Surah Saba 34:12-21 - Quran Translation Commentary

(34:12) And unto Sulayman (did We subject) the wind: its morning course a month('s journey) and its evening course a month('s journey).²² And We made fount of molten-copper flow for him. And of the Jinn who worked before him by the leave of his Lord;²³ whoever of them swerved away from Our command, We made him taste chastisement of the Blaze.

(34:13) Fashioning for him whatever he would²⁴ - of castles,²⁵ images,²⁶ basins like water-troughs,²⁷ and anchored cooking-pots.²⁸ 'Exercise thanks²⁹ O House of Da'ud. Few indeed of My slaves are grateful.'³⁰

(34:14) Then, when We decreed death upon him, nothing indicated to them his death but a creature of the earth that kept gnawing at his staff. It is only when he fell that the Jinn saw clearly that, had they known the Unseen, they would not have continued in the humiliating torment.³¹

(34:15) There was a sign indeed for (the people of) Saba'³² in their dwelling-place: two gardens to the left and to the right.³³ 'Eat of your Lord's providence and give thanks to Him': a good land,³⁴ and a Lord All-forgiving.

(34:16) But they turned away;³⁵ so We sent upon them the flood of the `Arim³⁶ and We gave them in lieu of their two gardens, two (other) gardens bearing Araak fruit (trees),³⁷ athel (bushes),³⁸ and a few lote trees.³⁹

(34:17) Thus We recompensed them for that they disbelieved. And, do We ever recompense any (that way) but the ingrate?⁴⁰

(34:18) And We placed between them and the towns which We had blessed,⁴¹ (other) apparent towns,⁴² and We determined the journey therein (saying),⁴³ ‘Travel therein by nights and days, in peace.’

(34:19) But they said, ‘Our Lord. Lengthen (the distance) between (the stages) of our journeys;’⁴⁴ and (thus) they wronged themselves. So We made them (but) tales⁴⁵ and tore them to an utter tearing.⁴⁶ Indeed in that are signs for every persevering, grateful (person).⁴⁷

(34:20) Surely, Iblis proved true his assumption about them and so they followed him:⁴⁸ (all) but for a group of believers.⁴⁹

(34:21) Yet he had no power over them whatsoever; but that We might know who believes in the Hereafter as against him who is in doubt thereof;⁵⁰ and your Lord is Watchful over everything.

Commentary

22. That is, it covered two month's course in a day's time, morning to evening (Ibn Jarir).

23. That is, of the Jinn some were subjected to him to help him in construction works.

24. That is, the Jinn worked for Sulayman, joining hands in whatever he wished to build or manufacture.

25. "Mihrab" is the front part of any (significant) building, place of worship, or prayer-hall. Metaphorically, it can be used for any constructed place, such as mosques, medium sized palaces, or even villas (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir from the Salaf).

26. According to Lisan al-`Arab, “timthaal” (pl. tamaatheel) is for every artefact that may have been made to resemble a living creation of Allah. `Atiyyah al-`Awfi, Dahhak and Suddi's opinion was that the allusion is to pictures (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir). It might be asked, 'How could Sulayman have been allowed to make pictures when it is disallowed in our religion?' The answer is, it was perhaps not forbidden in his Shari`ah, for, after all, this is not a moral issue such as truthfulness, or lies, (that have remained unlawful throughout the ages in every Shari`ah). Further, Abu al-`Aaliyyah has said that (it is not necessary that those were human figures, but rather) pictures of non-living objects, such as natural sceneries, or, if of living beings then, headless (Zamakshari). Qurtubi comments: Reports from the Prophet (saws) on this topic lead us to believe that all kinds of pictures are prohibited in Islam, except for some designs on clothes. Indeed, there are a few ahadith that do not allow even for this exception. One is in Muslim which says that,

"إِنّ أَصْحَابَ هَذِهِ الصّوَرِ يُعَذّبُونَ. وَيُقَالُ لَهُمْ: أَحْيُوا مَا خَلَقْتُمْ"

"Artists will be punished in the Hereafter and told, 'Now, blow life into these.' Another hadith of Hasan Ghareeb Saheeh status in Tirmidhi says, عَنْ أَبي هُرَيْرَةَ قالَ: قالَ رَسُولُ الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "تَخْرُجُ عُنُقٌ مِنَ النّارِ يَوْمَ القِيَامَةِ لَها عَيْنَانِ تُبْصِرَانِ وَأُذُنَانِ تَسْمَعَانِ وَلِسَانٌ يَنْطِقُ يَقُولُ إِنّي: وُكّلْتُ بِثَلاَثَةٍ: بِكُلّ جَبّارٍ عَنِيدٍ، وَبِكُلّ مَنْ دَعَا مَعَ الله إِلَهَاً آخَرَ، وَبِالمُصَوّرِينَ". "A neck will rise out from the Fire on the Day of Judgment, with two eyes that will see, two ears that will hear, and a tongue that will speak. It will say, 'I have been given custody of three: Every stubborn tyrant, every one who evoked a deity other than Allah, and, those who made pictures.'" Exempted however, adds Qurtubi, are dolls for children. `A'isha herself used to play with them and the Prophet did not object. Another narrative preserved by Bukhari, Muslim and Tirmidhi, narrated by Abu Talha says, عن عُبَيْدِ الله بنِ عَبْدِ الله بنِ عُتْبَةَ، أَنّهُ سَمِعَ ابنَ عَبّاسٍ يَقُولُ: سَمِعْتُ أَبَا طَلْحَةَ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ: "لاَ تَدْخُلُ المَلاَئِكَةُ بَيْتاً فِيهِ كَلْبٌ وَلاَ صُورَةُ تَمَاثِيلَ". (قال أبو عيسى: هذا حديثٌ حسنٌ صحيحٌ).‏ "Angels do not enter a house which has a dog or graven images." The following is also preserved:

عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ. قَالَ: جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى ابْنِ عَبّاسٍ. فَقَالَ: إِنّي رَجُلٌ أُصَوّرُ هَذِهِ الصّوَرَ. فَأَفْتِنِي فِيهَا. فَقَالَ لَهُ: ادْنُ مِنّي. فَدَنَا مِنْهُ. ثُمّ قَالَ: ادْنُ مِنّي. فَدَنَا حَتّىَ وَضَعَ يَدَهُ عَلَىَ رَأْسِهِ. قَالَ: أُنَبّئُكَ بِمَا سَمِعْتُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم. سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ "كُلّ مُصَوّرٍ فِي النّارِ. يَجْعَلُ لَهُ، بِكُلّ صُورَةٍ صَوّرَهَا، نَفْساً فَتُعَذّبُهُ فِي جَهَنّمَ". وَقَالَ: إنْ كُنْتَ لاَ بُدّ فَاعِلاً، فَاصْنَعِ الشّجَرَ وَمَا لاَ نَفْسَ لَهُ (مسلم)

Sa'id ibn Abi al-Hasan narrated that a man went to Ibn `Abbas and said, "I make pictures. So tell me about it." He said, "Come nearer." He went nearer. He told him, "Come nearer." He went nearer until Ibn `Abbas placed his hand on his head and then said, "Let me tell you what I heard from the Messenger of Allah. I heard him say, 'Every artist will be in the Fire. Every picture that he made will be turned into a body that will torture him in Hell.' "Then he added, 'If you have to do it at all, then make trees and other lifeless objects" (Au.). Mawdudi devotes a goodly space to the topic. Herewith in short: “Some people have argued that since picture-making was allowed during the time of Sulayman, it should be allowable in our Shari`ah also. But, this argument is not tenable. The prohibition was equally there during his times too. Torah had already been revealed to Musa and contains unambiguous references to picture making and its prohibition. E.g. ‘Thou shall not make unto thee graven images, or any likeness of anything that is in the heaven above, or that is in the earth below or that is in the water under the earth (Exod. 20:4)’. And, ‘Ye shall make no idols, nor graven images, nor rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it (Levi. 26:1).’ And, ‘Lest you corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flies in the air, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth’ (Deut. 4: 16-18).’ “Further, a strong argument cannot be built on the basis of a simple word like “tamaatheel” which has unclear connotations, especially in the light of the strongly worded prohibitions in the Prophetic traditions. A hadith preserved in Bukhari tells us that once a few of the Prophet’s wives were around him. They were talking among themselves and `A'isha tells us that,

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ أُمِّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنَّ أُمَّ حَبِيبَةَ وَأُمَّ سَلَمَةَ ذَكَرَتَا كَنِيسَةً رَأَيْنَهَا بِالْحَبَشَةِ فِيهَا تَصَاوِيرُ فَذَكَرَتَا لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ إِنَّ أُولَئِكَ إِذَا كَانَ فِيهِمْ الرَّجُلُ الصَّالِحُ فَمَاتَ بَنَوْا عَلَى قَبْرِهِ مَسْجِدًا وَصَوَّرُوا فِيهِ تِلْكَ الصُّوَرَ فَأُولَئِكَ شِرَارُ الْخَلْقِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ).البخاري)

Umm Habibah and Umm Salamah casually mentioned that they had been into a Church in Abyssinia where they had found pictures (of humans). The Prophet remarked, “The custom among the past peoples was that when one of their righteous men died, they built a house of worship over his grave and decorated it with pictures. On the Day of Judgement these people will be the worst of creations in the sight of Allah.” `Abdullah ibn Mas`ud reported the Prophet,

إِنَّ أَشَدَّ النَّاسِ عَذَاباً عِنْدَ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ الْمُصَوِّرُونَ

“The most severely punished on the day of Judgment would be those who made pictures.” (Sahihayn) `A’isha reports the following:

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ حَشَوْتُ لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وِسَادَةً فِيهَا تَمَاثِيلُ كَأَنَّهَا نُمْرُقَةٌ فَجَاءَ فَقَامَ بَيْنَ الْبَابَيْنِ وَجَعَلَ يَتَغَيَّرُ وَجْهُهُ فَقُلْتُ مَا لَنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ مَا بَالُ هَذِهِ الْوِسَادَةِ قَالَتْ وِسَادَةٌ جَعَلْتُهَا لَكَ لِتَضْطَجِعَ عَلَيْهَا قَالَ أَمَا عَلِمْتِ أَنَّ الْمَلَائِكَةَ لَا تَدْخُلُ بَيْتًا فِيهِ صُورَةٌ وَأَنَّ مَنْ صَنَعَ الصُّورَةَ يُعَذَّبُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَقُولُ أَحْيُوا مَا خَلَقْتُمْ

