Surah 38. Sad

And so³⁴ We made subservient to him the wind, so that it gently sped at his behest withersoever he willed,³⁵

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., as a reward for his humility and turning-away from worldly ambitions, implied in the prayer, "Forgive me my sins".

Cf. 21:81 and the corresponding note [75]. For the meaning, in general, of the many legends surrounding the person of Solomon, see note [77] on 21:82 .

We accepted his prayer and subjected to him the wind, which blew gently in whichever direction he wanted;

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So We subjected to him the wind, blowing gently at his command to wherever he pleased.

  - Mustafa Khattab

So We made the wind subservient unto him, setting fair by his command whithersoever he intended.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Then We subjected the Wind to his power to flow gently to his order whithersoever he willed ⁴¹⁹³

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. xxi. 81, and n. 2736.

as well as all the rebellious forces [that We made to work for him]-every kind of builder and diver -

  - Mohammad Asad

and the shaitans (Jinns) including all kind of builders, divers

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And 'We subjected to him' every builder and diver¹ of the jinn,

  - Mustafa Khattab

 The jinn dived to bring him pearls.

And the unruly, every builder and diver (made We subservient),

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

As also the evil ones (including) every kind of builder and diver ⁴¹⁹⁴

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. xxi. 82, and n. 2738. Cf. also xxxiv. 12-13 and notes there: in the latter passage the spirits mentioned are called Jinns. The divers were probably those employed in pearl-fisheries.

and others linked together in fetters.³⁶

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., subdued and, as it were, tamed by him: see note [76] on 21:82 , which explains my rendering, in this context, of shayatln as "rebellious forces".

and others fettered in chains.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

and others bound together in chains.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And others linked together in chains,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

As also others bound together in fetters. ⁴¹⁹⁵

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. xiv. 49, where the same expression "bound together in fetters" is applied to Sinners on the Day of Judgment.

[And We told him:] "This is Our gift, for thee to bestow freely on others, or to withhold, without [having to render] account!"

  - Mohammad Asad

We said to him: "This is Our gift: you may give or withhold to whomever you want, without any accountability."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'Allah said,' 'This is Our gift, so give or withhold 'as you wish', never to be called to account.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

(Saying): This is Our gift, so bestow thou, or withhold, without reckoning.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"Such are Our Bounties: whether thou bestow them (on others) or withhold them no account will be asked." ⁴¹⁹⁶

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Allah bestowed such abundant powers and bounties on Solomon that they could not be counted or measured: and he was free to give away anything he liked or keep anything he liked. In this was great temptation for an ordinary man. Solomon as a prophet withstood it and asked to be forgiven for power and such a kingdom as others might not be able to use lawfully. His earthly kingdom went to pieces after his death. But his name and fame endure. And what is more, he obtained a place among the Nearest Ones to Allah. See next verse.

And, verily, nearness to Us awaits him life to comer, and the most beauteous of all goals

  - Mohammad Asad

Surely he has a place of nearness to Us and will have an excellent place of final abode.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And he will indeed have 'a status of' closeness to Us and an honourable destination!

  - Mustafa Khattab

And lo! he hath favor with Us, and a happy journey's end.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And he enjoyed indeed a Near Approach to Us and a beautiful Place of (final) Return. ⁴¹⁹⁷

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The same words are used of David in xxxviii. 25 above, thus symmetrically closing the argument about the two greatest kings in Israel.

AND CALL to mind Our servant Job,³⁷ [how it was] when he cried out to his Sustainer, "Behold, Satan has afflicted me with [utter] weariness and suffering!"³⁸

  - Mohammad Asad

See note [78] on 21:83 .

I.e., with life-weariness in consequence of suffering. As soon as he realizes that God has been testing him, Job perceives that his utter despondency and weariness of life - eloquently described in the Old Testament (The Book of Job iii) - was but due to what is described as "Satan's whisperings": this is the moral to be drawn from the above evocation of Job's story.

Mention Our devotee Ayub (Job), when he called upon his Rabb saying: "Shaitan has afflicted me with distress and suffering,"

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And remember Our servant Job, when he cried out to his Lord, 'Satan has afflicted me with distress and suffering.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

And make mention (O Muhammad) of Our bondman Job, when he cried unto his Lord (saying): Lo! the devil doth afflict me with distress and torment.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Commemorate Our servant Job behold he cried to his Lord: "The Evil One has afflicted me with distress and suffering"! ^{4198 4199}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

For this passage, verses 41-44, Cf. xxi. 83-84.

The distress was of many kinds. See n. 2739 to xxi. 83. He suffered from loathsome sores; he lost his home, his possessions, and his family; and almost his balance of mind. But he did not lose Faith but turned to Allah (see verse 44 below), and the recuperative process began.

