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

(34:37) It is not your riches nor your children that make you near-stationed to Us, except for him who has faith and acts righteously;⁵⁷ it is they who will receive double the recompense for their deeds. They shall live in lofty mansions in perfect peace.⁵⁸

(34:38) As for those who work against Our Signs so as to frustrate them, they shall be arraigned into the chastisement.

(34:39) Say, (O Prophet): “Verily, my Lord grants provision abundantly to whomsoever He pleases and straitens it for whomsoever He pleases.⁵⁹ Whatever you spend, He will replace it. He is the Best of all Providers.”⁶⁰

(34:40) And on the Day when He will muster them all and will ask the angels: “Are they the ones who worshipped you?”⁶¹

(34:41) They will reply: “Glory to You! You are our Protector, not they.⁶² Nay, they rather used to worship the jinn. Most of them believe in them.”

(34:42) Today none of you has the power to benefit or harm another;⁶³ and We shall say to the evil-doers: “Taste now the chastisement of the Fire which you used to deny, calling it a lie.”

(34:43) When Our Clear Signs are rehearsed to them they say: “This is a person who wants to turn you away from the deities whom your ancestors worshipped.” They say: “This is nothing but an invented falsehood.” And when the Truth came to the unbelievers they declared: “This is nothing but plain sorcery,”

(34:44) whereas We gave them no Books that they could study nor sent to them any warner before you.⁶⁴

(34:45) Those who went before them also denounced (Allah's Messengers) as liars. They have not attained even a tenth of what We had given them. But when they rejected My Messengers, calling them liars, how terrible was My chastisement!⁶⁵

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Commentary

57. This verse is open to two meanings and it appears that both are correct. First, that it is not wealth and children that bring one close to God; rather, it is one's faith and one's good deeds that enable one to achieve proximity with Him. Secondly, it is possible that wealth and children might bring one close to God. However, this is possible only in the case of those righteous believers who spend their wealth in God's cause and who undertake their children's education and upbringing in such a manner that they grow up being God-conscious and upright.

58. Here, one notes a subtle allusion to the fact that the bounties bestowed upon these people will be everlasting, that their reward will never come to an end. This because a person will be constantly apprehensive and unable to enjoy God’s bounties if he is filled with the fear that someday he will be deprived of what he presently has.

59. The purpose behind reiterating this point here is to drive home that a person receives depends this does not necessarily indicate the fact that the extent of livelihood entirely upon God's will. However, that those with whom He is pleased receive a greater portion of it whereas those with whom He is displeased ‘receive less. As part of God’s dispensation, those who believe in God as well as those who do not believe in Him receive their livelihood. A person’s affluence, therefore, does not indicate his proximity with God. By the same token, a person’s stringent circumstances do not necessarily indicate God's displeasure with him. It is common knowledge that wrongdoers and dishonest people often amass heaps of wealth even though God disapproves of their wrong-doing and dishonesty. Under God’s dispensation, a wicked and dishonest person might flourish although wickedness and dishonesty incur His displeasure. Likewise, under God’s dispensation in this world, we find that truthful and honest people sustain financial losses and suffer hardships, and this despite the fact that these qualities enjoy God’s pleasure. Hence, those who consider attainment of material possession and benefit to be the criterion of a person's goodness have completely missed the point. What really matters are the attainment of God's pleasure and the way to attain it is to cultivate those good moral qualities that please Him. If one has these qualities and, in addition to this, enjoys an abundance of worldly bounties, this certainly signifies God's favor upon him. Anyone who is so blessed should thank Him. However, if an evil person rebels against God and is still provided abundant livelihood, this only means that he should get ready to face a rigorous accounting and suffer a woeful chastisement.

60. God is the Provider, the Maker, the Originator and the Bestower. These and other such attributes are essentially God's. Metaphorically, however, some of these might be applied to His creatures. For instance, we say that someone has arranged the means of livelihood for another person, or that he has bestowed something upon another person, or that he has made or invented something. It is in this sense that God has called Himself "the Best of providers". What this means is that as compared with those who are regarded as providers of sustenance, God is by far the Best Provider.

61. From ancient times up to our own polytheists have proclaimed angels to be gods and goddesses, have carved idols in their name and worshipped them. Of these, one might be the god of rain; the other, the god of lightning, and still others of wind, of wealth, of knowledge, and of death and destruction. Now, on the Day of Judgement, God will ask the angels [concerning the unbelievers]: “Are you the ones whom they worshipped?" In other words, did they tell their people that they were the deities whom they should worship? Or did they (that is, the angels) at least desire the people to worship them even if they did not express that desire in so many words? The true purpose of this question is not to ascertain the truth of the matter. What is implicit is whether the angels were happy with the fact that they were made objects of worship? It is also noteworthy that this question will not only be put to angels, but to all those who were ever worshipped in this world. This point is forcefully stressed in a verse of the Qur’an in these words: On the Day when He will muster together all the unbelievers as well as the deities that they worship besides Allah, and He will ask them: “Was it you who caused these servants of Mine to stray away or did they themselves stray away from the Right Path?” (Al-Furqan 25:17.)

62. The angels will respond by proclaiming God’s glory and holiness. They will declare that none had any share in His Divinity, nor could anyone have a share in His right to be worshipped. They will also plead that they are quit of the polytheists and their misdeeds. They will further claim to be servants of none except the One True God.

63. The reference here is to the devils among the jinn. The angels’ reply makes it plain that although the polytheists invoked the angels and made statues and idols of them in keeping with their imagination, nonetheless they actually worshipped ‘devils. It was the devils who had misdirected them to the erroneous path they had taken. It was they who misled them into believing that others rather than God should be invoked and it is to them that offerings should be made.

The verse also lays bare the fallacy of those who consider the jinn to mean inhabitants of mountainous regions or dwellers of the desert or countryside. For it is simply inconceivable that any rational being will take this verse to mean that people used to worship those who lived in the mountains, or that they worshipped villagers and desert-dwellers.

The verse also throws light on another meaning of ‘ibadah. It indicates that ‘ibadah does not merely consist of acts of worship.

Unreservedly following someone’s command or rendering someone total obedience also amounts to ‘ibadah. It is even possible that in this sense one might be engaged in the ‘ibadah of someone at whom one hurls curses, provided that one blindly follows the way he prescribes.

(One might, in fact, be guilty of performing the ‘ibadah of Satan despite cursing him if one follows his commands.) (For other examples, see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, al-Nisa’ 4: n. 145, Vol. II, p. 86; al- Ma'idah 5: n. 91, Vol. II, p. 175; al-Tawbah 9: nn. 29 and 31, Vol. III, pp. 203 and 204; Maryam 19: n. 27, Vol. V, pp. 160-1, and al-Qasas 28: n. 86, Vol. VIL, pp. 239-240.)

64. Never did God reveal a Book or raise a Messenger to direct mankind to worship anyone other than the One True God. The unbelievers’ rejection of the Qur’an and the Prophet's call is, therefore, based on sheer ignorance rather than knowledge. They have no authoritative basis whatsoever for the attitude they have adopted.

65. It is stressed here that the Makkan unbelievers had not achieved even a fraction of the power, glory and prosperity of some of the nations of the past. But when those nations rejected the truths expounded to them by God’s Prophets and persisted in fashioning their lives on false principles, they courted their doom. Their wealth and power simply proved of no avail.