Verse:12 Commentary We can now turn to verse 12: وَلِسُلَيْمَانَ الرِّ‌يحَ غُدُوُّهَا شَهْرٌ‌ وَرَ‌وَاحُهَا شَهْرٌ‌ (And for Sulayman: (We subjugated) the wind; its journey in the morning was (equal to the journey of) one month, and its journey in the afternoon was (equal to the journey) of another month). After having mentioned the blessings bestowed upon Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) ، the text refers to Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) . It was said that the way Allah Ta' ala had subjugated mountains and birds for Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) ، similarly, the Wind was subjugated for Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) . It would take the throne of Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) on which he was seated with a large number of his courtiers to wherever he wished always under his command. Early exegete, Hasan al-Basri (رح) has said that the miracle of the subjugation of the Wind was bestowed upon Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) in return for what he had done once while inspecting his stable of horses. So engrossed he became in this activity that he missed the Salah of al-'asr. Since the horses became the cause of this negligence, Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) decided to eliminate the very cause of negligence. He sacrificed these horses by slaughtering them (since the sacrifice of horses was also permissible in the law of Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) very much like the cows and oxen) and since these horses were owned by Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) the question of bringing loss to the Baytul-Mal simply does not arise, and the doubt of wasting personal property because of the sacrifice also does not hold good. Full relevant details about it will appear in the commentary on Surah Sad (38:30-40, appearing later in this very Volume VII). In short, because Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) sacrificed the horses he rode, Allah Ta' ala blessed him with a better ride. (Qurtubi)

In the other part of the verse taken up immediately earlier: غُدُوُّهَا شَهْرٌ‌ وَرَ‌وَاحُهَا شَهْرٌ‌ (34:12), the word: غُدُوُّ (ghuduww) means moving in the morning and the word: رَ‌وَاحُ (rawah) means moving in the evening. Thus, the sense of the verse comes to be that this throne of Sulayman (علیہ السلام) perched on the wings of the wind from the morning to the afternoon would cover the travel distance of one month, and then, from early evening to late night, that of another one month. In this way, it used to cover the travel distance of two months in one full day.

According to Hasan al-Basri (رح) ، Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) would leave Baytul-Maqdis in the morning, reach Istakhr by afternoon and had his lunch there. Then he would leave after Zuhr and by the time he got to Kabul, it would be night. The travel distance between Baytul-Maqdis and Istakhr is something a swift rider could cover in a month. Similarly, the travel distance from Istakhr to Kabul is also what a swift rider could cover in a month. (Ibn Kathir)

To explain the next sentence of verse 12: وَأَسَلْنَا لَهُ عَيْنَ الْقِطْرِ‌(And We caused a stream of copper to flow for him), it can be said that Allah Ta' ala made a metal as hard as the copper turn into a liquid flowing like water, even gushing forth like a stream of water, and was not hot either - so that, utensils and other things of need could be easily shaped from of it.

Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ said that this stream started flowing as far as it would take a travel of three days and three nights to cover that distance. And this was located in the land of Yemen. Then, in the narration of Mujahid, it appears that this stream started from San'a' in Yemen and continued to flow like a stream of water up to a travel distance of three days and three nights. Famous grammarian, Khalil Nahwi said that the word: قِطر (qitr) mentioned in this verse means molten copper. (Qurtubi)

The next sentence: وَمِنَ الْجِنِّ مَن يَعْمَلُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ (And there were some Jinns who worked before him by the leave of his Lord - 34:12) is also connected with the ellipsis (مَحذوف : mahdhuf) of سَخَّرنَا (sakhkharna: We subjugated). The sense is that 'We subjugated for Sulayman (علیہ السلام) such people from among the Jinns who would do the chores he assigned to them before him - as commanded by their Lord. The addition of the expression: بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ (baiyna yadaiyhi: before him) may, perhaps, be there to make it clear that the subjugation of Jinns was not of the kind mentioned in the Qur'an where the text talks about harnessing the Moon and the Sun into the service of human beings. Instead, this subjugation was in the nature of mastery over the Jinns who worked before him like vassals busy doing chores assigned to them.

The matter of the subjugation of Jinns

As for the subjugation of Jinns (for Sulayman علیہ السلام) mentioned at this place, it was by the command of Allah Ta' ala and there can be no doubt about its possibility. Similarly, what has appeared in some narrations about some noble Sahabah that they had Jinns made subservient to them, it was the same kind of subjugation by the leave of Allah with which they were blessed as a Karamah. It was not based on any act or recitation (Wazifah) on their part - as mentioned by 'Allamah Sharbini in Tafsir As-sirajul-Munir under his commentary on this verse. He has cited several events relating to Sayyidna Abu Hurairah, 'Ubaiyy Ibn Ka'b, Mu` aclh Ibn Jabal, ` Umar Ibn al-Khattab, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, Zayd Ibn Thabit and others ؓ which prove that the Jinns used to be at their service. But, it was nothing but the grace and mercy of Allah Ta' ala that, like Sayyidna Sulayman علیہ السلام ، He made some Jinns subservient to these blessed souls.

But, the particular 'subjugation' through incantations and correlated sets of self-invented actions popular among عَامِل 'amils or practitioners of this line of activity is something one should take with a pinch of salt and first find out the Islamic rule of guidance in this matter. Qadi Badruddin Shibli al-Hanafi who is one of the scholars of the eighth century has written a book, 'Akam- ul-Marjan fi Ahkam- il-Jann' on this subject. According to him, it is Sayyidna Sulayman علیہ السلام who has been the first one to have the Jinn into his service with the leave of Allah and as a miracle. And the people of Persia attribute this to Jamshaid Ibn Onjahan as being served by the Jinns. Similarly, there are events on record about 'Asif Ibn Barkhiya and others who were connected with Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) which indicate that they too had Jinns subservient to them. Then, the most famous among Muslims are Abu Nasr Ahmad Ibn Hilal al-Bukail and Hilal Ibn Wasif attributed to whom there are many unusual events of the subservience of the Jinns to them. Hilal Ibn Wasif has written a full book in which he has put together what the Jinns said to Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) and the pledges Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) took from them.

