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 31-36وَ قَالَAnd sayالَّذِیْنَthose whoكَفَرُوْاdisbelieveلَنْNever willنُّؤْمِنَwe believeبِهٰذَاin thisالْقُرْاٰنِQuranوَ لَاand notبِالَّذِیْin (that) whichبَیْنَ(was) before itیَدَیْهِ ؕ(was) before itوَ لَوْBut ifتَرٰۤیyou (could) seeاِذِwhenالظّٰلِمُوْنَthe wrongdoersمَوْقُوْفُوْنَwill be made to standعِنْدَbeforeرَبِّهِمْ ۖۚtheir Lordیَرْجِعُwill throw backبَعْضُهُمْsome of themاِلٰیtoبَعْضِothersِ۟الْقَوْلَ ۚthe wordیَقُوْلُWill sayالَّذِیْنَthose whoاسْتُضْعِفُوْاwere oppressedلِلَّذِیْنَto those whoاسْتَكْبَرُوْاwere arrogantلَوْ لَاۤIf notاَنْتُمْ(for) youلَكُنَّاcertainly we (would) have beenمُؤْمِنِیْنَ believers 34. Saba Page 432قَالَWill sayالَّذِیْنَthose whoاسْتَكْبَرُوْاwere arrogantلِلَّذِیْنَto thoseاسْتُضْعِفُوْۤاwho were oppressedاَنَحْنُDid weصَدَدْنٰكُمْavert youعَنِfromالْهُدٰیthe guidanceبَعْدَafterاِذْwhenجَآءَكُمْit had come to youبَلْNayكُنْتُمْyou wereمُّجْرِمِیْنَ criminals وَ قَالَAnd will sayالَّذِیْنَthose whoاسْتُضْعِفُوْاwere oppressedلِلَّذِیْنَto those whoاسْتَكْبَرُوْاwere arrogantبَلْNayمَكْرُ(it was) a plotالَّیْلِ(by) nightوَ النَّهَارِand (by) dayاِذْwhenتَاْمُرُوْنَنَاۤyou were ordering usاَنْthatنَّكْفُرَwe disbelieveبِاللّٰهِin Allahوَ نَجْعَلَand we set upلَهٗۤfor Himاَنْدَادًا ؕequalsوَ اَسَرُّواBut they will concealالنَّدَامَةَthe regretلَمَّاwhenرَاَوُاthey seeالْعَذَابَ ؕthe punishmentوَ جَعَلْنَاAnd We will putالْاَغْلٰلَshacklesفِیْۤonاَعْنَاقِ(the) necksالَّذِیْنَ(of) those whoكَفَرُوْا ؕdisbelievedهَلْWillیُجْزَوْنَthey be recompensedاِلَّاexceptمَا(for) whatكَانُوْاthey used toیَعْمَلُوْنَ do وَ مَاۤAnd notاَرْسَلْنَاWe sentفِیْtoقَرْیَةٍa townمِّنْanyنَّذِیْرٍwarnerاِلَّاbutقَالَsaidمُتْرَفُوْهَاۤ ۙits wealthy onesاِنَّاIndeed weبِمَاۤin whatاُرْسِلْتُمْyou have been sentبِهٖwithكٰفِرُوْنَ (are) disbelievers وَ قَالُوْاAnd they sayنَحْنُWeاَكْثَرُ(have) moreاَمْوَالًاwealthوَّ اَوْلَادًا ۙand childrenوَّ مَاand notنَحْنُweبِمُعَذَّبِیْنَ will be punished قُلْSayاِنَّIndeedرَبِّیْmy Lordیَبْسُطُextendsالرِّزْقَthe provisionلِمَنْfor whomیَّشَآءُHe willsوَ یَقْدِرُand restrictsوَ لٰكِنَّbutاَكْثَرَmostالنَّاسِ[the] peopleلَا(do) notیَعْلَمُوْنَ۠know

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Translation of Verse 31-36

(34:31) The unbelievers say: “We shall never believe in this Qur'an, nor in any Scripture before it.”⁵⁰ If you could only see the wrong-doers arrayed before their Lord, each bandying charges against the other. Those who were suppressed will say to those who waxed arrogant: “Had it not been for you, we would have been believers.”⁵¹

(34:32) The arrogant ones will retort to those who were suppressed: “What! Did we bar you from the guidance after it came to you? Not at all; rather you yourselves were evil-doers.”⁵²

(34:33) Those who were suppressed will say to those who waxed arrogant: “By no means; it was your scheming, night and day, when you would enjoin us to disbelieve in Allah and set up others as equals to Him.”⁵³ When they are confronted with the chastisement, they will be remorseful in their hearts. We shall put fetters around the necks of the unbelievers. Can people be requited except for their deeds?

