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Surah 34. Saba

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34:16
فَأَعْرَضُوا۟ فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَيْلَ ٱلْعَرِمِ وَبَدَّلْنَـٰهُم بِجَنَّتَيْهِمْ جَنَّتَيْنِ ذَوَاتَىْ أُكُلٍ خَمْطٍ وَأَثْلٍ وَشَىْءٍ مِّن سِدْرٍ قَلِيلٍ FaaAAra d oo faarsaln a AAalayhim sayla alAAarimi wabaddaln a hum bijannatayhim jannatayni th aw a tay okulin kham t in waathlin washayin min sidrin qaleel in
But they turned away [from Us], and so We let loose upon them a flood that overwhelmed the dams,24 and changed their two [expanses of luxuriant] gardens into a couple of gardens yielding bitter fruit, and tamarisks, and some few [wild] lote-trees:
  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "the flooding of the dams" (sayl al-'arim). The date of that catastrophe cannot be established with any certainty, but the most probable period of the first bursting of the Dam of Ma'rib seems to have been the second century of the Christian era. The kingdom of Sheba was largely devastated, and this led to the migration of many southern (Qahtan) tribes towards the north of the Peninsula. Subsequently, it appears, the system of dams and dykes was to some extent repaired, but the country never regained its earlier prosperity; and a few decades before the advent of Islam the great dam collapsed completely and finally.

But they gave no heed. So We let loose upon them the waters of the dam (called Ma'arib) and We converted their two gardens into the gardens producing bitter fruit, tamarisks and a few lot bushes.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
But they turned away. So We sent against them a devastating flood, and replaced their orchards with two others producing bitter fruit, fruitless bushes,1 and a few 'sparse' thorny trees.2
  - Mustafa Khattab

 lit., tamarisks. 

 lit., lote trees.

But they were froward, so We sent on them the flood of Arim, and in exchange for their two gardens gave them two gardens bearing bitter fruit, the tamarisk and here and there a lote tree.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
But they turned away (from Allah) 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) Lote trees. 3812 3813 3814
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Into that happy Garden of Eden in Arabia Felix (Araby the Blest) came the insidious snake of Unfaith and Wrongdoing. Perhaps the people became arrogant of their prosperity, or of their science, or of their skill in irrigation engineering, in respect of the wonderful works of the Dam which their ancestors had constructed. Perhaps they got broken up into rich and poor, privileged and unprivileged, high-caste and low-caste, disregarding the gifts and closing the opportunities given by Allah to all His creatures. Perhaps they broke the laws of the very Nature which fed and sustained them. The Nemesis came. It may have come suddenly, or it may have come slowly. The pent-up waters of the eastern side of the Yemen highlands were collected in a high lake confined by the Dam of Maarib. A mighty flood came; the dam burst; and it has never been repaired since. This was a spectacular crisis: it may have been preceded and followed by slow desiccation of the country.

"Arim" ( = Dams or Embankments) may have been a proper noun, or may simply mean the great earth-works fined with stone, which formed the Maarib dam, of which traces still exist. The French traveller T.J. Arnaud saw the town and ruins of the Dam of Maarib in 1843, and described its gigantic works and its inscriptions: See Journal Asiatique for January 1874: the account is in French. For a secondary account in English, see W.B. Harris, Journey Through Yemen, Edinburgh, 1893. The dam as measured by Arnaud was two miles long and 120 ft. high. The date of its destruction was somewhere about 120 A.D., though some authorities put it much later.

The flourishing "Garden of Arabia" was converted into a waste. The luscious fruit trees became wild, or gave place to wild plants with bitter fruit. The feathery leaved tamarisk, which is only good for twigs and wattle-work, replaced the fragrant plants and flowers. Wild and stunted kinds of thorny bushes, like the wild Lote-tree, which were good for neither fruit nor shade, grew in place of the pomegranates, the date-palms and the grape-vines. The Lote-tree belongs to the family Rhamnaceae, Zizyphus Spina Christi, of which (it is supposed) Christ's crown of thorns was made, allied to the Zizyphus Jujuba, or ber tree of India. Wild, it is shrubby, thorny and useless. In cultivation it bears good fruit, and some shade, and can be thornless, thus becoming a symbol of heavenly bliss: lvi. 28.