Qadi Badruddin has written in this very book that generally the 'amils who do their thing to subjugate the Jinns use shaitanic words of infidelity (Kufr) and sorcery (Sehr) liked by infidel Jinns and shaitans. The secret of why they would accept to become their vassals is nothing but that they stand placated by their deeds soaked in kufr and shirk and go on to do a few jobs for them by way of bribe. This is the reason why in doing things of this nature, they would write the Holy Qur'an with blood and other impurities. Hence, the disbelieving Jinns and shaitans, pleased with their evil offering, would do what they want them to do. However, about a person named Ibn al-Imam, he has written that he lived during the period of Khalifah Mu'tadid bil-lah and he had subjugated the Jinns through the effective use of Divine Names. As such, there was nothing in his recitations that would go counter to the Shari` ah. ('Akam-ul-Marjan, p. 100)

In short, if the Jinns get subjugated for someone, without his own intention or motivated action, solely being something from Allah, as it stands proved in the case of Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) and some noble Sahabah of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ، then, that is included under Mu'jizah (miracle shown at the hands of a prophet of Allah) or karamah (working of wonder in the nature of a miracle shown at the hands of men of Allah). And such subservience when achieved through bland pragmatism of formula incantations (` amaliyat) would be judged on the basis of its active content. If it contains words of Kufr, or deeds of kufr, it will be nothing but kufr (disbelief, infidelity) - and if it is composed of disobedience or sin only, then, it is a major sin. Then, there are strange words used in such formula invocations and actions. Their meanings are not known. These too have been classed by Muslim jurists as impermissible on the basis that the possibility of such words being loaded with words that contain kufr, shirk and sinfulness cannot be ruled out. In 'Akam-ul-Marjan, Qadi Badruddin has written that the use of words the meanings of which are not known is also impermissible.

And if this act of subjugation be through Divine Names or Qur'anic Verses and there also be no such sin like the use of impurities in it, then, it is permissible with the condition that the aim thereby should be to remain personally safe against harm caused by the Jinns, or save other Muslims from it. In other words, the aim should be to remove harm, and not to secure benefits, because if it is adopted as a profession to earn money, it amounts to the enslavement of someone created free and to exacting forced labour without remuneration, hence prohibited (haram). Allah knows best.

The last sentence of verse 12 is: وَمَن يَزِغْ مِنْهُمْ عَنْ أَمْرِ‌نَا نُذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابِ السَّعِيرِ‌ (And whoever of them would deviate from Our command, We would make him taste the punishment of the blazing fire.) Most commentators have taken this to mean the punishment of Jahannam (Hell) in the hereafter. Some others have said that, in this world as well, Allah Ta' ala had set an angel upon them who, in case they fell short in obeying Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) ، would beat them with burning lashes and force them to work. (Qurtubi) The doubt that the Jinns are made of fire after all and the fire would hardly affect them is not worth entertaining here. The reason is that the Jinns are made of fire in the same sense as man is made of dust. It means that the preponderant element of man is dust. Still if man were to be hit by a clod of clay, or stone, it would hurt him. Similarly, the preponderant element of the Jinns is fire. But, pure and potent fire would burn them too. Verse:13 Commentary In verse 13: يَعْمَلُونَ لَهُ مَا يَشَاءُ مِن مَّحَارِ‌يبَ وَتَمَاثِيلَ وَجِفَانٍ كَالْجَوَابِ وَقُدُورٍ‌ رَّ‌اسِيَاتٍ (They used to make for him whatever he wished of castles, images, basins as (large as) tanks and big cook-wares fixed in their places), there is a somewhat detailed description of the jobs Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) assigned to the Jinns. The word: مَحَاریب (maharib, translated above as 'castles' ) is the plural form of: مِحرَاب (mihrab) and is used to identify the noblest part of the house. When kings and men of authority make a state operation chamber, sort of power niche for themselves, it is also known as mihrab. Then the word: is a derivation from: حَرب (harb) meaning war. One makes a seat of power for himself, keeps it safe against being approached by others, and should anyone resort to any high-handedness, he would fight against the aggressor. Given this congruity, the special section of a mansion is called mihrab. Then the masajid or mosques as such are, on occasions, referred to as maharib. When reference is made to the maharib of sahabah from among the maharib of Ban' Isra'il and Islam, it means their Masajid or mosques.

The injunction of having a separate place for making a Mihrab in Masajid

As far as the blessed period of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the rightly-guided Khulafa' is concerned, the custom of making the place where the Imam stands as a separate special unit just did not exist. After the early centuries of Islam, the kings promoted this custom for their security and, among common Muslims, it found currency due to the expedient consideration that the whole row where the Imam stands remains empty. It is in view of the large number of people praying in the congregation of masajid already short on space that only a place for the Imam to stand is made by going in depth toward the wall facing the Qiblah so that full rows could be formed behind him. Since this method did not prevail during the early centuries of Islam, some ` Ulama' have dubbed it as bid'ah (innovation in the established religious practice of Islam). Shaykh Jalaluddin as-Suyuti' has written a regular treatise entitled: I` lam-ul-'Aranib fi Bid` atil-Maharib on this issue. However, the correct position in this matter is that, should mihrabs of this nature be made for the convenience of the people praying, and in the best interests of the masjid - without taking it to be the desired Sunnah - then, there is no reason to call it a bid'ah (innovation in established religion). Yes, if this is made to be the desired Sunnah, and whoever does anything against it gets to be censured, then, this excess (ghuluww) can make such an action fall under the purview of bid'ah.

Ruling

If mihrab is made in the form of a regular place for the Imam to stand and lead the prayers, it is incumbent on the Imam that he stands slightly outside the mihrab in a manner that his feet remain out of the mihrab, so that the place in which the Imam and the muqtadis (those praying behind the Imam) can be counted as one. Otherwise, reprehensible and impermissible is the situation in which the Imam stands alone in a separate place and the rest of the muqtadis, in another. Some masajid would make a mihrab so spacious that it would be good enough to hold a small row of muqtadis within it. In a mihrab such as this, should a row of muqtadis also stand in the mihrab and the Imam stands ahead of them, being fully inside the mihrab, then, because of the Imam and the muqtadis being on common grounds, the element of harahah (reprehensibility) will no more be there.

The next word: تَمَاثِیل (tamathil, translated above as 'images' ) is the plural form of: J (timthal). It appears in the Arabic Lexicon, al-Qamus, that: تِمثَال (timthal) with a fathah on the letter: sUi (ta' is a verbal noun, and the word: تِمثَال (timthal) with a kasrah on the letter: اَلتَاء (ta) denotes a picture. In Ahkam-ul-Qur'an, Ibn-ul-` Arabi has said that timthal, that is, a picture is of two kinds: (1) The picture of animate and living things, (2) that of inanimate and lifeless things. After that, inanimate things are further divided in two kinds: (1) Jamad or inorganic in which there is no increase and growth, such as, rock or soil, (2) nami or organic in which increase and growth go on, such as, trees and crops. The Jinns used to make pictures of all kinds of these things for Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) . To begin with, the very generality of the Qur'anic word: تَمَاثِیل (tamathil: images) lends support to the view that these pictures were not those of some particular kind, instead, were common to all kinds. Then there are the historical narratives in which the presence of the pictures of birds on the throne of Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) has also been mentioned.

The prohibition of making and using pictures of the living in Shari' ah

The cited verse (12) tells us that making and using pictures of the living was not haram (forbidden) in the Shari` ah of Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) . But, experience bore out that pictures of people were made among past communities to pay homage to them, then they were put in their houses of worship to serve as reminders of their devotion in the hope that it might enable them too to devote likewise. This did not happen. Gradually, what really happened was that these people made these very pictures the objects of their worship and thus began the worship of idols and icons.