“I made pillows – sort of small cushions - for the Prophet that had pictures. He entered and sat down between the two entrances. Then his countenance began to alter. She inquired, “What’s wrong with us, Messenger of Allah?” He asked, “What about these cushions?” She answered, “Well, cushions I made so that you could rest on them.” He said, “Have you not known that angels do not enter a house in which there are pictures and that whoever made a picture will be tormented on the day of Standing and told, ‘Now. Give life to what you made’” (Bukhari). “Some people try to make a distinction,” continues Mawdudi, “between a photograph and a painting, whereas the Shari`ah forbids the picture itself without discussing the process or methods of how such pictures are made. Yet others have argued that the forbiddance was meant to put an end to idol worship in early Islamic days; but since such a risk does not exist anymore, the prohibition should go. This argument is also untenable because there is no hadith that gives us the reason as being proffered now. Furthermore, the statement that paganism has been obliterated has no basis in reality. Paganism and polytheism of all sorts thrive in our contemporary world. Finally, that pictures lead to idol-worship, saint-worship, etc., could be only one of the reasons for its prohibitions; there are other ill-effects that are done away with by the prohibition. Pornography and obscenity are cases in point. Pictures are also used for misleading the masses and spreading discord among nations.” To the above we might add that far from decorating their homes with pictures, a report preserved by Bukhari reports `Umar as having said to the People of the Book,

إنا لا ندخل كنائسكم، من أجل التماثيل التي فيها الصور

“We do not enter your Churches because of the pictures you have there.” As for discord that Mawdudi spoke of, we could cite a single example from thousands: While relaying the event of the destruction of the Trade Centre buildings, live on the TV, CNN, America's most popular channel showed Palestinians celebrating the event. The announcer remarked: “We shall never forget this celebration.” Later it was discovered that the TV station had introduced an older film that depicted celebrations of some other occasion. The moment was used to sow permanent hatred of the Muslims in American minds. It achieved high level of success. There is no disputing the fact that no single element has done so much damage to the Islamic religion and its culture as the TV (Au.).

27. That is, the basins were as large as cisterns.

28. The cooking cauldrons were so large that they were, because of their weight, sort of anchored to the ground (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir). Abu Bakr Ibn al-`Arabi said that in pre-Islamic times the pots of `Abdullah b. Jud`an were also so large that one had to climb a ladder to look in. Tarafah b. al-`Abd has a poetical line describing them. Ibn al-`Arabi also reports having seen similarly large pot in one of the ribaat (zaawiyyah: Sufi resort) in Abu Sa`eed to serve the Sufis since they all – without exception – shared meal from one pot (Qurtubi). The details about Sulayman's activities confirm (the historical accounts) that Da'ud established the kingdom, while his son Sulayman attended to its development (with a point from Razi).

29. To act righteously, in obedience of Allah, is to act according to the demands of gratefulness (Muhammad ibn Ka`b: Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir). Ibn Majah has recorded the Prophet (saws) as Sulayman’s mother having said to him,

يَا سُلَيْمَانُ لا تُكْثِرِ النَّوْمَ بِاللَّيْلِ ، فَإِنَّ كَثْرَةَ النَّوْمِ بِاللَّيْلِ تَتْرُكُ الْعَبْدَ فَقِيرًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ

“Sulayman! Do not sleep much at night. Long sleep during the night will leave a man destitute on the Day of Judgment" (Ibn Kathir). But Haythamiyy remarked that the above report does not have a strong chain (Au.).

30. In Asad’s words, ‘I.e., even among those who consider themselves God’s servants – for “truly grateful [to God] is only he who realizes his inability to render adequate thanks to Him” (Zamakhshari).’ Sayyid points out that if we fail to thank Allah for his numerous benefits, in fact, even fail to realize the blessings spread around us, it is because we are used to them and have taken them for granted. It is only when we miss one of them that we realize the great benefit. (Like a cut on a finger makes us realize how much we utilize that particular spot: Au.). We experienced this, continues Sayyid, when once (in the prison) the only access to the sun we had was through a hole the size of a coin. We (the inmates) would make the best use of it so long as it lasted, taking the place in turns. We would take the shine on our faces, hands, feet, and everywhere. And, I shall never forget the day when I was out and allowed full exposure to the sun, one of us saying, "Good Lord! Here is our sun. It still rises." How many other blessings do we not receive, every moment that pass by us, yet, for how many of them do we truly feel thankful? ("Shakoor" is superlative of "shaakir", that is, those who thank a lot). So, "shakoor" is someone who says thanks with his heart, tongue, and limbs of the body. Such a one is engaged in "shukr" all his time. Ibn `Abbas said that "shakoor" is someone who thanks in every situation. Suddi said that he is someone who says thanks upon thanks. It is also said that "shakoor" is someone who feels he can never be grateful enough. It is said that `Umar heard someone say, "O Allah, make me of the few." He asked him what it meant. The man replied, "I have heard Allah say, 'Few indeed of My slaves are grateful.' So I supplicate that He make me of those few." `Umar remarked, "Everybody seems to know more than `Umar" (Zamakhshari, Qurtubi). That gratitude is expressed with the help of deeds, is well illustrated by a hadith in Muslim. When the Prophet's feet were swollen because of his long standing in Prayers at night, 'A'isha asked, "Should you do that when Allah has forgiven your past and future sins?" He asked back, "Should I not be a grateful slave?" (Qurtubi)