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34:17
ذَٰلِكَ جَزَيْنَـٰهُم بِمَا كَفَرُوا۟ ۖ وَهَلْ نُجَـٰزِىٓ إِلَّا ٱلْكَفُورَ Tha lika jazayn a hum bim a kafaroo wahal nuj a zee ill a alkafoor a
thus We requited them for their having denied the truth. But do We ever requite [thus] any but the utterly ingrate?25
  - Mohammad Asad

Neither the Qur'an nor any authentic hadith tells us anything definite about the way in which the people of Sheba had sinned at the time immediately preceding the final collapse of the Dam of Ma'rib (i.e., in the sixth century of the Christian era). This omission, however, seems to be deliberate. In view of the fact that the story of Sheba's prosperity and subsequent catastrophic downfall had become a byword in ancient Arabia, it is most probable that its mention in the Qur'an has a purely moral purport similar to that of the immediately preceding legend of Solomon's death, inasmuch as both these legends, in their Qur'anic presentation, are allegories of the ephemeral nature of all human might and achievement. As mentioned at the beginning of note [23] above, the story of Sheba's downfall is closely linked with the phenomenon of men's recurrent ingratitude towards God. (See also verse {20} and the corresponding note [29].)

Thus did We requite them for their disbelief; and never do We punish any but the ungrateful!
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
This is how We rewarded them for their ingratitude. Would We ever punish 'anyone in such a way' except the ungrateful?
  - Mustafa Khattab
This We awarded them because of their ingratitude. Punish We ever any save the ingrates?
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
That was the Requital We gave them because they ungratefully rejected Faith: and never do We give (such) requital except to such as are ungrateful rejecters. 3815
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Kafur: intensive form: "those who deliberately and continuously reject Allah and are ungrateful for His Mercies, as shown by their constant wrong-doing.

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34:18
وَجَعَلْنَا بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ ٱلْقُرَى ٱلَّتِى بَـٰرَكْنَا فِيهَا قُرًى ظَـٰهِرَةً وَقَدَّرْنَا فِيهَا ٱلسَّيْرَ ۖ سِيرُوا۟ فِيهَا لَيَالِىَ وَأَيَّامًا ءَامِنِينَ WajaAAaln a baynahum wabayna alqur a allatee b a rakn a feeh a quran th a hiratan waqaddarn a feeh a a l ssayra seeroo feeh a lay a liya waayy a man a mineen a
Now [before their downfall,] We had placed between them and the cities which We had blessed26 [many] towns within sight of one another; and thus We had made travelling easy [for them, as if to say]: "Travel safely in this [land], by night or by day!"
  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., Mecca and Jerusalem, both of which lay on the caravan route much used by the people of Sheba.

Between them and the towns which We had blessed (Syria and Palestine), We placed other towns in prominent positions so that they could journey to and fro in measured stages. We said: "Travel through them by day and night in complete security."
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
We had also placed between them and the cities1 We showered with blessings 'many small' towns within sight of one another. And We set moderate travel distances in between, 'saying,' 'Travel between them by day and night safely.'
  - Mustafa Khattab

 i.e., Mecca and Jerusalem.

And We set, between them and the towns which We had blessed, towns easy to be seen, and We made the stage between them easy, (saying): Travel in them safely both by night and day.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Between them and the Cities on which We had poured Our blessings We had placed Cities in prominent positions and between them We had appointed stages of journey in due proportion: "Travel therein secure by night and by day." 3816
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

An instance is now given of the sort of covetousness on the part of the people of Saba, which ruined their prosperity and trade and cut their own throats. The old Frankincense route was the great Highway (imam mubin xv. 79; sabil muqim, xv. 76) between Arabia and Syria. Through Syria it connected with the great and flourishing Kingdoms of the Euphrates and Tigris valleys on the one hand and Egypt on the other, and with the great Roman Empire round the Mediterranean. At the other end, through the Yemen Coast, the road connected, by sea transport, with India, Malaya, and China. The Yemen-Syria road was much frequented, and Madain Salih was one of the stations on that route, and afterwards on the Pilgrim route: see Appendix No: 4 to S. xxvi. Syria was the land on which Allah "had poured His blessings", being a rich fertile country, where Abraham had lived: it includes the Holy Land of Palestine. The route was studded in the days of its prosperity with many stations (cities) close to each other, on which merchants could travel with ease and safety, "by night and by day". The close proximity of stations prevented the inroads of highwaymen.