In short, the pictures of the living creatures made in past communities became the conduit of idol-worship. Since it is divinely destined that the Shari` ah of Islam must stay and survive right through the Day of Judgment, therefore, particular attention has been paid there to block the intrusion of the undesirable. Hence, the way sins and initially haram things have been made unlawful, similarly, their conduits and close causes have also been made unlawful by appending these to main sins and haram things. Of crimes, the real one, and the most serious, happens to be shirk and idol-worship. When this was forbidden, the law of Islam did not leave the ways and means that could smuggle idol-worship in it unchecked. It was boldly and wisely checked when the conduits and close causes of idol-worship were also prohibited. Making and using pictures of the living was made prohibited on this very basis. That it is unlawful stands proved on the authority of the ahadith of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ، ahadith that are sound, authentic, and have been transmitted in an uninterrupted succession.

Similarly, when liquor was made haram, also made haram were its buying and selling, wages to deliver or carry it, and its making, everything about it, being the conduits of drinking. When theft was made haram, the very entry in someone's house without permission, in fact, even peeping in from outside the house was prohibited. When zina (fornication, adultery) was made haram, even casting a look intentionally at a non-mahram was also made haram. Comparable examples of it abound in the Shari` ah of Islam.

The prohibition of pictures: A common doubt and its answer

It can be said that the use of pictures during the blessed time of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم could have become a source of idol-worship. But, in our time, pictures serve many purposes, such as establishing identity of criminals, advertising trademarks, meeting friends and relatives, investigating events and circumstances and so many other things. For this reason, it has been included in one of the necessities of life. In this, the apprehension of any idol-worship is far too remote to conceive. As such, this prohibition that was made to offset the danger of idol-worship should now be lifted.

Answer to this doubt is that First of all, it is not correct to say that, in our time, pictures are no more a source of idol-worship. Even today, there are so many sects and groups who worship their peers. Then, it is not necessary either that the wisdom behind an operative divine order should be found in every individual case. In addition to that, the sole reason for the prohibition of pictures is not that it is a conduit of idol-worship. In fact, there are Sahih (sound and authentic) ahadith in which other reasons for this prohibition have also been given. For example, picture making is a duplication of the special attribute of Allah Ta' ala. The name: مُصَوَّر (musawwir: the giver of form, shape, color and real presence) is one of the most beautiful names of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta' ala, and making of pictures (and the giving of form, shape and presence) is, in reality, befitting for Him and it lies within His power to create among His creations thousands in terms of genus, race, class, category and kinds with millions and billions of living units in each kind, each different in shape. Take the example of human beings. The form and shape of men is different. So is the form and shape of women. There have been billions of individual men and women. None of them were absolutely like anyone else. The distinct features of every person are so manifest that an onlooker would easily recognize him without much hesitation. Who can claim to give the creatures such marvelous shapes other than Allah Almighty? A human being who makes a picture, or painting, or statue of someone living is claiming, for all practical purposes, that he or she too can make (the same) 'images.' Therefore, it appears in the Sahih of al-Bukhari and in other ahadith that, on the Day of Judgment, those who make pictures will be told: When you have tried to imitate Us, make the imitation perfect too - if you have the power to do so. We did not simply make an image. We have invested it with a spirit too. If you claim to have 'created' it, then, you better put a spirit inside the thing you have 'made'. Another reason why a picture is prohibited appears in Sahih ahadith where it is said that the angels of Allah hate pictures and dogs. Angels do not enter the house that has these, because of which, the bliss and radiance of the house is gone, and the ability of the inmates to worship and remain obedient to Allah is reduced. Then, along with it, not so wrong is the well-known saying: خانہ خالی را دیو می گیرد (A vacant house is occupied by demons). So, when some house remains unvisited by angels of mercy, who else but the devils and demons will be all over it staying there to sow scruples of sins first and then give the intention and the courage to fall into them.

Yet another reason appearing in some ahadith is that pictures are unnecessary embellishment of this world. Of course, in our time, pictures yield many benefits but thousands of crimes, including those that range between immodesty and pornography, also breed and flourish from these very pictures. In short, it is not simply one reason alone that was made basis for its prohibition, rather, there is a host of reasons why the Shari'ah of Islam has declared it prohibited to make and use pictures of the living. Now, if we were to suppose that there is some particular person in whom those causes are not found, then, from this stray incidence, the rule of the Shari'ah cannot change.

According to a narration from Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn Masud ؓ appearing in the .Sahih of al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has been reported to have said:

اَشَدُّ النَّاسِ عَذَاباً یَّومَ القِامۃ المُصَوِّرُونَ

Of people the most affected by punishment on the Day of Judgment shall be the makers of pictures.

And in some other narrations of Hadith, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم t has been reported to havb cursed the makers of pictures. Then, a narration from Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ appearing in the two Sahihs of al-Bukhari and Muslim reports that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم t said:

کُلُّ مُصَوِّرِ فِی النَّارِ

Every maker of pictures will be in the Jahannam.

This humble writer has put together detailed evidences concerning this issue from the narrations of Hadith and the practice of the early forbears of Islam in his treatise entitled, At-taswir li-ahkam-it-taswir.

Also included in it, there are answers to doubts entertained by people. If needed, please consult.

A photograph is also a picture

Some people argue that a photo is outside the definition of taswir or picture, because it is a shadow, or reflection, as it would appear in mirror or water. So, they would argue, the way it is permissible to look at yourself in a mirror, in the same way, a photo picture is also permissible. But this argument is absolutely wrong, because a reflection or shadow is a reflection until it has not been made to last through some device. Take the example of mirror or water. Your reflection in it will be gone once you move away from it. If the reflection of this figure were to be made lasting through the use of some chemical process or device, this very thing will become a picture, the forbiddance and prohibition of which stands proved from ahadith appearing in an uninterrupted succession. A detailed discussion relating to the issue of photographs has also been included in my treatise on pictures referred to earlier.

The next word: جِفَان (jifan, translated in the text as 'basins' ) is the plural of: جَفنَۃ (jafnah) which means a large dish-like pan or tub to hold ample supply of water, and the word: اَلجَوِاب (aljawab, translated above as 'tanks' ) in: کَالجَوَابِ (kaljawab) is the plural of: جاَبِیَۃ (jabiyah). A small water tank is called: جابیہ (jabiyah). The sense is that they would make water-storing utensils so large as would hold water equal to that of a small tank. The first of the next two words: قُدُور (qudur, translated above as 'cook-wares' ) is the plural of: قِدر (qidr) which is spelt with the Kasrah of the letter: القَاف (qaf). It means a pot (to boil or cook. The last of the two words: رَاسِیَات (rasiyat, translated as 'fixed at their place' ) refers to their state as being set where they were. The sense is that they used to make these cauldrons so huge and heavy that they were virtually immovable - and it is also possible that they would have made these cauldrons fixed on the ovens of solid rock, and therefore they were immovable in that respect. Early Tafsir authority, Dahhak has given this very explanation of these words.

