34:1  [All] praise is [due] to God, to whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth, and to Him belongs [all] praise in the Hereafter. He is the All-Wise, the All-Aware.

34:2  He knows what goes into the earth and what comes out of it, and what comes down from the heaven and what goes up into it. He is the Mercy-Giver, the Forgiving.

34:3  The unbelievers say, "The Hour of Judgment will never come to us." Say [Prophet], "Yes by God, it will surely come to you. [God is] the Knower of all that is beyond our knowledge." Not even an atom's weight within the heavens or within the earth escapes His knowledge, nor anything smaller or larger than that. All is in a clear record,

34:4  so that He may reward those who believe and do good deeds. They will have forgiveness and generous provision,

34:5  but for those who strive against Our message, trying to undermine it, there will be a painful punishment of agonizing pain.

34:6  Those who have been given knowledge see that what is sent down to you from your Lord is the Truth, and that it guides to the path of the Almighty, the Praiseworthy.

34:7  The unbelievers say, "Shall we show you a man who will tell you that when you are totally decayed, you will be raised as a new creation?

34:8  Has he invented a lie about God or is he mad?" Rather, they who do not believe in the Hereafter will received punishment and are extremely misguided.

34:9  Have they not looked at what is before them and what is behind them of the heaven and earth? If We wanted, We could cause the earth to swallow them or let fragments from the sky fall down on them. There is a sign in that for every worshiper who turns back to God in repentance.

34:10  We gave David great favors from Us: "Mountains, repeat [Our] praises with him, and the birds [as well]." And We made iron pliable for him,

34:11  [instructing him to], "Make full coats of mail, measuring the links carefully. Do good all of you. I am aware of everything you do."

34:12  And [We subjected] the wind to Solomon; its morning course [covered] a month's journey, and its evening course [covered] a month's journey. And We made a fountain of molten copper flow for him. And among the jinn were those who worked for him with his Lord's permission, and whoever among them deviated from Our command, We will make him taste of the punishment of the Blazing flame.

34:13  They made him whatever he wanted: high arches and statues, bowls like reservoirs, and firmly anchored kettles. [We said], "Work in gratitude, family of David, for few of My worshipers are grateful."

34:14  And when We decreed Solomon's death, nothing indicated his death to the jinn except an earthworm eating his staff, but, when he fell down, it became clear to the jinn that, had they known the reality which was beyond their knowledge, they would not have remained in humiliating punishment.

34:15  There was a sign [of God's grace] for the people of Sheba in their homeland: two gardens one on the right and one on the left. [They were told], "Eat from the provisions of your Lord, and be grateful to Him for a good land and a forgiving Lord."

34:16  But they turned away, so We loosed on them the flood from the dam, and We replaced their two gardens with two others of bitter fruit, tamarisk bushes and a few thorn trees.

34:17  This is how We repaid them for their ingratitude. Are any but the ungrateful repaid like this?

34:18  [Before their demise] We had placed between them and the towns We had blessed other towns within sight of one another to which they could easily have traveled, "Travel safely between them by night or day."

34:19  But [they complained], "Our Lord has made the distance between our staging posts so long." [In so doing] they wronged themselves, so We made their fate a tale for all and scattered them in small groups throughout the land. There are certainly signs in this for everyone patient and grateful.

34:20  What Iblis thought of them was proven right, since they all followed him, except for a group of believers.

34:21  He had no authority over them, but We wanted to know who believes in the Hereafter and who is in doubt about it. Your Lord is the Preserver over all things.

34:22  Say, "Call on those you claim to be gods other than God." They have no power over the smallest particle, either in the heavens or on earth, and they do not have partnership [with Him], nor does He need any assistant from among them.

34:23  Intercession does not work with Him except when He permits it. [But, on the day of Judgment,] when the terror is removed from their hearts, they will say [to one another], "What has your Lord said?" They will say, "The truth." And He is the Most High, the Most Great.

34:24  Say, "Who provides for you from the heavens and the earth?"" Say, "God does. Then either we or you are rightly guided or clearly lost."