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34:19
فَقَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَا بَـٰعِدْ بَيْنَ أَسْفَارِنَا وَظَلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ فَجَعَلْنَـٰهُمْ أَحَادِيثَ وَمَزَّقْنَـٰهُمْ كُلَّ مُمَزَّقٍ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍ لِّكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُورٍ Faq a loo rabban a b a AAid bayna asf a rin a wa th alamoo anfusahum fajaAAaln a hum a ha deetha wamazzaqn a hum kulla mumazzaqin inna fee tha lika la a y a tin likulli s abb a rin shakoor in
But now they would say, "Long has our Sus-tainer made the distance between our journey-stages!"27 - for they had sinned against themselves. And in the end We caused them to become [one of those] tales [of things long past], and scattered them in countless fragments.28 Herein, behold, there are messages indeed for all who are wholly patient in adversity and deeply grate-ful [to God].
  - Mohammad Asad

In its generally-accepted spelling - based on the reading adopted by most of the early scholars of Medina and Kufah - the above phrase reads in the vocative rabbana and the imperative ba'id ("Our Sustainer! Make long the distances ...", etc.), which, however, cannot be convincingly explained. On the other hand, Tabari, Baghawi and Zamakhshari mention, on the authority of some of the earliest Qur'an-commentators, another legitimate reading of the relevant words, namely, rabbuna (in the nominative) and ba'ada (in the indicative), which gives the meaning adopted by me: "Long has our Sustainer made the distances . ..", etc. To my mind, this reading is much more appropriate since (as pointed out by Zamakhshari) it expresses the belated regrets and the sorrow of the people of Sheba at the devastation of their country, the exodus of large groups of the population, and the resultant abandonment of many towns and villages on the great caravan routes.

An allusion to the mass-migration of South-Arabian tribes in all directions - particularly towards central and northern Arabia - subsequent to the destruction of the Dam of Ma'rib.

But they prayed: "Our Rabb! Make our journeys longer." Thereby they wronged their souls and We made them merely a tale that is told and dispersed them in scattered fragments. Surely there is a sign in this for every patient, grateful person.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
But they said, 'Our Lord! Make 'the distances of' our journeys longer,' wronging themselves.1 So We reduced them to 'cautionary' tales, and scattered them utterly. Surely in this are lessons for whoever is steadfast, grateful.
  - Mustafa Khattab

 They became bored of living comfortably and traveling easily. A similar example can be found in 2:61, where the Children of Israel became bored with the manna and quails and wanted to eat other things such as onions and garlic.

But they said: Our Lord! Make the stage between our journeys longer. And they wronged themselves, therefore We made them bywords (in the land) and scattered them abroad, a total scattering. Lo! herein verily are portents for each steadfast, grateful (heart).
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
But they said: "Our Lord! place longer distances between our journey-stages." But they wronged themselves (therein). At length We made them as a tale (that is told) and We dispersed them all in scattered fragments. Verily in this are Signs for every (soul that is) patiently constant and grateful. 3817 3818 3819
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Said: in this and other places in the Qur-an, "language" is used for thought or deed. The Commentators call it the "language of actual facts" (zaban hal) as opposed to the "language of words" (zaban qal).

The covetous Saba people, in order to get more profit from travellers' supplies by concentrating them on a few stations which they could monopolise, tended to choke off traffic and ruin the big trade. Selfishness often runs counter to true self-interest. It is a historical fact that the great Yemen-Syria route in Arabia declined with the decline of Yemen. There were no doubt physical causes, but supreme above all were the moral causes, the grasping nature of the people, and their departure from the highest standards of righteousness.

The people of Saba were given every chance. They had prosperity, skill, trade and commerce, and a healthy and beautiful country. They also had, apparently, great virtues, and as long as they remained true to their virtues, i.e., to the Law of Allah, they remained happy and contented. But when they became covetous and selfish, and became jealous of other people's prosperity instead of rejoicing in it, they fell from grace and declined. It may be that the climate changed, the rainfall became scantier, perhaps on account of the cutting down of hill forests; trade routes changed, on account of the people falling off in the virtues that make men popular: behind all the physical causes was the root-cause, that they began to worship mammon, self, greed, or materialism. They fell into the snare of Satan. They gradually passed out of history, and became only a name in a story. Moral: it is only Allah's Mercy that can give true happiness or prosperity, and happiness or prosperity is only a snare unless used for the highest service of Allah and man.

