LUQMAN, CHAPTER NO. 031
031.001 A. L. M.
031.002 These are Verses of the Wise Book,-
031.003 A Guide and a Mercy to the Doers of Good,-
031.004 Those who establish regular Prayer, and give regular Charity, and have (in
their hearts) the assurance of the Hereafter.
031.005 These are on (true) guidance from their Lord: and these are the ones who
will prosper.
031.006 But there are, among men, those who purchase idle tales, without
knowledge (or meaning), to mislead (men) from the Path of God and throw ridicule
(on the Path): for such there will be a Humiliating Penalty.
031.007 When Our Signs are rehearsed to such a one, he turns away in arrogance, as
if he heard them not, as if there were deafness in both his ears: announce to him a
grievous Penalty.
031.008 For those who believe and work righteous deeds, there will be Gardens of
Bliss,-
031.009 To dwell therein. The promise of God is true: and He is Exalted in Power,
Wise.
031.010 He created the heavens without any pillars that ye can see; He set on the
earth mountains standing firm, lest it should shake with you; and He scattered through
it beasts of all kinds. We send down rain from the sky, and produce on the earth every
kind of noble creature, in pairs.
031.011 Such is the Creation of God: now show Me what is there that others besides
Him have created: nay, but the Transgressors are in manifest error.
031.012 we bestowed (in the past) Wisdom on Luqman: "Show (thy) gratitude to
God." Any who is (so) grateful does so to the profit of his own soul: but if any is
ungrateful, verily God is free of all wants, Worthy of all praise.
031.013 Behold, Luqman said to his son by way of instruction: "O my son! join not
in worship (others) with God: for false worship is indeed the highest wrong-doing."
031.014 And We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon
travail did his mother bear him, and in years twain was his weaning: (hear the
command), "Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents: to Me is (thy final) Goal.
031.015 "But if they strive to make thee join in worship with Me things of which
thou hast no knowledge, obey them not; yet bear them company in this life with
justice (and consideration), and follow the way of those who turn to me (in love): in
the end the return of you all is to Me, and I will tell you the truth (and meaning) of all
that ye did."
031.016 "O my son!" (said Luqman), "If there be (but) the weight of a mustard-seed
and it were (hidden) in a rock, or (anywhere) in the heavens or on earth, God will
bring it forth: for God understands the finest mysteries, (and) is well-acquainted (with
them).
031.017 "O my son! establish regular prayer, enjoin what is just, and forbid what is
wrong: and bear with patient constancy whatever betide thee; for this is firmness (of
purpose) in (the conduct of) affairs.
031.018 "And swell not thy cheek (for pride) at men, nor walk in insolence through
the earth; for God loveth not any arrogant boaster.
031.019 "And be moderate in thy pace, and lower thy voice; for the harshest of
sounds without doubt is the braying of the ass."
031.020 Do ye not see that God has subjected to your (use) all things in the heavens
and on earth, and has made his bounties flow to you in exceeding measure, (both)
seen and unseen? Yet there are among men those who dispute about God, without
knowledge and without guidance, and without a Book to enlighten them!
031.021 When they are told to follow the (Revelation) that God has sent down, they
say: "Nay, we shall follow the ways that we found our fathers (following). "What!
even if it is Satan beckoning them to the Penalty of the (Blazing) Fire?
031.022 Whoever submits his whole self to God, and is a doer of good, has grasped
indeed the most trustworthy hand-hold: and with God rests the End and Decision of
(all) affairs.
031.023 But if any reject Faith, let not his rejection grieve thee: to Us is their return,
and We shall tell them the truth of their deeds: for God knows well all that is in
(men's) hearts.
031.024 We grant them their pleasure for a little while: in the end shall We drive
them to a chastisement unrelenting.
031.025 If thou ask them, who it is that created the heavens and the earth. They will
certainly say, "God". Say: "Praise be to God!" But most of them understand not.
031.026 To God belong all things in heaven and earth: verily God is He (that is) free
of all wants, worthy of all praise.
031.027 And if all the trees on earth were pens and the ocean (were ink), with seven
oceans behind it to add to its (supply), yet would not the words of God be exhausted
(in the writing): for God is Exalted in Power, full of Wisdom.
031.028 And your creation or your resurrection is in no wise but as an individual
soul: for God is He Who hears and sees (all things).
031.029 Seest thou not that God merges Night into Day and he merges Day into
Night; that He has subjected the sun, and the moon (to his Law), each running its
course for a term appointed; and that God is well-acquainted with all that ye do?
031.030 That is because God is the (only) Reality, and because whatever else they
invoke besides Him is Falsehood; and because God,- He is the Most High, Most
Great.
031.031 Seest thou not that the ships sail through the ocean by the Grace of God?-
that He may show you of His Signs? Verily in this are Signs for all who constantly
persevere and give thanks.
