Surah “Saba, Sheba”

as rendered by Zulfiquar Ali Bhotto — 54 verses

Praise be to Allah, the one who to Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, and to Him belongs [all] praise in the Hereafter. And He is the Wise, the Acquainted.
He knows what enters in the earth and what exits from it and what descends from the heaven and what ascends therein. And He is the Merciful, the Forgiving.
And those who disbelieved said, "The Hour will not come to us." Say, "No but is there [in the Hour]. By my Lord, it will surely come to you. [Allah is] the Knower of the unseen." Not absent from Him, an atom's weight in the heavens or in the earth or [anything] smaller than that or greater, except that it is in an obvious book,
To reward those who believed and worked the righteous deeds. Those for them will be forgiveness, and a noble provision.
And those who strove in Our verses to cause failure; those - for them will be a torment of foul nature, painful.
And those who are given the knowledge see that what was sent down to you [O Muhammad] from your Lord is the truth, and it guides to the path of the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy.
But those who disbelieved said, "Shall we take you [men] upon a man [Muhammad] who will inform you [like] when you have disintegrated in total disintegration, indeed you will surely be in a new creation?"
Did he invent against Allah a lie or is there in him a madness? No but is there [in new creation]. Those who do not believe in the Hereafter are in the torment and the farthest astray.
Then, do they not see towards what is between their hands [ocean surface] and what is behind them [gravity surface] of the heaven and earth [Qur'an 36:41-43]? If We will, We will glide the earth down with them or let fall upon them fragments [shooting meteor] from the sky. Indeed in that is a sign for every repenting slave.
And We already gave David a bounty from Us. [We said], "O mountains, sing [Our] praises with him, and [also] you the birds." And We softened the iron for him,
[Commanding him], "that you should make coats of armor and measure concerning the links [of the armor well], and [you and your team] should work righteousness. Indeed I am about what you all are working, Observing."
And to Solomon [We subjected] the wind - its morning [journey was equal to the journey of] a month - and its afternoon [journey was that of] a month, and We made fountain of the molten copper to flow for him [in a volcano]. And from the jinn who were working between his hands by the permission of his Lord. And whoever of them deviated from Our command - We let him taste the torment of the Blaze.
They made for him whatever he willed of shrines, statues, bowls like reservoirs, and stationary pots. [We said], "Work, O family of David, thankfully." And a few of My salves are thankful.
So when We decreed the death upon Solomon, he could not indicate them [all the slaves] over his death except a creature of the earth to eat his staff. So when he fell, it demonstrated to the jinn that if they had known the unseen, they would not have remained in humiliating torment.
There was already for [the tribe of] Sheba in their residence a sign: two gardens, on the right and on the left. [They were told], "Eat from the livelihood of your Lord and be thankful to Him. A good city and a forgiving Lord."
But they turned away, so We sent upon them the flood of the dam, and We substituted their two gardens by gardens of bitter fruit, tamarisks and something of sparse lote trees.
That is how We penalized them by what they disbelieved. And do We [ever] penalize except the infidels?
And We placed between them and between the towns which We had blessed in them, dazzling towns. And We measured the progress in the prominent towns, [saying], "You should progress concerning the dazzling towns [keeping the climates of] nights and days secured."
But [insolently] they said, "Our Lord, remove [the constraint lying] between our progresses." And they oppressed themselves, so We made them, narrations and We dispersed them in every dispersion. Indeed in that are signs for everyone patient and thankful.
And Iblees already verified upon them his assumption [changing nature, Qur'an 4:119], so they followed him, except a party of believers.
And he had over them no authority except that We may know who believes in the Hereafter from whom he is thereof in suspicion. And your Lord, over every thing, is a Guardian.
Say, "Call those you claim [as deities] other than Allah." They do not own an atom's weight in the heavens or in the earth, and they do not have therein any partnership [with Him], nor is there for Him from them any assistant.
And the intercession does not benefit on anyone interceded except for whom He permits for him [to be so] as just when panic [of His presence] is removed from their hearts, they [undeserving ones] would say, "What has your Lord said?" They [deserving ones] will say, "The truth. And He is the Most High, the Grand."
Say, "Who provides for you all from the heavens and the earth?" Say, "Allah. And surely we or you all are either upon guidance or in obvious astray."
