| | Bijan Moeinian rendition of Surah Saba, Sheba(Saba`)
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| 34:1 | | One should be grateful to God to Whom belongs everything in the heavens and in the earth. Praise is also for the Lord in the Hereafter. God is the Most Wise and the Most knowledgeable |
| 34:2 | | God has absolute knowledge about whatever that hides itself in the depth of the earth and whatever that comes out of the earth. God also knows whatever that descends from the sky and whatever that ascends toward the heavens. Lord is the Most Forgiving and gracefully covers the sins |
| 34:3 | | The disbelievers say: “The dooms day will never take place”. Tell them O Mohammad that it surely will happen at exactly when it is supposed to happen. God knows what will happen in the future. There is not even an atom in his domain of creation that He does not know about its whereabouts. The information about everything, smaller or bigger than an atom, does already exist in his book of knowledge |
| 34:4 | | With such an incomparable knowledge, God is going to reward those who believe and do good things. They will receive His forgiveness and a generous provision in the Paradise |
| 34:5 | | Those who try to discard the Lord’s revelations, on the contrary, will receive an awful punishment in the Hell |
| 34:6 | | For those who are blessed with a sound mind, it is obvious that this revelation of God to you is the truth. Qur’an guides man to the path of All Mighty and Praiseworthy |
| 34:7 | | The disbelievers [jokingly] say: “Do you want us to show you a man (Mohammad) who claims that you will be resurrected after death when your body (after being transferred into the particles) is scattered all over!&rdquo |
| 34:8 | | [Then they continue saying:] “Who knows; either he is a liar or has gone crazy.” Indeed those who disbelieve in the Hereafter have gone too far and will be severely punished |
| 34:9 | | Do the disbelievers not look around and realize that [they owe their very life to the mercy and the grace of the same God that they deny and] if the Lord decides, He can sink them underground or send a meteor from the sky to destroy them. Only those servants of God who turn to him understand the magnitude of His Grace {and are grateful for that] |
| 34:10 | | [As to the Jews who are not behaving to the Lord’s satisfaction, remind them that] I (God) showered David [who conquered Jerusalem for the Jews and established the first God worshipping kingdom] with my blessing… |
| 34:11 | | I subdued the mountains and the birds to him so that they join him in worshipping Me. I also taught him how to build the weapons from Iron. O people of David [the Jews] please Me with good deeds and do not forget that I am watching whatever you are doing |
| 34:12 | | As to Solomon [David’s son], I blessed him with the ability to order the winds to travel [and carry the clouds and the rain water] such far distances which would take them a month to go and a month to return. I also provided him with a gushing oil well. I also subdued the Jinns (Extra-terrestrials) to offer him their know how; if any of them would rebel, he would have been punished |
| 34:13 | | The Extra-terrestrials would build for him anything he wanted: buildings with statues and paintings, deep pools, heavy cooking instruments, etc. O’ people of David (the Jews) be grateful [for what God endowed your culture with], in fact only a few of My servants are grateful |
| 34:14 | | Solomon died standing upright supported by his staff. It took a long time for a small worm to eat his staff and let him fall down. If the Jinns had any knowledge of unseen, they would not have continued to work as a slave for a dead master [the Extraterrestrials’ knowledge, therefore is limited and are not undefeatable, something to be remembered in the future] |
| 34:15 | | [Continuing on the subject of ungratefulness,] Sheba’s land was a wonderful place. One could see nothing but the fruitful gardens to the right and to the left. They were told: “Enjoy your provision and be grateful to God. Pure and pleasant is your land and the Most Forgiving your Lord |
| 34:16 | | Unfortunately they chose to disobey Me (God) and I broke their irrigation dam causing a big flood. Their fruitful gardens then produced nothing but bitter fruits and a few bushes |
| 34:17 | | This was their punishment for their disbelief and this is the way that I deal with the ungrateful people |
| 34:18 | | I had scattered villages between them and the blessed land [probably between Yemen and Palestine and Syria] so that they may travel [from one habitation to the other] with ease and securely by day or by night |
| 34:19 | | [When this blessing was brought to their attention, instead of becoming grateful] They said: “Make our journey longer and more difficult [who cares].” Thus they wronged their own souls. Eventually we scattered them into small communities and they became history. This should be a lesson for those who are patient and grateful by nature |
| 34:20 | | The Satan was right about them as they followed him except a small group of the believers. [When God gave respite to Satan, he said: “I will seduce mankind to follow me except a small group of true believers.”] |
| 34:21 | | Satan did not mislead them forcibly. I let him to seduce them as a test to see who believed in Hereafter and who doubted it. Your Lord has full control and watches over everything |
| 34:22 | | Say: “Call upon those whom you worship beside God [and see whether or not they can help you.] They neither own, nor have partnership in, an atom weight of anything in the entire universe. They are not even an instrument of God’s help |
| 34:23 | | God will not accept anyone’s intercession, unless it coincides with His Will. When the intercessors are asked by people about the Lord’s decision, they will simply say: “He made the right decision!” God is the Most High, the Most Great |