31. Various reports coming from the Salaf give us to understand that the Jinn boasted before men that they interacted with, and knew, the Unseen. They were, however, subjugated by Sulayman who put them – despite their dislike - to the completion of the Temple that Da'ud had begun to build but had died before completion. Sulayman used to supervise their works from a certain spot, standing erect, supported by his staff. (One report says he would be seated on a chair reclining on a staff: Qurtubi). He died in that state, but the staff kept him supported. However, insects began to gnaw at the staff, until when it became hollow. One day it broke and Sulayman's corpse fell. It is then that the Jinn knew that they were labouring all the time in fear of Sulayman, although he was dead. And the men realized that the Jinn could not have known the Unseen. Nevertheless, none of the reports of the above kind reaches a hadith status, except for one, which, although it is not directly on the same lines, yet which has been declared weak by Haythamiyy (Au.). That apart, that the Mosque was not completed but after Sulayman's death does not sound correct in view of a report in Nasa'i and other works, of Sahih rank, which reports the Prophet (saws) as having said,

أَنّ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنَ دَاوُدَ صلى الله عليه وسلم لَمّا بَنَى بَـيْتَ الْمَقْدِسِ سَأَلَ اللّهَ عَزّ وَجَلّ خِلاَلاً ثَلاَثَةً: سَأَلَ اللّهَ عَزّ وَجَلّ حُكْما يُصَادِفُ حُكْمَهُ فَأُوتِيَهُ وَسَأَلَ اللّهَ عَزّ وَجَلّ مُلْكا لاَ يْنْبَغِي لأَحَدٍ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ فَأُوتِيَهُ وَسَأَلَ اللّهَ عَزّ وَجَلّ حِينَ فَرَغَ مِنْ بِنَاءِ الْمَسْجِدِ أَنْ لاَ يَأْتِيَهُ أَحَدٌ لاَ يَنْهَزُهُ إلاّ الصّلاَةَ فِيهِ أَنْ يُخْرِجَهُ مِنْ خَطِيئَتِهِ كَيَوْمِ وَلَدَتْهُ أُمّهُ.

"When Sulayman b. Da'ud built the Temple, he asked during its construction for three things: A judgment that matches with His (Allah's own) judgment: he was given it; he asked that he should be given a kingdom that should not be the share of anyone else after him: he was granted it; he asked after he had finished construction of the Mosque that no one should come to it, moved by no other desire but prayers in it, but he should emerge out of his sins like the day his mother gave him birth." The strange manner, however, of the death of a Prophet and king, who enjoyed power over the Jinn, birds and winds, comes as a climax to remind us that ultimately all power belongs to Allah. He does as He will. Further, admittedly, there could have been one or two accessory buildings that were completed after Sulayman had finished the main building (Au.). Asad’s note might not express accurately the understanding of Muslim scholars in general, but it is, once again, worthy of consideration: “In the elliptic manner so characteristic of the Qur’an, stress is laid here, firstly, on the limited nature of all empirical knowledge, including the result of deductions and inferences based on no more than observable or calculable phenomenon, and, secondly, on the impossibility to determine correctly, on the basis of such limited fragments of knowledge alone, what course of action would be right in a given situation. Although the story as such relates to 'invisible beings', its moral lesson (which may be summed up in the statement that empirical knowledge cannot provide any ethical guidelines unless it is accompanied, and completed, by divine guidance) is obviously addressed to human being as well.”

32. Ibn Jarir traces out several reports, coming through different chains, of the content that the Prophet was asked about Saba' and explained that it was the name of a person who lived in Yemen in historical times. Qurtubi, as well as Ibn Kathir trace a Hadith as in Tirmidhi which was declared Hasan Ghareeb by him. It is as follows (Tuhfah, no. 3275):