(34:34) We never sent a warner to any town but its wealthy ones said: “We disbelieve in the Message you have brought.”⁵⁴

(34:35) They always said: “We have more wealth and children than you have, and we shall not be chastised.”⁵⁵

(34:36) (O Prophet), say to them: “My Lord grants provision abundantly to whomsoever He pleases and straitens it for whomsoever He pleases. But most people do not know this.⁵⁶

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Commentary

50. The reference here is to the unbelieving Arabs who did not recognize any Scripture.

51. That is, the common people who blindly follow their leaders, chiefs, spiritual guides and rulers and are altogether unwilling to give heed to any well-wisher’s advice if it is discordant with the ‘orientation of those they follow. On the Day of Judgement, they will know fully what the Truth is and what they had been led to believe. A time will come when these common people will realize how they had been misled by their own leaders to the doom that would then stare them in their faces. They will turn to their leaders in utter disgust and reproachfully scream at them, blaming them for leading them astray and landing them in a mire of woes. Had it not been for their leaders’ misguidance, they will contend, they would have accepted the teachings of God’s Messengers and prospered.

52. In turn their leaders will point out that they [to wit, their leaders] were few in number and hence did not have the power to force these teeming millions to follow them. If their followers had wanted to believe, they could have overwhelmed their tribal chiefs, religious guides and rulers. On the contrary, it is the mass of followers who provided the necessary manpower to their guides to error and became the source of their strength and material resources. If not for their offerings and tributes, these leaders would have been bereft of the resources necessary to make their enterprise operational. Had they not taken an oath of fealty at the hands of their so-called religious guides, their religious adventure would have been in the doldrums.

Had they not raised vociferous slogans to exalt them, they would have had no locus standi. These followers were virtually the army of their false leaders whose support strengthened their hold.

As for their failure to follow the way shown by the Messengers, the leaders will claim that the followers themselves are to be blamed for it rather than anyone else. The main reason for their not believing in the Messengers was their own disinclination: they were the slaves of their desires and material interests. It is that which made them averse to the course of piety and uprightness taught by the Messengers. It was because of this weakness that they felt more attracted to the erroneous doctrines and corrupt ways of their false leaders rather than to the teachings of God’s Messengers. The common pursuit of material interests and desires served as a mutual bond between them and their leaders. They followed only those degenerate religious leaders who would let them freely indulge in all kinds of sin and still assure them of deliverance on the Day of Judgement, providing they received an offering from them in return. They trusted only those fake religious leaders who could offer them a garbled version of faith and make religion a slave of their whims and fancies. They were interested only in worldly affluence in disregard of the Hereafter. In like manner, corrupt and morally depraved rulers suited them, for they helped them lead the kind of life they wished. In this respect, there was a mutual understanding between these depraved leaders and their followers.

Hence, the follower’s claim that they were innocent victims who had been compelled into professing false beliefs was simply farcical.

53. “The arrogant ones” will contend that their followers were equally responsible for straying. The followers will contest this and say to their leaders that they had totally enchanted them by their machinations, deceptive moves, and false propaganda. They will also emphatically point out the myriad tactics they constantly employed to entrap God’s creatures. They will also argue that in addition to exposing their followers to the charms of worldly. life, these leaders had befooled them and employed ever new tricks to entrap them. (For further details see al-A‘raf 7:38-39; Ibrahim 14:21; al-Qasas 28:63; al-Ahzab 33:66-68; al-Mu'min 40:47-48 and Ha’ Mim al-Sajdah 41:29.)

54. It is frequently stated in the Qur’an that the affluent have always been at the forefront of those who oppose the call of me Prophets. (See al-An‘am 6:123; al-A‘raf 7:60-66, 75, 87 and 90; Hud 11:27; Bani Isra’il 17:16; al-Mu'minun 23:24, 33-38 and 46-47; and. al- Zukhruf 43:23.)

55. The affluent unbelievers used to contend that they were nearer to and greater favorites of God than the believers. This was the reason why, they would argue, God had lavished His bounties upon them in great abundance whereas He had ‘deprived the believers of those bounties or had endowed upon them less abundantly. Had He been unfavorably disposed towards the unbelievers, it is inconceivable that He would have lavished upon them such conspicuous prosperity, riches and glory. They further argued that since it could be seen by anyone that the unbelievers enjoyed God's favors in this life, what justified the belief that He would chastise them in the Life-to-Come? It stands to reason, they would say, that if there is to be any chastisement in the Hereafter its victims will not be they but those who are devoid of God's favors in the present life.

At several places the Qur’an refutes the misconception of those who are excessively enamored with the glamour of worldly life. See, for example, al-Baqarah 2:126-212; al-Tawbah 9:55-69; Hud 11:3-27; al-Ra‘d 13:26; al-Kahf 18:37-43,; Maryam 19:73-77; Ta Ha 20:131; al-Mu’minun 23:55-61; al-Shu'arā' 26:111; al-Qaşaş 28:76–83; al-Rūm 30:9; al- Muddaththir 74:11-26, and al-Fajr 89:15-20.

56. The unbelievers simply do not understand the purpose and wisdom underlying the distribution of sustenance in the world. They fall prey to the misconception that those who are rolling in wealth are necessarily God's favorites and that those who have been granted provisions on a limited scale are subject to His wrath. Were one to observe things carefully one would see that quite often conspicuous prosperity is the lot of those who are most notoriously wicked and corrupt. On the other hand, those who are upright and whose excellence of character is acclaimed by everyone, live in straitened circumstances. That being the case, how can any reasonable person say that God dislikes people of sterling moral character and likes those that are wicked and mischievous?