1. Praise be to Allah – Allah is here praising Himself, and what is intended by it is confirmation of the praise which belongs to Him in every state and emphasises the beauty of Allah – to Whom everything in the heavens and everything in the earth belongs as His kingdom and creation, and praise be to Him in the Next World as well as in this world. His friends will praise Him when they enter the Garden. He is the All-Wise in what He does, the All-Aware of His creation.

2. He knows what goes into the earth – such as water and other things – and what comes out of it – such as plants and other things and what comes down from heaven – such as rain and other things – and what goes up into it – such as actions and other things. And He is the Most Merciful to His friends, the Ever-Forgiving towards them.

3. Those who disbelieve say, ‘The Hour of the Resurrection will never come.’ Say to them, ‘Yes, by my Lord, it certainly will come!’ He is the Knower of the Unseen, Whom not even the weight of the smallest particle eludes, either in the heavens or in the earth; nor is there anything smaller or larger than that which is not in a Clear Book – meaning the Preserved Tablet.

4. This is so that He may recompense those who believe and do right actions. They will have forgiveness and generous provision in Paradise.

5. But those who strive against Our Signs (the Qur’an), trying to nullify them (read as mu’ajizına and mu‘ajjizina), they cannot escape Allah merely by thinking that there will be no Resurrection or punishment, will have a punishment of agonising pain.

6. Those who have been given knowledge – referring here to the believers of the people of the Book such as ‘Abdullah ibn Salam and his people – see ( k n ow) that what has been sent down to you – meaning the Qur’an – from your Lord is the truth and that it guides to the Path of the Almighty, the Praiseworthy.

7. Those who disbelieve say – to one another in astonishment: ‘Shall we lead you to a man – Muhammad – who will tell you that when you have completely disintegrated, you will then be recreated all anew?

8. Has he invented a lie against Allah by saying that, or is he possessed – mad, so that he imagines it?’ Allah says: No indeed! Those who do not believe in the Next World – which involves belief in the Resurrection and the Punishment – are in punishment and deeply misguided – away from the truth in this world.

9. Have they not looked at the sky and the earth in front of them and behind them – and above them and below them? If We willed (read as nasha’, and also yasha’ “He willed”) We would cause the earth to swallow (read as nakhsif and also yakhsif, “He”) them up or make great lumps (read as kisafan and kisfan) fall down (read as nasqit and also yasqit, “He”) on them from the sky. There is certainly a Sign – indicating the power of Allah to resurrect and to do whatever else He wishes – in that – which can be seen – for every remorseful slave.

10. We gave Dawud great favour – meaning Prophethood and a Book – from Us: ‘O mountains and birds, echo with him in his praise – and glorification of Allah!’ And We made iron malleable – like putty in his hands – for him:

11. ‘Make full-length coats of mail – the word sabighat implies that they are so long so that the skirts drag on the ground – measuring the links – the word sard refers to the meshing of the chains of the armour – with care. And act rightly – family of Dawud – all of you, for I see what you do – and will repay you for it.’

12. And We gave Sulayman power over the wind (read as riha and rihuu): a month’s journey in the morning – during the time from dawn up until midday it travelled the distance it takes people a month to travel – and a month’s in the afternoon – covering the distance it takes people a month to travel. And We made a fount of molten brass flow out for him – which flowed for three days and nights like water; and people still use today what Sulayman was given. And some of the jinn worked in front of him by his Lord’s permission (command). And if a single one of them deviates at all from Our command – and does not obey – We make him taste the punishment of the Searing Blaze in the Next World. It is also said that the punishment referred to takes place in this world by being beaten by an angel with a whip that will burn them.

13. They made for him anything he wished: high arches – tall structures which could be climbed by means of ladders – and statues made of brass, glass and marble, as making images was not unlawful in their religion, huge dishes like cisterns big enough for a thousand people, great built-in cooking vats which could not be moved, built from stone taken from mountains in Yemen and which needed rope ladders to be reached. ‘Work, family of Dawud – to obey Allah – in thankfulness for what He has given you!’ But very few of My slaves are thankful and obey Allah out of thankfulness for His blessings upon them.

14. Then when We decreed that he (Sulayman) should die – he died and then remained upright leaning on his staff while dead for a year. The jinn continued to do those arduous tasks as normal. They were not aware that he had died until woodworms ate the staff and he fell down – nothing divulged his death to them except the worm which ate his staff – which he used to discipline them – so that when he fell down dead it was made clear to the jinn that if they had truly had knowledge of the Unseen they would have known that Sulayman had died and they need not have stayed there suffering humiliating punishment – meaning their arduous tasks. They only did so because they thought that Sulayman was still alive. It took some time, because the woodworms could not consume the staff in a day and a night.

