Saba

Alhamdu lillaahil lazee lahoo maa fis samaawaati wa maa fil ardi wa lahul hamdu fil aakhirah; wa Huwal Hakeemul Khabeer

ALL PRAISE is due to God, to whom all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth belongs; and to Him will be due all praise in the life to come. For He alone is truly wise, all-aware:

Ya'lamu maa yaliju fil ardi wa maa yakhruju minhaa wa maa yanzilu minas samaaa'i wa maa ya'ruju feehaa; wa Huwar Raheemul Ghafoor

He knows all that enters the earth, and all that comes out of it, as well as all that descends from the skies, and all that ascends to them. And He alone is a dispenser of grace, truly-forgiving.

Wa qaalal lazeena kafaroo laa taateenas Saa'ah; qul balaa wa Rabbee lataatiyannakum 'Aalimul Ghaib; laa ya'zubu 'anhu misqaalu zarratin fis samaawaati wa laa fil ardi wa laaa asgharu min zaalika wa laaa akbaru illaa fee kitaabim mubeen

And yet, they who are bent on denying the truth assert, “Never will the Last Hour come upon us!” Say: “Nay, by my Sustainer! By Him who knows all that is beyond the reach of a created being’s perception: it will most certainly come upon you!” Not an atom’s weight [of whatever there is] in the heavens or on earth escapes His knowledge; and neither is there anything smaller than that, or larger, but is recorded in [His] clear decree,

Liyajziyal lazeena aamanoo wa 'amilus saalihaat; ulaaa'ika lahum maghfiratunw wa rizqun kareem

to the end that He may reward those who believe and do right­eous deeds: [for] it is they whom forgiveness of sins awaits, and a most excellent sustenance

Wallazeena sa'aw feee aayaatinaa mu'aajizeena ulaaa 'ika lahum 'azaabum mir irjzin aleem

whereas for those who strive against Our messages, seeking to defeat their purpose, there is grievous suffering in store as an outcome of [their] vileness.

Wa yaral lazeena utul 'Ilmal lazeee unzila ilaika mir Rabbika huwal haqqa wa yahdeee ilaaa siraatil 'Azeezil Hameed

NOW THEY who are endowed with [innate] knowl­edge are well aware that whatever has been be­stowed upon thee from on high by thy Sustainer is indeed the truth, and that it guides onto the way that leads to the Almighty, the One to whom all praise is due!

Wa qaalal lazeena kafaroo hal nadullukum 'alaa rajuliny yanabbi 'ukum izaa muzziqtum kulla mumazzaqin innakum lafee khalqin jadeed

As against this, they who are bent on denying the truth say [unto all who are of like mind]: “Shall we point out to you a man who will tell you that [after your death,] when you will have been scattered in countless fragments, you shall - lo and behold! - be [restored to life] in a new act of creation?

Aftaraa 'alal laahi kaziban am bihee jinnah; balil lazeena laa yu'minoona bil Aakhirati fil'azaabi waddad laalil ba'eed

Does he [knowingly] attribute his own lying inventions to God - or is he a madman?” Nay, [there is no madness in this Prophet -] but they who will not believe in the life to come are [bound to lose themselves] in suffering and in a profound aberration.

Afalam yaraw ilaa maa baina aydeehim wa maa khalfahum minas samaaa'i wal ard; in nashad nakhsif bihimul arda aw nusqit 'alaihim kisafam minas samaaa'; inna fee zaalika la Aayatal likulli 'abdim muneeb

Are they, then, not aware of how little of the sky and the earth lies open before them, and how much is hidden from them? [or that,] if We so willed, We could cause the earth to swallow them, or cause fragments of the sky to fall down upon them? In all this, behold, there is a message indeed for every servant [of God] who is wont to turn unto Him [in repentance].

Wa laqad aatainaa Daawooda minnaa fadlany yaa jibaalu awwibee ma'ahoo wattaira wa alannaa lahul hadeed

AND [thus], indeed, did We grace David with Our favour: “O you mountains! Sing with him the praise of God! And [likewise] you birds!” And We softened all sharpness in him,

Ani'mal saabighaatinw wa qaddir fis sardi wa'maloo saalihan innee bimaa ta'maloona Baseer

[and inspired him thus:] “Do good deeds lavishly, without stint, and give deep thought to their steady flow.” And [thus should you all, O believers,] do righteous deeds: for, verily, I see all that you do!