[and thereupon was told:] "Strike [the ground] with thy foot: here is cool water to wash with and to drink!"³⁹

  - Mohammad Asad

According to the classical commentators, the miraculous appearance of a healing spring heralded the end of Job's suffering, both physical and mental.

and We asked him: "Strike your foot on the ground. A cool spring will gush forth. Wash and drink to refresh yourself."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'We responded,' 'Stomp your foot: 'now' here is a cool 'and refreshing' spring for washing and drinking.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

(And it was said unto him): Strike the ground with thy foot. This (spring) is a cool bath and a refreshing drink.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

(The command was given:) "Strike with thy foot: here is (water) wherein to wash cool and refreshing and (water) to drink." ⁴²⁰⁰

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The recuperative process having begun, he was commanded to strike the earth or a rock with his foot, and a fountain or fountains gushed forth,-to give him a bath and clean his body; to refresh his spirits; and to give him drink and rest. This is a fresh touch, not mentioned in S. xxi. or in the Book of Job, but adding beautifully to our realisation of the picture.

And We bestowed upon him new offsprin ,⁴⁰ doubling their number as an act of grace from Us, and as a reminder unto all who are endowed with insight.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "his family" (cf. 21:84 and the corresponding note [79]).

And We restored to him his family and many more with them as a grace from Ourselves and a reminder for the people of understanding.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And We gave him back his family, twice as many, as a mercy from Us and a lesson for people of reason.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And We bestowed on him (again) his household and therewith the like thereof, a mercy from Us, and a memorial for men of understanding.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And We gave him (back) his people and doubled their number as a Grace from Ourselves and a thing for commemoration for all who have Understanding. ⁴²⁰¹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. xxi. 84, and notes 2739-2740.

[And finally We told him:] "Now take in thy hand a small bunch of grass, and strike therewith, and thou wilt not break shine oath!"⁴¹ - for, verily, We found him full of patience in adversity: how excellent a servant [of Ours], who, behold, would always turn unto us

  - Mohammad Asad

In the words of the Bible (The Book of Job ii, 9), at the time of his seemingly hopeless suffering Job's wife reproached her husband for persevering in his faith: "Doss thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God, and die." According to the classical Qur'an-commentators, Job swore that, if God would restore him to health, he would punish her blasphemy with a hundred stripes. But when he did recover, he bitterly regretted his hasty oath, for he realized that his wife's "blasphemy" had been an outcome of her love and pity for him; and thereupon he was told in a revelation that he could fulfil his vow in a symbolic manner by striking her once with "a bunch of grass containing a hundred blades or more". (Cf. 5:89 - 'God will not take you to task for oaths which you may have uttered without thought.")

Then, to fulfill his oath of giving his wife one hundred strikes which he made during his sickness, We said: "Take a bunch of twigs and strike with it and do not break your oath." Certainly We found him full of patience. He was an excellent devotee, who turned to Us over and over again.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'And We said to him,' 'Take in your hand a bundle of grass, and strike 'your wife' with it, and do not break your oath.'¹ We truly found him patient. What an excellent servant 'he was'! Indeed, he 'constantly' turned 'to Allah'.

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Job was afflicted with losing his children, community, and with a long illness. Only his wife stayed with him. He once became angry with his wife and vowed to give her one hundred lashes if he recovered. When Job’s affliction was lifted, he became remorseful at what he had said. To help Job fulfil his vow without harming his wife, Allah ordered him to strike her with a bundle of one hundred blades of grass.

And (it was said unto him): Take in thine hand a branch and smite therewith, and break not twine oath. Lo! We found him steadfast, how excellent a slave! Lo! he was ever turning in repentance (to his Lord).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"And take in thy hand a little grass and strike therewith: and break not (thy oath)." Truly We found him full of patience and constancy: how excellent in Our service! Ever did he turn (to Us)! ^{4202 4203}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

In his worst distress Job was patient and constant in faith, but apparently his wife was not. According to the Book of Job (ii. 9-10), "Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips." He must have said in his haste to the woman that he would beat her: he is asked now to correct her with only a wisp of grass, to show that he was gentle and humble as well as patient and constant.

