34. Sura Saba with Urdu Translation

Sura 34. Saba (Sheba):

In the Name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Ever-Merciful.

1. All praise be to Allah alone to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, and to Him belongs praise in the Hereafter (as well). And He is All-Wise, Well Aware.

2. He knows (all) the things that go into the earth and that come out from it and those that descend from heaven and that ascend to it. And He is Ever-Merciful, Most Forgiving.

3. And the disbelievers say: ‘The Last Hour will not come upon us.’ Say: ‘Why not? By my Lord Who is the Knower of the Unseen that is bound to come upon you. Nothing can be out of His sight, not even a dust particle in the heavens or in the earth. Nor is there anything smaller or bigger than an atom but is (recorded) in the light-giving Book (i.e. al-Lawh al-Mahfuz),

4. In order that Allah may recompense in full those who believe and continue doing good deeds. It is they for whom there is forgiveness and honourable sustenance (for the Last Day).

5. And those who strived in (opposition to) Our Revelations presuming to frustrate (Us), it is they for whom there is punishment of a highly agonizing torment.

6. And those who have been given knowledge know that (the Book) which has been revealed to you from your Lord is alone the Truth. And that (Book) guides to the path of Most Exalted in Might, All-Praiseworthy (Lord).

7. And the disbelievers say (with the intention to wonder and mock): ‘Shall we tell you of a person who informs you that when you have decomposed completely into dust particles (after death), you will certainly be composed into a new creation?

8. (Either) he has invented a lie against Allah or he is insane.’ (Nothing of the sort!) The truth is that those who do not believe in the Hereafter are undergoing a torment and are in farthest error.

9. So have they not seen those (Signs) in the heaven and the earth (which have beset them) from their front and from their rear? If We so intend We would sink them into the earth or let a part of the sky fall upon them. Verily there is in it a Sign for every servant of Allah who turns to Him.

10. And indeed We bestowed on Dawud (David) a tremendous favour from Our Presence (and ordained:) ‘O mountains, join him in chanting melodious tunes (of Our glory and praise).’ And (We gave the same command) to the birds as well (making them subservient). And We made iron soft for him.

11. (And commanded:) ‘Make wide and full-length coats of mail and care for the measure while joining (their) links (rings). And, (O Family of Dawud (David),) continue doing pious deeds. I am watching minutely the works that you do.’

12. And to Sulaiman ((Solomon) We made subservient) the wind whose morning course was a month’s journey and the evening course (too) was a month’s journey. And We caused a spring of molten copper to flow for him and (made subservient to him) some jinn who worked in front of him by the Command of his Lord. (And We had warned that) whoever of them turned away from Our Command We would make him taste the Blazing Fire of Hell.

13. They (the jinn) used to make for him whatever he desired of lofty and strong fortresses and statues and basins large as reservoirs looking like huge cauldrons fixed in their places. O Family of Dawud (David)! Keep giving thanks (to Allah). And very few of My servants have been grateful!

14. And when We decreed Sulaiman’s (Solomon’s) death, nothing made them (the jinn) aware of his death except a termite of the earth which kept eating his staff. Then when his body came to the ground it became known to the jinn that if they had known the Unseen, they would not have been in that humiliating torment.

15. In fact for (the people of) Saba (Sheba) a sign did exist in their homeland itself. (They) were two gardens, one on the right hand and the other on the left. (They were commanded:) ‘Eat of the provision from your Lord and keep giving Him thanks. (How) pure is (your) city and a Lord, Most Forgiving!’

16. Then they turned away (from obedience). So We let loose against them a devastating flood, and We converted both their gardens into (such) gardens as bearing sour and bitter fruit and tamarisks and a few lote-trees.

17. So We paid them back for their disbelief and ingratitude. And We award (such) punishment to none except the highly ungrateful.

18. And We set up prominent (and) adjacent settlements between the dwellers and those towns that We had blessed (on the Yemen-Syria highway), and We had placed between them stopover motels (for rest) while travelling up and down, that you may move between them by night and by day in peace and security.

19. Then they said: ‘O our Lord, place between our break-journey points longer distances.’ And they wronged their souls. So We made them tales (for a lesson of warning). And We disintegrated them into pieces and scattered them. Surely there are signs in it for a greatly patient and highly thankful person.

20. No doubt Iblis translated his idea about them into reality. So they followed him except a group comprising (the true) believers.

21. And Satan had no power over them but for the reason that We might distinguish those who believe in the Hereafter from those who are in doubt about it. And your Lord is Watchful over everything.

22. Say: ‘Call upon those you consider (gods) apart from Allah. They do not possess even the smallest particle either in the heavens or in the earth. They have no share in either of them (the heavens and the earth). Nor is anyone of them a helper to Allah.

23. And no intercession with His Holy Presence will be of any benefit except from someone He has granted permission, until when fright is removed from their hearts and they will say, (inquiring): ‘What has your Lord said?’ They will say (in reply): ‘He has said the Truth,’ (i.e. has granted the permission). And He alone is Most High, Most Great.