In verse 13: اعْمَلُوا آلَ دَاوُودَ شُكْرً‌ا وَقَلِيلٌ مِّنْ عِبَادِيَ الشَّكُورُ‌ (Do good, 0 family of Dawud, in thankfulness. And few from My slaves are thankful." [ 34:13]), after having stated that Sayyidna Dawud and Sulayman (علیہما السلام) were particularly blessed by Allah Ta' ala, they and their family and children have been ordered to remain grateful.

The reality of Shukr (gratitude) and its injunctions

According to Al-Qurtubi, the reality of shukr (gratitude) is that one admits that this blessing has been bestowed by such and such giver and then goes on to use it in consonance with the spirit of his pleasure and in obedience to him. Therefore, using the blessing bestowed by someone counter to his pleasure is ungratefulness and a virtual denial of that blessing. This tells us that the way gratefulness can be in words, it can also be expressed by acts. When expressed by acts, it would mean the use of that blessing in accordance with the pleasure of the giver and in obedience to him. Abu 'Abdur-Rahman As-Sulami has said that Salah is gratitude, fasting is gratitude, and every good deed is gratitude. And Muhammad Ibn Ka'b al-Qurazi says that gratitude is the name of piety and righteous conduct. (Ibn Kathir)

In the verse under study, the noble Qur'an could have used the comparatively brief expression اَشکُرُونِی (ushkuruni: thank Me), but the words used are اعْمَلُوا شُكْرً‌ا ‌ Perhaps this expression is adopted to release the hint that the gratitude expected from the House of Dawud was gratitude in practice. (The translation in the text has taken care of this hint by saying, 'Do good....' )

This injunction was carried out so faithfully by Sayyidna Dawud and Sulayman (علیہما السلام) and their families and children, both in word and deed, that no time passed in their homes when they did not have an individual member of the family standing exclusively devoted to worship. In fact, specific time was allotted to all family members for this purpose. As a result, the prayer mat of Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) would not remain unoccupied at any time by one or the other maker of prayer. (Ibn Kathir)

According to Hadith in al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said that the dearest prayer to Allah is that of Dawud (علیہ السلام) . He would sleep half of the night, stand in worship for one third of it, and then, sleep -during the last one sixth. And the dearest fasts to Allah are the fasts of Dawud علیہ السلام ، for he would fast on alternate days. (Ibn Kathir)

It has been reported from Fudayl (رح) that following the revelation of this command of gratitude to Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) ، he submitted before Allah Ta' ala: '0 my Lord, how could I show my gratitude to You fully and sufficiently while my gratitude too, be it oral or practical, is nothing but a blessing bestowed by You? On this too, a separate gratitude becomes due.' Allah Ta' ala said, اَلاٰنَ شَکَرتنِی یَا داؤدُ (Now, 0 Dawud, you did thank Me). The reason was that he had realized his inability to thank Him as was His due, and had made a confession to that effect.

Tirmidhi and Abu Bakr al-Jassas (رح) report from Sayyidna ` Ata' Ibn Yasar ؓ that when this verse: اعْمَلُوا آلَ دَاوُودَ شُكْرً‌ا (Do good, 0 family of Dawud, in thankfulness) was revealed, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم came to the pulpit, recited this verse and then said, "There are three acts whoever accomplishes them would achieve the same excellence as was bestowed on the House of Dawud." The noble Sahabah asked: "Ya RasulAllah, what are those three acts?" He said, "Staying firm on justice in states of pleasure and displeasure both; and taking the path of moderation in states of prosperity and adversity both; and fearing Allah both in private and in public." (Qurtubi, Ahkam ul-Quran, al-Jassas)

In the last sentence of verse وَقَلِيلٌ مِّنْ عِبَادِيَ الشَّكُورُ‌ soon after having given the command for gratitude with special emphasis, the reality on ground was also pointed to by saying that 'And few from My slaves are thankful.' which is an admonition for a believer, and an incitement to observe gratitude. Verse:14 Commentary The word: مِنسَأ (minsa'ah, translated in the text as 'scepter' ) in verse 14 beginning with: فَلَمَّا قَضَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ الْمَوْتَ (So, when We decided (that) death (should come) upon him, - 14) appears in the sense of staff or pole (as of purpose or authority). Some early commentators have said that it is a word taken from the Ethiopian language and denotes staff. Others have said that it is an Arabic word from: نَسَاء (nasa) which means move back, drive away, postpone. Since a staff or stick is used to remove things undesirable or harmful, therefore, it was called: مِنسأۃ : 'minsa'ah,' that is, the device to remove. By describing the circumstances of Sayyidna Sulayman's (علیہ السلام) unusual death, the text has opened a gateway of many lessons and gems of guidance.

The strange event of the death of Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام)

The elements of guidance embedded in this event are many. For example, Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) was a ruler having such an unmatched state at his command that ruled not simply over the world of his time, but over the Jinns and birds and the wind as well. Yet, despite all these assets at his command, he too had no escape from death, and that it had to come only when the time was appointed for it to come. The construction of Baytul-Maqdis started by Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) and completed by Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) had part of it still unfinished. This construction job was entrusted with the Jinns. They were contumacious by nature but kept working in fear of Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) . If they were to find out that he had died, they would have stopped working instantly and the structure would have been left incomplete. With the leave of Allah, Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) made appropriate arrangements to offset this situation. So, when came the time of his death, he got ready for it and entered the mihrab (seat of authority in the palace) which was made of sparking transparent glass. His presence could be clearly seen from outside. As was his routine, he stood there in a stance of worship slightly supported by his scepter, so that, once his soul departs (when he dies), the body remains poised at its place with the support of his staff.

The soul of Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) was taken away at the appointed hour, but he kept firmly reclining on his staff and from the outside it appeared as if he was engrossed in worship. In that state, Jinns would not dare come close and peek at him. They kept working under the impression that Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) was alive. Thus passed a full year and when the remaining work on Baytul-Maqdis was complete, Allah Ta' ala empowered the termite, (which is referred to by the Qur'an as دَابَّۃ الارض (dabbatul-ard: a creature of the earth), to occupy the staff of Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) . The termite ate out the wood and weakened the staff. When the staff was gone, Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) fell down. That was the time when the Jinns came to know about his death.

Allah Ta' ala has given the Jinns the capability of traversing very long distances within moments. They used to be aware of many circumstances and events not known by human beings. When they would communicate this information to human beings, they took it to be news from the unseen surmising that the Jinns too possess the knowledge of the unseen ('ilm-ul-ghaib). Moreover, the possibility that the Jinns themselves had a claim of possessing the knowledge of the unseen cannot be ruled out. But, this unusual incidence of death unfolded the reality of all that. The Jinns themselves found out - and human beings too - that the Jinns are no possessors of the knowledge of the unseen. Because, had that been the case and had they been aware of the workings of the unseen, they would have come to know about the death of Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) more than a year ago, and would have been spared of the hard labor they went on doing on the assumption that he was alive. This is what has been stated in the last sentence of the verse:

فَلَمَّا خَرَّ‌ تَبَيَّنَتِ الْجِنُّ أَن لَّوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ الْغَيْبَ مَا لَبِثُوا فِي الْعَذَابِ الْمُهِينِ

So, when he fell down, the Jinns came to know that if they had the knowledge of the Unseen, they would not have stayed (so long) in the humiliating punishment. (34:14).

