The Quran

سورة صٓ

Surah Sâd 38:34

The Truthful God · Verse 34 of 88

وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا سُلَيْمَانَ وَأَلْقَيْنَا عَلَىٰ كُرْسِيِّهِ جَسَدًا ثُمَّ أَنَابَ

Abdul Mannan Omar

Behold! We tried Solomon (too) and We placed on his throne (of kingdom) a (mere) body (without any spirit or faith). Then he turned (to God seeking His mercy).

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And We did try Solomon: We placed on his throne a body (without life); but he did turn (to Us in true devotion):

Ahmed Ali

We surely tried Solomon, and placed another body on his throne. So he turned to God

12 more translations

Ali Unal

Indeed, We tried Solomon and placed a lifeless body upon his throne. Afterwards, he turned (to God) in contrition.

Daryabadi

And assuredly We tried Sulaiman, and set upon his throne a mere body. Thereafter he was penitent.

Faridul Haque

And We indeed tested Sulaiman, and placed a dead body on his throne – he therefore inclined towards His Lord.

Maulana Muhammad Ali

And certainly we tried Solomon, and We put on his throne a (mere) body, so he turned (to Allah).

Maulvi Sher Ali

Certainly, WE tried Solomon and WE placed on his throne a mere body. Then he turned to God, seeking his mercy.

Muhammad Asad

But [ere this], indeed, We had tried Solomon by placing upon his throne a [lifeless] body; and thereupon he turned [towards Us; and]

Muhammad Musin Khan

And, indeed We did try Sulaiman (Solomon) and We placed on his throne Jasadan (a devil, so he lost his kingdom for a while) but he did return (to his throne and kingdom by the Grace of Allah and he did return) to Allah with obedience and in repentance.

Muhammad Pickthall

And verily We tried Solomon, and set upon his throne a (mere) body. Then did he repent.

Muhammad Sarwar

We tested Solomon by (causing death to his son) and leaving his body on Solomon's chair. Then he turned to Us in repentance,

Muhammed ali Shakir

And certainly We tried Sulaiman, and We put on his throne a (mere) body, so he turned (to Allah).

Rashad Khalifa

We thus put Solomon to the test; we blessed him with vast material wealth, but he steadfastly submitted.

Shabbir Ahmed

We passed Solomon through difficult times by granting him a very incompetent (son) to succeed him to his throne. Yet, he turned to Us as always.

Commentary 38:34 Jasdجَسَد is a body (cf. 21:8; 7:148; 20:88). To explain this verse some commentators advance the most fantastic stories, almost all of which can be…

وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا سُلَيْمَانَ وَأَلْقَيْنَا عَلَىٰ كُرْسِيِّهِ جَسَدًا ثُمَّ أَنَابَ

38:34 Jasdجَسَد is a body (cf. 21:8; 7:148; 20:88). To explain this verse some commentators advance the most fantastic stories, almost all of which can be traced back to Jewish sources. Râzî rejects them all, maintaining that they are unworthy of consideration or even mention. It is to be borne in mind that in classical Arabic, a person utterly devoid of moral values is often described as a jasd (جَسَد): a body devoid of spiritual faith (cf. 21:8; 7:148; 20:88). The reference made here is to Solomon’s son, an imbecile heir to his throne, who lost the allegiance of all except a single tribe of Israel (1 Kings, 12:17). Solomon had himself either foreseen this or had a vision, that after his death his kingdom would not maintain its integrity and glory under an incompetent and inefficient “creature of the earth who ate away his staff” (cf.: 34:14). Therefore, he turned to Allâh and prayed to Him for a spiritual Kingdom (38:35), for that is the only type of kingdom that could not be inherited by anyone, therefore is not in danger of being spoiled by an unworthy heir or being exposed to worldly intrigue.