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34:20
وَلَقَدْ صَدَّقَ عَلَيْهِمْ إِبْلِيسُ ظَنَّهُۥ فَٱتَّبَعُوهُ إِلَّا فَرِيقًا مِّنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ Walaqad s addaqa AAalayhim ibleesu th annahu fa i ttabaAAoohu ill a fareeqan mina almumineen a
Now, indeed, Iblls did prove that his opinion of them had been right:29 for [when he called them,] they followed him - all but some of the believers [among them].
  - Mohammad Asad

See 17:62 , as well as the last sentence of 7:17 , in which Iblis (i.e., Satan) says of the human race, "most of them wilt Thou find ungrateful".

In their case, Iblees' (Satan's) suspicions proved true, as they all followed him except a small group of the believers,
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Indeed, Iblîs' assumption about them has come true,1 so they 'all' follow him, except a group of 'true' believers.
  - Mustafa Khattab

 Iblîs was the name of Satan before his fall from grace (see footnote for 2:33). His assumption (or vow) was that he could easily mislead the majority of people (see 7:16-17, 15:39-40, and 38:82-83).

And Satan indeed found his calculation true concerning them, for they follow him, all save a group of true believers.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
And on them did Satan prove true his idea and they followed him all but a Party that believed. 3820
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. xvii. 62. Satan out of arrogance had said, when he asked for respite from the Most High; "I will bring (Adam's) descendants under my sway, all but a few." This was now proved true on the Saba people. He had no power to force them. It was their own will that went wrong and put them into his power.

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34:21
وَمَا كَانَ لَهُۥ عَلَيْهِم مِّن سُلْطَـٰنٍ إِلَّا لِنَعْلَمَ مَن يُؤْمِنُ بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ مِمَّنْ هُوَ مِنْهَا فِى شَكٍّ ۗ وَرَبُّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ حَفِيظٌ Wam a k a na lahu AAalayhim min sul ta nin ill a linaAAlama man yuminu bi a l a khirati mimman huwa minh a fee shakkin warabbuka AAal a kulli shayin h afee th un
And yet, he had no power at all over them:30 [for if We allow him to tempt man,] it is only to the end that We might make a clear distinction between those who [truly] believe in the life to come and those who are in doubt thereof:31 for thy Sustainer watches over all things.
  - Mohammad Asad

Cf. a similar phrase placed in the mouth of Iblis in 14:22 ("I had no power at all over you: I but called you - and you responded unto me"), and the corresponding note [31]; also, see note [30] on {15:39-40}. - Although, on the face of it, verses {20-21} of the present surah refer to the people of Sheba, their import is (as the sequence shows) much wider, applying to the human race as such.

See 15:41 and the corresponding note [31].

even though he had no authority over them. It all happened because We wanted to see who among them believed in the hereafter and who is in doubt concerning it. Your Rabb is watching over all things.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
He does not have any authority over them, but 'Our Will is' only to distinguish those who believe in the Hereafter from those who are in doubt about it. And your Lord is a 'vigilant' Keeper over all things.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
And he had no warrant whatsoever against them, save that We would know him who believeth in the Hereafter from him who is in doubt thereof; and thy Lord (O Muhammad) taketh note of all things.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
But he had no authority over them except that We might test the man who believes in the Hereafter from him who is in doubt concerning it: and thy Lord doth watch over all things. 3821
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Might test: the word in the original is might know. It is not that Allah does not know all. Why does He want to test? It is in order to help us subjectively, to train our will, to put us definitely the question, "Will you obey Allah or other than Allah?" Cf. n. 467 to iii. 154.

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34:22
قُلِ ٱدْعُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ لَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَلَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا لَهُمْ فِيهِمَا مِن شِرْكٍ وَمَا لَهُۥ مِنْهُم مِّن ظَهِيرٍ Quli odAAoo alla th eena zaAAamtum min dooni All a hi l a yamlikoona mithq a la th arratin fee a l ssam a w a ti wal a fee alar d i wam a lahum feehim a min shirkin wam a lahu minhum min th aheer in
SAY: "Call upon those [beings] whom you imagine [to be endowed with divine powers] beside God: they have not an atom's weight of power either in the heavens or on earth, nor have they any share in [governing] either, nor does He [choose to] have any helper from among them."32
  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., anybody who would "mediate" between Him and any of His creatures. As is evident from the sequence (as well as from {17:56-57}), this passage relates, in particular, to the attribution of divine or semi-divine qualities to saints and angels and to the problem of their "intercession" with God.

