The Quran

سورة سَبَإ

Surah Saba’ 34:14

Sheba · Verse 14 of 54

فَلَمَّا قَضَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ الْمَوْتَ مَا دَلَّهُمْ عَلَىٰ مَوْتِهِ إِلَّا دَابَّةُ الْأَرْضِ تَأْكُلُ مِنْسَأَتَهُ ۖ فَلَمَّا خَرَّ تَبَيَّنَتِ الْجِنُّ أَنْ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ الْغَيْبَ مَا لَبِثُوا فِي الْعَذَابِ الْمُهِينِ

Abdul Mannan Omar

And when We ordained death for him (- Solomon) the people only came to know of his death through a (worthless) creature of earth (- Solomon´s son) that was eating away his (father´s) staff (- ruling power and glory). So when it fell down the jinn realized then plainly that had they known the secret (of the hollowness of the kingdom) they would have never remained in (a state of) humiliating torment.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Then, when We decreed (Solomon's) death, nothing showed them his death except a little worm of the earth, which kept (slowly) gnawing away at his staff: so when he fell down, the Jinns saw plainly that if they had known the unseen, they would not have tarried in the humiliating Penalty (of their Task).

Ahmed Ali

When We ordained (Solomon´s) death, none but the weevil, that was eating away his staff (on which he rested), pointed out to them that he was dead. When he fell down (dead) the jinns realised that if they had knowledge of the Unknown they would never have suffered demeaning labour.

12 more translations

Ali Unal

Then, when We executed Our decree for his death, nothing showed them (the jinn who had been laboring at the tasks he assigned to them) that he was dead, except that a termite had been gnawing away his staff (until it broke). Then when he fell to the ground, it became clear to the jinn that if they had known the Unseen, they would not have continued in the tormenting toil that humiliated them.

Daryabadi

Then when We decreed death for him, naught discovered his death to them´ save a moving creature of the earth which gnawed away his staff. Then when he fell, the Jinn clearly perceived that, if they had known the unseen they would not have tarried in the ignominious torment.

Faridul Haque

So when We sent the command of death towards him, no one revealed his death to the jinns except the termite of the earth which ate his staff; and when he came to the ground, the truth about the jinns was exposed - if they had known the hidden, they would not have remained in the disgraceful toil.

Maulana Muhammad Ali

But when We decreed death for him, naught showed them his death but a creature of the earth that are away his staff. So when it fell down, the jinn saw clearly that, if they had known the unseen, they would not have tarried in humiliating torment.

Maulvi Sher Ali

And when WE decreed his (Solomon's) death, nothing indicated to them that he was dead save a worm of the earth that ate away his staff. So when it fell down, the jinn plainly realized that if they had known the unseen, they would not have remained in a state of degrading torment.

Muhammad Asad

Yet (even Solomon had to die; but] when We decreed that he should die, nothing showed them that he was dead except an earthworm that gnawed away his staff. And when he fell to the ground, those invisible beings [subservient to him] saw clearly that, had they but understood the reality which was beyond the reach of their perception, they would not have continued [to toil] in the shameful suffering [of servitude].

Muhammad Musin Khan

Then when We decreed death for him [Sulaiman (Solomon)], nothing informed them (jinns) of his death except a little worm of the earth, which kept (slowly) gnawing away at his stick, so when he fell down, the jinns saw clearly that if they had known the unseen, they would not have stayed in the humiliating torment.

Muhammad Pickthall

And when We decreed death for him, nothing showed his death to them save a creeping creature of the earth which gnawed away his staff. And when he fell the jinn saw clearly how, if they had known the Unseen, they would not have continued in despised toil.

Muhammad Sarwar

When We decreed that Solomon should die, no one knew of his death except for a creeping creature of the earth who ate-up his staff. When he fell down, the jinn realized that if they had known about the unseen, they would not have remained in such a humiliating torment for so long.

Muhammed ali Shakir

But when We decreed death for him, naught showed them his death but a creature of the earth that ate away his staff; and when it fell down, the jinn came to know plainly that if they had known the unseen, they would not have tarried in abasing torment.

Rashad Khalifa

When the appointed time for his death came, they had no clue that he had died. Not until one of the animals tried to eat his staff, and he fell down, did the jinns realized that he was dead. They thus realized that if they really knew the unseen, they would have stopped working so hard as soon as he died.

Shabbir Ahmed

When We decreed death for him, nothing showed his death to the wild tribes until a creature of the earth ate away the strength he had mustered. (The incompetent successor Rehoboam destroyed the kingdom.) When the power base fell, the wild tribes rebelled regretting that they should have done it sooner only if they knew that the new king was unjust and weak.