15. There was also a sign – indicating the power of Allah Almighty – for Saba’ – the name of the tribe which was named after an Arab ancestor of theirs – in their dwelling place in Yemen: two gardens, one to the right and one to the left of their valley. They were told: ‘Eat of your Lord’s provision and give thanks to Him for His blessing you with the land of Saba’ – a bountiful land of good fertile earth, with no salt in it or gnats, flies, fleas, scorpions or snakes so that a stranger could travel through it without danger and the lice in his clothes would die due to the wholesomeness of its air – and a most forgiving Lord (Allah).’

16. But they turned away from thankfulness and were ungrateful, so We unleashed against them the flood from the great dam – the word for “dam”, ‘arim, comes from ‘urma, and means a structure or something else which blocks the water until the time when it is needed; and it was released on their valley and flooded their gardens and property – and exchanged their two gardens for two others containing bitter-tasting plants and tamarisk and a few lote trees.

17. That exchange is how We repaid them for their ingratitude. Do We repay any but the ungrateful (read as nujazi illa’l-kufura, and also yujaza’ illa’l-kufuru, in which case the meaning becomes, “Are any but the ungrateful repaid”) like this?

18. We placed between them – Saba in Yemen – and the cities We had blessed – with water and trees, meaning the towns of Syria to which they travelled for trade – other clearly conspicuous cities on a continuous route from Yemen to Syria, making them measured stages on the way, in such a way that travellers could be in one town at midday and another at nightfall until the end of the journey, so that they did not need to carry provision or water. Allah said: ‘ Travel between them in safety – without fear – by night and day.’

19. They said, ‘Our Lord, put more distance (read as ba‘id and ba‘id) between our staging posts – on the journey to Syria, so that there are deserts to make the journey too long for the poor people because of the need for riding animals and for carrying provision and water.’ They wronged themselves – with unbelief – so We made legends of them for those after them and scattered them – into little groups throughout the land – without a trace. There are certainly Signs in that for everyone who is steadfast in avoiding acts of disobedience and thankful for blessings received.

20. Iblis was correct (read as saddaqa and sadaqa) in his assessment of them – meaning the unbelievers, including Saba, in thinking that they would follow his misguidance – and they followed him – and proved him correct in what he said – except for a group of believers who did not follow him.

21. He had no authority over them except to enable Us to know – by outward signs – those who believe in the Next World from those who are in doubt about it; and We will repay each group. Your Lord is the Preserver of all things.

22. Say, Muhammad, to the unbelievers of Makka: ‘Call on those you make claims for – to be gods – besides Allah – to help you in the way you claim that they can. Allah says of them: They have no power over even the smallest particle of either good or evil either in the heavens or in the earth. They have no share in them. He (Allah) has no need of their (gods’) support.’

23. Intercession with Him will be of no benefit – this refutes what they say about their gods interceding for them – except from someone who has His permission (read as adhina and udhina). So that when the terror has left (read as fuzza‘a and fazza‘a) their hearts – by Allah’s permission – they will say to one another in joy: ‘What did your Lord say about it?’ They will say, ‘The truth. He is the All-High above His creation, the Most Great.’

24. Say: ‘Who provides for you from the heavens (rain) and earth (plants)?’ Say: ‘Allah. It is certain that one or the other of us, either we or you, is following guidance or else clearly astray.’

25. Say: ‘You will not be asked about any evil we committed and we will not be asked about what you did – because we are innocent of what you did.’

26. Say: ‘Our Lord will bring us all together on the Day of Rising and then will judge between us with the truth. Those who supported the truth will enter the Garden and those who followed falsehood will enter the Fire. He is the Just Decider, the All-Knowing of what to decree.

27. Say: ‘Show me – and inform me about – those you have joined to Him as associates in your worship. No indeed! He is Allah, the Almighty in His command, the All-Wise in managing His creation and having no partner in His kingdom.’

28. We only sent you for the whole of mankind – the adjective is put before the noun in the Arabic to emphasise it – to bring good news of Paradise to the believers and to give warning to the unbelievers of the Punishment; but most of mankind – including the unbelievers of Makka – do not know it.

29. They say, ‘When will this promise of the Punishment come about if you are telling the truth?’

30. Say: ‘You have a promised appointment on a Day – meaning the Day of Resurrection – which you cannot delay or advance a single hour.’

31. Those who disbelieve among the people of Makka say, ‘We will never believe in this Qur’an, nor in what came before it – meaning the Torah and Gospel, which also speak of the Resurrection, because they deny it.’ Allah says: If only you, Muhammad, could see when the wrongdoers (unbelievers) standing in the presence of their Lord, cast accusations back and forth at one another! Those deemed weak (the followers), will say to those deemed great (the leaders), ‘Were it not for you preventing us from believing – we would have been believers in the Prophet!’