Wa li-Sulaimaanar reeha ghuduwwuhaa shahrunw wa ra-waahuhaa shahrunw wa asalnaa lahoo 'ainal qitr; wa minal jinni mai ya'malu baina yadaihi bi izni Rabbih; wa mai yazigh minhum 'an amrinaa nuziqhu min 'azaabis sa'eer

AND UNTO Solomon [We made subservient] the wind: its morning course [covered the distance of] a month’s journey, and its evening course, a month’s journey. And We caused a fountain of molten copper to flow at his behest; and [even] among the invisible beings there were some that had [been constrained] to labour for him by his Sustainer’s leave and whichever of them deviated from Our command, him would We let taste suffering through a blazing flame -:

Ya'maloona lahoo ma yashaaa'u mim mahaareeba wa tamaaseela wa jifaanin kaljawaabi wa qudoorir raasiyaat; i'maloo aala Daawooda shukraa; wa qaleelum min 'ibaadiyash shakoor

they made for him whatever he wished of sanctuaries, and statues, and basins as [large as] great watering - troughs, and cauldrons firmly anchored. [And We said:] “Labour, O David’s people, in gratitude [towards Me] and [remember that] few are the truly grateful [even] among My servants!”

Falammaa qadainaa 'alaihil mawta ma dallahum 'alaa mawtiheee illaa daaabbatul ardi taakulu minsa atahoo falammaa kharra tabaiyanatil jinnu al law kaanoo ya'lamoonal ghaiba maa labisoo fil 'azaabil muheen

Yet [even Solomon had to die; but] when We decreed that he should die, nothing showed them that he was dead except an earthworm that gnawed away his staff. And when he fell to the ground, those invisible beings [subservient to him] saw clearly that, had they but understood the reality which was be­yond the reach of their perception, they would not have continued [to toil] in the shameful suffering [of servitude]

Laqad kaana li Saba-in fee maskanihim Aayatun jannataani 'ai yameeninw wa shimaalin kuloo mir rizq Rabbikum washkuroolah; baldatun taiyibatunw wa Rabbun Ghafoor

INDEED, in [the luxuriant beauty of] their homeland, the people of Sheba had an evidence [of God’s grace] two [vast expanses of] gardens, to the right and to the left, [calling out to them, as it were:] “Eat of what your Sustainer has provided for you, and render thanks unto Him: a land most goodly, and a Sustainer much-forgiving!”

Fa-a''radoo fa-arsalnaa 'alaihim Sailal 'Arimi wa baddalnaahum bijannataihim jannataini azwaatai ukulin khamtinw wa aslinw wa shai'im min sidrin qaleel

But they turned away [from Us], and so We let loose upon them a flood that overwhelmed the dams, and changed their two [expanses of luxuriant] gardens into a couple of gardens yielding bitter fruit, and tamarisks, and some few [wild] lote-trees:

Zaalika jazainaahum bimaa kafaroo wa hal nujaazeee illal kafoor

thus We requited them for their having denied the truth. But do We ever requite [thus] any but the utterly ingrate?

Wa ja'alnaa bainahum wa bainal qural latee baaraknaa feehaa quran zaahiratanw wa qaddamaa feehas sayr; seeroo feehaa la yaalirya wa aiyaaman aamineen

Now [before their downfall,] We had placed between them and the cities which We had blessed [many] towns within sight of one another; and thus We had made traveling easy [for them, as if to say]: “Travel safely in this [land], by night or by day!”

Faqaaloo Rabbanaa baa'id baina asfaarinaa wa zalamooo anfusahum faja'alnaahum ahaadeesa wa mazzaq naahum kulla mumazzaq; inna fee zaalika la Aayaatil likulli sabbaarin shakoor

But now they would say, “Long has our Sus­tainer made the distance between our journey- stages!” - for they had sinned against themselves. And in the end We caused them to become [one of those] tales [of things long past], and scattered them in countless fragments. Herein, behold, there are messages indeed for all who are wholly patient in adversity and deeply grate­ful [to God].

Wa laqad saddaq 'alaihim Ibleesu zannnabhoo fattaba'oohu illaa fareeqam minal mu'mineen

Now, indeed, Iblis did prove that his opinion of them had been right: for [when he called them,] they followed him - all but some of the believers [among them].