عَنْ فَرْوَةَ بنِ مُسَيْكٍ المُرادِيّ قَالَ "أَتَيْتُ النبيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ الله أَلاَ أُقَاتِلُ مَنْ أَدْبَرَ مِنْ قَوْمِي بمَنْ أَقْبَلَ مِنْهُمْ؟ فأَذِنَ لِي في قِتَالِهِمْ وَأَمّرَني، فَلَمّا خَرَجْتُ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ سَأَلَ عَنّي مَا فَعَلَ الغُطَيْفِيّ فأُخْبِرَ أنيّ قَدْ سِرْتُ، قَالَ فأَرْسَلَ في أَثَرِي فَرَدّني فَأَتَيْتُهُ وَهُوَ في نَفَرٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ فَقَالَ: ادْعُ القَوْمَ فَمنْ أَسْلَمَ مِنْهُمْ فَاقْبَلْ مِنْهُ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يُسْلِمْ فَلاَ تَعْجَلْ حَتّى أُحْدِثَ إِلَيْكَ، قَالَ وأُنْزِلَ في سَبَإ ما أُنْزِلَ، فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ يَا رَسُولَ الله وَمَا سَبَأٌ أَرْضٌ أَو امرأةٌ؟ قَالَ لَيْسَ بِأَرْضٍ وَلاَ امْرَأَةٍ وَلَكنّهُ رَجُلٌ وَلَدَ عَشْرَةً مِنَ العَرَبِ فَتَيَامَنَ مِنْهُمْ سِتّةٌ وَتَشَاءَمَ مِنْهُمْ أَرْبَعَةٌ، فأَمّا الّذِينَ تَشَاءَمُوا فَلخْمٌ وجذامٌ وَغَسّانُ وعَامِلَةُ، وأَمّا الّذِينَ تَيَامَنَوُا فالأَزْدُ والأَشْعَريونَ وحِمْيَرُ ومَذْحِج وَأَنْمَار، وَكِنْدَةُ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ يَا رَسُولَ الله ومَا أَنْمَارُ؟ قَالَ الّذِينَ مِنْهُم خَثْعَمُ وَبَجِيلَةُ"