24. Say: ‘Who provides you sustenance from the heavens and the earth?’ Say (yourself): ‘Allah (provides). And no doubt either we or you are guided aright or lost in open error.’

25. Say: ‘You will not be asked about the sin that (you presume) we have perpetrated. Nor shall we be asked about what you do.’

26. Say: ‘Our Lord will assemble all of us (on the Day of Rising), then will judge among us with the Truth. And He is the Best Judge, All-Knowing.’

27. Say: ‘Show me the partners you have associated with Allah. There is no (partner) at all. Truly He is the One Who is Almighty, Most Wise.’

28. And, (O Esteemed Prophet,) We have not sent you but as a Bearer of the glad tidings and as a Warner to the entire mankind, but most people do not know.

29. And they say: ‘When will this promise (of the Last Hour) come true if you are truthful?’

30. Say: ‘The Day of Promise is appointed for you. You will not be able to either put it back for a moment or put it forward.’

31. And the disbelievers say: ‘We shall not believe in this Qur’an or in that (Revelation) at all which came before it.’ And if you could see when the wrongdoers shall be made to stand before their Lord, (what a spectacle would that be!) Everyone of them will be putting the blame back on others. The humble will say to the conceited: ‘Had you not been there we would certainly have believed.’

32. The conceited will say to the humble: ‘Did we hinder you from guidance after it had come to you? The truth is that you were evildoers yourselves.’

33. The humble will then say to the conceited: ‘Nay, it was (your) deceptive scheming night and day (that hindered us) when you used to order us to disbelieve in Allah and assign equals to Him.’ And they will hide their pang of guilt (from one another) when they will see the torment. And We will put iron collars round the necks of the disbelievers and they will be recompensed only for their doings.

34. And never did We send a Warner to any town but its wealthy ones would (always) say: ‘We deny (the guidance) you have been sent with.’

35. And they said: ‘We are super respecting wealth and children and we are not going to be tormented.’

36. Say: ‘Surely my Lord releases sustenance in abundance for whom He wills and restrains (for whom He likes) but most people do not know.’

37. And it is not your wealth or your children that can bring you nearness and intimacy in Our Presence. But whoever believes and does good works, it is they for whom the reward is twofold for their works. And they will live in peace in lofty mansions (of Paradise).

38. And those who strive (in opposition) to Our Revelations presuming to frustrate (Us), it is they who will be brought to the torment.

39. Say: ‘Surely my Lord releases sustenance in abundance for whom He wills and restrains for whom (He likes). And whatever you spend (in the way of Allah), He will increase it with more in recompense. And He is the Best Sustainer.’

40. And the Day when He will gather all together, then He will say to the angels: ‘Is it they who used to worship you?’

41. They will submit: ‘Glory be to You; You alone are our Protector, not they! In fact they used to worship the jinn. It was in them that most of them believed.’

42. So Today you have no authority over profit or loss of one another. And We shall say to the wrongdoers: ‘Savour the taste of the torment of Hell that you used to belie.’

43. And when Our illumining Verses are recited to them, they say: ‘This (Messenger (blessings and peace be upon him)) is only a man who wants to hinder you from those (idols) your fathers used to worship.’ And they (also) say: ‘This (Qur’an) is merely a fabricated lie.’ And the disbelievers (also) say about this Truth (the Qur’an) while it has come to them: ‘It is nothing but obvious magic.’

44. And neither did We give them (i.e. the residents of Makka) the revealed Books which they would recite, nor did We send to them any Warner before you.

45. And the preceding communities also denied (the Truth). And they have not yet attained to even one tenth of what We granted them (i.e. the bygone people). But they too denied My Messengers. So how (awful) did My denial (proved) to be!

46. Say: ‘I advise you but only one thing: stand up for Allah in twos or singly (warned and spiritually awake). Then meditate (i.e. inspect the reality and introspect; the Truth will dawn on you) that he (the Holy Messenger (blessings and peace be upon him)) who has honoured you with his companionship is not even touched by any mania. He is but a Warner giving you (timely) warning before the severe torment (comes, so that you may wake up from neglectfulness and unawareness).’

47. Say: ‘Any reward that I might have sought from you (for this favour), I have given that back to you. My reward is with Allah alone. And He keeps watch over everything.’

48. Say: ‘My Lord reveals the Truth (to the Prophets. He) is the All-Knower of all the Unseen.’

49. Say: ‘The Truth has come and falsehood can neither originate (anything) nor can it regenerate.’

50. Say: ‘If I were to lose the straight path, the sin (or harm) of losing the straight path would afflict only my soul, and if I am rightly guided it is so because my Lord sends His Revelation to me. Surely He is All-Hearing, Ever-Near.’

51. And if you visualize (their plight) when they will be most upset, they will not then be able to escape and will be seized from a nearby place.

52. And they will say: ‘We have believed in it.’ But how can they now attain to (faith) from (such) a far-off place?

53. In fact they had disbelieved before this. And they have been throwing arrows of falsehood and doubt without seeing from a distant place.

54. And a barrier was placed between them and their desires, as was done before with the people of their kind. Surely they were suffering from a deceiving doubt.