Verses 23–32
34. Saba · Sheba
Makkan54 verses
وَلَا تَنفَعُ ٱلشَّفَٰعَةُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا لِمَنْ أَذِنَ لَهُۥ ۚ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا فُزِّعَ عَن قُلُوبِهِمْ قَالُوا۟ مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمْ ۖ قَالُوا۟ ٱلْحَقَّ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْكَبِيرُ
34:23Intercession is of no avail with Him, except for those whom He permits. When fear is lifted from their hearts, they say, ‘What did your Lord say?’ They say, ‘The truth, and He is the All-exalted, the All-great.’1
۞ قُلْ مَن يَرْزُقُكُم مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ ۖ وَإِنَّآ أَوْ إِيَّاكُمْ لَعَلَىٰ هُدًى أَوْ فِى ضَلَٰلٍۢ مُّبِينٍۢ
34:24Say, ‘Who provides for you from the heavens and the earth?’ Say, ‘Allah! Indeed either we or you are rightly guided or in manifest error.’2
قُل لَّا تُسْـَٔلُونَ عَمَّآ أَجْرَمْنَا وَلَا نُسْـَٔلُ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ
34:25Say, ‘You will not be questioned about our guilt, nor shall we be questioned about what you do.’
قُلْ يَجْمَعُ بَيْنَنَا رَبُّنَا ثُمَّ يَفْتَحُ بَيْنَنَا بِٱلْحَقِّ وَهُوَ ٱلْفَتَّاحُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ
34:26Say, ‘Our Lord will bring us together, then He will judge between us with justice, and He is the All-knowing Judge.’
قُلْ أَرُونِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَلْحَقْتُم بِهِۦ شُرَكَآءَ ۖ كَلَّا ۚ بَلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ
34:27Say, ‘Show me those whom you associate with Him as partners.’ No! [They can never show any such partner]. Indeed, He is Allah, the All-mighty, the All-wise.
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَٰكَ إِلَّا كَآفَّةًۭ لِّلنَّاسِ بَشِيرًۭا وَنَذِيرًۭا وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
34:28We did not send you except as a bearer of good news and warner to all mankind, but most people do not know.*
وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَىٰ هَٰذَا ٱلْوَعْدُ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَ
34:29They say, ‘When will this promise be fulfilled, if you are truthful?’
قُل لَّكُم مِّيعَادُ يَوْمٍۢ لَّا تَسْتَـْٔخِرُونَ عَنْهُ سَاعَةًۭ وَلَا تَسْتَقْدِمُونَ
34:30Say, ‘Your promised hour is a day that you shall neither defer nor advance by an hour.’
وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَن نُّؤْمِنَ بِهَٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانِ وَلَا بِٱلَّذِى بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ ۗ وَلَوْ تَرَىٰٓ إِذِ ٱلظَّٰلِمُونَ مَوْقُوفُونَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ يَرْجِعُ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍ ٱلْقَوْلَ يَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتُضْعِفُوا۟ لِلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوا۟ لَوْلَآ أَنتُمْ لَكُنَّا مُؤْمِنِينَ
34:31The faithless say, ‘We will never believe in this Quran, nor in what was [revealed] before it.’ But if you were to see when the wrongdoers will be made to stop before their Lord casting the blame on one another. Those who were abased will say to those who were arrogant, ‘Had it not been for you, we would surely have been faithful.’
قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوا۟ لِلَّذِينَ ٱسْتُضْعِفُوٓا۟ أَنَحْنُ صَدَدْنَٰكُمْ عَنِ ٱلْهُدَىٰ بَعْدَ إِذْ جَآءَكُم ۖ بَلْ كُنتُم مُّجْرِمِينَ
34:32Those who were arrogant will say to those who were abased, ‘Did we keep you from guidance after it had come to you? No, you were guilty [yourselves].’
Tafsir
Commentary on this passage
Verse 31
1.The behaviour of the rich people in every era is the same, that they deceive the illiterate people and join them with their company and when the work is disturbed, they separate entirely from them and say we have no responsibility. This is their ignorance and then they continue to harass them, but this can all continue only till the end of the world. All these treacheries will end when the chastisement of the hereafter will come forth and cleverness or foolislmess will be useless and seeing the severity of chastisement each will blame the other and ignorant people will claim: If these people would not have misguided, we would have come to the right path. These rich people have misled us. This state of affair has been seen after the martyrdom of Imam Husain (a.s.). They all were celebrating Eid till the martyrdom of Imam Husain (a.s.) and after the martyrdom, Yazeed, Ibne Ziad and Shimr blamed each other for this incident. No one was ready to carry the responsibility of this incident. While in Qiyamat everybody would have to bear the punishment of this deed
Footnotes
Explanations of words and phrases in these verses
- 1
There is difference of opinion as to who is meant by the pronoun of “Quloobehim” - But apparently it denotes the people who shall be in terror on the day of Qiyamat. When they shall be relieved a little they shall ask those who would be safe from this terror as to what decision had the Almighty has taken regarding them (those who are in terror). The reply would be that whatever decision is taken regarding them is absolutely justified. Thus there shall be two groups in Qiyamat. One shall be in terror and the other safe from fear.
- 2
It is a beautiful style of propagation and awakening of consciousness. That the misguided one is not directly referred to as the misguided one. Rather the person is invited to ponder upon the matter that one of the two are on the wrong. Secondly the arrangement of the sentences also announces the reality. That first it mentions about self and about guidance. On the second instance the mention is also about open deviation.
Another point is that ‘Alaa’ is used with guidance and ‘fee’ is used for deviation. The extent of precaution is that a word of a crime is used for oneself while for the opponents the word of action is used, which is a masterpiece of good etiquette.
Benefit
The phrase “Kaffatan Linaas” in the 28th ayat is an announcement of the universality of the prophethood of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.), a declaration that he is the seal of the prophets (a.s.).