031.032 When a wave covers them like the canopy (of clouds), they call to God,
offering Him sincere devotion. But when He has delivered them safely to land, there
are among them those that halt between (right and wrong). But none reject Our Signs
except only a perfidious ungrateful (wretch)!
031.033 O mankind! do your duty to your Lord, and fear (the coming of) a Day when
no father can avail aught for his son, nor a son avail aught for his father. Verily, the
promise of God is true: let not then this present life deceive you, nor let the chief
Deceiver deceive you about God.
031.034 Verily the knowledge of the Hour is with God (alone). It is He Who sends
down rain, and He Who knows what is in the wombs. Nor does any one know what it
is that he will earn on the morrow: Nor does any one know in what land he is to die.
Verily with God is full knowledge and He is acquainted (with all things).
THE PROSTRATION, WORSHIP, ADORATION, CHAPTER NO. 032
032.001 A. L. M.
032.002 (This is) the Revelation of the Book in which there is no doubt,- from the
Lord of the Worlds.
032.003 Or do they say, "He has forged it"? Nay, it is the Truth from thy Lord, that
thou mayest admonish a people to whom no warner has come before thee: in order
that they may receive guidance.
032.004 It is God Who has created the heavens and the earth, and all between them,
in six Days, and is firmly established on the Throne (of Authority): ye have none,
besides Him, to protect or intercede (for you): will ye not then receive admonition?
032.005 He rules (all) affairs from the heavens to the earth: in the end will (all
affairs) go up to Him, on a Day, the space whereof will be (as) a thousand years of
your reckoning.
032.006 Such is He, the Knower of all things, hidden and open, the Exalted (in
power), the Merciful;-
032.007 He Who has made everything which He has created most good: He began
the creation of man with (nothing more than) clay,
032.008 And made his progeny from a quintessence of the nature of a fluid despised:
032.009 But He fashioned him in due proportion, and breathed into him something of
His spirit. And He gave you (the faculties of) hearing and sight and feeling (and
understanding): little thanks do ye give!
032.010 And they say: "What! when we lie, hidden and lost, in the earth, shall we
indeed be in a Creation renewed? Nay, they deny the Meeting with their Lord.
032.011 Say: "The Angel of Death, put in charge of you, will (duly) take your souls:
then shall ye be brought back to your Lord."
032.012 If only thou couldst see when the guilty ones will bend low their heads
before their Lord, (saying:) "Our Lord! We have seen and we have heard: Now then
send us back (to the world): we will work righteousness: for we do indeed (now)
believe."
032.013 If We had so willed, We could certainly have brought every soul its true
guidance: but the Word from Me will come true, "I will fill Hell with Jinns and men
all together."
032.014 "Taste ye then - for ye forgot the Meeting of this Day of yours, and We too
will forget you - taste ye the Penalty of Eternity for your (evil) deeds!"
032.015 Only those believe in Our Signs, who, when they are recited to them, fall
down in adoration, and celebrate the praises of their Lord, nor are they (ever) puffed
up with pride.
032.016 Their limbs do forsake their beds of sleep, the while they call on their Lord,
in Fear and Hope: and they spend (in charity) out of the sustenance which We have
bestowed on them.
032.017 Now no person knows what delights of the eye are kept hidden (in reserve)
for them - as a reward for their (good) deeds.
032.018 Is then the man who believes no better than the man who is rebellious and
wicked? Not equal are they.
032.019 For those who believe and do righteous deeds are Gardens as hospitable
homes, for their (good) deeds.
032.020 As to those who are rebellious and wicked, their abode will be the Fire:
every time they wish to get away therefrom, they will be forced thereinto, and it will
be said to them: "Taste ye the Penalty of the Fire, the which ye were wont to reject as
false."
032.021 And indeed We will make them taste of the Penalty of this (life) prior to the
supreme Penalty, in order that they may (repent and) return.
032.022 And who does more wrong than one to whom are recited the Signs of his
Lord, and who then turns away therefrom? Verily from those who transgress We shall
exact (due) Retribution.
032.023 We did indeed aforetime give the Book to Moses: be not then in doubt of its
reaching (thee): and We made it a guide to the Children of Israel.
032.024 And We appointed, from among them, leaders, giving guidance under Our
command, so long as they persevered with patience and continued to have faith in
Our Signs.
032.025 Verily thy Lord will judge between them on the Day of Judgment, in the
matters wherein they differ (among themselves)
032.026 Does it not teach them a lesson, how many generations We destroyed before
them, in whose dwellings they (now) go to and fro? Verily in that are Signs: Do they
not then listen?
032.027 And do they not see that We do drive rain to parched soil (bare of herbage),
and produce therewith crops, providing food for their cattle and themselves? Have
they not the vision?
