Surah Saba [Saba] in English

All praise be to Allah to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, and all praise be to Him in the World to Come. He is Most Wise, All-Aware.

He knows what penetrates into the earth and what goes forth from it, what descends from the heaven and what ascends to it. He is the Most Merciful, the Most Forgiving.

The unbelievers say: “How come the Hour is not coming upon us!” Say to them: “Yes indeed, by my Lord, by Him Who fully knows the realm beyond the ken of perception, that the Hour shall inevitably come upon you. Nothing escapes Him, not even the smallest particle in the heavens or the earth; nor is anything smaller or bigger than that but is in a Manifest Book.”

(The Hour shall come) that He may reward those who believe and do righteous deeds. Theirs shall be forgiveness and a generous provision.

As for those who worked against Our Signs in order to frustrate them, they shall suffer a painful chastisement.

(O Prophet), those who have knowledge see clearly that what has been revealed to you from your Lord is the Truth and directs to the Way of the Most Mighty, the Immensely Praiseworthy Lord.

The unbelievers say: “Shall we direct you to the man who tells you that when you have been utterly broken to pieces, you will be raised to life again?

Has he forged a lie against Allah, or is he afflicted with madness?” Nay, but those who do not believe in the Hereafter are doomed to be chastised and are far gone in error.

Do they not see how the heavens and the earth encompass them from the front and the rear? We could, if We so wished, cause the earth to swallow them or let fragments of the sky fall upon them. Verily there is a Sign in this for every servant (of Allah) who penitently turns to Him.

We bestowed Our favour upon David. (We commanded): “O mountains, sing Allah's praises with him”; (and so did We command) the birds. We softened the iron for him, (saying):

“Fashion coats of mail and measure their links with care and act righteously. I am watching over whatever you do.”

And We subdued the wind to Solomon: its morning course was a month's journey and its evening course was a month's journey. We gave him a spring flowing with molten brass, and We subdued for him jinn who, by his Lord's permission, worked before him. Such of them as swerved from Our commandment, We let them taste the chastisement of the Blazing Fire.

They made for him whatever he would desire: stately buildings, images, basins like water-troughs and huge, built-in-cauldrons: “Work, O house of David, in thankfulness (to your Lord). Few of My servants are truly thankful.”

When We executed Our decree of death on Solomon, nothing indicated to the jinn that he was dead except a worm eating away his staff. So when Solomon fell down, the jinn realised that had they known what lies in the realm beyond perception, they would not have continued to be in this humiliating chastisement.

For Sheba there was also a Sign in their dwelling place: the two gardens to the right and to the left. “Eat of your Lord's provision, and render thanks to Him. Most pleasant is your land and Most Forgiving is your Lord.”

But they turned away and so We let loose upon them a devastating flood that swept away the dams and replaced their gardens by two others bearing bitter fruits, tamarisks, and a few lote trees.

Thus did We retribute them for their ingratitude. And none do We retribute in this manner except the utterly ungrateful.

We placed other prominent towns between them, the towns that We had blessed and had set well-measured stages between them. Move back and forth between them, night and day, in perfect security.

But they said: “Lord, make the stages of our journeys longer.” They wronged their own selves so We reduced them to bygone tales, and utterly tore them to pieces. Verily there are Signs in this for everyone who is steadfast and thankful.

Iblis found his estimate of them to be true, and they followed him, except a party of the believers.

Iblis had no authority over them and whatever happened was in order that We might know him who believes in the Hereafter as distinct from him who is in doubt about it. Your Lord is watchful over everything.

(O Prophet), say to those who associate others with Allah in His Divinity: “Call upon those whom you fancied to be deities beside Allah. They own not even the smallest particle, neither in the heavens nor on the earth; nor do they have any share in the ownership of either of them. Nor is any of them even a helper of Allah.

No intercession can avail with Allah except for him whom Allah permits (to intercede). When their hearts are relieved of fright they will ask the intercessors: “What did your Lord say?” They will reply: “(He said) what is right, and He is the High, the Great.”

Ask them, (O Prophet): “Who provides you sustenance from the heavens and the earth?” Say: “Allah. Now, inevitably only one of us is rightly guided, either we or you; and the other is in manifest error.”

Tell them: “You will not be called to account about the guilt we committed, nor will we be called to account for what you did.”

Say: “Our Lord will bring us together and then He will rightly judge between us. He is the Great Judge, the All-Knowing.”

Say: “Show me those whom you have attached to Him as His associates (in Divinity).” Nay, Allah alone is Most Mighty, Most Wise.

(O Prophet), We have not sent you forth but as a herald of good news and a warner for all mankind. But most people do not know.

They ask you: “When will this promise (of Resurrection) be fulfilled, if what you say is true?”

Say: “Your day is appointed, you can neither hold back its coming by an hour, nor hasten it by an hour.”

The unbelievers say: “We shall never believe in this Qur'an, nor in any Scripture before it.” 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.”

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.”

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.” 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?

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

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

(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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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,”

whereas We gave them no Books that they could study nor sent to them any warner before you.

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!

Say to them, (O Prophet): “I give you but one counsel: stand up (for heaven's sake), singly and in pairs, and then think: what is it in your companion (to wit, Muhammad) that could be deemed as madness?” He is nothing but a warner, warning you before the coming of a grevious chastisement.

Say to them: “Whatever recompense I might ask of you, it shall be yours. My recompense is with Allah, and He is witness over everything.”

Say to them: “My Lord hurls down the Truth (upon me). He knows fully all that lies beyond the range of perception.”

Say: “The Truth has come and falsehood can neither originate nor recreate anything.”

Say: “If I go astray then the hurt of straying will come only upon me. But if I am rightly-guided, that is only because of the revelation that my Lord makes to me. He is All-Hearing, Ever Nigh.”

If you could only see when the unbelievers will go about in a state of terror. They will have no escape and will be seized from a place near at hand.

They will then say: “We believe in it”; but whence can they attain it from so far-off a place?

They disbelieved in it before and indulged in conjectures from far away.