Here, the expression: الْعَذَابِ الْمُهِينِ (al-'adhabil-muhin: humiliating punishment) refers to the hard labor they had to do in completing the edifice of Baytul-Maqdis under the orders of Sayyidna Sulayman Part of this unusual event of the death of Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) has been mentioned in this very verse of the Qur'an while its details have been reported from several Tafsir authorities, including Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Abbas ؓ ، and are there in Ibn Kathir and all other Tafsirs.

From this unusual event, we also learn the essential lesson that there is no escape from death for anyone and also that Allah Ta' ala can, when He decides to have someone do something, arrange to have it done the way He wills. This is exactly as it happened during the course of this event when Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) was kept, despite his death, standing at his place and the Jinns were made to complete the work assigned to them. This event also shows that all causes and instruments of the whole world keep fulfilling their function until such time as Allah would let them do so. When He would not let them do so, causes and instruments fail, like the support of the staff here that was terminated through the termite. Moreover, soon after the death of Sayyidna Sulayman ill there existed the danger that people, who notice the astonishing performance of the Jinns and come across their apparently unbelievable access to things unseen, might take them as their objects of worship. This danger was also eliminated by this event of death. Everyone came to know that the Jinns were really unaware and helpless in this matter.

From this submission, it becomes clear that Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) had adopted this particular mode at the time of his death for two reasons: (1) That the remaining work on the construction of Baytul-Maqdis gets to be completed. (2) That people find out the truth about the Jinns, realize that they were really unaware and helpless, and thus there remains no danger of Jinns being taken by them as objects of veneration and worship. (Qurtubi)

According to a narration of Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Amr reported by Imam Nasa'i with sound chains of authority, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "When Sulayman (علیہ السلام) accomplished the building of Baytul-Maqdis, he made some prayers that were answered. One of these was: 0 Allah, whoever enters this masjid with the sole intention of making Salah (and having no other worldly motive), purify him before he goes out of this masjid, from all his sins (making him) as pure as he was when born from the womb of his mother."

And in the narration of Suddiyy, it also appears that soon after Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) was finished with the building of Baytul-Maqdis, he sacrificed twelve thousand cows and heifers and twenty thousand goats as a token of thanksgiving and declared the feast open to all. Celebrating the day as a day of rejoicing, he stood on the Sakhrah of Baytul-Maqdis praying: 0 Allah, it is You who bestowed this power, and all these resources, on me by virtue of which the edifice of Baytul-Maqdis reached its completion. Now, also give me the ability to thank you for this blessing; and give me death while adhering to the faith you chose for me; and once you have given me right guidance, let there come no crookedness or deviation in it." And he further supplicated, "0 my Lord, for a person who enters this masjid, I ask you of five things:

(1) Accept the repentance of a sinner who enters this masjid to confess and repent, and forgive his sins.

(2) Guarantee peace for a person who enters this masjid to remain safe from fear and danger, and deliver him from all dangers.

(3) Heal the sick person who enters this masjid.

(4) Make the poor person who enters here need-free.

(5) Let Your mercy be on the person who enters it as long as he remains here - except a person who is busy doing something unjust or faithless. (Qurtubi)

This Hadith tells us that the work of building Baytul-Maqdis was already completed during the lifetime of Sayyidna Sulayman. But, the event mentioned above is really not contrary to the possibility that there remained some construction work left out even after the completion of the main building, as is usually done in the case of such huge projects. May be, Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) had devised the plan mentioned above for the completion of the remaining work.

It has also been reported from Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Abbas ؓ that Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) kept standing for a year supported by his staff, even after his death. (Qurtubi) And according to some narrations, when the Jinns found out that a long time had passed since the death of Sayyidna Sulayman علیہ لسلام while they had remained in the dark all along, they tried to determine the time of his death, and for that purpose, they went for an experiment. They released a termite on a piece of wood. Thus, from whatever of the wood was eaten by the termite in one day and night, they calculated that a year had passed over the staff of Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) in that state.

Special Note

Citing historians, al-Baghawi has said that Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) lived for fifty three years and ruled for forty years. He had succeeded to the throne at the age of thirteen years and had started building Baytul-Maqdis in the fourth year of his reign. (Mazhari, Qurtubi) Verse:15 Commentary Commentary

In previous verses, warning was given to those who denied prophethood and the Day of Judgment and failed to realize that the power of Allah Ta' ala was most perfect. Reference was then made to miracles shown at the hands of past prophets and mention was made of the events relating to Sayyidna Dawud and Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہما السلام) .

Now the text mentions the limitless blessings bestowed on the people of Saba' who were later punished because of their ungratefulness.

The people of Saba' and the particular blessings of Allah upon them

Ibn Kathir has said that Saba' is the title of the kings and citizens of Yemen. Tababi'ah (plural of tubba' ) who ruled this country were these very people of Saba', and Queen Bilquis who has been mentioned along with Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) in Surah An-Naml was also from among these people. Allah Ta' ala had opened the doors of His blessing on them providing their state with all conceivable comforts. Against these blessings they were asked to believe in one God and obey His commandments and thus be grateful for blessings bestowed on them. For a certain period of time, these people stayed straight with their mandate and kept enjoying ease and comforts. Then came the time when they became so engrossed in the good things of life they were blessed with that they started touching the limits of negligence, even denial. Then Allah Ta' ala sent thirteen of His prophets to warn them. They did their best to admonish them and bring them round to the straight path. But, these people kept persisting with their attitude of negligence. Then came the consequence. A flood was sent over them, a punishment that devastated their once flourishing city of gardens. (Reported by Muhammad Ibn Ishaq - Ibn Kathir)

Imam Ahmad (رح) reports from Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ that someone asked the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم if Saba' mentioned in the Qur'an was the name of a man, woman or some country. The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: This is the name of a man who had ten sons among his progeny. Out of these, six remained settled in Yemen and four migrated to Syria. The names of those who lived in Yemen were: Mudhhij, Kindah, Azd, Ash'ari, Anmar, Himyar (from the progeny of these six sons, there came to be six tribes known by those very names).

And the names of those who settled in Syria are: Lakham, Judham, ` Amilah, Ghassan (tribes coming in their lines were known by the same names). This narration has also been reported by Hafiz Imam Ibn ` Abd-ul-Barr in his book, al-Qasd wa al-Amam bi Ma'arifati Ansab-il 'Arab wa-l-'Ajam.

