Surah 34. Saba

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Verses [Section]: 1-11[1], 12-21 [2], 22-30 [3], 31-36 [4], 37-45 [5], 46-54 [6]

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Quran Text of Verse 37-45وَ مَاۤAnd notاَمْوَالُكُمْyour wealthوَ لَاۤand notاَوْلَادُكُمْyour childrenبِالَّتِیْ[that]تُقَرِّبُكُمْwill bring you closeعِنْدَنَاto Usزُلْفٰۤی(in) positionاِلَّاbutمَنْwhoeverاٰمَنَbelievesوَ عَمِلَand doesصَالِحًا ؗrighteousnessفَاُولٰٓىِٕكَthen thoseلَهُمْfor themجَزَآءُ(will be) rewardالضِّعْفِtwo-foldبِمَاfor whatعَمِلُوْاthey didوَ هُمْand theyفِی(will be) inالْغُرُفٰتِthe high dwellingsاٰمِنُوْنَ secure وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoیَسْعَوْنَstriveفِیْۤagainstاٰیٰتِنَاOur Versesمُعٰجِزِیْنَ(to) cause failureاُولٰٓىِٕكَthoseفِیintoالْعَذَابِthe punishmentمُحْضَرُوْنَ (will be) brought قُلْSayاِنَّIndeedرَبِّیْmy Lordیَبْسُطُextendsالرِّزْقَthe provisionلِمَنْfor whomیَّشَآءُHe willsمِنْofعِبَادِهٖHis slavesوَ یَقْدِرُand restrictsلَهٗ ؕfor himوَ مَاۤBut whatاَنْفَقْتُمْyou spendمِّنْofشَیْءٍanythingفَهُوَthen Heیُخْلِفُهٗ ۚwill compensate itوَ هُوَand Heخَیْرُ(is the) Bestالرّٰزِقِیْنَ (of) the Providers 34. Saba Page 433وَ یَوْمَAnd (the) DayیَحْشُرُهُمْHe will gather themجَمِیْعًاallثُمَّthenیَقُوْلُHe will sayلِلْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةِto the AngelsاَهٰۤؤُلَآءِWere these youاِیَّاكُمْWere these youكَانُوْاthey wereیَعْبُدُوْنَ worshipping قَالُوْاThey will sayسُبْحٰنَكَGlory be to YouاَنْتَYouوَلِیُّنَا(are) our Protectorمِنْnot themدُوْنِهِمْ ۚnot themبَلْNayكَانُوْاthey usedیَعْبُدُوْنَ(to) worshipالْجِنَّ ۚthe jinnاَكْثَرُهُمْmost of themبِهِمْin themمُّؤْمِنُوْنَ (were) believers فَالْیَوْمَBut todayلَاnotیَمْلِكُpossess powerبَعْضُكُمْsome of youلِبَعْضٍon othersنَّفْعًاto benefitوَّ لَاand notضَرًّا ؕto harmوَ نَقُوْلُand We will sayلِلَّذِیْنَto thoseظَلَمُوْاwho wrongedذُوْقُوْاTasteعَذَابَ(the) punishmentالنَّارِ(of) the Fireالَّتِیْwhichكُنْتُمْyou usedبِهَاto [it]تُكَذِّبُوْنَ deny وَ اِذَاAnd whenتُتْلٰیare recitedعَلَیْهِمْto themاٰیٰتُنَاOur Versesبَیِّنٰتٍclearقَالُوْاthey sayمَاNotهٰذَاۤ(is) thisاِلَّاbutرَجُلٌa manیُّرِیْدُwho wishesاَنْtoیَّصُدَّكُمْhinder youعَمَّاfrom whatكَانَusedیَعْبُدُ(to) worshipاٰبَآؤُكُمْ ۚyour forefathersوَ قَالُوْاAnd they sayمَاNotهٰذَاۤ(is) thisاِلَّاۤexceptاِفْكٌa lieمُّفْتَرًی ؕinventedوَ قَالَAnd saidالَّذِیْنَthose whoكَفَرُوْاdisbelievedلِلْحَقِّabout the truthلَمَّاwhenجَآءَهُمْ ۙit came to themاِنْNotهٰذَاۤ(is) thisاِلَّاexceptسِحْرٌa magicمُّبِیْنٌ obvious وَ مَاۤAnd notاٰتَیْنٰهُمْWe (had) given themمِّنْanyكُتُبٍScripturesیَّدْرُسُوْنَهَاwhich they could studyوَ مَاۤand notاَرْسَلْنَاۤWe sentاِلَیْهِمْto themقَبْلَكَbefore youمِنْanyنَّذِیْرٍؕwarner وَ كَذَّبَAnd deniedالَّذِیْنَthose whoمِنْ(were) before themقَبْلِهِمْ ۙ(were) before themوَ مَاand notبَلَغُوْاthey have attainedمِعْشَارَa tenthمَاۤ(of) whatاٰتَیْنٰهُمْWe (had) given themفَكَذَّبُوْاBut they deniedرُسُلِیْ ۫My Messengersفَكَیْفَso howكَانَwasنَكِیْرِ۠My rejection

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Translation of Verse 37-45

37. Neither your wealth nor your children will bring you nearer ⁷⁶ to Us, but those who believe and perform righteous deeds; ⁷⁷ such will be doubly rewarded for their deeds; they will dwell in peace in the lofty mansions (of Paradise).