Say, "You [O Men] will not be asked on what we committed, nor we will be asked on what you worked."
Say, "Our Lord will gather between us [your fake deities]; then He will conquer [them] between us by the truth. And He is the Conqueror, the Knowing."
Say, "Demonstrate to me those whom you attached to Him as `associates'. No such is there [to demonstrate]. No but is there. He [alone] is Allah, the All-Mighty, the Irrefutable."
And We have not sent you [O Muhammad] except comprehensively for the mankind as a bringer of good tidings and a warner. But most of the mankind do not know.
And they say [to muslims], "When is this promise, if you should be truthful?"
Say [O Muhammad], "For you is the appointment of a Day, you cannot delay thereof an hour, nor can you advance [it]."
And those who disbelieved said, "We will not believe in this Qur'an nor in that [Day] which is in between its two hands [Qur'an 34:29]." But if you [O Muhammad] could see when the oppressors are stalled before their Lord [on a Day, Qur'an 34:29], some of them will refer to other the saying. Those who were weakened will say to those who were arrogant, "If not for you, we would have been believers."
Those who were arrogant will say to those who were weakened, "Did we bar you from guidance after when it came to you? No but is there! you were criminals."
Those who were weakened will say to those who were arrogant, "No but is there [we were]. It was [outcome of the] conspiracy of night and day when you were ordering us to disbelieve in Allah and to set up rivals to Him." But they hide the regret when they saw the torment; and We placed shackles through the necks of those who disbelieved. Will they be penalized except what they were working on?
And We did not send into a town any warner except its affluent people said, "Indeed we, in what you were sent with, are infidels."
And they said, "We are more [against the believers] in wealth and children, and we will not be tormented."
Say, "Indeed, my Lord extends livelihood for whom He wills and constricts [it], but most of the people do not know."
And not your wealth nor your children regarding that [security, Qur'an 34:35] will bring greeting to you from Us a greeting except whoever [of you] believed and worked righteous. So those for them there will be the double reward about what they worked, and they will be in the chambers [of Paradise], secured.
And those who strive in Our verses- to cause failure - those who will be brought in the torment.
Say, "Indeed, my Lord extends the livelihood for whom He wills of His slaves and constricts - according to it [a principle] - with for He will compensate based on whatever of a thing or nothing you spend [in His cause, respectively], and He is the best of providers."
And [mention] a Day when He will gather them all together and then ask to the angels, "Did those to you they were worshiping?
They will say, "Exalted are You [O Allah]. You are our Guardian, rather than them. No but is there. They were worshiping the jinn as most of them were believers in them."
So today some of you for other will own no benefit nor harm, and We will say to those who oppressed, "Taste the punishment of the Fire, which you were therein belying."
And when our proof verses are recited upon them, they say, "Not except a human is this, who wants to avert you from what your fathers were worshiping." And they said, "Not except an invented lie is this!" And those who disbelieved said for the truth when it came to them, "Left is nothing, this to be except an obvious magic."
[Saying such nonsense] while We did not give them any books, they could study, while We had not sent to them before you, [O Muhammad], a warner.
And those before them belied, and they [infidel of Mecca] had not reached a tenth of what We had given them. And they belied My messengers; so how it was [how] My disapproval?
Say, "I only advise you [O men] by one advice - that you purify for Allah in pairs or singly then give thought." There is in your friend no madness. He is left to be nothing except a warner for you, [warning of falling] between hands of a great torment.
Say, "Whatever of a payment I may have asked you, then it is for yours. Left upon none my payment to be except upon Allah, and He is, over every thing, a Witness."
Say, "Indeed, my Lord strikes by the truth. Knower of the unseen."
Say, "The truth has come, and falsehood can neither starts nor repeats."
Say, "If I stray, I stray only against myself. But if I am guided, then it is by what my Lord reveals to me. Indeed, He is Hearing, Welcoming."
And if you [O Muhammad] could see when they will be terrified for having no escape while being seized from a welcoming place,
And they would [then] say, "We believe in it [Qur'an, Qur'an 34:50]!" But how for them will be the taking [of faith] from a place far away?
And they had already disbelieved in it before and utter conjectures about the unseen from a place far away [Qur'an 34:3, Qur'an 34:35].
And [such conjectures] was tricked between them and between what they desire like was done by their prior sects. Indeed, they were in disquieting doubt.