34.Surah Saba'

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

قَالَ الَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا لِلَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا...

34 : 32. The arrogant ones will say to those who had been despised:

... أَنَحْنُ صَدَدْنَاكُمْ عَنِ الْهُدَى بَعْدَ إِذْ جَاءكُم...

"Was it we who kept you back from Guidance after it reached you?

... بَلْ كُنتُم مُّجْرِمِينَ ﴿٣٢﴾

Nay, rather, it was ye who transgressed."

C3837. In the mutual reproaches between the misleaders and the misled ones, there will be a grain of truth on both sides, and yet both were guilty in not realising their own personal responsibility.

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا لِلَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا...

34: 33. Those who had been despised will say to the arrogant ones:

... بَلْ مَكْرُ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ ...

"Nay! it was a plot (of yours) by day and by night.

C3838. The more intelligent ones who exploit the weaker ones are constantly plotting night and day to keep the latter ignorant and under their thumb. They show them the ways of Evil, because by that means they are more in their power.

... إِذْ تَأْمُرُونَنَا أَن نَّكْفُرَ بِاللَّهِ وَنَجْعَلَ لَهُ أَندَادًا ...

Behold! ye (constantly) ordered us to be ungrateful to Allah and to attribute equals to Him!"

C3839. If all men worshipped the true God, and none but Him, they could not on the one hand be trampled upon, and on the other hand they could not be unjust. It is in the worship of false ideals or false gods that alluring structures of fraud and injustice ate built up.

... وَأَسَرُّوا النَّدَامَةَ لَمَّا رَأَوُا الْعَذَابَ...

They will declare (their) repentance when they see the Penalty:

C3840. Cf. 10:54, and n. 1445.

All these mutual recriminations would be swallowed up in the general realisation of the Truth by both sides in the Hereafter. They would be prepared openly to declare their repentance, but it would be too late. The yoke of slavery to Evil will be on their necks.

Allah's justice put it there, but what else could it do?

Their own sins will cry out against them and hold them under their yokes.

... وَجَعَلْنَا الْأَغْلَالَ فِي أَعْنَاقِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا...

We shall put yokes on the necks of the Unbelievers:

... هَلْ يُجْزَوْنَ إِلَّا مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿٣٣﴾

it would only be a requital for their (ill) deeds.

Asad’s Version:

34:32

[And] those who were wont to glory in their arrogance will say unto those who had been

weak: "Why - did we keep you [forcibly] from following the right path after it had become obvious to you?" Nay, it was but you [yourselves] who were guilty! "

34:33 But those who had been weak will say unto those who had gloried in their arrogance: "Nay, [what kept us away was your] devising of false arguments, night and day," [against God's messages as you did] when you persuaded us to blaspheme against God and to claim that there are powers that could rival Him" 42

And when they see the suffering [that awaits them], they will [all] be unable to express [the full depth of] their remorse: 43 for We shall have put shackles around the necks of those who had been bent on denying the truth: 44 (and] will this be aught but a [just] requital for what they were doing?