Sura-34 [Saba Mecca 58]

The Quranic Text & Ali’s version:

فَالْيَوْمَ لَا يَمْلِكُ بَعْضُكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ نَّفْعًا وَلَا ضَرًّا...

34:42. So on that day no power shall they have over each other, for profit or harm:

... وَنَقُولُ لِلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا ذُوقُوا عَذَابَ النَّارِ الَّتِي كُنتُم بِهَا تُكَذِّبُونَ ﴿٤٢﴾

and We shall say to the wrongdoers,

"Taste ye the penalty of the Fire -- the which ye were wont to deny!"

C3853. The supposed "rivals" of Allah-the false things whereon men set their hopes and fears-will have no power whatever when true values are restored; and the Fire-the Penalty-which they doubted or derided, will become the dominating real thing in their experience.

وَإِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُنَا بَيِّنَاتٍ...

34:43. When Our Clear Signs are rehearsed to them,

...قَالُوا مَا هَذَا إِلَّا رَجُلٌ يُرِيدُ أَن يَصُدَّكُمْ عَمَّا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ آبَاؤُكُمْ...

they say, "This is only a man who wishes to hinder you from the (worship) which your fathers practiced."

C3854. Apart from the worship of Evil in the guise of the Powers of Light, there is another form of false worship, which depends on ancestral tradition. "Why" it is said "should we not do as our fathers did?"

They reject a new prophet of Truth simply because his teaching does not agree with the ways of their ancestors. The answer to this is given in verse 44 below. But meanwhile the rejecters' objection to new Truth is stated in three forms:

1. our ancestors knew nothing of this;

2. the story of inspiration is false;

it is merely an invention;

we do not believe in inspiration;

3. when in some particular points, the new Truth does work wonders in men's hearts, they account for it by saying it is magic.

'The third objection is merely traditional.

What is magic?

If it was merely deception, surely the Truth has proved itself to be above deception.

The second objection is answered by the fact that the Messenger who comes with new spiritual Truth is acknowledged to be truthful in other relations of life: why should he be false where his preaching brings him no gain but much sorrow and persecution?

For the ancestral objection see next note.

... وَقَالُوا مَا هَذَا إِلَّا إِفْكٌ مُّفْتَرًى ...

And they say, "This is only a falsehood invented!"

...وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِلْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَاءهُمْ إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ ﴿٤٣﴾

And the Unbelievers say of the Truth when it comes to them,

"This is nothing but evident magic!"

Asad’s Version:

34:42 And [on that Day God will say]: "None of you [created beings] has today any power to benefit or to harm another!" And [then] We shall say unto those who had been bent on evildoing: "Taste [now] that suffering through fire which you were wont to call a lie ! "

34:43 For [thus it is:] whenever Our messages are conveyed unto them in all their clarity, they [who are bent on denying the truth] say [to one another], "This [Muhammad] is nothing but a man who wants to turn you away from what your forefathers were wont to worship! " And they say, "This [Qur'an] is nothing but a falsehood invented [by man]!"

And [finally,] they who are bent on denying the truth speak thus of the truth when it comes to them: "This is clearly nothing but spellbinding eloquence!" 53

[[Asad’s note - 53 Lit., "sorcery" or "magic" - a term frequently used in the sense of "spellbinding eloquence" (cf. 74:24, the earliest instance in the chronology of Qur'anic revelation).]]

[Yuksel] Signs are not Appreciated by the Majority

34:43 When Our clear signs were recited to them, they said, "This is but a man who wants to turn you away from what your parents were serving." They also said, "This is nothing but a fabricated lie." Those who rejected say of the truth when it has come to them: "This is nothing but evident magic!"