A Meccan sura that takes its name from the people of Sheba who were blessed, and then punished for their ingratitude (verses 15–21). The Prophet is first encouraged through references to David and Solomon and how God favored them. The disbelievers of Mecca are warned through a description of the punishment that awaits them on the Day of Resurrection. Two references are made to their accusing the Prophet of madness (verses 8 and 46) and this charge is thoroughly refuted.
In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy
God is All Knowing
1 Praise be to God, to whom belongs all that is in the heavens and earth, and praise be to Him in the life to come. He is the All Wise, the All Aware. 2 He knows all that goes into the earth and all that comes out of it; He knows all that comes down from the heavens and all that goes up to them. He is the Merciful, the Forgiving. 3 Still, the disbelievers say, ‘The Last Hour will never come upon us.’ Say, ‘Yes, by my Lord, [it will], by Him who knows the unseen! Not even the weight of a speck of dust in the heavens or earth escapes His knowledge, nor anything smaller or greater. It is all recorded in a clear Record 4 so that He can reward those who believe and do good deeds: they will have forgiveness and generous provision.’ 5 But as for those who work against Our Revelations, seeking to undermine them, there will be a torment of painful suffering.
6 [Prophet], those who have been given knowledge can see that what has been sent to you from your Lord is the truth, and that it leads to the path of the Almighty, worthy of all praise. 7 But the disbelievers say, ‘Shall we show you a man who claims that, when you have been utterly torn to pieces, you will be raised in a new creation? 8 Has he invented a lie about God? Is he mad?’ No! It is those who do not believe in the life to come who will suffer torment, for they are in gross error. 9 Do they not think about what is in front of them and behind them in the heavens and earth? If We wished, We could make the earth swallow them, or make fragments from the heavens fall down upon them. There truly is a sign in this for every servant who turns back to God in repentance.
David & Solomon are Grateful
10 We graced David with Our favor. We said, ‘You mountains, echo God’s praises together with him, and you birds, too.’ We softened iron for him, 11 saying, ‘Make coats of chain mail and measure the links well.’ ‘Do good, all of you, for I see everything you do.’ 12 And [We subjected] the wind for Solomon. Its outward journey took a month, and its return journey likewise. We made a fountain of molten brass flow for him, and some of the jinn worked under his control with his Lord’s permission. If one of them deviated from Our command, We let him taste the suffering of the blazing flame. 13 They made him whatever he wanted– palaces, [a] statues, basins as large as water troughs, fixed cauldrons. We said, ‘Work thankfully, family of David, for few of my servants are truly thankful.’ 14 Then, when We decreed Solomon’s death, nothing showed the jinn he was dead, but a creature of the earth eating at his stick: when he fell down they realized– if they had known what was hidden they would not have continued their demeaning labor.
15 There was a sign for the people of Sheba, too, in their dwelling place: two gardens, one on the right, one on the left: ‘Eat from what your Lord has provided for you and give Him thanks, for your land is good, and your Lord most forgiving.’ 16 But they paid no heed, so We let loose on them a flood from the dam and replaced their two gardens with others that yielded bitter fruit, tamarisk bushes, and a few lote trees. [b] 17 In this way We punished them for their ingratitude– would We punish anyone but the ungrateful? 18 Also, We had placed, between them and the towns We had blessed, other towns within sight of one another to which they could travel easily–‘ Travel safely in this land by night and by day’– 19 but [still] they complained, ‘Our Lord has made the distance between our staging posts so long!’ [c] They wronged themselves and, in the end, We made their fate a byword, and scattered them in countless fragments. There truly are signs in this for every patient, thankful person. 20 Satan was proved right in his opinion of them, for they all followed him– except for a group of believers– 21 even though he had no authority over them. But [We aim] to distinguish those who believe in the life to come from those who doubt it: [Prophet], your Lord observes everything.
One God, No Partners!
22 Say, ‘Pray to your so-called gods besides God: they do not control even the weight of a speck of dust in heaven or earth, nor do they have any share in them, nor are any of them any help to God. 23 Intercession will not work with Him, except by those to whom He gives permission.’ They will be asked, after the terror is lifted from their hearts [on the Day of Judgement], ‘What did your Lord speak?’ and they will answer, ‘The Truth. He is the Most High, the Most Great.’ 24 Say [Prophet], ‘Who gives you sustenance from the heavens and earth?’ Say, ‘God does,’ and ‘[One party of us] must be rightly guided and the other clearly astray.’ 25 Say, ‘You will not be questioned about our sins, nor will we be questioned about what you do.’ 26 Say, ‘Our Lord will gather us together, then He will judge justly between us; He alone is the All Knowing Judge.’ 27 Say, ‘Show me those you joined to Him as partners. No indeed! He alone is God, the Almighty, the All Wise.’ 28 We have sent you [Prophet] only to bring good news and warning to all people, but most of them do not understand. 29 And they say, ‘If what you say is true, when will this promise be fulfilled?’ 30 Say, ‘You have an appointment for a Day which you cannot put off nor bring forward, even by a single moment.’ [d]
Footnotes a. Mihrab refers to a number of fine edifices, including palaces (al-Mujam al-Wasit). b. Lote tree: a thorny tree, also known as Christ-thorn, with edible fruit. c. For this reading see A. H. Omar and A. S. Makram, Mujam al-Qiraat alQuraniyya (Tehran, 1999), under this verse reference. This seems to make better sense than the other reading ‘Lord, make our journeys further apart’. d. Not ‘an hour’ (al-Mujam al-Wasit). The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics) The Qur'an / a new translation by M. A. S. Abdel Haleem, copyright © 2004 Oxford World's Classics (Oxford University Press). Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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