Farwah b. Musayk al-Muradi (al-Ghutayfiyy) said, "I went to the Prophet and asked, 'Messenger of Allah, should I not fight those who delay (in responding to this message) with the help of those who have hastened (to it)?' He allowed me to fight against them giving me the command over them. After I had left him, he asked about me as to what had the Ghutayfiyy done. He was told that I had left. He sent someone after me and got me back. So I went to him while he was with some of his Companions. He said, 'Invite your people and accept it from whosoever embraces Islam. As for those who do not accept Islam, do not hasten against them until I let you know.' He (the narrator) said that revelation came down about Saba (those very days). So someone asked, 'Messenger of Allah. What is Saba': a place or a woman?' He answered, 'Neither a woman nor a place, but a man who produced ten sons of the Arabs of whom six settled in Yemen while four others in Syria. Those who went to Syria were Lakhm, Judhdham, Ghassan and `Aamilah, while those who settled in Yemen, were: Azd, Ash`aroon (or maybe Ash`ariyyun), Himyar, Kinda, Madh-hij, and Anmar.' One of the men asked, 'Messenger of Allah what about Anmar?' He replied, 'Khath`am and Bajeelah are of them.'" Ibn Kathir adds: Saba' (in usage) refers to kings and people of Yemen, Tubaaba`ah (pl. of Tubba`) were part of them, as also Bilqis (contemporary to Sulayman). As for ten sons of Saba', it does not necessarily mean direct descendants, but rather his progeny over several generations. The Ansar were the descendants of the Saba', who were scattered by the burst of the dam (that we shall discuss presently). Saba' Arab history is traced back in the ancient past to two persons: `Adnaan and Qahtaan. The opinion prevalent among the genealogists is that the `Aad, Thamood, Jurham, `Amaaleeq, Himyar, and the rest of the historical tribal names we encounter were, what are known as, `Arab-`Aaribah: sons of `Adnan and Qahtan, some 3000 years before Islam. While `Adnan's progeny spread all over the Arabian Peninsula, Qahtan and his progeny settled in the Yemen. They gave rise to a people known as the Saba', who occupied the South Western Arabia, centering around an ancient walled town called Ma'aarib (which had a circumference of six miles in its heyday), about 1200 m (4000 feet) above the sea level in Wadi San`a. (According to 1975 census there were 70,000 inhabitants in and around the town - which still carries the same name). The civilization they created peaked about 1500 years before the Prophet's advent, and at one time penetrated into the Horn of Africa, or, what is known today as Eritrea. Bilqis, Prophet Sulayman's contemporary, who belonged to the Himyarites, was roughly of this period. The Ma'aarib dam that was built, and the floods that the Qur'an spoke of, refer to a time some 1000 and 900 years respectively before the Prophet. The dam had surface covered with stones and mortared, and was at least 16 m. high, 60 m. broad and 620 m. wide, no doubt its construction a mammoth feat. Twice the year the water was let down for irrigation of the lands. Several canals, dozens of sleuths and hundreds of subsidiaries ending with water distributors helped cover a large area of irrigation. Remains show that it was a pretty complicated network of irrigation. The dam had to be expanded several times because of flooding which implies that the area experienced heavy rains. The plantation was so extensive that a horseman needed more than a month to cross them, and, in doing so, he found himself continuously in the shadow of trees. Their religion was largely polytheistic paganism. Although not too common, but, as if to provide proof to the Qur'anic statements in this regard, modern excavations reveal that throughout their history monotheism prevailed among a section of the population. It could be termed as the Cult of the Merciful. The older inscriptions are free of explicit marks of Judaism or Christianity. Their presence can be traced in later epochs. Some 600 years before the Prophet, Romans besieged Ma'arib but despite assaults could not take the town. But it seems they laid waste the neighborhood and destroyed the renewed irrigation works of the oasis. At the height of its development, in the 8th century BC, the kingdom of Saba’ maintained colonies along trade routes leading to Palestine, and Ma‘rib, (some 60 miles off San`a, and 3900 feet above sea level). It was the capital and one of the wealthiest cities of ancient Arabia. It was the meeting-place of the trade routes connecting the frankincense lands with the Mediterranean ports. The construction for which the city that was particularly famous was the great Sadd Ma'rib (i.e., Ma'arib Dam). Majid quotes several authorities about Ma'arib and its dam: "'This remarkable engineering feat, together with the other public works of the Sabaeans, reveal to us a peace-loving society highly advanced not only in commerce but in technical accomplishment as well.’ (Hitti, op. cit., p.55) ‘The failure of the dam at Marib was at once an effect and a cause of the national decay . . . The dam at Marib is now in much the same condition as when Houdani (A.D. 848) saw it.’ (EBr. XIX. P. 785) ‘West of Marib are the ruins of the dam which figures so prominently in Arabic tradition. These show a very solid construction with several sluices. It was destroyed by a flood’ (II. P. 184). This deluge marks an epoch in the history of South Arabia. The waters subside, the lands return to cultivation and prosperity, but Ma'arib lies desolate and the Sabaeans have disappeared forever, except to point a moral or to adorn a tale’ (Nicholson, op. cit. p. 16). According to a Muslim chronicler, 'subsequently God destroyed the dam and tore up the rocks, the pavilions, the trees, and the canals, casting the sands over them. And when they who were below the dam saw its destruction, and they could do nothing to it, they fled to the tops of the hill with their families and cattle. And the water surged over the dam through an abundance of rain: and the water issued from the interstices burrowed by the rats . . . And it is related that the torment of the inundation occurred about four hundred years before Islam . . . but God knows best.’ (Redhouse, op. cit., I. PP. 55-56) ‘The chroniclers report that a rat turned over a stone which fifty men could not have bridged, and thus brought about the collapse of the entire dam.’ (Hitti, op. cit., p. 65). Referring again to this ‘memorable event immortalized in Islamic literature says Hitti:- Al-Isfahani, . . . puts the tragic event four hundred years before Islam but Yaqut comes nearer to the truth when he assigns it to the reign of the Abyssinians. The ruins of the dam are visible to the present day . . . The final catastrophe alluded to in the Koran must have taken place after 542 and before 570." Mawdudi adds: "Since antiquity this Arabian nation has been well known to the rest of the world. Ur inscriptions of 2500 B.C. mention it by the name of Sabom. Then in the Babylonian and Assyrian inscriptions and also in the Bible it has been mentioned several times (see, for instance, Psalms 72:15; Jeremiah 6:20; Ezekiel 27:22, 38: 13; Job 6:19). The Greek and Roman historians and the geographer Theo-phrastus (288 B.C.) have mentioned it continuously for many centuries of the Christian era since before Christ. "Its home was the south-western corner of the Arabian Peninsula, now called al-Yemen. Its rise to prominence started in 1100 B.C. In the time of the Prophets David and Solomon the Saba'ians had become world famous as a wealthy people. In the beginning they were a sun-worshipping nation. Then, when their queen affirmed faith at the hand of the Prophet Solomon (965-926 B.C.), probably most of them became Muslims. But then in some unknown later period they again began to worship gods and goddesses like Almaqah (the moon-god), ‘Athtar (Venus), Dhat Hamim, Dhat Bad’an (the sun-god), Harmatam or Harimat and many others. Almaqah was their chief deity, and the kings made claim to the people’s obedience as representatives of this deity. Many inscriptions have been unearthed in the Yemen which show that the whole land abounded in the temples of these gods, especially of Almaqah, and thanksgiving services for them were held at every important event. As a result of the modern archaeological researches about 3,000 inscriptions have been discovered which throw a good deal of light on the history of this nation."

33. Zamakhshari points out that it is not just two gardens that are meant, but rather, a vast stretch of land on both sides of the mountains over which flourished flush green gardens stretching up to maybe hundreds of miles. The boundaries (of the thousands) of them were so close that they were like two vast gardens. Qurtubi traces it as an opinion of Qushayri.

34. "The good land": because irrigated by an intricate system of (hundreds of dams, the largest being known as the Ma`aarib), dykes, canals and ducts, it yielded its produce in abundance. The weather was so moderate that no insect – flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, ants, lice etc. - ever annoyed them unreasonably. The two gardens yielded fruit so plentifully that it is said – notably by Qatadah - that a woman with a basket on her head would pass through one of their gardens and emerge at the other side with the basked full of fruits having fallen into it, without she having to pick any (Ibn Jarir, Zamakhshari, Ibn Kathir). That could be a hyperbole, but abundance is ascertained. However, the above reminds one of the abundance of fish in some rivers in the United States where, to a camera’s eye, jumping fish land into passing boats, so that, over less than 10 minutes of sailing on water, a boat bags 13 large fishes without the boatmen doing anything about it except mechanically sailing the boat. In fact, in the skit shown, the boatmen had to cover their heads with their hands in fear of the jumping fish falling on their heads. All around, the fishes were jumping out and back into water in continuous frivolity (Au.).

