The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)

292
The Quran 38: 31
always turned to God. 31 When well-bred light-footed horses were
paraded before him near the close of day, 32 he kept saying, ‘My love
of fine things is part of my remembering my Lord!’ until [the horses]
disappeared from sight – 33 ‘Bring them back!’ [he said] and started
to stroke their legs and necks. a 34 We certainly tested Solomon,
reducing him to a mere skeleton on his throne. b 35 He turned to Us
and prayed: ‘Lord forgive me! Grant me such power as no one after
me will have – You are the Most Generous Provider.’ 36 So We gave
him power over the wind, which at his request ran gently wherever
he willed, 37 and the jinn c ––every kind of builder and diver 38 and
others chained in fetters. 39 ‘This is Our gift, so give or withhold as
you wish without account.’ 40 His reward will be nearness to Us, and
a good place to return to.
41 Bring to mind Our servant Job who cried to his Lord, ‘Satan has
afflicted me with weariness and suffering.’ 42 ‘Stamp your foot! Here
is cool water for you to wash in and drink,’ 43 and We restored his
family to him, with many more like them: a sign of Our mercy and a
lesson to all who understand. 44 ‘Take a small bunch of grass in your
hand, and strike [her] with that so as not to break your oath.’ d We
found him patient in adversity; an excellent servant! He, too, always
turned to God.
45 Remember Our servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, all men of
strength and vision. 46 We caused them to be devoted to Us e through
their sincere remembrance of the Final Home: 47 with Us they will be
among the elect, the truly good. 48 And remember Our servants
Ishmael, Elisha, and Dhu ’l-Kifl, f each of them truly good. 49 This is a
lesson.
The devout will have a good place to return to: 50 Gardens of
lasting bliss with gates wide open. 51 They will be comfortably
a Some say that the horses distracted Solomon from remembering his Lord and that
he slaughtered the horses in anger at his having forgotten the afternoon prayer.
b According to Razi, quoting linguistic usage in Arabic, this is interpreted to mean
that Solomon became so ill that he was like a walking skeleton.
c See 34: 12–13.
d Quranic commentators explain that, when his wife blasphemed, Job swore that if he
recovered from his illness, he would beat her with one hundred lashes. When he
recovered, however, he regretted his hasty oath, so God gave him this instruction.
e Alternatively, ‘We made them pure’.
f See note to 21: 85.