38. And those who strive to make Our revelations ineffective will be brought for punishment ! ⁷⁸

39. Say: “Verily my Lord gives to His slaves abundantly of the provision whom He will and sparingly ⁷⁹ (whom He will). And whatever you spend (in charity), He replaces it, and He is the Best of Providers. ⁸⁰ ”

40. And on the day when He will gather them all togather, He will ask the angels: “Was it you that these worshipped? ⁸¹

41. They will say: “Immaculate are you; You are our protecting friend, not they.⁸² Nay, but they worshipped the jinn; most of them were believers in them.⁸³”

42. This day you will have no power to help or harm one another.⁸⁴ And We will say to the wrong-doers: ⁸⁵ “Taste the punishment of Fire, which you persistently denied.”

43. When Our clear revelations are recited to them, they say: “This is nothing but a man ⁸⁶ who would turn you away from that which your fathers used to worship.” And they say: “This (Quran) is nothing but an invented lie.” And the disbelievers say of the truth when it reaches them: “This is nothing but plain magic.”

44. We have given them no scripture to study nor have We sent them before any warner.⁸⁷

45. Those who have gone before them (also) denied. These have not got even a tenth of what We gave to those, ⁸⁸(yet) they denied My messenger. So then how (terrible) was My rejection (of them)

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Commentary

76. It is the negation of this view of the deniers that whoever has plenty of riches and children, he is the favourite slave of God and nearer to Him. These things are enjoyed even by those who are evil doers, criminals and bad people. How can this be considered as the sign of nearness to God?

77. Faith and righteous acts are the things which can guarantee nearness to God, and persons having these attributes can only be Allah’s favourite slaves.

78. Those who are active in opposing Allah’s commands and teachings of His messengers will surely receive punishment, however rich they might have been in the world and however large might have been the number of their children. All their pomp and grandeur will remain in the world only and in the Hereafter they will be subjected to punishment.

79. This topic had gone before, By the addition of the words ‘to His slaves’ the idea is to express His attributes of providing livelihood to His creatures.

80. That is: Ponder over His attribute of being a Provider. He is constantly providing you livelihood. Whatever you spend, He replenishes it with the result that you never feel that you are in want of any provision. How much good a Provider He is! Even then you are not thankful to Him.

81. Here one more scene of the Day of Resurrection is presented. When the polytheists will be gathered in the ground of ‘Hashr’ Allah will ask the angels: Did these people worship you?

82. In reply the angels will praise the Lord mentioning His immaculateness, that He is absolutely free of and above the need for having partners. Then they would say that they had not made these misled people their friends to be pleased with their worshipping them and having any relation with them, their (angels’) friend was and is only Allah.

83. The angels will further say that the misled people were worshipping the jinns, and they believed in them only. It means that if they worshipped the angels, they did so at the bidding of the Satanic jinns. They were also ardent believers of the jinns, that they regularly followed them and persisted in their misguidance, the angels had nothing to do with them. This statement of the angels will make their worshippers realise this fact that to make angels their deities and partners of Allah was not right.

84. After this statement of the angels, polytheists who had expected intercession at the hands of the angels, will be disappointed that they were of no use for them. This is the consequence of living on the support or beings other than Allah.

85.’Zalim’ means wrong doer, one whose belief and acts are against the truth and justice, and on this account one is doing excess (wrong) on his own self. In this ayah, as is clear from the context, wrong doer refers to polytheists and deniers of the Hereafter.

86. That is: He is not a divine messenger.

87. That is: For the Bani Ismail (these Arabs) no divine scriptures were sent down, as the Torah and Injeel were revealed for the Bani Israil. This was an unlettered nation, and no prophet after Prophet Ismail was sent among them. Therefore, after a very long time, the Prophet who has been sent to them and the Book which has been revealed to him for their benefit, must be appreciated by them that Allah has made such an arrangement for their right guidance, and what an elevated position Allah wants to give them. But these people instead of appreciating the Prophet and the Book, declare them to be false and magic.

88. Refers to those nations of past who had great might and power, and enjoyed plentiful resources of livelihood, e.g. the community of A’d, the community of Firaun, etc. Compared to them the Quraish had neither that might and power nor those resources. They had neither any army, nor their civilization was progressive or developed. Nor did they have plentiful economic resources.