35. It is widely reported that altogether no less than thirteen Prophets were raised among them. However, adds Alusi, it is possible that they had appeared over long periods before Jesus Christ, but the decision to chastise them through the destruction of the dam came later, a couple of centuries before the appearance of our own Prophet.

36. Opinions of the earliest authorities varied over the meaning of `Arim between (a) name of a dam [that Bilqis had built, at a place called Ma'aarib, three travel-stations from San`aa], (2) name of a valley which held the waters of the dam, and, (c) the word is equivalent of violence (sayl al-`arim meaning, violent floods: Ibn Jarir); as well as (d) heavy rains (Alusi). In any case, "sayl" of the text refers to the dam burst that was caused by a multiple of factors: heavy, incessant rains, weakening of the dam by age, and damage caused by rats that burrowed into its walls. When it burst, the rushing waters destroyed all that lay in its path, leaving behind it the irrigation system in ruins. The tribes dispersed (Au.).

37. Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Hasan, Qatadah and Dahhak said that in their opinion "khamt" is for Araak tree (which bears a bitter fruit) – Ibn Jarir. Lane explains in his grand Lexicon that if it is pronounced as now in the Qur'an namely, "ukulin khamtin" it should mean Araak tree, but if pronounced a "ukulu khamtin" (an unpopular reading: Ibn Jarir) then, as "bitter fruits." In either case the fruit of the Araak genus can both be edible as well as too bitter for the mouth, depending on its variety (Au.).

38. Or, tamarisk bushes. In rendering the "athl" of the Qur'an as "athel," we are influenced by Merriam Webster's Dictionary which defines athel as: "a small drought-resistant evergreen tree (Tamarix aphylla) native to southern and western Asia but now widely planted as an ornamental or shelter-belt tree in warm dry regions (as of the southwestern United States and Australia); broadly: any of several other trees or shrubs of the genus Tamarix" (Au.)

39. That is, when the Saba' denied the message, Allah caused the dam wall to collapse sending the waters crashing through the valleys that destroyed all that came in the way: houses, trees, everything. Subsequently, the dam was repaired, but the former glory could not be restored. Neither the irrigation system could be revived, nor were there enough people to attempt revival. Gradually, the gardens turned into semi forests (Au.). Asad writes: "The date of that catastrophe cannot be established with any certainty, but the most probable period of the first bursting of the Dam of Ma'arib seems to have been the second century of the Christian era. The kingdom of Sheba was largely devastated, and this led to the migration of many southern (Qahtan) tribes towards the north of the Peninsula. Subsequently, it appears, the system of dams and dykes was to some extent repaired, but the country never regained its earlier prosperity; and few decades before the advent of Islam the great dam collapsed completely and finally."

40. That is, none do We recompense in this way, but the ingrate (Alusi). Such punishment, however, did not visit any in the past but a nation that rejected its Prophet. Muslims do not in the normal circumstances receive such punishment. Punishment to Muslims in this world takes different forms. Ibn Khayrah, a companion of `Ali, stated,

جزاء المعصية الوهن في العبادة، والضيق في المعيشة، والتعسر في اللذة، قيل: وما التعسر في اللذة؟ قال: لا يصادف لذة حلال إلا جاءه مَنْ يُنَغِّصه إياها

"The recompense of a sin appears in the form of slackness in devotional prayers, constriction in provision, and difficulty in (obtaining) delight." He was asked, “What is meant by difficulty in delight?” He answered, "He does not obtain a lawful thing, but there comes (upon him) what takes away the delight from it” (Ibn Kathir, Alusi and Shafi` combined). The punishment was the immediate reward. Greater punishment is reserved for the unbelievers in the Hereafter. The rule, once again, can be different for Muslims. They could be punished here in this world and forgiven in lieu in the Hereafter (Au.). Qatadah said that if Allah wishes to honor a Muslim, He accepts his good deeds, but if He wishes his humiliation, He holds back the punishment for his evil deeds in order to punish him in full in the Hereafter. It is reported that one of the Companions saw a woman passerby and his eyes followed her (to some distance). As he came across a wall (of an orchard) he crashed into it and received injury on the face. He went up to the Prophet with his bleeding face and told him what had happened. He explained,

إِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بعَبْدٍ خَيْرًا عَجَّلَ لَهُ عُقُوبَةَ ذَنْبه فِى الدُّنْيَا وإذا أرادَ بِعَبْد شرًّا أمسك عُقُوبة ذنبه حتى يُوَافِيَه يوم القيامةِ كأنه عَيْر أبتر (أحمد ، والطبرانى ، والحاكم ، والبيهقى فى شعب الإيمان عن عبد الله بن مغفل - قال الهيثمى : إسناده جيد .

"When Allah wishes to honor a slave, He hastens the punishment for his sins in this world. But if He wishes his humiliation, He withholds the retribution until He will recompense him in full on the Day of Standing, as if He is a tail-less donkey” (Ibn Jarir). Haythami declared its chain of transmission as good (Au.).

