Surah Sad English Translation & Transliteration

¹Sad. By the Quran, the source of admonition and honor,

²but alas! The disbelievers who cover up the truths are in misplaced pride and open hostility.

³Yet We destroyed many generations before them. At that very moment they cried out, but in vain: the time was not a time of escape; it was already too late.

⁴They were astonished that a warner had come to them from among themselves, and those disbelievers—"This is a sorcerer and an utter liar!

⁵—Has he reduced all the gods to a single God? How strange! Is this even possible?" they were saying.

⁶Their leaders at once set to work and said to their supporters: —Keep walking the path you know and stand by your gods; this is the only thing to be done!

⁷—We have not heard of such a thing in the latest belief system. This is nothing but a fabrication!

⁸—And has this Quran been sent down to him, as if there were no one else among us? In fact, they are in doubt about My reminder (dhikr). The truth is, they have not yet tasted My punishment.

⁹Or are the treasuries of mercy of your Lord, Possessor of infinite power and grace, in their hands, and is that why they do not consider you worthy of messengership?

¹⁰Or does the sovereignty of the heavens, the earth, and all that is between them belong to them? Then let them find some way to climb up and settle on the throne of the heavens!

¹¹In reality, they are an undisciplined army made up of makeshift groups, already doomed to defeat.

¹²Indeed, before them the people of Noah, of Ad, and of Pharaoh, owner of the pyramids, had also accused their messengers of lying,

¹³and so had the peoples of Thamud and of Lot, and the people of Aykah—they too were groups that met with defeat!

¹⁴Every one of these communities accused the messengers of lying, and so they deserved My punishment.

¹⁵And these too are waiting for nothing but a terrible sound that will come upon them suddenly and not allow them even a single breath.

¹⁶And they say mockingly: —Our Lord, give us our share of this punishment right now, before the Day of Reckoning!

¹⁷Be patient with what they say, and be strong, and remember Our servant David, who had a strong character and was turned toward Us!

¹⁸The mountains, which We had made subject to Our command, would proclaim Our glory together with David, morning and evening.

¹⁹And the birds too, all together, would join in this glorification. For all of them had turned to Allah.

²⁰And We had strengthened his rule and given him the ability to make right decisions and to speak effectively.

²¹Has the story of those two disputants reached you? Recall when the two climbed over the wall of the sanctuary

²²and suddenly came into David's presence, and David was frightened of them. They said: —Do not be afraid. We are two disputants; we think that one of us has wronged the other. Judge between us with justice and fairness, do not be unjust, and bring us to a fair outcome/show us a middle, reasonable way.

²³—This is my brother. He has ninety-nine sheep, and I have only one sheep. Even so, he said, "Give it to me as well," and he got the better of me in the argument.

²⁴David said: —Your brother has truly wronged you by wanting to add your sheep to his own. Indeed, most partners wrong one another—except those who believe and do good and righteous deeds, and sadly such people are very few. Meanwhile David realized that We had tested him, and at once he asked his Lord for forgiveness, bowed down, fell into prostration, and turned to his Lord.

²⁵So We forgave him this mistake. For he had a special place with Us and a good future.

²⁶—O David! We have made you a vicegerent/ruler over this land. So govern people with justice and fairness, and never follow your whims and desires, or you will stray from Allah's path. Know well that for those who stray from Allah's path there is a severe punishment, because they forgot the Day of Reckoning.

²⁷We did not create the sky, the earth, and all that is between them in vain and without meaning. That claim is the conjecture of the disbelievers. Woe to those disbelievers who will end up in Hell!

²⁸Or shall We treat those who believe and do good and righteous deeds the same as those who spread corruption in the land? Or shall We treat those who guard themselves the same as those steeped in sin?

²⁹This is a Book, a source of blessing, which We have sent down to you so that they may reflect deeply on its verses and so that those of pure reason may take admonition.

³⁰We granted Solomon to David. How excellent a servant he was! He was always turning to Allah.

³¹Recall when, toward sunset, thoroughbred racehorses were presented to him.

³²He watched them until sunset and said: —I have now preferred the love of horses to the remembrance of my Lord.

³³Then, saying, "Bring them back to me," he began stroking their necks and legs.

³⁴We certainly tested Solomon by weakening his royal power; then he recovered and regained his former strength.

³⁵Then he implored: —My Lord, forgive me and grant me a dominion that will be granted to no one after me, for You are the possessor of infinite grace and bounty!

³⁶Thereupon We placed the wind at his service, so that by his command the winds would readily blow wherever he wished.

³⁷And We placed skilled master builders and divers under his command,

³⁸and others bound in chains.

