustaining and fostering anything from its inception 
    to its final completion. Thus, the head of a family is called rabb ad-dar ("master of the house") 
    because he has authority over it and is responsible for its maintenance; similarly, his wife 
    is called rabbat ad-dar ("mistress of the house"). Preceded by the definite article al, the 
    designation rabb is applied, in the Qur'an, exclusively to God as the sole fosterer and 
    sustainer of all creation - objective as well as conceptual - and therefore the ultimate 
    source of all authority.

  3  i.e., by vouchsafing to them prophetic guidance and enabling them to avail themselves thereof.

  4  According to almost all the commentators, God's "condemnation" (ghadab, lit., "wrath") is 
     synonymous with the evil consequences which man brings upon himself by wilfully rejecting 
     God's guidance and acting contrary to His injunctions. Some commentators (e.g., Zamakhshari) 
     interpret this passage as follows: "... the way of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed Thy 
     blessings - those who have not been condemned [by Thee], and who do not go astray": in 
     other words, they regard the last two expressions as defining "those upon whom Thou hast 
     bestowed Thy blessings". Other commentators (e.g., Baghawi and Ibn Kathir) do not subscribe 
     to this interpretation - which would imply the use of negative definitions - and understand 
     the last verse of the surah in the manner rendered by me above. As regards the two categories 
     of people following a wrong course, some of the greatest Islamic thinkers (e.g., Al-Ghazali 
     or, in recent times, Muhammad 'Abduh) held the view that the people described as having 
     incurred "God's condemnation" - that is, having deprived themselves of His grace - are those 
     who have become fully cognizant of God's message and, having understood it, have rejected it; 
     while by "those who go astray" are meant people whom the truth has either not reached at all, 
     or to whom it has come in so garbled and corrupted a form as to make it difficult for them 
     to recognize it as the truth (see 'Abduh in Manar 1,68 ff.).

This is how M. Asad has translated and interpreted Verse 17:13 of The Qur'an:

17:13 And every human being's destiny have We tied to his neck;¹⁷ and on the Day of Resurrection We shall  bring forth for him a record which he will find wide open;

  17 The word ta'ir literally signifies a "bird" or, more properly, a "flying creature". Since the 
    pre-Islamic Arabs often endeavoured to establish a good or bad omen and, in general, to foretell 
    the future from the manner and direction in which birds would fly, the term ta'ir came to be 
    tropically used in the sense of "fortune", both good and evil, or "destiny". (See in this connection 
    surah 3, note 37, and surah 7, note 95.) It should, however, be borne in mind that the Qur'anic 
    concept of "destiny" relates not so much to the external circumstances of and events in man's life 
    as, rather, to the direction which this life takes in result of one's moral choices: in other words, 
    it relates to man's spiritual fate - and this, in its turn, depends - as the Qur'an so often 
    points out - on a person's inclinations, attitudes and conscious actions (including self-restraint 
    from morally bad actions or, alternatively, a deliberate omission of good actions). Hence, man's 
    spiritual fate depends on himself and is inseparably linked with the whole tenor of his personality; 
    and since it is God who has made man responsible for his behaviour on earth, He speaks of Himself 
    as having "tied every human being's destiny to his neck".

No Compulsion

Al Baqarah (The Cow) - Chapter 2: Verse 256 (partial)

"There shall be no compulsion in religion. The right way is henceforth distinct from error."

This reflects the honour God has reserved for man and the high regard in which man's will, thought and emotions are held, and the freedom he is granted to choose his beliefs, and the responsible position he is afforded to be judge of his own actions.

Freedom of belief is the most basic right that identifies man as a human being. To deny anyone this right is to deny him or her humanity. Freedom of belief also implies the freedom to express and propagate one's belief without fear of threat or persecution; otherwise, that freedom is hollow and meaningless.

The Arabic text, using a generic negative, imparts a negation of the very idea of compulsion. When it comes to matters of belief, not only should these never be imposed by coercion or compulsion, but there cannot even be an option to use such a means of conversion or persuasion.

Although the meaning and application is general, several incidents are reported to have occasioned the revelation of this verse. Here're a few:

A man's two sons converted to Christianity and wanted to migrate to Syria in the company of Christian traders who had come from there. Their father however embraced Islam and enquired the Prophet (peace be upon him) if he could force them into Islam. Allah revealed this verse (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

It was a custom among the Ansar of Madina that if a woman's sons did not survive, she vowed that if the child lived he would be converted to Judaism. There were many such Judaized children in Madina. When Banu Nadir were banished they wanted to carry along those children with them. The Ansar maintained that since it was before the advent of Islam they would not let their sons go with them. So Allah revealed this verse to say that whoever wanted to stay back could do so and whoever wanted to go was free to do so (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir, Abu Dawud, Nasai).

Compiled From: "In The Shade of The Quran" - Sayyid Qutb, Vol. 1, pp. 325, 326 "Tafsir Ishraq Al-Ma'ani" - Syed Iqbal Zaheer, Vol. 1, pp. 315, 316 (www.fridaynasiha.com)

[25.61] Blessed is He Who made the constellations in the heavens  and made therein a lamp and a shining moon.

[25.62] And He it is Who made the night and the day to follow  each other for him who desires to be mindful or desires to  be thankful.

10:55

Oh, verily, unto God belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth! Oh, verily, God's promise always  comes true - but most of them know it not!

(10:56)

He alone grants life and deals death; and unto Him  you all must return.

10:57

O MANKIND! There has now come unto you an admonition from your Sustainer, and a cure for all [the ill]  that may be in men's hearts, and guidance and grace unto all who believe [in Him].