| 34:24 | | Ask the disbelievers: “Who provides for you from the heaven [rain] and from the earth [edible materials.]? We believe that it is God. Naturally we cannot be both right and one of us [either the believers or the disbelievers] is wrong |
| 34:25 | | Say to disbelievers: “ You are not responsible for us [if we are wrong.] For the same token, we are not responsible for your deeds.&rdquo |
| 34:26 | | Say: “God will gather us all together one day and judge between us with full justice. He knows everything and will be the best judge.&rdquo |
| 34:27 | | Say: “Show me the ones whom you worship beside God [show me their power.] No [they are powerless as you see], it is only God who is the Almighty, the Most Wise |
| 34:28 | | O’ Mohammad, I have sent you for the entire humanity [not for a given nation] to be a Warner and the bearer of the good news [that your good deeds will be rewarded by permanent residency in Paradise]; unfortunately, most people do not realize it |
| 34:29 | | [Instead of being appreciative,] They say: “Let the Day of Judgment be today, if you are truthful!&rdquo |
| 34:30 | | Say: “The day of Judgment, that you have an appointment in, is predetermined and will not be delayed or advanced even by an hour.&rdquo |
| 34:31 | | The disbelievers say: “We will never believe in Qur’an or any previous scriptures.” I wish you could see these people standing in front of God in the Day of Judgment. The weak ones [who idolized the ones whom they worshipped] will say: “If it was not in account of you, we would have been true believers.&rdquo |
| 34:32 | | The dominant ones will respond: “Did we force you to deny the guidance when it was represented to you? you yourself made the choice.&rdquo |
| 34:33 | | The weak ones will reply: “It was you who campaigned day and night to idolize the others beside God.” Finally, when they face their punishment, they will repent sincerely but [it will be too late and] they will get shackles around their necks. Do they not deserve to be punished for what they did |
| 34:34 | | Any time that I sent a Warner to a community, its powerful people said: “We do not believe in this message of yours.&rdquo |
| 34:35 | | They arrogantly continued: “We have more wealth and children than you; none can hurt us.&rdquo |
| 34:36 | | Say: “There is a wisdom in the distribution of wealth [the wealthy ones are not necessarily the favored one and vice versa. Actually, the wealthy ones are usually the wicked ones.] but most people they do not understand it.&rdquo |
| 34:37 | | It is not your wealth & children [which is given to them by God at first place] which will bring you nearer to Me. Only those who believe and do good works will get a reward which is several times more than they deserve. Such people will leave in peace and in high places in Paradise |
| 34:38 | | As for those who consistently challenge God’s revelation, they will end up in an everlasting torture |
| 34:39 | | Let them know that: “God [in his absolute wisdom] gives more to some and less to the others. He will reward you for whatever you spend from your [God given] income in charity [to please him]; God is the best provider.&rdquo |
| 34:40 | | On the Day that all are summoned, God will ask the angels: “Did these people worship you?&rdquo |
| 34:41 | | The angels will reply: “Glory is with you; You are our Master not them. [Although apparently they were worshipping us,] In reality they were worshipping the Jinns [led by Satan, who seduced them and misled them in worshipping others beside God] whom they took as their Lord |
| 34:42 | | On the Day of Judgment, you can neither help (nor harm) each other. On that Day, I will tell those who betrayed their own soul: “Taste the Hellfire that you were used to deny.&rdquo |
| 34:43 | | When My revelations are recited to the disbelievers they say: “This man (Mohammad) simply wants to mislead you from the way that your ancestor used to worship.” Then they say: “This Qur’an is nothing but a bunch of fabricated lies.” They also say: “The whole thing is a sorcery.&rdquo |
| 34:44 | | They had never received any book nor a Prophet [to teach them the truth] before [therefore, they should be grateful not stubborn.] |
| 34:45 | | The previous disbelievers, who treated My Prophets as liars, were severely punished even though they did not receive even one tenth of the proofs shown to these disbelievers |
| 34:46 | | Say: “For the sake of God be objective [put your prejudices aside] and think individually or collectively. Why do you call your fellow [whom you were considering as a wise and trustworthy] as mad? He (Mohammad) is only appointed to warn you about an upcoming disaster [the Hellfire.]&rdquo |
| 34:47 | | Say: “I am not asking for a wage [for my teaching you the truth]; you can keep it. My reward is with God Who witnesses everything [and values my sincerity in accomplishing my mission.] |
| 34:48 | | Say: “My Lord inspires me with the knowledge of the truth [so that the truth prevails.] God knows every secret.&rdquo |
| 34:49 | | Say: “The truth has come. The falsehood cannot neither initiate an attack or prevail.&rdquo |
| 34:50 | | Say: “If [as you say] I am on the wrong path, none but me have to pay for it. However, if I am on the right path, it is in account of my Lord’s favor who has revealed the truth to me [and not because that I have discovered the right path.] God hears everything and is Near [to answer the supplications.]&rdquo |
| 34:51 | | I wish you could see these people when they face their horrible destiny. They will not be able to escape as they will be seized immediately |
| 34:52 | | They will say: “We believe in God’s revelations.” But [they should have believed when they lived on earth.] it will be far too late |
| 34:53 | | They chose to reject our revelation without any objective consideration [and mocked at My Prophets for no good reason.] |
| 34:54 | | That is why their confession will not be accepted. They will have the same fate of the previous disbelievers who entertained too many doubts |
