Surah Saba (34) — Ayah 15

(Ayah 15) ➊ { لَقَدْ كَانَ لِسَبَاٍ فِيْ مَسْكَنِهِمْ اٰيَةٌ:} After mentioning Dawud and Sulaiman (peace be upon them), who were grateful servants inclined to repentance and turning to Allah, Allah Almighty mentioned the people of Saba, whom He granted all kinds of blessings, but they were ungrateful for these blessings. Instead of turning to Allah, they adopted aversion and rebellion, denied their messengers and the Hereafter, as a result of which punishment befell them and all their prosperity was lost. In this is also a lesson for the Quraysh, who, because of the House of Allah, enjoyed every kind of blessing and comfort. When they denied the Messenger of Allah Almighty, their prosperity and peace were taken away just like the people of Saba, as He said: « وَ ضَرَبَ اللّٰهُ مَثَلًا قَرْيَةً كَانَتْ اٰمِنَةً مُّطْمَىِٕنَّةً يَّاْتِيْهَا رِزْقُهَا رَغَدًا مِّنْ كُلِّ مَكَانٍ فَكَفَرَتْ بِاَنْعُمِ اللّٰهِ فَاَذَاقَهَا اللّٰهُ لِبَاسَ الْجُوْعِ وَ الْخَوْفِ بِمَا كَانُوْا يَصْنَعُوْنَ (116) وَ لَقَدْ جَآءَهُمْ رَسُوْلٌ مِّنْهُمْ فَكَذَّبُوْهُ فَاَخَذَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ وَ هُمْ ظٰلِمُوْنَ » [ النحل : ۱۱۲، ۱۱۳ ] "And Allah presents the example of a town which was secure and at ease, its provision coming to it in abundance from every place, but it denied the favors of Allah, so Allah made it taste the garb of hunger and fear for what they used to do. And certainly, a messenger from among themselves came to them, but they denied him, so the punishment seized them while they were wrongdoers." There is another connection between the mention of Saba and Sulaiman (peace be upon him), which is evident from the story of Sulaiman (peace be upon him) and the Queen of Saba mentioned in Surah An-Naml.

➋ By Saba is meant a nation whose ancestor was a man named Saba. (See Surah An-Naml: 22) Then the name of the country also became the same.

➌ { فِيْ مَسْكَنِهِمْ:} This region is nowadays known as Yemen.

➍ { اٰيَةٌ :} That is, there was a great sign for them in their land, which manifested the oneness, power, and craftsmanship of Allah Almighty, and seeing which it was clear that it is obligatory to be grateful and obedient to such a Master, and necessary to avoid ingratitude and disobedience to Him.

➎ { جَنَّتٰنِ عَنْ يَّمِيْنٍ وَّ شِمَالٍ :} This is the detail of that sign. While mentioning the buildings of Saba, the author of "Ard al-Qur'an" has written: "Among these constructions is a thing called 'Band Ma'rib', which the Arabs of Hijaz call 'Sadd' and the Arabs of Yemen call 'Arim'. In the land of Arabia, there is no permanent river; water flows from the mountains and dries up and is wasted in the deserts, not being used for agriculture. The people of Saba used to build large dams at various suitable places between the mountains and valleys so that the water would be retained and used for agriculture as needed. There were hundreds of such dams in the kingdom of Saba, the most famous of which was 'Sadd Ma'rib', located in their capital 'Ma'rib'. To the south of the city of Ma'rib, there are two mountains on the right and left; the people of Saba built the 'Sadd Ma'rib' between these two mountains around 800 BC. This dam is a wall about one hundred and fifty feet long and fifty feet wide. Most of it is now in ruins, but about a third of the wall still remains. 'Arnaud', a European traveler, wrote an article on its current state in the journal of the French Asiatic Society, and he prepared its present map with great skill. There are inscriptions on this wall in various places, which have also been read. There were many windows at the top and bottom of this dam, which could be opened and closed as needed. On the right and left, east and west, there were two large gates from which the water was distributed to irrigate the lands on both sides. With this irrigation system, gardens were created for hundreds of miles on both sides in this desert and saline land, in which there were all kinds of fruits and fragrant trees. The Noble Qur'an, by saying {’’ جَنَّتٰنِ عَنْ يَّمِيْنٍ وَّ شِمَالٍ ‘‘}, refers to these very gardens." (Ard al-Qur'an) Another meaning of the two gardens on the right and left is that on both sides of every house and every street, that is, everywhere, there were gardens.

➏ { كُلُوْا مِنْ رِّزْقِ رَبِّكُمْ وَ اشْكُرُوْا لَهٗ:} That is, we said this to them through our messengers and righteous servants, or the countless blessings of Allah Almighty and the gardens and fields on both sides demanded this from them.