Wa maa kaana lahoo 'alaihim min sultaanin illaa lina'lama mai yu minu bil Aakhirati mimman huwa minhaa fee shakk; wa Rabbuka 'alaa kulli shai'in Hafeez

And yet, he had no power at all over them: [for if We allow him to tempt man,] it is only to the end that We might make a clear distinction between those who [truly] believe in the life to come and those who are in doubt thereof: for thy Sustainer watches over all things.

Qulid 'ul lazeena za'amtum min doonil laahi laa yamlikoona misqaala zarratin fissamaawaati wa laa fil ardi wa maa lahum feehimaa min shirkinw wa maa lahoo minhum min zaheer

SAY: “Call upon those [beings] whom you imagine [to be endowed with divine powers] beside God: they have not an atom’s weight of power either in the heavens or on earth, nor have they any share in [governing] either, nor does He [choose to] have any helper from among them.”

Wa laa tanfa'ush shafaa'atu 'indahooo illaa liman azina lah; hattaaa izaa fuzzi'a 'an quloobihim qaaloo maazaa qaala Rabbukum; qaalul haqq, wa Huwal 'Aliyul Kabeer

And, before Him, intercession can be of no avail [to any] save one in whose case He may have granted leave [there for]: so much so that when the terror [of the Last Hour] is lifted from their hearts, they [who have been resurrected] will ask [one an­other], “What has your Sustainer decreed [for you]?” - [to which] the others will answer, “Whatever is true and deserved - for He alone is exalted, great!”

Qul mai yarzuqukum minas samaawaati wal ardi qulil laahu wa innaaa aw iyyaakum la'alaa hudan aw fee dalaalim mubeen

Say: “Who is it that provides for you sus­tenance out of the heavens and the earth?” Say: “It is God. And, behold, either we [who believe in Him] or you [who deny His oneness] are on the right path, or have clearly gone astray!”

Qul laa tus'aloona 'ammaaa ajramnaa wa laa nus'alu 'ammaa ta'maloon

Say: “Neither shall you be called to account for whatever we may have become guilty of, nor shall we be called to account for whatever you are doing.”

Qul yajma'u bainanaa Rabbunaa summa yaftahu bainanaa bilhaqq; wa Huwal Fattaahul 'Aleem

Say: “Our Sustainer will bring us all together [on Judgment Day], and then He will lay open the truth between us, in justice - for He alone is the One who opens all truth, the All-Knowing!”

Qul arooniyal lazeena alhaqtum bihee shurakaaa'a kallaa; bal Huwal Laahul 'Azeezul Hakeem

Say: “Point out to me those [beings] that you have joined with Him [in your minds] as partners [in His divinity]! Nay - nay, but He [alone] is God, the Almighty, the Wise!”

Wa maaa arsalnaaka illaa kaaffatal linnaasi basheeranw wa nazeeranw wa laakinna aksaran naasi laa ya'lamoon

NOW [as for thee, O Muhammad,] We have not sent thee otherwise than to mankind at large, to be a herald of glad tidings and a warner; but most people do not understand [this],

Wa yaqooloona mataa haazal wa'du in kuntum saadiqeen

and so they ask, “When is this promise [of resurrection and judgment] to be fulfilled? [Answer this, O you who believe in it,] if you are men of truth!”

Qul lakum mee'aadu Yawmil laa tastaakhiroona 'anhu saa'atanw wa la tastaqdimoon

Say: “There has been appointed for you a Day, which you can neither delay nor advance by a single moment.”

Wa qaalal lazeena kafaroo lan nu'mina bihaazal Quraani wa laa billazee baina yadayh; wa law taraaa iziz zaalimoona mawqoofoona 'inda Rabbihim yarji'u ba'duhum ilaa ba'dinil qawla yaqoolul lazeenas tud'ifoo lillazeenas takbaroo law laaa antum lakunnaa mu'mineen

And [yet,] those who are bent on denying the truth do say, “We shall never believe in this Qur’an, and neither in whatever there still remains of earlier revelations!” But if thou couldst only see [how it will be on Judgment Day,] when these evildoers shall be made to stand before their Sustainer, hurling reproaches back and forth at one another! Those [of them] who had been weak [on earth] will say unto those who had gloried in their arrogance: “Had it not been for you, we would certainly have been believers!”