Cf. xxxviii. 30 above, where similar words are spoken of Solomon. Patience and constancy are also a form of service, if our attitude is due to an active faith in Allah, and not mere passivity. So Milton in his Sonnet: "They also serve who only stand and wait. "

AND CALL to mind Our servants Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, [all of them] endowed with inner strength and vision:

  - Mohammad Asad

And mention Our devotees Ibrahim (Abraham), Ishaq (Isaac) and Ya'qoob (Jacob): men of power and vision.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And remember Our servants: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob- the men of strength and insight.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And me mention of our bondmen, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, men of parts and vision.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And commemorate Our servants Abraham Isaac and Jacob possessors of Power and Vision. ⁴²⁰⁴

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

In the last Sura (xxxvii. 83-113). Abraham and Isaac (and by implication Jacob) were mentioned as resisting Evil and winning through. Here they are mentioned as men with spiritual power and vision. Israelite patriarchs, who bore witness to the Gospel of the Hereafter, and were therefore a blessing to their people, for they taught the Truth.

for, verily, We purified them by means of a thought most pure: the remembrance of the life to come.⁴²

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "of the [final] abode".

Surely We chose them for their special quality of keeping in mind the abode of hereafter.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

We truly chose them for the honour of proclaiming the Hereafter.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Lo! We purified them with a pure thought, remembrance of the Home (of the Hereafter).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Verily We did chose them for a special (purpose) proclaiming the Message of the Hereafter.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And, behold, in Our sight they were indeed among the elect, the truly good!

  - Mohammad Asad

Certainly they are with Us; among the best chosen.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And in Our sight they are truly among the chosen and the finest.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Lo! in Our sight they are verily of the elect, the excellent.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

They were in Our sight truly of the company of the Elect and the Good.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And call to mind Ishmael and Elisha,⁴³ and every one who [like them] has pledged himself [unto Us]:⁴⁴ for, each of them was of the truly good!

  - Mohammad Asad

Al-Yasa' in Arabic - the Biblical prophet who succeeded Elijah (see surah {37}, note [48]).

For an explanation of this rendering of dhu 'l-kifl, see surah {21}, note [81].

Also mention Isma'il, Al-Yas'a (Elisha) and Zul-Kifl; all of them were among the best.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Also remember Ishmael, Elisha, and Ⱬul-Kifl.¹ All are among the best.

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Scholars are in disagreement as to whether Ⱬul-Kifl was a prophet or just a righteous man. Those who maintain that he was a prophet identify him with various Biblical prophets such as Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Obadiah.

And make mention of Ishmael and Elisha and Dhul Kifl. All are of the chosen.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And commemorate Ismail Elisha and Zul-Kifl: each of them was of the company of the Good. ⁴²⁰⁵

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Isma'il, the Patriarch of the Arab race, was also mentioned (xxxvii. 101-107) as a pattern of self-sacrifice; now he is mentioned in the company of the Good, i.e., of those who were a blessing to their people. Here he is bracketed with Elisha (for whom see n. 906 to vi. 86), and Zul-Kifl (for whom see n. 2743 to xxi. 85). All these three were examples of constancy and patience under suffering.

LET [all] this be a reminder [to those who believe in God] - for, verily, the most beauteous of all goals awaits the God-conscious:

  - Mohammad Asad

This Qur'an is but a reminder. Surely the righteous shall return to an excellent resort.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

This is 'all' a reminder. And the righteous will certainly have an honourable destination:

  - Mustafa Khattab

This is a reminder. And lo! for those who ward off (evil) is a happy journey's end,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

This is a message (of admonition): and verily for the Righteous is a beautiful place of (final) Return) ⁴²⁰⁶

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Some of the preeminent examples of the Elect and the Good having been mentioned, we have now a reference to the Righteous as a body (rank and file as well as leaders) and their future in the Hereafter as won by victory over Evil.

gardens of perpetual bliss,⁴⁵ with gates wide-open to them,

  - Mohammad Asad

In all the eleven instances in which the noun 'adn occurs in the Qur'an - and of which the present is the oldest - it is used as a qualifying term for the "gardens" (jannat) of paradise. This noun is derived from the verb 'adana, which primarily denotes "he remained [somewhere]" or "he kept [to something]", i.e., permanently: cf. the phrase adantu l-balad ("I remained for good [or "settled"] in the country"). In Biblical Hebrew - which, after all, is but a very ancient Arabian dialect - the closely related noun 'eden has also the additional connotation of "delight", "pleasure" or "bliss". Hence the combination of the two concepts in my rendering of 'adn as "perpetual bliss". As in many other places in the Qur'an, this bliss is here allegorized - and thus brought closer to man's imagination - by means of descriptions recallinc earthly iovs.

The Gardens of Eden, whose gates shall be wide open to receive them.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

the Gardens of Eternity, whose gates will be open for them.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Gardens of Eden, whereof the gates are opened for them.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Gardens of Eternity whose doors will (ever) be open to them; ⁴²⁰⁷

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The Final Bliss will not be a hole-and-corner thing, a pale reflection of some Palace or Retreat, where mystery reigns behind closed doors. Its doors will be open, and its inmates will be free to go in and out as they will, because their wills will be purified and brought into accord with the Universal Law.