Surah Saba (34) — Ayah 16

(Ayah 16) ➊ { فَاَعْرَضُوْا :} That is, instead of turning in repentance and returning, they chose aversion and rebellion, and instead of servitude and gratitude, they chose disbelief and ingratitude, and turned away from the admonitions of the prophets and those who enjoined good.

➋ {فَاَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَيْلَ الْعَرِمِ : ’’ الْعَرِمِ ‘‘ ’’عَرِمَةٌ‘‘} is the plural, meaning layers upon layers of stones, referring to a dam made of stones. That is, as a consequence of their rebellion and aversion, Allah sent upon them the flood of the dam. Due to heavy and continuous rains, so much water accumulated that the dam could not withstand it and broke apart. The force of the water was such that the remaining dams also kept breaking, and the entire cultivable area was submerged. Not only were the gardens and fields destroyed by the flood, but the land itself suffered erosion and its fertile layer was washed away. With the destruction of the dams and canals, the means of irrigating the land for the future also ended. Where once there was abundance of water, people began to long even for drinking water. Most of the people and their livestock drowned in the flood; those who survived fled towards different countries to save their lives, and they scattered in such a way that their scattering became a proverb in the Arabic language. Thus, it began to be said that such-and-such a nation "scattered like Saba."

➌ {وَ بَدَّلْنٰهُمْ بِجَنَّتَيْهِمْ جَنَّتَيْنِ … : ’’ ذَوَاتَيْ ‘‘} This is the dual of {’’ذَاتٌ‘‘}, meaning "those with." {’’ اُكُلٍ ‘‘} means fruits. {’’ خَمْطٍ ‘‘} means colocynth, something that gets stuck in the throat, tasteless. {’’ اَثْلٍ ‘‘} means tamarisk. That is, instead of the gardens with the best fruits that once stretched for miles on both sides of the valleys, We made grow for them such two-sided gardens in which there were either colocynth trees with bitter and tasteless fruits, or tamarisk trees, or a small portion of a few lote trees. Plots consisting of colocynth, tasteless fruits, and tamarisk cannot be called gardens; as a form of mockery and sarcasm, only the word "garden" has been used in contrast to the real gardens, but there is some delight in the lote tree. To express its scarcity, two words have been used: one is {’’ قَلِيْلٍ ‘‘} and the other is "some small part of it," that is, the word {’’ شَيْءٍ مِّنْ سِدْرٍ ‘‘} has been used.

1. 6.1 That is, they constructed embankments and dams between the mountains to block water and used it for agriculture and gardening. We broke these dams and embankments through a fierce and violent flood, and the lush and fruitful gardens were replaced with such gardens in which there were only natural thickets and bushes, in which, firstly, no fruit grew at all, and if any did, it was extremely bitter, astringent, and tasteless, which no one could eat. However, there were some lote trees in which there were more thorns and fewer fruits. "عرم" is the plural of "عرمة," meaning embankment or dam—that is, such a powerful flood was sent that it breached this dam, and the water entered the city, causing their houses to be submerged and their gardens to be ruined and deserted. This dam is famous by the name "Sadd Marib."

16. But they turned away, so We sent upon them a devastating flood, and We replaced their two gardens with two gardens bearing bitter fruit, tamarisks, and a few lote trees [27].

[27]
The System of Barrages and Dams:

Then, when this nation became completely absorbed in its prosperity and, being engrossed in the wealth and allurements of the world, utterly forgot their True Benefactor, Allah Almighty sent prophets to them. It is said that, from time to time, thirteen prophets were sent to them. But, like every intoxicated nation, they too thought that the real reason for their economic and agricultural progress was their own irrigation system or their own intelligence and hard work. What role did the bounties of Allah Almighty have in this? So, they rejected the call of the prophets. Allah Almighty gave them ample respite to reform, but they did not benefit from it at all. Finally, the time of Allah’s seizure came upon them. Their largest and most magnificent dam was in Ma’rib, in which many iron gates were installed. These gates would be lifted as needed and water would be released. The second major benefit of these gates was that they could divert the flow of water as they wished and irrigate arable land through canals.

The Punishment of Flood Upon Saba:

Cracks began to appear at the bottom of this dam, and from above, Allah Almighty sent down heavy rain, and so much water accumulated that it broke and destroyed the dam. The water was so abundant and the flow so intense that the remaining dams also broke on their own, and this entire arable region was submerged. As a result, the crops and fields all rotted and were destroyed. After some time, when the land dried, due to the destruction of the entire irrigation system, nothing could grow in that land. Now, the same land that once produced gold, on that land only wild shrubs, thorny plants, euphorbia trees, and other similar things began to grow on their own. Without uprooting them, the idea of a new crop could not even be conceived, and this was quite a laborious task. If anything edible grew there, it was a few berry trees, from which they could somewhat fill their stomachs. This was the fate of their agricultural progress, upon which they were so proud.