³⁹O Solomon, all this is Our boundless grace to you. Set them free or keep them, as you wish.

⁴⁰For he had a special place with Us and a good future.

⁴¹Remember also Our servant Job! Recall when he called out to his Lord: "My Lord, Satan has afflicted me with weariness and torment."

⁴²And We said to him: "Strike the ground with your foot. There is cool water there in which you can bathe and from which you can drink, and find healing."

⁴³So, as a mercy from Us and as a lesson and admonition for people of understanding, We restored him to his family and added wealth to his wealth and offspring to his offspring.

⁴⁴Take in your hand a bunch of these herbs and apply it as a remedy, and do not go back on your word. The truth is that We found Job very patient. How excellent a servant he was, for he always sought refuge in Allah and turned to Him.

⁴⁵Remember also Our servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, strong in worship and endowed with willpower and insight!

⁴⁶They were Our sincere servants, who above all kept the abode of the Hereafter in mind and gave it importance.

⁴⁷For they were, in Our sight, among the chosen and the good.

⁴⁸Remember also Ishmael, Elisha, and Dhul-Kifl! All of them were among the good.

⁴⁹All this is a fine reminder and admonition. Know that for those who guard themselves against defying Allah there is certainly a good future.

⁵⁰The Gardens of Adn (Eden), whose gates are open to them, await them.

⁵¹There they will settle on thrones, and they will find ready every kind of fruit and drink they crave.

⁵²And beside them will be beautiful spouses, their equals, whose eyes look at no one else.

⁵³These are the blessings promised to you for the Day of Reckoning.

⁵⁴These are Our unending blessings that We offer you.

⁵⁵Such is the state of those who guard themselves! But a very bad future awaits the transgressors.

⁵⁶Hell! They will be cast into it. What an evil place to stay it is!

⁵⁷This is their punishment: boiling water and pus! Let them taste it!

⁵⁸And many more torments of various kinds like it!

⁵⁹(To the leaders of disbelief) it will be said: —Here is the group that blindly followed you. Thereupon the leaders will say: "May they find no comfort! They were bound for Hell anyway."

⁶⁰And the blind followers will say: "No, it is you who should find no comfort; it is you who brought us to this state. What an evil place this is!"

⁶¹Then they will call down a curse: "Our Lord, whoever brought us to this state, multiply his punishment in Hell many times over."

⁶²And they will also say: "Why is it that we do not see here the people we counted among the wicked while in the world?

⁶³Did we mock them for nothing? Or are they here, and our eyes simply cannot see them?"

⁶⁴This is exactly how the disputes of the people of Hell will take place.

⁶⁵Say: —I am only a warner. There is no god but Allah, the One, the absolute authority.

⁶⁶He is the Lord of the heavens, the earth, and everything between them, the Possessor of boundless power and infinite forgiveness.

⁶⁷Say: —This Quran is a tremendous source of news.

⁶⁸Yet you turn away from it.

⁶⁹I have no knowledge of what is discussed in the exalted assembly.

⁷⁰This knowledge is revealed to me only because I am a clear warner.

⁷¹Recall when your Lord said to the angels: —I am going to create a human being from clay.

⁷²When I have brought him (with reason and willpower) to a certain level and given him a share of My revelation, place yourselves at his command.

⁷³All the angels placed themselves at his command,

⁷⁴except Iblis. He grew arrogant, was ungrateful toward Allah, and became one of the disbelievers.

⁷⁵Allah said: O Iblis, what prevents you from acknowledging the superiority of this being I created as a work of My power? Are you acting arrogantly toward Adam? By doing so, you have acted arrogantly toward your Lord.

⁷⁶Iblis said: —I am superior to him, for You created me from fire and created him from mud.

⁷⁷Allah said: —Then get out of there! From now on you are an outcast.

⁷⁸—My curse will be upon you until the Day of Resurrection.

⁷⁹Iblis said: —My Lord, then grant me respite until the day of rising again!

⁸⁰Allah said: —Very well, you are among those granted respite,

⁸¹until a day whose time is known to Allah.

⁸²Iblis said: —By Your glory, I will lead them all astray!

⁸³—except Your servants who devote their religion purely to Allah.

⁸⁴Allah said: —Yes, that is true, but this word of Mine is the very truth:

⁸⁵—I will fill the whole of Hell with you and those who follow you.

⁸⁶Say: —I ask you for no wage in return for conveying this message. I am not inventing these obligations of my own accord.

⁸⁷Know that this Quran is an admonition and a source of honor for all humankind.

⁸⁸One day you will understand that the news it brings is true.