According to Ibn Kathir's research with reference to scholars of genealogy, these ten sons were not directly from the loins of Saba'; rather, they were born in the third or fourth generation of Saba'. After that, their tribes spread out in Syria and Yemen and got to be known by their very names. And the real name of Saba' was ` Abd-ush-Shams. His genealogical tree becomes established by the name Saba' ` Abd Shams son of Yashhab son of Ya'rub son of Qahtan. Historians write that Saba' Abd Shams had, during this time, given the glad tidings of the coming of the Last Prophet, Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa صلى الله عليه وسلم . It is possible that he came to know about it from early books of the Torah and Injil, or from astrologers or soothsayers. He has also composed some lines of poetry in Arabic in which he has mentioned his coming and wished to have been during his time and been of some help to him. Then, he has also exhorted his people to believe in him and support him.

As for the statement of the Hadith quoted above in which it is said that out of the ten sons of Saba', six settled in Yemen and four went towards Syria, this event relates to the time after the coming of the punishment of flood against them which means that these people had scattered towards different directions and cities at the time the flood came. (Ibn Kathir) Quoting Qushairi, al-Qurtubi has reported that the period of the people of Saba' is after Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) and before the coming of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ، and thus it falls in the period known as: فترۃ (fatrah or gap). Verse:16 Commentary The 'flood of the dam' (sayl al-'arim) and the Dam of Ma'arib (the sadd of Ma` arib)

The word: عرم (` arim) in: فَأَرْ‌سَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَيْلَ الْعَرِ‌مِ (So We sent to them the flood of the dam - 16) carries several recognized meanings in terms of Arabic lexical usage and the scholars of tafsir have explained this verse in terms of every such meaning. But, the meaning more in consonance with the context of the Qur'an is the one that appears in the Arabic lexicons like Qamus, Sihah of Jawhari and others, that is, 'arim' means a dam that is made to block water. Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ has also given the meaning of 'arim as dam. (Qurtubi)

The episode regarding the 'flood of the dam' referred: to in this verse, according to the statement of Ibn Kathir, is that in the country of Yemen, three miles away from its capital, San'a', there was a city by the name of Ma'arib settled in which the people of Saba' used to live. The city was located in between two mountains. Water from rains used to come from the two mountains, leaving the city inundated. The city had the reputation of being a target of such deluges. Rulers of the city (of those, Queen Bilquis has been mentioned particularly) built a strong and fortified dam between these two mountains, a dam that would remain unaffected by the flow of water. This dam stopped the serial surges of flooded water that entered from the two mountains and turned the place into a great big storage of water. Even the water from rains falling on the mountains started flowing in there. Provided inside this dam, there were three gates at appropriate levels, so that this storage of water could be released systematically for people of the city to irrigate their farms and gardens. To accomplish this objective, they would first open the topmost gate and use water as needed. When no water remained at that level, they would open the gate in the middle and after that came the turn of the third and last gate until came the time of rains next year, and the whole dam would stand filled to the brim all over again. Then, engineered and built under the dam, there was a huge big tank in which twelve outlets of water were provided to supply water to twelve canals serving different parts of the city with water flowing in all canals uniformly and was used to take care of various needs of the city. (Mazhari)

The slopes of the two mountains to the right and left of the city were landscaped with rows of gardens fed by canals of water. These gardens stood adjacent to each other in two continuous rows by the slopes of the mountains. Though many in number, but the Qur'an identified them as: جَنَّتَان (jannatan: Two gardens) because it has taken all the gardens in one row to be one due to their proximity, and then all the gardens on the other side as the other garden.

Trees and fruits of all sorts used to grow in these gardens so abundantly that, according to the statement of the leading early authority, Qatadah, and others, a woman would walk with an empty basket perched on her head, and it would automatically get filled with fruits falling off from the trees without the least need to make use of her hands. (Ibn Kathir)

The second sentence of verse 15: كُلُوا مِن رِّ‌زْقِ رَ‌بِّكُمْ وَاشْكُرُ‌وا لَهُ بَلْدَةٌ طَيِّبَةٌ وَرَ‌بٌّ غَفُورٌ‌(Eat of the provision from your Lord, and be grateful to Him-- (You have) a good city, and a Most-Forgiving Lord - 34:15) means that Allah Ta' ala had ordered them through His prophets that they should make use of their extended means of livelihood provided by Allah Ta' ala and continue to be grateful to Him through their good deeds and unfailing obedience to Divine injunctions, for He had made that city of theirs a really good city. It had a moderate climate without any extremes of heat or chill, so healthy, clean and bracing - to the extent that there was no trace of any hurting life forms like mosquitoes, flies, fleas, snakes and scorpions anywhere throughout the city. In fact, when travelers from outside would reach the city - having lice or other harmful parasites in their clothes - these would die off naturally as soon as they arrived there (Ibn Kathir)

At the end of the verse (15), by adding: بَلْدَةٌ طَيِّبَةٌ وَرَ‌بٌّ غَفُورٌ‌(a good city) along with (a Most Forgiving Lord), reference to divine blessings has been made all the more perfect by suggesting that 'this good life is not restricted to the life of the present world, in fact, should you remain consistent with your gratefulness, the promise of greater and more everlasting blessings of the Hereafter also holds good. The reason is simple. He is the creator and master-dispenser of all blessings and the one who sustains you - and should you, at one or the other time, inadvertently fail to be grateful or betray by negligence or shortcoming, Allah Ta' ala is a great forgiver too and will forgive your shortcomings.'

In verse 16, it was said: فَأَعْرَ‌ضُوا فَأَرْ‌سَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَيْلَ الْعَرِ‌مِ (Then they turned away. So We released over them the flood of the dam). In other words, 'when the people of Saba' flouted the commandments of Allah through their contumacy and rebellion, despite having such blessings and despite having been warned by the noble prophets, We released a flood from the dam over them.' We already know that 'arim means a dam. This flood was attributed to 'arim for the reason that this very 'arim, a source of security and prosperity, was transformed by Allah Ta' ala into a source of calamity for them. According to an account of the event given by Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ ، Wahb Ibn Munnabih, Qatadah, Dahhak and other early Tafsir authorities, when Allah Ta' ala decided to undo the dam of Ma'rib ('arim) and punish and destroy these people through a flood, blind rats were set upon this great dam, who weakened its foundation and made it hollow. When came the time of rains and the flooding of water, the pressure of water broke through the already weakened foundation creating gaps and crevices in the dam. Ultimately, the water collected behind the dam ran over the entire valley in which this city of Ma'rib was located. Houses collapsed. Trees were uprooted. The water feeding the twin rows of gardens by the mountain slopes was dried up.

It appears in the report of Wahb Ibn Munabbih that it was already predicted in the books of these people that rats will destroy this dam. When people saw rats near the dam, they were alerted by the danger. As a defensive measure, a large number of cats were released under the dam in the hope that they would stop the rats from coming close to the dam.

But, when came the divine decree, the rats overcame the cats and entered into the foundation of the dam. Then there are historical narratives that also say that as soon as some smart and far-sighted people saw the rats, they decided to leave the place and move to somewhere else. In fact, they made the necessary arrangements and got out of there one by one. Others stayed. But, once came the flood, they too shifted. However, there were many who were swallowed by the flood. In short, the whole city was destroyed. Some details about residents of the city who had migrated to towns in other countries have been given in the Hadith of the Musnad of Ahmad appearing earlier. Six of their tribes were scattered in Yemen, four in Syria and some of these very tribes came to be the forerunners of the larger population of Madinah-at-Taiyyibah. Related details appear in books of history.