34:25  Say, "You will not be asked about what we have done, and we will not be asked about what you do."

34:26  Say, "Our Lord will bring us together; then He will judge between us in Truth, for He is the All-knowing, the Just Decider."

34:27  Say, "Show me those whom you have joined to Him as partners. No! Rather, He [alone] is God, the Almighty, the Wise."

34:28  And We have sent you to all people as bearer of good news and to deliver a warning, but most people do not know.

34:29  And they say, "When is this promise coming, if you are truthful?"

34:30  Say, "You have an appointment for a Day which you cannot delay nor bring forward even by a single hour"

34:31  Those who deny the truth say, "We will never believe in this Qur'an or in what came before it." But if only you could see when the unjust are made to stand before their Lord, blaming each other; those who were thought weak will say to those who had been arrogant, "Had it not been for you, we would have been believers."

34:32  Those who had been arrogant will say to those who they deemed to be weak, "Did we prevent you from following the right guidance after it had come to you? Rather, you rejected it."

34:33  Those who had been thought weak will say to those who had been arrogant, "Rather, it was your scheming, night and day, ordering us to deny God and attribute equals to Him." But when they all see the punishment [that awaits them], they will be unable to express their remorse. We will put shackles around the necks of those who rejected the truth, and they will be repaid only for what they have done.

34:34  Never have We sent a warning into a town without those who were corrupted by wealth saying, "We reject the message with which you have been sent."

34:35  They also say, "We are wealthier and have more children [than you], and We will not be punished."

34:36  Say, [Prophet] "My Lord gives abundant provisions to whom He wills, or [likewise] restricts [it], but most people do not know."

34:37  It is neither your wealth nor your children that will bring you nearer to Us , but rather [your choice] to believe and to do good deeds. For those there will be double reward for what they did, and they will be safe in the upper chambers [of Paradise].

34:38  But as for those who rejected Our messages, trying to undermine them, they will be consigned to the punishment.

34:39  Say, "My Lord gives abundantly to whomever of His worshipers He wills, or [likewise] restricts [it], but whatever you spend [in His cause], He will replace, for He is the Best of Providers."

34:40  And one Day He will gather them all and say to the angels, "Was it you whom these people worshipped?"

34:41  They will say, "May You be exalted in Your glory. You are our protector, not them. Rather, they [the unbelievers] used to worship the jinn; most of them believed in them."

34:42  "Today, none of you hold any power to benefit or harm another," and We will say to those who wronged themselves, "Taste the punishment of the Fire, which you used to deny."

34:43  When our clear verses are recited to them [your people], they say, "This is only a man who wants to turn you away from what your ancestors worshipped." They [also] say, "This is only a lie that he has invented." When the Truth comes to them, the unbelievers say, "This is nothing but sorcery."

34:44  [Even] though We had not given them any Books to study nor sent any one before you, [Prophet], to warn them.

34:45  Those before them similarly rejected the truth, when they did not receive a tenth of what We had given them [your people], yet they [the previous people] rejected My Messengers, and how [terrible] was My disapproval.

34:46  Say, "I only have one advice for you: Stand up before God, in pairs or individually, and then reflect. Your companion is not crazy. He is here only to warn you of a severe impending punishment."

34:47  Say, "The payment for which you think I ask you is yours. My payment comes only from God, and He is the Witness over all things."

34:48  Say, "My Lord hurls forth the Truth, for He has the full knowledge of all that is beyond our knowledge."

34:49  Say, "The Truth has come, and falsehood can neither originate anything nor regenerate it."

34:50  Say, "If I should be misguided, it is only to my own detriment, but if I am guided, it is through what my Lord reveals to me. He is the All-Hearing, the Near."

34:51  If only you could see when they are terrified, but there will be no escape, and they are seized from a place nearby.

34:52  They will [then] say, "We do believe in it!" But how can they reach it from such a distant place?

34:53  They had already denied the truth and were prone to guessing from afar about things beyond their perception.

34:54  A barrier will be placed between them and what they desire, as was done with their kind before, for they too were in hopeless doubt.