Qaalal lazeenas takbaroo lillazeenas tud'ifooo anahnu sadadnaakum 'anil hudaa ba'da iz jaaa'akum bal kuntum mujrimeen

[And] those who were wont to glory in their arrogance will say unto those who had been weak: “Why - did we keep you [forcibly] from following the right path after it had become obvious to you? Nay, it was but you [yourselves] who were guilty!”

Wa qaalal lazeenastud'ifoo lillazeenas takbaroo bal makrul laili wannahaari iz taamuroonanaaa an nakfura billaahi wa naj'ala lahooo andaadaa; wa asarrun nadaamata lammaa ra awul 'azaab; wa ja'alnal aghlaala feee a'naaqil lazeena kafaroo; hal yujzawna illaa maa kanoo ya'maloon

But those who had been weak will say unto those who had gloried in their arrogance: “Nay, [what kept us away was your] devising of false arguments, night and day, [against God’s messages- as you did] when you persuaded us to blaspheme against God and to claim that there are powers that could rival Him!” And when they see the suffering [that awaits them], they will [all] be unable to express [the full depth of] their remorse: for We shall have put shackles around the necks of those who had been bent on denying the truth: [and] will this be aught but a [just] requital for what they were doing?

Wa maaa arsalnaa' fee qaryatim min nazeerin illaa qaala mutrafooaa innaa bimaaa ursiltum bihee kaafiroon

For [thus it is:] whenever We sent a warner to any community, those of its people who had lost themselves entirely in the pursuit of pleasures would declare, “Behold, we deny that there is any truth in [what you claim to be] your message!” –

Wa qaaloo nahnu aksaru amwaalanw wa awlaadanw wa maa nahnu bimu 'azzabeen

and they would add, “Richer [than you] are we in wealth and in children, and [so] we are not going to be made to suffer!”

Qul inna Rabbee yabsutur rizqa limai yashaaa'u wa yaqdiru wa laakinna aksaran naasi laa ya'lamoon

Say: “Behold, my Sustainer grants abundant sustenance, or gives it in scant measure, unto whomever He wills: but most men do not understand [God’s ways].”

Wa maaa amwaalukum wa laaa awlaadukum billatee tuqarribukum 'indanaa zulfaaa illaa man aamana wa 'amila saalihan fa ulaaa'ika lahum jazaaa'ud di'fi bimaa 'amiloo wa hum fil ghurufaati aaminoon

For, it is neither your riches nor your children that can bring you nearer to Us: only he who attains to faith and does what is right and just [comes near unto Us]; and it is [such as] these whom multiple recompense awaits for all that they have done; and it is they who shall dwell secure in the mansions [of paradise] –

Wallazeena yas'awna feee Aayaatinaa mu'aajizeena ulaaa'ika fil'azaabi muhdaroon

whereas all who strive against Our messages, seeking to defeat their purpose, shall be given over to suffering.

Qul inna Rabbee yabsutur rizqa limai yashaaa'u min 'ibaadihee wa yaqdiru lah; wa maaa anfaqtum min shai'in fahuwa yukhlifuhoo wa Huwa khairur raaziqeen

Say: “Behold, my Sustainer grants abundant sustenance, or gives it in scant measure, unto whomever He wills of His servants; and whatever it be that you spend on others, He [always] replaces it: for He is the best of providers.”

Wa yawma yahshuruhum jamee'an summa yaqoolu lilmalaaa'ikati a-haaa'ulaaa'i iyyaakum kaanoo ya'budoon

And [as for those who now deny the truth,] one Day He will gather them all together, and will ask the angels, “Was it you that they were wont to worship?”

Qaaloo Subhaanaka Anta waliyyunaa min doonihim bal kaanoo ya'budoonal jinna aksaruhum bihim mu'minoon

They will answer: “Limitless art Thou in Thy glory! Thou [alone] art close unto us, not they! Nay, [when they thought that they were worshipping us,] they were but [blindly] worshipping forces concealed from their senses; most of them believed in them.”

Fal Yawma laa yamliku ba'dukum liba'din naf'anw wa laa darraa; wa naqoolu lilzeena zalamoo zooqoo 'azaaban Naaril latee kuntum bihaa tukazziboon

And [on that Day God will say]: “None of you [created beings] has today any power to benefit or to harm another!” And [then] We shall say unto those who had been bent on evildoing: “Taste [now] that suffering through fire which you were wont to call a lie!”