➐ { بَلْدَةٌ طَيِّبَةٌ :} "Tayyib" refers to the best of everything. {’’ بَلْدَةٌ طَيِّبَةٌ ‘‘} means fertile and excellent land with good climate; in contrast, the word "khabith" is used for barren, saline, and bad climate land, as He said: «وَ الْبَلَدُ الطَّيِّبُ يَخْرُجُ نَبَاتُهٗ بِاِذْنِ رَبِّهٖ وَ الَّذِيْ خَبُثَ لَا يَخْرُجُ اِلَّا نَكِدًا » [ الأعراف : ۵۸ ] "And as for the good land, its vegetation comes forth by the permission of its Lord, and as for the bad, it brings forth nothing but little and inferior."

➑ { وَ رَبٌّ غَفُوْرٌ :} That is, if you remain firm on monotheism, obey the prophets, and make repentance and turning to Allah your way, then along with this prosperity, you will also find your Lord to be Merciful to you, Who will cover your shortcomings; thus, both this world and the Hereafter will be yours.

15. 1 Saba was the same nation whose queen of Saba is famous, who became Muslim during the time of Prophet Sulaiman (peace be upon him). The country was also named Saba after the nation. Nowadays, this region is known as Yemen. It was a very prosperous country. This country was distinguished in both land and sea trade, and also prominent in agriculture and horticulture. Both of these things are causes of prosperity for any country and nation. The abundance of wealth and riches here has been described as a sign of Allah's power.

15. 2 It is said that there were mountains on both sides of the city, from which streams and rivulets of water flowed into the city. Their rulers constructed embankments between the mountains and planted gardens alongside them, which determined the direction of the water and also provided a natural source of irrigation for the gardens. These gardens have been described as two gardens on the right and left. Some say that by "jannatayn" (two gardens) it does not mean two gardens, but rather the two directions of right and left are meant, and the meaning is the abundance of gardens, that wherever one looked, only gardens, greenery, and freshness could be seen. (Fath al-Qadeer)

15. 3 This was said through their prophets, or the meaning is the mention of those blessings with which they were favored.

15. 4 That is, obey the Benefactor and Bestower, and refrain from disobedience to Him.

15. 5 That is, due to the abundance of gardens and fruits, this city is excellent. It is said that due to the excellence of the climate, this city was also free from flies, mosquitoes, and other such harmful creatures. And Allah knows best.

15. 6 That is, if you continue to be grateful to your Lord, then your sins do not become a cause (of punishment), rather Allah acts with forgiveness and forbearance.

15. There was indeed a sign [24] for the people of Sheba in their dwelling place: two gardens, one on the right and one on the left [25]. (We said to them,) "Eat from the provision of your Lord [26] and give thanks to Him. A good and pleasant land, and a Lord Most Forgiving."

[24]
The Jinn Also Do Not Know the Unseen:

Here, "sign" refers to historical testimony, and that is: as long as a nation remains obedient and grateful to Allah, it flourishes and continues to progress. But when it starts to disobey Allah and becomes ungrateful, decline gradually begins, and if it does not change its attitude, it is wiped off the face of the earth. This is exactly what happened to the people of Saba.

[25]
The Circumstances of the People of Saba:

The region of the people of Saba was the southwestern part of Arabia, and this area is now known as Yemen. Saba was actually the name of a person who had ten sons. Later, these ten became tribes. Among them, four sons, along with their families, migrated towards Syria. The era of rise and fall of this nation spans thirteen centuries (700 BC to 450 AD). There was a time when, in terms of civilization and culture, this nation was dominant, and the civilizations of Rome and Greece were insignificant before them. They made great progress in the fields of agriculture and trade. Their irrigation system was extremely excellent. On both sides of this region were mountain ranges. In various places, they had built dams to stop and store rainwater. Their capital was Ma’rib, and the largest and most magnificent dam was also constructed there, which was known as the Dam of Ma’rib. On both sides of their region, at the foothills of the mountains, there was a series of gardens spread over hundreds of miles, and it seemed to a person standing there that there were gardens on both sides as far as the eye could see.

[26]
Allah’s Favors Upon the People of Saba and Their Agricultural System:

In terms of rainfall, this region was not very fertile. But due to the excellence of their irrigation system, an area of three hundred square miles within the country became like paradise. There were trees of various kinds of fruits, whose fragrance perfumed the entire land, and crops were also abundantly produced. Inland, there were forests of incense, cinnamon, and very tall date palms, and their sweet fragrance would make the whole atmosphere fragrant. And when the wind blew, everyone enjoyed this fragrance. Allah the Exalted described this region with the words ﴿بَلْدَةٌ طَيِّبَةٌ﴾. That is, greenery, fertility, the atmosphere always filled with fragrance, moderation in climate and weather, abundance of sustenance, and plenty of means for luxury and comfort—these were the blessings Allah the Exalted had bestowed upon them. In a mountainous area of Ma’rib, among dense trees, the palaces of the rulers were located. In short, Allah the Exalted had showered His blessings upon them.