What happened to the twin rows of gardens after the coming of flood and the destruction of the city? This has been stated in the second sentence of verse 16 as: وَبَدَّلْنَاهُم بِجَنَّتَيْهِمْ جَنَّتَيْنِ ذَوَاتَيْ أُكُلٍ خَمْطٍ وَأَثْلٍ وَشَيْءٍ مِّن سِدْرٍ‌ قَلِيلٍ (and replaced their two gardens with two gardens having fruits of bitter taste, and Tamarisk and some of the lot-trees), that is, their trees that yielded fruit having good taste were replaced by trees that bore fruit having an evil taste. As for the word: خَمْطٍ (Khamt), most commentators take it to mean the arak (a pungent, thorny desert tree). The lexicographer, Jawhari says that there is a kind of arak which bears some fruit and which is eaten. But, the fruit that grew on this tree was bad in taste. And ` Abu ` Ubaidah ؓ said that every tree that is thorny and of bitter taste is called: خَمْطٍ (khamt). The next word: اثل (athl) means a kind of tree that is also known in Arabic as طرفاء (turfa) according to the majority of commentators and both are generally equated with tamarisk in English. No fruit it bears is worth eating. Some commentators said that اثل 'athl' in the sense of samr (Mimosa, Egyptian thorn) or babul or کِیکَر kikar, (Acacia Arabica found in the subcontinent) is a thorny tree the fruit of which is fed to goats.

The word: سِدر (sidr) means بیری beri or بَیر ber in Urdu and is translated in English as the lote-fruit or lotus tree in English. Sidr is of two kinds. The one planted on farms bears fruits of pleasant taste (something close to crunchy pears) and carries more of fruits and less of thorns. The other kind is wild and grows in the form of thorny shrubs and trees with more thorns and less fruits that are bitter as well. At this place, the use of the word:' قَلِیل (qalil: little, some) along with (sidr: bair or lote) perhaps indicates that this too was wild which bears less fruit and is bitter. Allah knows best. Verse:17 Commentary The next verse: ذَٰلِكَ جَزَيْنَاهُم بِمَا كَفَرُ‌وا (Thus We punished them because of their ungratefulness.- 34:17) means that they were punished because they committed kufr. Kufr has two meanings. It could mean ungratefulness and it could mean the denial of the true faith. At this place, both meanings can be applied because they did both. They were ungrateful and they rejected the thirteen prophets sent to them.

Special Note

There are two things here that are likely to raise a question. It has been said earlier that Allah Ta' ala had sent thirteen prophets to the people of Saba'. Then, it has also been stated above that the event relating to these people and the flood of 'arim or dam transpired during the interim period after Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) and before Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa صلى الله عليه وسلم called the period of fatrah or gap. During this period, according to the majority of Muslim scholars, simply no prophet was sent which is the reason why it is called the period of fatrah or gap. If so, the question is, how can the coming of these thirteen prophets be held as correct? An answer to this appears in Ruh ul-Ma' ani. There it is said that from the event of the flood of the dam ('arim) being in the period of fatrah or gap, it does not become necessary that these prophets too came during that very period. It is possible that the coming of the prophets to these people dates back prior to the period of fatrah or gap while their contumacy and hostility to faith may have increased during the period of fatrah whereupon the punishment of the flood from the dam was sent upon them in the period of fatrah. Allah knows best.

The word: کَفُور (kafur) in the second sentence of verse17: وَهَلْ نُجَازِي إِلَّا الْكَفُورَ‌ (And We do not give (such a) punishment but to the ungrateful - 34:17) is an emphatic form of: کَافِر (kafir) which means one who is very ungrateful or is an absolute disbeliever. As such, the verse could be taken to mean: 'We do not punish anyone other than the one who is very ungrateful or is an absolute disbeliever.' This, quite obviously, is counter to all those verses of the Qur'an and sound ahadith which prove that Muslim sinners will also receive the punishment of Jahannam (Hell) to the measure of their deed - even though, finally, once they have gone through their punishment, they will be taken out of the Jahannam because of their 'Iman or faith and admitted into Jannah (Paradise). To resolve this difficulty, it has been said that it does not signify punishment in some absolute sense, instead, it means a mass punishment as was sent over the people of Saba'. This one is particular to disbelievers. Such punishment does not befall Muslim sinners. (Ruh u1-Ma'ani)

This finds support in the saying of a Ta` bai Ibn Khiyarah. He said, جَازَاُء الَعصِیَۃِ الوَھُن فِی عِبادۃِ وَاضِیقُ فِی المَعِیشَۃِ وَالتَّعَشُّرُ فِی اللَّذَّۃِ قال لَا یُصَادِفُ لَذَّۃُ حَلَااِلَّا جَآَءہ مَن ینغصہ إیّاھا (The punishment of sin is that the sinning person becomes sluggish in acts of worship (` ibadah) his economic conditions becomes straitened, and enjoyment (itself) becomes hard to bear...' Ibn Khiyarah explained the latter part of his statement by saying, 'When one is blessed with something halal he can enjoy, there comes one or the other reason which spoils this enjoyment'. (Ibn Kathir) This tells us that the punishments given to Muslim sinners are of this nature. No open punishment hits them either from the heavens or from beneath the earth. That is particular to disbelievers.

And sage Hasan al-Basri (رح) said: صَدَقَ اللہُ العَطِیم لَا یُعَاقَب بِمَثلِ فِعلِہ اِلَّا الکَفُور ('Great is Allah and He said it right: The punishment of an evil deed exactly in proportion to it is not given to anyone but the kafur' - someone very ungrateful or absolutely disbelieving). (Ibn Kathir) This is because a believer, who is no kafur, receives some concession with respect to his or her sins as well.

