Verse 34:17 in Context

Translator Abdel Haleem

13 یَعۡمَلُونَ لَهُۥ مَا یَشَاۤءُ مِن مَّحَـٰرِیبَ وَتَمَـٰثِیلَ وَجِفَانࣲ كَٱلۡجَوَابِ وَقُدُورࣲ رَّاسِیَـٰتٍۚ ٱعۡمَلُوۤا۟ ءَالَ دَاوُۥدَ شُكۡرࣰاۚ وَقَلِیلࣱ مِّنۡ عِبَادِیَ ٱلشَّكُورُ ۝١٣ yaʿmalūna lahu mā yashāu min maḥārība watamāthīla wajifānin kal-jawābi waqudūrin rāsiyātin iʿ'malū āla dāwūda shuk'ran waqalīlun min ʿibādiya l-shakūr They made him whatever he wanted- palaces, 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 فَلَمَّا قَضَیۡنَا عَلَیۡهِ ٱلۡمَوۡتَ مَا دَلَّهُمۡ عَلَىٰ مَوۡتِهِۦۤ إِلَّا دَاۤبَّةُ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ تَأۡكُلُ مِنسَأَتَهُۥۖ فَلَمَّا خَرَّ تَبَیَّنَتِ ٱلۡجِنُّ أَن لَّوۡ كَانُوا۟ یَعۡلَمُونَ ٱلۡغَیۡبَ مَا لَبِثُوا۟ فِی ٱلۡعَذَابِ ٱلۡمُهِینِ ۝١٤ falammā qaḍaynā ʿalayhi l-mawta mā dallahum ʿalā mawtihi illā dābbatu l-arḍi takulu minsa-atahu falammā kharra tabayyanati l-jinu an law kānū yaʿlamūna l-ghayba mā labithū fī l-ʿadhābi l-muhīn 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 labour 15 لَقَدۡ كَانَ لِسَبَإࣲ فِی مَسۡكَنِهِمۡ ءَایَةࣱۖ جَنَّتَانِ عَن یَمِینࣲ وَشِمَالࣲۖ كُلُوا۟ مِن رِّزۡقِ رَبِّكُمۡ وَٱشۡكُرُوا۟ لَهُۥۚ بَلۡدَةࣱ طَیِّبَةࣱ وَرَبٌّ غَفُورࣱ ۝١٥ laqad kāna lisaba-in fī maskanihim āyatun jannatāni ʿan yamīnin washimālin kulū min riz'qi rabbikum wa-ush'kurū lahu baldatun ṭayyibatun warabbun ghafūru 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 فَأَعۡرَضُوا۟ فَأَرۡسَلۡنَا عَلَیۡهِمۡ سَیۡلَ ٱلۡعَرِمِ وَبَدَّلۡنَـٰهُم بِجَنَّتَیۡهِمۡ جَنَّتَیۡنِ ذَوَاتَیۡ أُكُلٍ خَمۡطࣲ وَأَثۡلࣲ وَشَیۡءࣲ مِّن سِدۡرࣲ قَلِیلࣲ ۝١٦ fa-aʿraḍū fa-arsalnā ʿalayhim sayla l-ʿarimi wabaddalnāhum bijannatayhim jannatayni dhawātay ukulin khamṭin wa-athlin washayin min sid'rin qalīli 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

17 ذَ ٰلِكَ جَزَیۡنَـٰهُم بِمَا كَفَرُوا۟ۖ وَهَلۡ نُجَـٰزِیۤ إِلَّا ٱلۡكَفُورَ ۝١٧ dhālika jazaynāhum bimā kafarū wahal nujāzī illā l-kafūr In this way We punished them for their ingratitude- would We punish anyone but the ungrateful

18 وَجَعَلۡنَا بَیۡنَهُمۡ وَبَیۡنَ ٱلۡقُرَى ٱلَّتِی بَـٰرَكۡنَا فِیهَا قُرࣰى ظَـٰهِرَةࣰ وَقَدَّرۡنَا فِیهَا ٱلسَّیۡرَۖ سِیرُوا۟ فِیهَا لَیَالِیَ وَأَیَّامًا ءَامِنِینَ ۝١٨ wajaʿalnā baynahum wabayna l-qurā allatī bāraknā fīhā quran ẓāhiratan waqaddarnā fīhā l-sayra sīrū fīhā layāliya wa-ayyāman āminīn 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 فَقَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَا بَـٰعِدۡ بَیۡنَ أَسۡفَارِنَا وَظَلَمُوۤا۟ أَنفُسَهُمۡ فَجَعَلۡنَـٰهُمۡ أَحَادِیثَ وَمَزَّقۡنَـٰهُمۡ كُلَّ مُمَزَّقٍۚ إِنَّ فِی ذَ ٰلِكَ لَءَایَـٰتࣲ لِّكُلِّ صَبَّارࣲ شَكُورࣲ ۝١٩ faqālū rabbanā bāʿid bayna asfārinā waẓalamū anfusahum fajaʿalnāhum aḥādītha wamazzaqnāhum kulla mumazzaqin inna fī dhālika laāyātin likulli ṣabbārin shakūri but [still] they complained, ‘Our Lord has made the distance between our staging posts so long!’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 وَلَقَدۡ صَدَّقَ عَلَیۡهِمۡ إِبۡلِیسُ ظَنَّهُۥ فَٱتَّبَعُوهُ إِلَّا فَرِیقࣰا مِّنَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِینَ ۝٢٠ walaqad ṣaddaqa ʿalayhim ib'līsu ẓannahu fa-ittabaʿūhu illā farīqan mina l-mu'minīn Satan was proved right in his opinion of them, for they all followed him- except for a group of believers 21 وَمَا كَانَ لَهُۥ عَلَیۡهِم مِّن سُلۡطَـٰنٍ إِلَّا لِنَعۡلَمَ مَن یُؤۡمِنُ بِٱلۡءَاخِرَةِ مِمَّنۡ هُوَ مِنۡهَا فِی شَكࣲّۗ وَرَبُّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَیۡءٍ حَفِیظࣱ ۝٢١ wamā kāna lahu ʿalayhim min sul'ṭānin illā linaʿlama man yu'minu bil-ākhirati mimman huwa min'hā fī shakkin warabbuka ʿalā kulli shayin ḥafīẓu 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