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Surah Saba, Ayah 14 (34:14)

سَبَأ

فَلَمَّا قَضَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ ٱلْمَوْتَ مَا دَلَّهُمْ عَلَىٰ مَوْتِهِۦٓ إِلَّا دَآبَّةُ ٱلْأَرْضِ تَأْكُلُ …

Quran 34:14 is ayah 14 of Surah Saba (“Sheba”), a Meccan surah of 54 ayahs. It is in Juz 22, on page 429 of the Madani Mushaf.

34:14
فَلَمَّاقَضَيْنَاعَلَيْهِٱلْمَوْتَمَادَلَّهُمْعَلَىٰمَوْتِهِۦٓإِلَّادَآبَّةُٱلْأَرْضِتَأْكُلُمِنسَأَتَهُۥ ۖفَلَمَّاخَرَّتَبَيَّنَتِٱلْجِنُّأَنلَّوْكَانُوا۟يَعْلَمُونَٱلْغَيْبَمَالَبِثُوا۟فِىٱلْعَذَابِٱلْمُهِينِ١٤
falammā qaḍaynā ʿalayhi l-mawta mā dallahum ʿalā mawtihi illā dābbatu l-arḍi takulu minsa-atahu falammā kharra tabayyanati l-jinu an law kānū yaʿlamūna l-ghayba mā labithū fī l-ʿadhābi l-muhīni

And when We decreed for him [i.e., Solomon] death, nothing indicated to them [i.e., the jinn] his death except a creature of the earth eating his staff. But when he fell, it became clear to the jinn that if they had known the unseen, they would not have remained in humiliating punishment.(14)

Word by word

  1. فَلَمَّاfalammāThen when
  2. قَضَيْنَاqaḍaynāWe decreed
  3. عَلَيْهِʿalayhifor him
  4. ٱلْمَوْتَl-mawtathe death
  5. مَاmānot
  6. دَلَّهُمْdallahumindicated to them
  7. عَلَىٰʿalā[on]
  8. مَوْتِهِۦٓmawtihihis death
  9. إِلَّاillāexcept
  10. دَآبَّةُdābbatua creature
  11. ٱلْأَرْضِl-arḍi(of) the earth
  12. تَأْكُلُtakulueating
  13. مِنسَأَتَهُۥ ۖminsa-atahuhis staff
  14. فَلَمَّاfalammāBut when
  15. خَرَّkharrahe fell down
  16. تَبَيَّنَتِtabayyanatibecame clear
  17. ٱلْجِنُّl-jinu(to) the jinn
  18. أَنanthat
  19. لَّوْlawif
  20. كَانُوا۟kānūthey had
  21. يَعْلَمُونَyaʿlamūnaknown
  22. ٱلْغَيْبَl-ghaybathe unseen
  23. مَاmānot
  24. لَبِثُوا۟labithūthey (would have) remained
  25. فِىfīin
  26. ٱلْعَذَابِl-ʿadhābithe punishment
  27. ٱلْمُهِينِl-muhīnihumiliating

Tafsir (commentary) of 34:14

Available in English, Bengali, Urdu, Arabic, Russian.

English · EnglishTafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

The Death of Sulayman

Allah tells us how Sulayman, peace be upon him, died and how Allah concealed his death from the Jinn who were subjugated to him to do hard labor. He remained leaning on his stick, which was his staff, as Ibn `Abbas may Allah be pleased with him, Mujahid, Al-Hasan, Qatadah and others said. He stayed like that for a long time, nearly a year. When a creature of the earth, which was a kind of worm, ate through the stick, it became weak and fell to the ground. Then it became apparent that he had died a long time before. It also became clear to Jinn and men alike that the Jinn do not know the Unseen as they (the Jinn) used to imagine and tried to deceive people. This is what Allah says:

مَا دَلَّهُمْ عَلَى مَوْتِهِ إِلاَّ دَابَّةُ الاٌّرْضِ تَأْكُلُ مِنسَأَتَهُ فَلَمَّا خَرَّ تَبَيَّنَتِ الْجِنُّ أَن لَّوْ كَانُواْ يَعْلَمُونَ الْغَيْبَ مَا لَبِثُواْ فِى الْعَذَابِ الْمُهِينِ

(nothing informed them (Jinn) of his death except a little worm of the earth which kept (slowly) gnawing away at his stick. So when he fell down, the Jinn saw clearly that if they had known the Unseen, they would not have stayed in the humiliating torment.) meaning, it became clear to the people that they (the Jinn) were lying.

Read the full Surah Saba