An interpretation of the sense of this verse appears in Ruh-ul-Ma' ani with reference to Kashf. There it is said that the statement is made in its real sense. Punishment as punishment is given only to a disbeliever and whatever pain is caused to a believing sinner through things like fire is only an apparent punishment. In reality, the purpose is to cleanse him from sin. This is like heating up gold in a furnace. The purpose is to remove its unwanted sediments. This holds true in the case of a believer as well. If he too is put in Jahannam as a consequence of some sin of his, it will be to burn out those elements of his body that have grown on him from consuming what is haram. Once this is taken care of, he is ready to go to Jannah and it does not take much time that he is taken out of Jahannam (Hell) and admitted into the Paradise (Jannah). Verse:18 Commentary In verse 18, it was said: وَجَعَلْنَا بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ الْقُرَ‌ى الَّتِي بَارَ‌كْنَا فِيهَا قُرً‌ى ظَاهِرَ‌ةً وَقَدَّرْ‌نَا فِيهَا السَّيْرَ‌ سِيرُ‌وا (And We had made towns to be seen between them and between the towns in which We had placed Our blessings, and had measured the journey between them: "Travel along them at nights and days peacefully. - 18" ) This verse mentions yet another blessing Allah Ta' ala had bestowed on the people of Saba'. Then it goes on to refer to the ungratefulness of those people who acted ignorantly and chose to ask for a reversal of this blessing by praying that the thing be made harder and more challenging for them. The statement: الْقُرَ‌ى الَّتِي بَارَ‌كْنَا فِيهَا (towns in which We had placed Our blessings) in this verse probably means the rural areas of the country of Syria, because the reference to the descent of mercy in several verses of the Qur'an is specifically related to that country. The sense of the verse is that Allah Ta' ala had made their travels to the towns of Syria very easy for them during their trips they had to undertake for their business. Given the conditions that prevailed in the world of that time, the travel distance between the city of Ma'arib and the country of Syria was fairly long with routes being uneven. In view of this difficulty, Allah Ta' ala had blessed the people of Saba' by having made for their convenience a series of towns at intermittent distances all the way from the city of Ma'arib to the country of Syria.

These habitations were close by the main road, therefore, these were called: قَدَّرْ‌نَا فِيهَا السَّيْرَ‌ (had measured the journey between them). These habitations appearing one after the other were a source of convenience for weary travelers. If a traveler from one of them left home in the morning, he had the choice of reaching some other town on his way, stop there, have lunch or take rest as he wished and could leave after Zuhr and reach the next stage by sundown and spend the night there. The sentence: سِيرُ‌وا فِيهَا لَيَالِيَ وَأَيَّامًا آمِنِينَ (Travel along them at nights and days peacefully - 18) means that these habitations were made at distances that were balanced and equal so that they would reach from one to the other within a fixed time.

In the last sentence of verse 18: (Travel along them at nights and days peacefully.), mention has been made of a third blessing bestowed on the people of Saba'. It means that these settlements were located at such equal and balanced distances that a traveler would be able to cover them in almost identical time. Then the routes were secure. Theft and highway robbery were unknown. One could travel at any time of the night or day without any hesitation or concern. Verse:19 Commentary Verse 19 opens with the statement: فَقَالُوا رَ‌بَّنَا بَاعِدْ بَيْنَ أَسْفَارِ‌نَا وَظَلَمُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ فَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَحَادِيثَ وَمَزَّقْنَاهُمْ كُلَّ مُمَزَّقٍ (Then they said," Our Lord, make (the phases of) our journeys more distant." And they wronged themselves, therefore We turned them into stories and tore them into pieces - 34:19). It means that so unjust were these people that they would go to the extent of dismissing the very blessing of Allah placed there to eliminate the hardships of travel, rather went deeper into their lack of recognition and straight ungratefulness by coming forward to pray that their Lord makes the distances they cover in travel longer - hoping that the habitations do not appear at such close distances, and wishing to see some hard areas of a forest or wilderness which ask for some rough traversing as well. Their case was similar to that of the Bani Isra'il. They used to get the excellent sustenance of mann and salwa, all free of cost. Bored with it, they asked Allah to replace it with vegetables and greens. In return for their ungratefulness and lack of recognition for blessings, Allah Ta' ala released the punishment on them that has been called the flood of the dam earlier. The ultimate consequence of this very punishment has been stated in this verse in strong words, that is, they were virtually expunged from this world leaving nothing but idle tales of their wealth and luxury.

The word: مَزَّقْنَاهُمْ (mazzaqnahum) is a derivation from: تَمزِیق (tamziq) which means to tear and scatter (a people) or to destroy (a kingdom). The sense is that some of the inhabitants of this city of Ma'arib were destroyed on the spot and some others were scattered in a manner that small groups of them spread out to various countries. This destruction and scattering away of the people of Saba' became proverbial in Arabia. On such occasions, there is an Arab idiom: تَفَرَّقُوا اَیَادِیَ that is, these people got scattered away as were the luxury-laden people of the Saba'.

Ibn Kathir and other commentators have reported a long narrative about a soothsayer who had come to know about the coming of the punishment of the flood a little before it actually did. He made a swift and unique plan. First of all, he sold his entire property. When he had the money in his hands, he told his people about the coming flood and exhorted them to get out of the area immediately. He also told them that those who intend to shift to a safe far-away place should go to 'Amman, and those who have a taste for liquor, pita bread and fruits should move to Busra in the country of Syria, and those who would settle for rides that go through mud, come handy during the time of famine and prove efficient when dashing on a journey, should go to Yathrib (Madinah) which abounds in dates. His people followed his advice. The tribe of Azd went towards ` Amman, the Ghassn to Busra in the country of Syria and the Aws and Khazraj and Banu ` Uthman started off in the direction of Yathrib, the home of date palms. After reaching Batn Murr, Banu ` Uthman liked the place and settled right there. Because of this divergence, Banu ` Uthman were given the title of Khuza'ah. Batn Murr is closer to Makkah al-Mukarramah where they had chosen to settle down. As for Aws and Khazraj, they reached Yathrib and stayed there. After the long narrative in Ibn Kathir, the same detail about people scattering to different places has been reported on the authority of Said from Qatadah from al-Sha'bi. Thus, says Ibn Kathir, these people of Saba' were shredded into pieces, people who have been mentioned in: مَزَّقْنَاهُمْ كُلَّ مُمَزَّقٍ (We torn them into pieces).

The concluding statement in verse 19: إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ‌ شَكُورٍ‌ (Surely in this, there are signs for everyone who is ever- patient, fully grateful - 34:19) means that there is a great sign and lesson in the rise and fall and in the radical change that hit the life cycle of the people of Saba' for a person who is enduring and grateful at its best, that is, when faced with some distress or pain, one observes patience over it, and when blessed with things of comfort, one is readily grateful for it. This is a life style in which one always comes out a winner. No matter what the state of his life is, he ends up in nothing but pluses, profits and gains. So says a Hadith of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ appearing in the Sahih of al-Bukhari and Muslim where the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has been reported to have said:

'Certainly unique is the state of life a true believer is always in. No matter what Allah decrees for him, it turns for him into nothing but good and profitable. If he is blessed in one way or the other or has the desire of his heart fulfilled, he thanks Allah for it and it becomes good and beneficial for him in the Hereafter. And if he suffers from some pain or distress, he bears it with considered patience for which he is rewarded in a big way and thus, this suffering too, becomes good and beneficial for him' - from Ibn Kathir.

Some commentators have taken the word: صَبَّارٍ‌ (Sabbar: very patient) in the general sense of sabr or patience - which includes remaining firm in all acts requiring obedience as well as abstaining from sins. In the light of this tafsir or explanation, a true believer remains comprehensively attuned to Sabr (patience) and shukr (gratitude) under all conditions and then, for that matter, every sabr is shukr and every shukr is sabr. Allah knows best. Verse:20 Commentary - - - Verse:21 Commentary - - -