| | A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018) rendition of Surah Saba, Sheba(Saba`)
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| 34:1 | | Praise God, to Whom belongs all things in the heavens and on earth. To Him belongs the praise in the hereafter, and He is full of wisdom, acquainted with all things |
| 34:2 | | He knows all that goes into the earth, and all that comes out of it, all that comes down from the sky and all that ascends to it, and He is the Merciful Redeemer, the Oft-Forgiving |
| 34:3 | | The unbelievers say, “The hour will never come for us.” Say, “No, but most surely, by my Lord, it will come for you. By Him Who knows the unknown, from Whom is not hidden the least little atom in the heavens or on earth, nor is there anything less than that, nor greater, that is not in the clear record |
| 34:4 | | That He may reward those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, for them is forgiveness and sustenance, most generous. |
| 34:5 | | But those who strive against Our signs to stop them, for them will be a penalty, and a punishment most crushing |
| 34:6 | | And those to whom knowledge has come, see that the revelation sent down to you from your Lord is the truth, and that it guides to the path of the One exalted in might, worthy of all praise |
| 34:7 | | The unbelievers say in ridicule, “Shall we point out to you a person who will tell you when you are disintegrated to total disintegration, that you will then be raised in a new creation |
| 34:8 | | “Has he invented a falsehood against God, or has a jinn seized him?” No, it is those who do not believe in the hereafter who will be punished, and who are in furthest error |
| 34:9 | | Do they not see what is before them and behind them, of the sky and the earth? If We wished, We could cause the earth to swallow them up, or cause a piece of the universe to fall on them. Indeed in this is a sign for every devotee that turns to God |
| 34:10 | | We bestowed this grace on David from Ourselves, “O mountains, sing back the praises of God with him. And birds, you do the same. And We made the iron soft for him |
| 34:11 | | Commanding, “Make coats of mail, balancing well the rings of chained armor, and work righteousness, and know that I see clearly all that you do. |
| 34:12 | | And to Solomon We made the wind obedient. Its early morning stride was a month’s journey, and its evening stride was a month’s journey, and We made a font of molten brass to flow for him, and there were jinn that worked in front of him, by the permission of his Lord, and if any of them deviated from our command, We made him taste the penalty of the blazing fire |
| 34:13 | | They worked for him, as he desired, making arches, images, basins as large as reservoirs, and cooking cauldrons fixed in their places, “Work, sons of David, with thanks,” but few of My servants are appreciative |
| 34:14 | | Then when We decreed Solomon’s death, nothing showed them his death except a little worm of the earth that kept slowly gnawing away at his staff. So when he fell over, the jinn saw plainly that if they had known the unknown, they would not have stayed in the crushing penalty of their task |
| 34:15 | | There was for Sheba, a sign in their homeland, two gardens to the right and to the left, “Eat of the sustenance provided by your Lord, and be grateful to Him. A territory good and a Lord Oft-Forgiving |
| 34:16 | | But they turned away from God, and We sent against them the flood released from the dams, and We converted their two garden rows into gardens producing bitter fruit, and tamarisks, and some few stunted lotus-trees |
| 34:17 | | That was the requital that We gave them because they ungratefully rejected faith, and never do We punish any except those who are ungrateful rejecters |
| 34:18 | | Between them and the cities on which We had poured our blessings, We placed cities in prominent positions, and between them We appointed stages of the journey in due proportion, “Travel therein, secure by night and by day. |
| 34:19 | | But they said, “Our Lord, place longer distances between our journey stages.” But they wronged themselves with this. Then We made them as a tale that is told, and We dispersed them all in scattered fragments, indeed in this are signs for every soul who is patient and grateful |
| 34:20 | | And on them Satan proved his assumption true, and they followed him, all but a group who believed |
| 34:21 | | But he had no authority over them, except that We might make evident the person who believes in the hereafter from him who is in doubt concerning it, and your Lord watches over all things |
| 34:22 | | Say, “Call upon other gods whom you desire besides God. They have no power, not even the weight of an atom, in the heavens or on earth, they have no share in it, nor are any of them a helper to God |
| 34:23 | | “No intercession can avail in His presence, except for those whom He has granted permission, until fear is removed from their hearts at the Day of Accountability, then they will say, ‘What is it that your Lord asked?’ They will say, ‘That which is true and just, and He is Most High, Most Great.’ |
| 34:24 | | Say, “Who gives you sustenance from the heavens and the earth?” Say, “It is God, and certainly we and you are either on right guidance or in manifest error. |