032.028 They say: "When will this decision be, if ye are telling the truth?"
032.029 Say: "On the Day of Decision, no profit will it be to Unbelievers if they
(then) believe! nor will they be granted a respite."
032.030 So turn away from them, and wait: they too are waiting.
THE CLANS, THE COALITION, THE COMBINED FORCES, CHAPTER NO.
033
033.001 O Prophet! Fear God, and hearken not to the Unbelievers and the
Hypocrites: verily God is full of Knowledge and Wisdom.
033.002 But follow that which comes to thee by inspiration from thy Lord: for God is
well acquainted with (all) that ye do.
033.003 And put thy trust in God, and enough is God as a disposer of affairs.
033.004 God has not made for any man two hearts in his (one) body: nor has He
made your wives whom ye divorce by Zihar your mothers: nor has He made your
adopted sons your sons. Such is (only) your (manner of) speech by your mouths. But
God tells (you) the Truth, and He shows the (right) Way.
033.005 Call them by (the names of) their fathers: that is juster in the sight of God.
But if ye know not their father's (names, call them) your Brothers in faith, or your
maulas. But there is no blame on you if ye make a mistake therein: (what counts is)
the intention of your hearts: and God is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.
033.006 The Prophet is closer to the Believers than their own selves, and his wives
are their mothers. Blood-relations among each other have closer personal ties, in the
Decree of God. Than (the Brotherhood of) Believers and Muhajirs: nevertheless do ye
what is just to your closest friends: such is the writing in the Decree (of God).
033.007 And remember We took from the prophets their covenant: As (We did) from
thee: from Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus the son of Mary: We took from them a
solemn covenant:
033.008 That (God) may question the (custodians) of Truth concerning the Truth
they (were charged with): And He has prepared for the Unbelievers a grievous
Penalty.
033.009 O ye who believe! Remember the Grace of God, (bestowed) on you, when
there came down on you hosts (to overwhelm you): But We sent against them a
hurricane and forces that ye saw not: but God sees (clearly) all that ye do.
033.010 Behold! they came on you from above you and from below you, and behold,
the eyes became dim and the hearts gaped up to the throats, and ye imagined various
(vain) thoughts about God!
033.011 In that situation were the Believers tried: they were shaken as by a
tremendous shaking.
033.012 And behold! The Hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease (even)
say: "God and His Apostle promised us nothing but delusion!"
033.013 Behold! A party among them said: "Ye men of Yathrib! ye cannot stand
(the attack)! therefore go back!" And a band of them ask for leave of the Prophet,
saying, "Truly our houses are bare and exposed," though they were not exposed they
intended nothing but to run away.
033.014 And if an entry had been effected to them from the sides of the (city), and
they had been incited to sedition, they would certainly have brought it to pass, with
none but a brief delay!
033.015 And yet they had already covenanted with God not to turn their backs, and a
covenant with God must (surely) be answered for.
033.016 Say: "Running away will not profit you if ye are running away from death or
slaughter; and even if (ye do escape), no more than a brief (respite) will ye be allowed
to enjoy!"
033.017 Say: "Who is it that can screen you from God if it be His wish to give you
punishment or to give you Mercy?" Nor will they find for themselves, besides God,
any protector or helper.
033.018 Verily God knows those among you who keep back (men) and those who
say to their brethren, "Come along to us", but come not to the fight except for just a
little while.
033.019 Covetous over you. Then when fear comes, thou wilt see them looking to
thee, their eyes revolving, like (those of) one over whom hovers death: but when the
fear is past, they will smite you with sharp tongues, covetous of goods. Such men
have no faith, and so God has made their deeds of none effect: and that is easy for
God.
033.020 They think that the Confederates have not withdrawn; and if the
Confederates should come (again), they would wish they were in the deserts
(wandering) among the Bedouins, and seeking news about you (from a safe distance);
and if they were in your midst, they would fight but little.
033.021 Ye have indeed in the Apostle of God a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for
any one whose hope is in God and the Final Day, and who engages much in the Praise
of God.
033.022 When the Believers saw the Confederate forces, they said: "This is what
God and his Apostle had promised us, and God and His Apostle told us what was
true." And it only added to their faith and their zeal in obedience.
033.023 Among the Believers are men who have been true to their covenant with
God: of them some have completed their vow (to the extreme), and some (still) wait:
but they have never changed (their determination) in the least:
033.024 That God may reward the men of Truth for their Truth, and punish the
Hypocrites if that be His Will, or turn to them in Mercy: for God is Oft-Forgiving,
Most Merciful.
033.025 And God turned back the Unbelievers for (all) their fury: no advantage did
they gain; and enough is God for the believers in their fight. And God is full of
Strength, able to enforce His Will.