Wa izaa tutlaa 'alaihim Aayaatunaa baiyinaatin qaaloo maa haazaa illaa rajuluny yureedu ai-yasuddakum 'ammaa kaana ya'budu aabaaa'ukum wa qaaloo maa haazaaa illaaa ifkum muftaraa; wa qaalal lazeena kafaroo lilhaqqi lammaa jaaa'ahum in haazaaa illaa sihrum mubeen

For [thus it is:] whenever Our messages are conveyed unto them in all their clarity, they [who are bent on denying the truth] say [to one another], “This [Muhammad] is nothing but a man who wants to turn you away from what your forefathers were wont to worship!” And they say, “This [Qur’an] is nothing but a falsehood invented [by man]!” And [finally,] they who are bent on denying the truth speak thus of the truth when it comes to them: “This is clearly nothing but spellbinding eloquence!”

Wa maaa aatainaahum min Kutubiny yadrusoonahaa wa maaa arsalnaaa ilaihim qablaka min nazeer

And yet, [O Muhammad,] never have We vouchsafed them any revelations which they could quote, and neither have We sent unto them any warner before thee.

Wa kazzabal lazeena min qablihim wa maa balaghoo mi'shaara maaa aatainaahum fakazzaboo Rusulee; fakaifa kaana nakeer

Thus, too, gave the lie to the truth [many of] those who lived before them; and although those [earlier people] had not attained to even a tenth of [the evidence of the truth] which We have vouch­safed unto these [late successors of theirs], yet when they gave the lie to My apostles, how awesome was My rejection!

Qul innamaaa a'izukum biwaahidatin an taqoomoo lillaahi masnaa wa furaadaa summa tatafakkaroo; maa bisaahibikum min jinnah; in huwa illaa nazeerul lakum baina yadai 'azaabin shadeed

Say: “I counsel you one thing only: Be [ever­ conscious of] standing before God, whether you are in the company of others or alone; and then bethink yourselves [that] there is no madness in [this pro­phet,] your fellow-man: he is only a warner to you of suffering severe to come.”

Qul maa sa-altukum min ajrin fahuwa lakum in ajriya illaa 'alal laahi wa Huwa 'alaa kullin shai-in Shaheed

Say: “No reward have I ever asked of you [out of anything] that is yours: my reward rests with none but God, and He is witness unto everything!”

Qul inna Rabbee yaqzifu bilhaqq 'Allaamul Ghuyoob

Say: “Verily, my Sustainer hurls the truth [against all that is false] He who fully knows all the things that are beyond the reach of a created being’s perception!”

Qul jaaa'al haqqu wa maa yubdi'ul baatilu wa maa yu'eed

Say: “The truth has now come [to light, and falsehood is bound to wither away]: for, falsehood cannot bring forth anything new, nor can it bring back [what has passed away].”

Qul in dalaltu fainnamaaa adillu 'alaa nafsee wa inih-tadaitu fabimaa yoohee ilaiya Rabbee; innahoo Samee'un Qareeb

Say: “Were I to go astray, I would but go astray [due to my own self, and] to the hurt of myself; but if I am on the right path, it is but by virtue of what my Sustainer reveals unto me: for, verily, He is all-hearing, ever-near!”

Wa law taraaa iz fazi'oo falaa fawta wa ukhizoo mim makaanin qareeb

IF THOU couldst but see [how the deniers of the truth will fare on Resurrection Day,] when they will shrink in terror, with nowhere to escape - since they will have been seized from so close nearby

Wa qaloo aamannaa bihee wa annaa lahumut tanaawushu mim makaanim ba'eed

and will cry, “We do [now] believe in it!” But how can they [hope to] attain [to salvation] from so far away,

Wa qad kafaroo bihee min qablu wa yaqzifoona bilghaibi mim makaanim ba'eed

seeing that aforetime they had been bent on denying the truth, and had been wont to cast scorn, from far away, on something that was beyond the reach of human perception?

Wa heela bainahum wa baina maa yashtahoona kamaa fu'ila bi-ashyaa'ihim min qabl; innahum kaanoo fee shakkim mureeb

And so, a barrier will be set between them and all that they had [ever] desired, as will be done to such of their kind as lived before their time: for, behold, they [too] were lost in doubt amounting to suspicion.