O Prophet, say to the mushrikin: "Call on those deities whom you pray besides Allah - they do not have power over an atom's weight of anything in the heavens or earth, nor have they any share in either, nor is any of them a helper to Allah."
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Say, 'O Prophet,' 'Call upon those you claim 'to be divine' besides Allah. They do not possess 'even' an atom's weight either in the heavens or the earth, nor do they have any share in 'governing' them. Nor is any of them a helper to Him.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
Say (O Muhammad): Call upon those whom ye set up beside Allah! They possess not an atom's weight either in the heavens or the earth, nor have they any share either, nor hath He an auxiliary among them.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Say: "Call upon other (gods) whom ye fancy besides Allah: they have no power not the weight of an atom in the heavens or on earth; no (sort of) share have they therein nor is any of them a helper to Allah. 3822 3823
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Other objects of worship, such as Self, or Money, or Power, or things we imagine will bring us luck or prosperity, though they can do nothing of the kind.

The false gods have no power whatever either in heaven or on earth, either in influencing our spiritual life or our ordinary worldly life. To suppose that they have some share, or that they can give some help to Allah, even though Allah is Supreme, is both false and blasphemous. Allah is One and Supreme, without sharer, helper, or equal.

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34:23
وَلَا تَنفَعُ ٱلشَّفَـٰعَةُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا لِمَنْ أَذِنَ لَهُۥ ۚ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا فُزِّعَ عَن قُلُوبِهِمْ قَالُوا۟ مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمْ ۖ قَالُوا۟ ٱلْحَقَّ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْكَبِيرُ Wal a tanfaAAu a l shshaf a AAatu AAindahu ill a liman a th ina lahu h att a i tha fuzziAAa AAan quloobihim q a loo m atha q a la rabbukum q a loo al h aqqa wahuwa alAAaliyyu alkabeer u
And, before Him, intercession can be of no avail [to any] save one in whose case He may have granted leave [therefor]:33 so much so that when the terror [of the Last Hour] is lifted from their hearts, they [who have been resurrected] will ask [one an-other], "What has your Sustainer decreed [for you]?" - [to which] the others will answer, "Whatever is true and deserved34 -for He alone is exalted, great!"
  - Mohammad Asad

Regarding the Qur'anic concept of "intercession", see note [7] on 10:3 . Cf. also 19:87 and 20:109 .

Lit., "the truth" - i.e., whatever God decides regarding His grant or refusal of leave for intercession (which is synonymous with His redemptive acceptance or His rejection of the human being concerned) will conform with the requirements of absolute truth and justice (see note [74] on 19:87 ).

No intercession before Allah can avail anyone except for the one for whom He permits. Until when terror will be removed from their hearts, they shall ask the intercessors: "What has your Rabb ordained?" They will answer: "The Truth," He is the Most High, the Great.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
No intercession will be of any benefit with Him, except by those granted permission by Him. 'At last,' when the dread 'of Judgment Day' is relieved from their hearts 'because they are permitted to intercede', they will 'excitedly' ask 'the angels', 'What has your Lord 'just' said?' The angels will reply, 'The truth! And He is the Most High, All-Great.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
No intercession availeth with Him save for him whom He permitteth. Yet, when fear is banished from their hearts, they say: What was it that your Lord said? They say: The Truth. And He is the Sublime, the Great.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"No intercession can avail in His Presence except for those for whom He has granted permission. So far (is this the case) that when terror is removed from their hearts (at the Day of Judgement then) will they say `What is it that your Lord commanded?' They will say `That which is true and just; and He is the Most High Most Great.' " 3824 3825 3826
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. xx. 109, n. 2634, where I have explained the two possible modes of interpretation. Each soul is individually and personally responsible. And if there is any intercession, it can only be by Allah's gracious permission. For the Day of judgment will be a terrible Day, or Day of Wrath (Dies Irae) according to the Latin hymn, when the purest souls will be stupefied at the manifestation of Allah's Power. See next note.

"Their hearts": the pronoun "their" is referred to the angels nearest to Allah. On the Day of Judgment there will be such an irresistible manifestation of Power that even they will be silent for a while, and will scarcely realise what is happening. They will question each other, and only thus will they regain their bearings. Or "their" may refer to those who seek intercession.

In their mutual questionings they will realise that Allah's Judgment, as always, is right and just.