033.026 And those of the People of the Book who aided them - God did take them
down from their strongholds and cast terror into their hearts. (So that) some ye slew,
and some ye made prisoners.
033.027 And He made you heirs of their lands, their houses, and their goods, and of a
land which ye had not frequented (before). And God has power over all things.
033.028 O Prophet! Say to thy Consorts: "If it be that ye desire the life of this World,
and its glitter,- then come! I will provide for your enjoyment and set you free in a
handsome manner.
033.029 But if ye seek God and His Apostle, and the Home of the Hereafter, verily
God has prepared for the well-doers amongst you a great reward.
033.030 O Consorts of the Prophet! If any of you were guilty of evident unseemly
conduct, the Punishment would be doubled to her, and that is easy for God.
033.031 But any of you that is devout in the service of God and His Apostle, and
works righteousness,- to her shall We grant her reward twice: and We have prepared
for her a generous Sustenance.
033.032 O Consorts of the Prophet! Ye are not like any of the (other) women: if ye
do fear (God), be not too complacent of speech, lest one in whose heart is a disease
should be moved with desire: but speak ye a speech (that is) just.
033.033 And stay quietly in your houses, and make not a dazzling display, like that
of the former Times of Ignorance; and establish regular Prayer, and give regular
Charity; and obey God and His Apostle. And God only wishes to remove all
abomination from you, ye members of the Family, and to make you pure and spotless.
033.034 And recite what is rehearsed to you in your homes, of the Signs of God and
His Wisdom: for God understands the finest mysteries and is well-acquainted (with
them).
033.035 For Muslim men and women,- for believing men and women, for devout
men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and
constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give
in Charity, for men and women who fast (and deny themselves), for men and women
who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in God's praise,-
for them has God prepared forgiveness and great reward.
033.036 It is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been
decided by God and His Apostle to have any option about their decision: if any one
disobeys God and His Apostle, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path.
033.037 Behold! Thou didst say to one who had received the grace of God and thy
favour: "Retain thou (in wedlock) thy wife, and fear God." But thou didst hide in thy
heart that which God was about to make manifest: thou didst fear the people, but it is
more fitting that thou shouldst fear God. Then when Zaid had dissolved (his
marriage) with her, with the necessary (formality), We joined her in marriage to thee:
in order that (in future) there may be no difficulty to the Believers in (the matter of)
marriage with the wives of their adopted sons, when the latter have dissolved with the
necessary (formality) (their marriage) with them. And God's command must be
fulfilled.
033.038 There can be no difficulty to the Prophet in what God has indicated to him
as a duty. It was the practice (approved) of God amongst those of old that have passed
away. And the command of God is a decree determined.
033.039 (It is the practice of those) who preach the Messages of God, and fear Him,
and fear none but God. And enough is God to call (men) to account.
033.040 Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Apostle of
God, and the Seal of the Prophets: and God has full knowledge of all things.
033.041 O ye who believe! Celebrate the praises of God, and do this often;
033.042 And glorify Him morning and evening.
033.043 He it is Who sends blessings on you, as do His angels, that He may bring
you out from the depths of Darkness into Light: and He is Full of Mercy to the
Believers.
033.044 Their salutation on the Day they meet Him will be "Peace!"; and He has
prepared for them a generous Reward.
033.045 O Prophet! Truly We have sent thee as a Witness, a Bearer of Glad Tidings,
and Warner,-
033.046 And as one who invites to God's (grace) by His leave, and as a lamp
spreading light.
033.047 Then give the Glad Tidings to the Believers, that they shall have from God a
very great Bounty.
033.048 And obey not (the behests) of the Unbelievers and the Hypocrites, and heed
not their annoyances, but put thy Trust in God. For enough is God as a Disposer of
affairs.
033.049 O ye who believe! When ye marry believing women, and then divorce them
before ye have touched them, no period of 'Iddat have ye to count in respect of them:
so give them a present. And set them free in a handsome manner.
033.050 O Prophet! We have made lawful to thee thy wives to whom thou hast paid
their dowers; and those whom thy right hand possesses out of the prisoners of war
whom God has assigned to thee; and daughters of thy paternal uncles and aunts, and
daughters of thy maternal uncles and aunts, who migrated (from Makka) with thee;
and any believing woman who dedicates her soul to the Prophet if the Prophet wishes
to wed her;- this only for thee, and not for the Believers (at large); We know what We
have appointed for them as to their wives and the captives whom their right hands
possess;- in order that there should be no difficulty for thee. And God is Oft-
Forgiving, Most Merciful.