32. Those deemed great will say to those deemed weak, ‘Did we debar you from the guidance when it came to you? No, it is you who were evildoers to yourselves.’

33. Those deemed weak will say to those deemed great, ‘No, it was your scheming night and day against us when you commanded us to reject Allah and assign equals (partners) to Him.’ But they (both parties) will show their remorse for not believing in Allah when they see the punishment. The word for “show” here, asarruu, can also mean “conceal”, in which case the meaning is that they will hide their remorse from their companions out of fear of being blamed. We will put iron collars round the necks of those who disbelieved in Hell. Will they be repaid for anything but what they did in this world?

34. We never sent a warner into any city without the affluent people (its leaders) in it saying, ‘We reject what you have been sent with.’

35. They also said, ‘We have more wealth and children than those who believe. We are not going to be punished.

36. Say: ‘My Lord expands the provision of anyone He wills or restricts it – as a test, but the majority of mankind – including the unbelievers of Makka – do not know it.’

37. It is not your wealth or your children that will bring you near to Us, only in the case of people who believe and act rightly; such people will have a multiplied recompense for what they did – ten like it or more. They will be safe from all harm – death and all other harmful things – in the High Halls of Paradise.

38. But people who strive against Our Signs (the Qur’an), trying to nullify them – declare them meaningless – such people will be summoned to the Punishment and will not escape it.

39. Say: ‘My Lord expands the provision of any of His slaves He wills or restricts it – as a test of constriction after expansion, or simply as a test. But anything good you expend will be replaced by Him. He is the Best of Providers.’ The provision anyone gives to his dependants is from the provision of Allah.

40. On the Day We gather them (the idolaters) all together and then say to the angels, ‘Was it you whom these people were worshipping?’,

41. …they will say, ‘Glory be to You! You are above having any partner. You are our Protector, not them. There is no friendship between us and them. No, they were worshipping the jinn – meaning shaytans, by obeying them. They mostly had faith in what they said to them.’

42. Allah says: ‘Today you possess no power to help or harm one another.’ Those who were worshipped will not help those who worshipped them; nor will they intercede for them or punish them. And We will say to those who did wrong and disbelieved: ‘Taste the punishment of the Fire which you denied.’

43. When Our Clear Signs (the Qur’an) are recited to them – on the tongue of Our Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace – they say, ‘This is nothing but a man who wants to debar you from what (the idols) your fathers used to worship.’ They say, ‘This Qur’an is nothing but an invented lie against Allah.’ Those who disbelieve say to the truth, meaning the Qur’an, when it comes to them, ‘This is nothing but downright magic.’

44. We have not given them any books which they are studying; nor did We send, before you, any warner to them. So how can they say that you are lying?

45. Those before them also denied the truth, but these people do not have even a tenth of what We gave to them in terms of strength, long life and great wealth. They denied My Messengers to them; and how complete was My denial! – meaning Allah’s rejection of them with respect to punishment and destruction.

46. Say: ‘I exhort you to do one thing alone: to stand before Allah in pairs and on your own and then reflect. Your companion (Muhammad) is not possessed (mad). He is only a warner come to you ahead of a terrible punishment in the Next World if you disobey Him.’

47. Say to them: ‘I have not asked you for any wage for warning you and conveying the Message: it is all for you. My wage (reward) is the responsibility of Allah alone. He is witness of everything – and knows my truthfulness.’

48. Say: ‘My Lord hurls forth the Truth to His Prophets, the Knower of all unseen things – everything hidden that He has created in the heavens and the earth.’

49. Say: ‘The Truth (Islam) has come. Falsehood (unbelief) cannot originate or regenerate – and has no real effect.’

50. Say: ‘If I am misguided – away from the truth – it is only to my detriment – meaning only he will suffer from the wrong action of his misguidance; but if I am guided, it is by what my Lord reveals to me – through both the Qur’an and other wisdom. He is All-Hearing of supplication, Close at hand.’

51. If you, Muhammad, could only see when they are terrified by the Resurrection, then you would see something terrible – and there is no way out for them to escape from Us, and they are seized from a nearby place (their graves).

52. They will say, ‘We believe in it’ – a reference to either Muhammad or the Qur’an – but how can they reach out for it (faith) from a distant place – meaning from the Next World, when the time for it was this world –

53. …when before they had rejected it in this world, shooting forth about the Unseen, from a distant place? – guessing at matters which are invisible to them and very far from their perception, as when they called the Prophet a magician or a poet or a soothsayer, all of which allegations are mentioned in the Qur’an.

54. A barrier will be set up between them and the thing that they desire, which is acceptance of faith, just as was done with their kind before – the unbelievers before them: they too were in a state of crippling doubt. They doubted what they now believe, and did not recognise the evidence they were shown in this world.