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34:24
قُلْ مَن يَرْزُقُكُم مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ ۖ وَإِنَّآ أَوْ إِيَّاكُمْ لَعَلَىٰ هُدًى أَوْ فِى ضَلَـٰلٍ مُّبِينٍ Qul man yarzuqukum mina a l ssam a w a ti wa a lar d i quli All a hu wainn a aw iyy a kum laAAal a hudan aw fee d al a lin mubeen in
Say: "Who is it that provides for you tenance out of the heavens and the earth?"35 Say: "It is God. And, behold, either we [who believe in Him] or you [who deny His oneness] are on the right path, or have clearly gone astray!"
  - Mohammad Asad

See note [49] on the first sentence of 10:31 .

O Prophet, ask them: "Who provides your sustenance from the heavens and the earth?" If they do not answer, then say: "It is Allah! Certainly one of us; either we or you are rightly guided or in manifest error."
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Ask 'them, O Prophet', 'Who provides for you from the heavens and the earth?' Say, 'Allah! Now, certainly one of our two groups1 is 'rightly' guided; the other is clearly astray.'
  - Mustafa Khattab

 The believers and polytheists.

Say: Who giveth you provision from the sky and the earth? Say: Allah. Lo! we or you assuredly are rightly guided or in error manifest.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Say: "Who gives you sustenance from the heavens and the earth?" Say: "It is Allah and certain it is that either we or ye are on right guidance or in manifest error!" 3827 3828
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

There are six propositions introduced here with the word "Say", at verses 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, and 30. They clearly explain the doctrine of Unity (verse 22), the Mercy of Allah (verse 24), man's Personal Responsibility (verse 25), the Final Justice of Allah (verse 26), Allah's Power and Wisdom (verse 27), and the Inevitability of the Judgment, by which true values will be restored (verse 30).

Right and Wrong, Good and Evil, are incompatible, one with another. In this matter we can make no compromise. It is true that in men there may be various degrees of good or evil mixed together, and we have to tolerate men as our fellow-creatures, with all their faults and shortcomings. But this does not mean that we can worship Allah and Mammon together. Wrong is the negation of Right as light is of darkness. Though there may be apparently varying depths of darkness, this is only due to the imperfection of our vision: it is varying strengths of light as perceived by our relative powers of sight. So we may perceive the Light of Allah in varying degrees according to our spiritual vision. But in simple questions of Right or Wrong, we are faced by the Categorical Imperative.

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34:25
قُل لَّا تُسْـَٔلُونَ عَمَّآ أَجْرَمْنَا وَلَا نُسْـَٔلُ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ Qul l a tusaloona AAamm a ajramn a wal a nusalu AAamm a taAAmaloon a
Say: "Neither shall you be called to account for whatever we may have become guilty of, nor shall we be called to account for whatever you are doing."
  - Mohammad Asad
Further, tell them: "You shall not be questioned about our errors nor shall we be questioned about your actions."
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Say, 'You will not be accountable for our misdeeds, nor will we be accountable for your deeds.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
Say: Ye will not be asked of what we committed, nor shall we be asked of what ye do.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Say: "Ye shall not be questioned as to our sins nor shall we be questioned as to what ye do." 3829
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Therefore do not persecute us, or bring personal animus to bear on us. We must do our duty in declaring the universal Message, which is for you as much as for us.

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34:26
قُلْ يَجْمَعُ بَيْنَنَا رَبُّنَا ثُمَّ يَفْتَحُ بَيْنَنَا بِٱلْحَقِّ وَهُوَ ٱلْفَتَّاحُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ Qul yajmaAAu baynan a rabbun a thumma yafta h u baynan a bi a l h aqqi wahuwa alfatt ah u alAAaleem u
Say: "Our Sustainer will bring us all together [on Judgment Day], and then He will lay open the truth between us, in justice-for He alone is the One who opens all truth, the All-Knowing!"
  - Mohammad Asad
Say: "Our Rabb will bring us all together, then He will rightly judge between us. He is the Judge Who knows everything."
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Say, 'Our Lord will gather us together, then He will judge between us with the truth. For He is the All-Knowing Judge.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
Say: Our Lord will bring us all together, then He will judge between us with truth. He is the All knowing Judge.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
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 One Who knows all." 3830
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Human controversies are vain and inconclusive. If you put your trust in Allah and we put our trust in Allah, we belong to one Brotherhood, and we shall see the perfect Truth finally when the Time comes.