| 34:25 | | Say, “You will not be questioned as to our sins, nor will we be questioned as to what you do. |
| 34:26 | | Say, “Our Lord will gather us together and will, in the end, decide the matter between us and you in truth and justice, and He is the one to decide, the All Knowing. |
| 34:27 | | Say, “Show me those whom you have joined with Him as partners, but by no means can you do it. No, He is God, the Exalted in Power, the Wise. |
| 34:28 | | We have not sent you except as a universal messenger to humanity, giving them good news, and warning them against harmful deeds, but most people do not understand |
| 34:29 | | They say, “When will this promise come to pass if you are telling the truth? |
| 34:30 | | Say, “For you is the appointment of a day for which you can neither push back for an hour nor push forward. |
| 34:31 | | The unbelievers say, “We will neither believe in this scripture nor in any that came before it.” If only you could see when the wrongdoers will be made to stand before their Lord, throwing back the word of blame on each other. Those who had been despised will say to the arrogant ones, “Had it not been for you, we would certainly have been believers. |
| 34:32 | | The arrogant ones will say to those who had been oppressed, “Was it we who kept you back from guidance after it reached you? No, rather it was you who transgressed. |
| 34:33 | | Those who had been oppressed will say to the arrogant ones, “No, it was a plot of yours by day and by night. Behold, you constantly ordered us to be ungrateful to God, and to attribute equals to Him.” They will declare repentance when they see the penalty. We will put chains on the necks of the unbelievers. It would only be punishment for their deeds |
| 34:34 | | Never did We send a warner to a population but the elites among them said, “We do not believe in the message with which you have been sent. |
| 34:35 | | They said, “We have more in wealth and in sons, and we cannot be punished. |
| 34:36 | | Say, “Indeed my Lord enlarges and restricts the provision to whom He pleases, but most people do not understand. |
| 34:37 | | It is neither your wealth nor your sons that will bring you nearer to Us in degree, but only those who believe and work righteousness. These are the ones for whom there is a reward multiplied for their deeds, while they reside secure in the dwellings on high |
| 34:38 | | Those who work against Our signs to cause failure, they will be brought to punishment |
| 34:39 | | Say, “Indeed my Lord enlarges and restricts the sustenance to any of His servants He pleases, and nothing in the least do you give in His cause but He reimburses it, for He is the best of those who grant sustenance |
| 34:40 | | One day He will gather them all together and say to the angels, “Was it you that these people used to worship? |
| 34:41 | | They will say, “Glory to You, Our tie is with You as a Protector, not with them. No, but they worshipped the jinn. Most of them believed in them. |
| 34:42 | | So on that day, no power will they have over each other, for profit or harm, and We will say to the wrongdoers, “Taste the penalty of the fire which you used to deny. |
| 34:43 | | When Our clear signs are rehearsed to them they say, “This is only a person who wishes to hinder you from the worship which your parents practiced.” And they say, “This is only a lie invented.” And the unbelievers say of the truth when it comes to them, “This is nothing but obvious deception. |
| 34:44 | | But We had not given them books which they could study, nor sent messengers to them before you as warners |
| 34:45 | | And their predecessors rejected the truth, these have not received a tenth of what We had granted to those. Yet when they rejected My messengers, how terrible My rejection of them was |
| 34:46 | | Say, “I advise you on one point. That you should stand up before God, whether it is in pairs, or it is individually, and reflect within yourselves. Your companion is not possessed. He is no less than a warner to you, in face of a terrible penalty. |
| 34:47 | | Say, “No reward do I ask of you. It is all in your interest. My reward is only due from God, and He is witness to all things. |
| 34:48 | | Say, “Indeed my Lord gives the truth, He Who has full knowledge of all that is hidden. |
| 34:49 | | Say, “The truth has arrived, and falsehood neither creates anything new nor restores anything. |
| 34:50 | | Say, “If I am astray I only stray to the loss of my own soul, but if I receive guidance, it is because of the inspiration of my Lord to me. It is He Who hears all things, and is near. |
| 34:51 | | If only you could see when they will shake with fear, but then there will be no escape for them, and they will be seized from a position near |
| 34:52 | | And they will say, “We believe in the truth, “But how could they receive faith from a position so far off |
| 34:53 | | Seeing that before they did not entirely believe, and that they continually cast slanders on the unknown from a position far off |
| 34:54 | | And between them and their desires, is placed a barrier, as was done in the past with those like them, for they too were indeed in suspicious doubt |