033.051 Thou mayest defer (the turn of) any of them that thou pleasest, and thou
mayest receive any thou pleasest: and there is no blame on thee if thou invite one
whose (turn) thou hadst set aside. This were nigher to the cooling of their eyes, the
prevention of their grief, and their satisfaction - that of all of them - with that which
thou hast to give them: and God knows (all) that is in your hearts: and God is All-
Knowing, Most Forbearing.
033.052 It is not lawful for thee (to marry more) women after this, nor to change
them for (other) wives, even though their beauty attract thee, except any thy right
hand should possess (as handmaidens): and God doth watch over all things.
033.053 O ye who believe! Enter not the Prophet's houses,- until leave is given you,-
for a meal, (and then) not (so early as) to wait for its preparation: but when ye are
invited, enter; and when ye have taken your meal, disperse, without seeking familiar
talk. Such (behaviour) annoys the Prophet: he is ashamed to dismiss you, but God is
not ashamed (to tell you) the truth. And when ye ask (his ladies) for anything ye want,
ask them from before a screen: that makes for greater purity for your hearts and for
theirs. Nor is it right for you that ye should annoy God's Apostle, or that ye should
marry his widows after him at any time. Truly such a thing is in God's sight an
enormity.
033.054 Whether ye reveal anything or conceal it, verily God has full knowledge of
all things.
033.055 There is no blame (on these ladies if they appear) before their fathers or their
sons, their brothers, or their brother's sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or
the (slaves) whom their right hands possess. And, (ladies), fear God; for God is
Witness to all things.
033.056 God and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send
ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect.
033.057 Those who annoy God and His Apostle - God has cursed them in this World
and in the Hereafter, and has prepared for them a humiliating Punishment.
033.058 And those who annoy believing men and women undeservedly, bear (on
themselves) a calumny and a glaring sin.
033.059 O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they
should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): that is most
convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And God is Oft-
Forgiving, Most Merciful.
033.060 Truly, if the Hypocrites, and those in whose hearts is a disease, and those
who stir up sedition in the City, desist not, We shall certainly stir thee up against
them: Then will they not be able to stay in it as thy neighbours for any length of time:
033.061 They shall have a curse on them: whenever they are found, they shall be
seized and slain (without mercy).
033.062 (Such was) the practice (approved) of God among those who lived
aforetime: No change wilt thou find in the practice (approved) of God.
033.063 Men ask thee concerning the Hour: Say, "The knowledge thereof is with
God (alone)": and what will make thee understand?- perchance the Hour is nigh!
033.064 Verily God has cursed the Unbelievers and prepared for them a Blazing
Fire,-
033.065 To dwell therein for ever: no protector will they find, nor helper.
033.066 The Day that their faces will be turned upside down in the Fire, they will
say: "Woe to us! Would that we had obeyed God and obeyed the Apostle!"
033.067 And they would say: "Our Lord! We obeyed our chiefs and our great ones,
and they misled us as to the (right) Path.
033.068 "Our Lord! Give them double Penalty and curse them with a very great
Curse!"
033.069 O ye who believe! Be ye not like those who vexed and insulted Moses, but
God cleared him of the (calumnies) they had uttered: and he was honourable in God's
sight.
033.070 O ye who believe! Fear God, and (always) say a word directed to the Right:
033.071 That He may make your conduct whole and sound and forgive you your
sins: He that obeys God and His Apostle, has already attained the highest
achievement.
033.072 We did indeed offer the Trust to the Heavens and the Earth and the
Mountains; but they refused to undertake it, being afraid thereof: but man undertook
it;- He was indeed unjust and foolish;-
033.073 (With the result) that God has to punish the Hypocrites, men and women,
and the Unbelievers, men and women, and God turns in Mercy to the Believers, men
and women: for God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
SABA, SHEBA, CHAPTER NO. 034
034.001 Praise be to God, to Whom belong all things in the heavens and on earth: to
Him be Praise in the Hereafter: and He is Full of Wisdom, acquainted with all things.
034.002 He knows all that goes into the earth, and all that comes out thereof; all that
comes down from the sky and all that ascends thereto and He is the Most Merciful,
the Oft-Forgiving.
034.003 The Unbelievers say, "Never to us will come the Hour": Say, "Nay! but
most surely, by my Lord, it will come upon you;- by Him Who knows the unseen,-
from Whom is not hidden the least little atom in the heavens or on earth: Nor is there
anything less than that, or greater, but is in the Record Perspicuous:
034.004 That He may reward those who believe and work deeds of righteousness: for
such is Forgiveness and a Sustenance Most Generous."
034.005 But those who strive against Our Signs, to frustrate them,- for such will be a
Penalty,- a Punishment most humiliating.
034.006 And those to whom knowledge has come see that the (Revelation) sent
down to thee from thy Lord - that is the Truth, and that it guides to the Path of the
Exalted (in might), Worthy of all praise.