41. The allusion is to the Syrian lands (Ibn Jarir).

42. That is, Arab towns that were strewn across Yemen and Syria on the highway (Ibn Jarir). They were called apparent towns because they were right on the road that connected Yemen with Syria (Ma`arif).

43. That is, the Arab towns were so closely placed that if a traveler left one of them by noon, he arrived at the next town by evening, and if he left by evening, he arrived at another by dinner time - freeing him from the need to carry any provision (Ibn Jarir, Zamakhshari, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, Alusi).

44. That is, (although they might not have prayed in so many words: Shabbir, Mawdudi), in their arrogance they wished the ease of journey provided by Allah removed, so that they could encamp in deserts and encounter some of the hardships that travelers normally faced – for fun and adventure. So, Allah punished them, for their disbelief and their hubris by sending down the floods (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir from Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Hasan and others). In this they imitated the Israelites who rejected the comforts of Mann and Salwa and readily exchanged them for earthly products (Kashshaf, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

45. Their dispersal became proverbial. When circumstances scatter a people in the lands, it is said, "they scattered, Saba'-like" (Qurtubi).

46. So Saba' became a tale, and its tribes were scattered all across the lands. `Aamir al-Sha`bi said that the Ghassaan went to Syria, the Ansar settled in Yethrib, Khuza`ah went to Tihama, and Azd to `Umman.

47. There are signs for such of the believers who are persevering and grateful, in situations when they pass through such trying times. They render thanks when in ease, and bear patiently when in difficulties. The Prophet has said as in a report of Bukhari and Muslim, with the words here as in Muslim,

"عَجَباً لأَمْرِ الْمُؤْمِنِ. إِنّ أَمْرَهُ كُلّهُ خَيْرٌ. وَلَيْسَ ذَاكَ لأَحَدٍ إِلاّ لِلْمُؤْمِنِ. إِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ سَرّاءُ شَكَرَ. فَكَانَ خَيْراً لَهُ. وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ ضَرّاءُ صَبَرَ، فَكَانَ خَيْراً لَهُ"

"Amazing is a believer's affair. Indeed, all his affairs are good for him. And this is not for everyone but for a believer alone. If ease touches him he gives thanks and that is good for him. But if difficulties visit him he observes patience, and it is good for him."

48. The allusion is, state Ibn Jarir, Zamakhshari, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir and others, to his statement at the time of Adam's creation when he said (7: 16,17),

فَبِمَا أَغْوَيْتَنِي لأَقْعُدَنَّ لَهُمْ صِرَاطَكَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ ثُمَّ لآتِيَنَّهُم مِّن بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ وَعَنْ أَيْمَانِهِمْ وَعَن شَمَآئِلِهِمْ وَلاَ تَجِدُ أَكْثَرَهُمْ شَاكِرِينَ

(He said), “Now that You have led me to misguidance, I shall most certainly sit in ambush for them all along Your Straight Path. Then I shall come on them from their front, their rear, their right and their left, and You will not find many of them grateful (to You)." According to a report in Ibn Abi Hatim, Satan had promised at the time he was sent down from Paradise that he will not depart from a son of Adam so long as there is soul in him, deluding him, promising him, and deceiving him. Allah said in response,

وعزتي لا أحجب عنه التوبة ما لم يُغَرغِر بالموت، ولا يدعوني إلا أجبته، ولا يسألني إلا أعطيته، ولا يستغفرني إلا غفرت له

"By My honor and greatness. I shall not hold back My forgiveness so long as he does not start gurgling at death, will not invoke Me but I shall respond to him, will not ask Me but I shall grant him, and will not seek forgiveness but I shall forgive him" (Ibn Kathir).

49. Although the import is general, among the Saba' too there seems to have been believers in one God, who survived through the ages. Mawdudi provides us the details: "History shows that in ancient times there lived among the Sabaians a small group of people who believed in one God, shunning all other gods. The inscriptions that have been discovered in the ruins of Yemen as a result of modern archeological research point to the existence of this small element. Some inscriptions of the period about 650 B.C. indicate that at several places in the kingdom of Saba there existed such houses of worship as were exclusively meant for the worship of dhu-samavi (i.e. Rabb as-sama’: Lord of the heavens). In some places this Deity has been mentioned as Malikan dhu-samavi (the King who is the Owner of the heavens). This remnant of the Sabaians continued to live in Yaman for centuries afterwards. Thus, in an inscription of 378 A.D. also there is found mention of a house of worship that was built in the name of Ilah dhu-samavi. Then in an inscription dated 465 A.D. the words are Bi-nasr wa rida ilah-in ba’l samin wa ardin (i.e. with the help and support of that God Who is the Owner of the Heavens and the earth). In another inscription of the period dated 458 A.D., the word Rahman has been used for the same God, the actual words being bi-rida Rahmanan (i.e. with the help of Rahman)."

50. That is, Shaytan has not been given the power to physically force anyone to a path. At best he has the ability to suggest, incite, provoke, and mislead in order that Allah may know who follows His guidance in preference to Shaytan's promptings. It never happens that Shaytan's way appears open, but rather, the other road – the road to salvation – is always plainly and clearly visible (Shabbir in substance).