Episode 31: This is nothing but lies and magic (Surahs 34-35)

Surah 34: Saba

Is there in him a madness?

⁵ Those who strive against our revelations will have a painful doom of wrath.

⁷ Disbelievers say, “Should we believe that dead people will live again? Is he [Muhammad] lying or is he possessed?”

⁸ No, but those who disbelieve in the hereafter will be tormented forever. ⁹ We can make the earth swallow them or make the sky fall on them.

David and Solomon

¹⁰ We [Allah]commanded the birds and hills to sing psalms. ¹¹ And we told David to make coats of chain mail armor.

¹² We gave Solomon power over the wind, made copper gush forth, forced the jinn to work for him, and punished those who refused to work for him with flaming fire. ¹³ They made whatever he wanted: synagogues, statues, basins, and boilers. ¹⁴ When Solomon died, he kept standing until a creeping creature chewed through his staff. When he finally fell, the jinn saw that if they knew the unseen, they wouldn't have kept working after Solomon had died.

A sign for Sheba

¹⁵ There was a sign for Sheba: two gardens on the right and left. ¹⁶ But they ignored them, so we drowned them in the flood of 'Iram. ¹⁷ Do we ever punish anyone except for ingrates? ²⁰ They all followed Satan, except for a group of true believers.

We don't believe in the Quran

³¹ The disbelievers say, “We don't believe in the Quran or what came before it.”

We put shackles on their necks

³³ But they are filled with remorse when they see the doom, and we [Allah] put shackles on their necks.

³⁴ We sent warners to towns, but the people said to them, “We don't believe you.” ³⁸ Those who oppose our revelations will be brought to the doom.

⁴⁰ Allah will gather the angels together and ask them, “Did they worship you?”

⁴¹ The angels will say, “No, they worshiped the jinn.”

⁴² Then we'll say to them, “Taste the doom of the fire which you used to deny.”

This is nothing but lies and magic

⁴³ Those who disbelieve say, “This is nothing but lies and magic.” ⁴⁵ They denied my messengers, and I abhorred them for it.

There's no madness in your comrade

⁴⁶ There is no madness in your comrade [Muhammad]. He's just a warner of terrific doom.

^51-52 When the disbelievers see that there is no escape, they'll say they believe.

Surah 35: Saba

Angels with two, three, or four wings

¹ Angels have two, three, or four wings.

Allah sends them astray

⁶ The devil is your enemy. He'll lead you into the fire.

⁷ Disbelievers will have an awful doom.

⁸ Allah sends whomever he wants astray.

¹⁰ Those who plot iniquities will have an awful doom.

Allah created you from dust (and a little fluid)

¹¹ Allah created you from dust, then a little fluid.

That's not hard for Allah to do

¹⁶ If he wanted, he could get rid of all humans and replace them with something else. ¹⁷ That wouldn't be a hard thing for Allah.

For them is the fire of hell

²⁶ Then I seized the disbelievers, and my abhorrence was intense!

³³ Those who enter the Gardens of Eden will have armlets of gold and silk clothing.

³⁶ But disbelievers will enter the fire of hell. The fire won't kill them right away, and their torment won't be lightened. That's the way we punish every ingrate.

³⁷ They will cry for help, but we will ignore them, and say, “Taste the flavor of your deeds. No one will ever help you. ³⁹ For those who disbelieve, their disbelief is on their own head.

⁴⁰ Say: Have you seen your partner-gods lately?