034.007 The Unbelievers say (in ridicule): "Shall we point out to you a man that will
tell you, when ye are all scattered to pieces in disintegration, that ye shall (then be
raised) in a New Creation?
034.008 "Has he invented a falsehood against God, or has a spirit (seized) him?"-
Nay, it is those who believe not in the Hereafter, that are in (real) Penalty, and in
farthest error.
034.009 See they not 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
sky to fall upon them. Verily in this is a Sign for every devotee that turns to God (in
repentance).
034.010 We bestowed Grace aforetime on David from ourselves: "O ye Mountains!
Sing ye back the Praises of God with him! and ye birds (also)! And We made the iron
soft for him;-
034.011 (Commanding), "Make thou coast of mail, balancing well the rings of chain
armour, and work ye righteousness; for be sure I see (clearly) all that ye do."
034.012 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 Jinns that worked in
front of him, by the leave of his Lord, and if any of them turned aside from our
command, We made him taste of the Penalty of the Blazing Fire.
034.013 They worked for him as he desired, (making) arches, images, basons as large
as reservoirs, and (cooking) cauldrons fixed (in their places): "Work ye, sons of
David, with thanks! but few of My servants are grateful!"
034.014 Then, when We decreed (Solomon's) death, nothing showed them his death
except a little worm of the earth, which kept (slowly) gnawing away at his staff: so
when he fell down, the Jinns saw plainly that if they had known the unseen, they
would not have tarried in the humiliating Penalty (of their Task).
034.015 There was, for Saba, aforetime, a Sign in their home-land - two Gardens to
the right and to the left. "Eat of the Sustenance (provided) by your Lord, and be
grateful to Him: a territory fair and happy, and a Lord Oft-Forgiving!
034.016 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) Lote-trees.
034.017 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.
034.018 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."
034.019 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.
034.020 And on them did Satan prove true his idea, and they followed him, all but a
party that believed.
034.021 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.
034.022 Say: "Call upon other (gods) whom ye fancy, besides God: 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 God.
034.023 "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 Judgment, 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'."
034.024 Say: "Who gives you sustenance, from the heavens and the earth?" Say: "It
is God; and certain it is that either we or ye are on right guidance or in manifest
error!"
034.025 Say: "Ye shall not be questioned as to our sins, nor shall we be questioned as
to what ye do."
034.026 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."
034.027 Say: "Show me those whom ye have joined with Him as partners: by no
means (can ye). Nay, He is God, the Exalted in Power, the Wise."
034.028 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.
034.029 They say: "When will this promise (come to pass) if ye are telling the
truth?"
034.030 Say: "The appointment to you is for a Day, which ye cannot put back for an
hour nor put forward."
034.031 The Unbelievers say: "We shall neither believe in this scripture nor in (any)
that (came) before it." Couldst thou but see when the wrong-doers will be made to
stand before their Lord, throwing back the word (of blame) on one another! Those
who had been despised will say to the arrogant ones: "Had it not been for you, we
should certainly have been believers!"
034.032 The arrogant ones will say to those who had been despised: "Was it we who
kept you back from Guidance after it reached you? Nay, rather, it was ye who
transgressed.
034.033 Those who had been despised will say to the arrogant ones: "Nay! it was a
plot (of yours) by day and by night: Behold! Ye (constantly) ordered us to be
ungrateful to God and to attribute equals to Him!" They will declare (their)
repentance when they see the Penalty: We shall put yokes on the necks of the
Unbelievers: It would only be a requital for their (ill) Deeds.
034.034 Never did We send a warner to a population, but the wealthy ones among
them said: "We believe not in the (Message) with which ye have been sent."
034.035 They said: "We have more in wealth and in sons, and we cannot be
punished."
034.036 Say: "Verily my Lord enlarges and restricts the Provision to whom He
pleases, but most men understand not."
034.037 It is not 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 multiplied Reward for their deeds, while secure they (reside) in the
dwellings on high!
034.038 Those who strive against Our Signs, to frustrate them, will be given over
into Punishment.
034.039 Say: "Verily my Lord enlarges and restricts the Sustenance to such of his
servants as He pleases: and nothing do ye spend in the least (in His cause) but He
replaces it: for He is the Best of those who grant Sustenance.
034.040 One Day He will gather them all together, and say to the angels, "Was it you
that these men used to worship?"
034.041 They will say, "Glory to Thee! our (tie) is with Thee - as Protector - not with
them. Nay, but they worshipped the Jinns: most of them believed in them."
034.042 So on that Day no power shall they have over each other, for profit or harm:
and We shall say to the wrong-doers, "Taste ye the Penalty of the Fire,- the which ye
were wont to deny!"
