Surah Saba (Sheba) 34

Revealed 58th in the Qur'an

Read the Full Text with References to the Torah and the Gospel

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

34:2
He knows what penetrates into the earth and what emerges from it and what descends from the heaven and what ascends therein. And He is the Merciful, the Forgiving.

34:3
But those who disbelieve say, "The Hour will not come to us." Say, "Yes, by my Lord, it will surely come to you. [God is] the Knower of the unseen." Not [even] an atom's weight within the heavens or within the earth is absent from Him, nor [what is] smaller than that or greater, except that it is in a clear Book -

34:4
So that He may reward those who believe and do righteous deeds. Those will have forgiveness and noble provision.

34:5
But those who strive against Our verses [seeking] to cause failure - there will be a painful punishment of foul nature for them.

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

34:7
But those who disbelieve say, "May we direct you to a man who will inform you [that] when you have disintegrated in complete disintegration, you will [then] be [resurrected] in a new creation?

34:8
Has he invented a lie about God or is a [devil of] jinn in him?" ~*Mark 3:30 Rather, they who do not believe in the Hereafter will be in the punishment and [are in] extreme error.

34:9
Then, do they not look at what is before them and what is behind them of the heaven and earth? If We should will, We could cause the earth to swallow them or let fragments from the heaven fall upon them. Indeed, there is a sign in that for every servant turning back [to God].

34:10
And We certainly gave David bounty from Us. [We said], "O mountains, repeat [Our] praises with him, and the birds [as well]." *Psalms 148:7 - 10 And We made iron pliable for him,

34:11
[Commanding], "Make full coats of mail and calculate the links [precisely], and work righteousness. Indeed I am Seeing of what you do."

34:12
And [We subjected] the wind to Solomon - its morning [journey was that of] a month - and its afternoon [journey was that of] a month, and We made a spring of copper flow for him. And among the jinn were those who worked for him by the permission of his Lord. And whoever deviated from Our command among them - We will make him taste of the punishment of the Blaze.

34:13
They made for him what he willed of elevated chambers, statues, bowls like reservoirs, and stationary kettles. [We said], "Work, O family of David, in gratitude." But few of My servants are grateful.

34:14
And when We decreed death for Solomon, nothing indicated his death to [the jinn] except a creature of the earth eating his staff. But when he fell, it became clear to the jinn that if they had known the unseen, they would not have remained in humiliating punishment.

34:15
There was a sign for [the tribe of] Saba' in their dwelling place - two gardens on the right and on the left. [They were told], "Eat from the provisions of your Lord and be grateful to Him. A good land, and Forgiving Lord."

34:16
But they turned away [refusing], so We sent the flood of the dam upon them, and We replaced their two gardens with gardens of bitter fruit, tamarisks and something of sparse lote trees.

34:17
[By] that, We repaid them because they disbelieved. And do We [thus] repay [anyone] except the ungrateful?

34:18
And We placed visible cities between them and the cities which We had blessed. And We determined the journey between them, [saying], "Travel between them by night or day in safety."

34:19
But they said, "Our Lord, lengthen the distance between our journeys," and wronged themselves, so We made them narrations and disintegrated them in total disintegration. Indeed, there are signs in that for everyone patient and grateful.

34:20
And Iblees had already confirmed his assumption through them, so they followed him, except for a group of believers.

34:21
And he had no authority over them except [it was decreed] so that We might make known who believes in the Hereafter from who is in doubt thereof. And your Lord is Guardian over all things.

34:22
Say, "Invoke those you claim besides God." They do not possess an atom's weight in the heavens or on the earth, and they do not have any partnership therein [with Him], nor is there any assistant for Him from among them.

34:23
And intercession does not benefit with Him except for one whom He permits - until, when terror is removed from their hearts, they will say, "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. And indeed, we or you are either upon guidance or in clear error."

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

34:26
Say, "Our Lord will gather us together; then He will judge between us in truth. And He is the Knowing Judge."

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

34:28
And We have not sent you except comprehensively to mankind as a bringer of good news and a warner. But most of the people do not know.

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

34:30
Say, "For you is the appointment of a Day - you will not postpone it an hour, nor will you advance [it]."

34:31
And those who disbelieve say, "We will never believe in this Qur'an nor in that before it." But if you could see when the wrongdoers are made to stand before their Lord, refuting each other's words - those who were oppressed will say to those who were arrogant, "If not for you, we would have been believers."

34:32
Those who were arrogant will say to those who were oppressed, "Did we avert you from guidance after it had come to you? Rather, you were criminals."

34:33
Those who were oppressed will say to those who were arrogant, "Rather, [it was your] conspiracy of night and day when you were ordering us to disbelieve in God and attribute equals to Him." But they will [all] confide regret when they see the punishment; and We will put shackles on the necks of those who disbelieved. Will they be recompensed [for anything] except for what they used to do?

34:34
And We did not send any warner into a city except that its affluent said, "Indeed we are disbelievers in that which you were sent with."

34:35
And they said, "We are more [than the believers] in wealth and children, and we are not to be punished."

34:36
Say, "Indeed, my Lord extends provision for whom He wills and restricts [it], *1 Samuel 2:7 but most of the people do not know."

34:37
And it is not your wealth or your children that bring you nearer to Us in position, but it is [by being] one who has believed and done righteousness. *Proverbs 11:4 There will be double reward for them for what they did, and they will be in the lofty mansions [of Paradise], *John 14:2 safe [and secure].

34:38
And the ones who strive against Our verses to cause [them] failure - those will be brought into the punishment.

34:39
Say, "Indeed, my Lord extends provision for whom He wills of His servants and restricts [it] for him. But whatever thing you spend [in His cause] - He will compensate it; and He is the best of providers."

34:40
And the Day when He will gather them all and then say to the angels, "Did these [people] used to serve you?"

34:41
They will say, "You are Exalted! You, [O God], are our Protector, not them. Rather, they used to serve the jinn; most of them were believers in them."

34:42
But Today you do not hold [the power of] benefit or harm for one another, and We will say to those who wronged, "Taste the punishment of the Fire, which you used to deny."

34:43
And when Our verses are recited to them as clear evidences, they say, "This is nothing but a man who wishes to avert you from that which your fathers were serving." And they say, "This is nothing but an invented lie." And those who disbelieve say of the truth when it has come to them, "This is nothing but clear magic."

34:44
And We had not given them any Scriptures which they could study, and We had not sent any warner to them before you. *2 Ezra 1:36

34:45
And those before them denied, and they have not attained a tenth of what We had given them. But [the former peoples] denied My messengers, so how [terrible] was My reproach.

34:46
Say, "I only advise you of one [thing] - that you stand for God, [seeking truth] in pairs and individually, and then give thought." There is no [devil of] jinn in your companion. He is only a warner to you before a severe punishment.

34:47
Say, "Whatever payment I might have asked of you - it is yours. *Shepherd of Hermas 43:12 My payment is only from God, and He is Witness over all things."

34:48
Say, "Indeed, my Lord hurls the truth [against falsehood]. Knower of the unseen."

34:49
Say, "The truth has come, and falsehood can neither begin [anything] nor repeat [it]."

34:50
Say, "If I should err, I would only err against myself. But if I am guided, it is by what my Lord reveals to me. Indeed, He is Hearing and Near."

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

34:52
And they will [then] say, "We believe in it!" But how will there be the taking [of faith] for them from a far away place?

34:53
And they had already disbelieved in it before and would assault the unseen from a far away place.

34:54
And [a barrier] will come between them and what they desire, as was done with their sect before. Indeed, they were in suspicious doubt.