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34:27
قُلْ أَرُونِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَلْحَقْتُم بِهِۦ شُرَكَآءَ ۖ كَلَّا ۚ بَلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ Qul arooniya alla th eena al h aqtum bihi shurak a a kall a bal huwa All a hu alAAazeezu al h akeem u
Say: "Point out to me those [beings] that you have joined with Him [in your minds] as partners [in His divinity]! Nay-nay, but He [alone] is God, the Almighty, the Wise!"
  - Mohammad Asad
Say: "Show me those whom you have made associate gods with Him. Nay! By no means can you do it. Allah Alone is the Almighty, the Wise".
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Say, 'Show me those 'idols' you have joined with Him as partners. No! In fact, He 'alone' is Allah- the Almighty, All-Wise.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
Say: Show me those whom ye have joined unto Him as partners. Nay (ye dare not)! For He is Allah, the Mighty, the Wise.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Say: "Show me those whom ye have joined with Him as partners: by no means (can ye). Nay He is Allah the Exalted in Power the Wise." 3831
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Wisdom and Power only belong to Allah. If you put your trust in other things, they will fail you, because they do not exist-as objects of worship. All else that you set your hearts upon will and must fail you, because they cannot in any wise be brought into rivalry with Allah.

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34:28
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَـٰكَ إِلَّا كَآفَّةً لِّلنَّاسِ بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ Wam a arsaln a ka ill a k a ffatan li l nn a si basheeran wana th eeran wal a kinna akthara a l nn a si l a yaAAlamoon a
NOW [as for thee, O Muhammad,] We have not sent thee otherwise than to mankind at large, to be a herald of glad tidings and a warner; but most people do not understand [this],
  - Mohammad Asad
O Prophet, We have sent you to the entire mankind, to give them good news and forewarn them, but most men do not know.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
We have sent you 'O Prophet' only as a deliverer of good news and a warner to all of humanity, but most people do not know.
  - Mustafa Khattab
And We have not sent thee (O Muhammad) save as a bringer of good tidings and a warner unto all mankind; but most of mankind know not.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
We have not sent thee but as a universal (Messenger) to men giving them glad tidings and warning them (against sin) but most men understand not. 3832
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Allah's Revelation, through the holy Prophet, was not meant for one family or tribe, one race or set of people. It was meant for all mankind, to whom, if they turn to Allah, it is a Message of the glad tidings of His Mercy, and if they do not turn to Him, it is a warning against sin and the inevitable Punishment. That the Punishment does not come immediately (as far as they perceive) is no reason for doubting it. It has been declared in clear and unequivocal terms, and nothing can be more certain. Why delay? Why ask carping questions? Why not profit by the Message, turn to Allah in repentance, and bring forth the fruits of righteousness?

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34:29
وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَىٰ هَـٰذَا ٱلْوَعْدُ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ Wayaqooloona mat a h atha alwaAAdu in kuntum sa diqeen a
and so they ask, "When is this promise [of resurrection and judgment] to be fulfilled? [Answer this, O you who believe in it,] if you are men of truth!"36
  - Mohammad Asad

The Qur'anic answer to this ironic question is found in 7:187 .

They ask you: "When will this promise of resurrection be fulfilled, if you are telling the truth?"
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
And they ask 'the believers', 'When will this threat come to pass, if what you say is true?'
  - Mustafa Khattab
And they say: When is this promise (to be fulfilled) if ye are truthful?
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
They say: "When will this promise (come to pass) if ye are telling the truth?"
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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34:30
قُل لَّكُم مِّيعَادُ يَوْمٍ لَّا تَسْتَـْٔخِرُونَ عَنْهُ سَاعَةً وَلَا تَسْتَقْدِمُونَ Qul lakum meeAA a du yawmin l a tastakhiroona AAanhu s a AAatan wal a tastaqdimoon a
Say: "There has been appointed for you a Day which you can neither delay nor advance by a single moment."37
  - Mohammad Asad

For my rendering of sa'ah (lit., "hour") as "a single moment", see surah {7}, note [26].

Tell them: "For you the appointment of a day is fixed, which you can neither postpone for a moment nor bring it early."
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Say, 'O Prophet,' 'A Day has 'already' been appointed for you, which you can neither delay nor advance by a 'single' moment.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
Say (O Muhammad): Yours is the promise of a Day which ye cannot postpone nor hasten by an hour.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Say: "The appointment to you is for a day which ye cannot put back for an hour nor put forward." 3833
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

When that Day actually arrives, your period of probation will have passed. It will be too late. Now is the time for action.

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