034.043 When Our Clear Signs are rehearsed to them, they say, "This is only a man
who wishes to hinder you from the (worship) which your fathers practised." And they
say, "This is only a falsehood invented!" and the Unbelievers say of the Truth when it
comes to them, "This is nothing but evident magic!"
034.044 But We had not given them Books which they could study, nor sent apostles
to them before thee as Warners.
034.045 And their predecessors rejected (the Truth); these have not received a tenth
of what We had granted to those: yet when they rejected My apostles, how (terrible)
was My rejection (of them)!
034.046 Say: "I do admonish you on one point: that ye do stand up before God,- (It
may be) in pairs, or (it may be) singly,- and reflect (within yourselves): your
Companion is not possessed: he is no less than a warner to you, in face of a terrible
Penalty."
034.047 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."
034.048 Say: "Verily my Lord doth cast the (mantle of) Truth (over His servants),-
He that has full knowledge of (all) that is hidden."
034.049 Say: "The Truth has arrived, and Falsehood neither creates anything new,
nor restores anything."
034.050 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 (ever) near."
034.051 If thou couldst but see when they will quake with terror; but then there will
be no escape (for them), and they will be seized from a position (quite) near.
034.052 And they will say, "We do believe (now) in the (Truth)"; but how could they
receive (Faith) from a position (so far off,-
034.053 Seeing that they did reject Faith (entirely) before, and that they (continually)
cast (slanders) on the unseen from a position far off?
034.054 And between them and their desires, is placed a barrier, as was done in the
past with their partisans: for they were indeed in suspicious (disquieting) doubt.
THE ANGELS, ORIGNATOR, CHAPTER NO. 035
035.001 Praise be to God, Who created (out of nothing) the heavens and the earth,
Who made the angels, messengers with wings,- two, or three, or four (pairs): He adds
to Creation as He pleases: for God has power over all things.
035.002 What God out of his Mercy doth bestow on mankind there is none can
withhold: what He doth withhold, there is none can grant, apart from Him: and He is
the Exalted in Power, full of Wisdom.
035.003 O men! Call to mind the grace of God unto you! is there a creator, other than
God, to give you sustenance from heaven or earth? There is no god but He: how then
are ye deluded away from the Truth?
035.004 And if they reject thee, so were apostles rejected before thee: to God back
for decision all affairs.
035.005 O men! Certainly the promise of God is true. Let not then this present life
deceive you, nor let the Chief Deceiver deceive you about God.
035.006 Verily Satan is an enemy to you: so treat him as an enemy. He only invites
his adherents, that they may become Companions of the Blazing Fire.
035.007 For those who reject God, is a terrible Penalty: but for those who believe
and work righteous deeds, is Forgiveness, and a magnificent Reward.
035.008 Is he, then, to whom the evil of his conduct is made alluring, so that he looks
upon it as good, (equal to one who is rightly guided)? For God leaves to stray whom
He wills, and guides whom He wills. So let not thy soul go out in (vainly) sighing
after them: for God knows well all that they do!
035.009 It is God Who sends forth the Winds, so that they raise up the Clouds, and
We drive them to a land that is dead, and revive the earth therewith after its death:
even so (will be) the Resurrection!
035.010 If any do seek for glory and power,- to God belong all glory and power. To
Him mount up (all) Words of Purity: It is He Who exalts each Deed of Righteousness.
Those that lay Plots of Evil,- for them is a Penalty terrible; and the plotting of such
will be void (of result).
035.011 And God did create you from dust; then from a sperm-drop; then He made
you in pairs. And no female conceives, or lays down (her load), but with His
knowledge. Nor is a man long-lived granted length of days, nor is a part cut off from
his life, but is in a Decree (ordained). All this is easy to God.
035.012 Nor are the two bodies of flowing water alike,- the one palatable, sweet, and
pleasant to drink, and the other, salt and bitter. Yet from each (kind of water) do ye
eat flesh fresh and tender, and ye extract ornaments to wear; and thou seest the ships
therein that plough the waves, that ye may seek (thus) of the Bounty of God that ye
may be grateful.
035.013 He merges Night into Day, and he merges Day into Night, and he has
subjected the sun and the moon (to his Law): each one runs its course for a term
appointed. Such is God your Lord: to Him belongs all Dominion. And those whom ye
invoke besides Him have not the least power.
035.014 If ye invoke them, they will not listen to your call, and if they were to listen,
they cannot answer your (prayer). On the Day of Judgment they will reject your
"Partnership". and none, (O man!) can tell thee (the Truth) like the One Who is
acquainted with all things.
035.015 O ye men! It is ye that have need of God: but God is the One Free of all
wants, worthy of all praise.
035.016 If He so pleased, He could blot you out and bring in a New Creation.
035.017 Nor is that (at all) difficult for God.
035.018 Nor can a bearer of burdens bear another's burdens if one heavily laden
should call another to (bear) his load. Not the least portion of it can be carried (by the
other). Even though he be nearly related. Thou canst but admonish such as fear their
Lord unseen and establish regular Prayer. And whoever purifies himself does so for
the benefit of his own soul; and the destination (of all) is to God.
035.019 The blind and the seeing are not alike;
035.020 Nor are the depths of Darkness and the Light;
035.021 Nor are the (chilly) shade and the (genial) heat of the sun:
035.022 Nor are alike those that are living and those that are dead. God can make any
that He wills to hear; but thou canst not make those to hear who are (buried) in
graves.
035.023 Thou art no other than a warner.
035.024 Verily We have sent thee in truth, as a bearer of glad tidings, and as a
warner: and there never was a people, without a warner having lived among them (in
the past).
035.025 And if they reject thee, so did their predecessors, to whom came their
apostles with Clear Signs, Books of dark prophecies, and the Book of Enlightenment.
035.026 In the end did I punish those who rejected Faith: and how (terrible) was My
rejection (of them)!
035.027 Seest thou not that God sends down rain from the sky? With it We then
bring out produce of various colours. And in the mountains are tracts white and red,
of various shades of colour, and black intense in hue.
035.028 And so amongst men and crawling creatures and cattle, are they of various
colours. Those truly fear God, among His Servants, who have knowledge: for God is
Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving.
035.029 Those who rehearse the Book of God, establish regular Prayer, and spend (in
Charity) out of what We have provided for them, secretly and openly, hope for a
commerce that will never fail:
035.030 For He will pay them their meed, nay, He will give them (even) more out of
His Bounty: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Ready to appreciate (service).
035.031 That which We have revealed to thee of the Book is the Truth,- confirming
what was (revealed) before it: for God is assuredly- with respect to His Servants -
well acquainted and Fully Observant.
035.032 Then We have given the Book for inheritance to such of Our Servants as We
have chosen: but there are among them some who wrong their own souls; some who
follow a middle course; and some who are, by God's leave, foremost in good deeds;
that is the highest Grace.
035.033 Gardens of Eternity will they enter: therein will they be adorned with
bracelets of gold and pearls; and their garments there will be of silk.
035.034 And they will say: "Praise be to God, Who has removed from us (all)
sorrow: for our Lord is indeed Oft-Forgiving Ready to appreciate (service):
035.035 "Who has, out of His Bounty, settled us in a Home that will last: no toil nor
sense of weariness shall touch us therein."
035.036 But those who reject (God) - for them will be the Fire of Hell: No term shall
be determined for them, so they should die, nor shall its Penalty be lightened for
them. Thus do We reward every ungrateful one!
035.037 Therein will they cry aloud (for assistance): "Our Lord! Bring us out: we
shall work righteousness, not the (deeds) we used to do!" - "Did We not give you long
enough life so that he that would should receive admonition? and (moreover) the
warner came to you. So taste ye (the fruits of your deeds): for the wrong-doers there
is no helper."
035.038 Verily God knows (all) the hidden things of the heavens and the earth: verily
He has full knowledge of all that is in (men's) hearts.
035.039 He it is That has made you inheritors in the earth: if, then, any do reject
(God), their rejection (works) against themselves: their rejection but adds to the
odium for the Unbelievers in the sight of their Lord: their rejection but adds to (their
own) undoing.
035.040 Say: "Have ye seen (these) 'Partners' of yours whom ye call upon besides
God? Show Me what it is they have created in the (wide) earth. Or have they a share
in the heavens? Or have We given them a Book from which they (can derive) clear
(evidence)?- Nay, the wrong-doers promise each other nothing but delusions.
035.041 It is God Who sustains the heavens and the earth, lest they cease (to
function): and if they should fail, there is none - not one - can sustain them thereafter:
Verily He is Most Forbearing, Oft-Forgiving.
035.042 They swore their strongest oaths by God that if a warner came to them, they
would follow his guidance better than any (other) of the Peoples: But when a warner
came to them, it has only increased their flight (from righteousness),-
035.043 On account of their arrogance in the land and their plotting of Evil, but the
plotting of Evil will hem in only the authors thereof. Now are they but looking for the
way the ancients were dealt with? But no change wilt thou find in God's way (of
dealing): no turning off wilt thou find in God's way (of dealing).
035.044 Do they not travel through the earth, and see what was the End of those
before them,- though they were superior to them in strength? Nor is God to be
frustrated by anything whatever in the heavens or on earth: for He is All-Knowing.
All-Powerful.
035.045 If God were to punish men according to what they deserve. He would not
leave on the back of the (earth) a single living creature: but He gives them respite for
a stated Term: when their Term expires, verily God has in His sight all His Servants.