Surah Saba (34) — Ayah 19

(Ayah 19) ➊ { فَقَالُوْا رَبَّنَا بٰعِدْ بَيْنَ اَسْفَارِنَا … :} Its exegesis has been done in three ways: one is that these blessings did not suit them, they forgot the value of peace and safety, and in arrogance and pride began to say, “Is this even a journey, that after every short distance there is a settlement? The real pleasure would be if we had to pass through far-off regions, barren plains, difficult jungles, and dangerous valleys.” Shah Abdul Qadir (may Allah have mercy on him) writes: “They became so intoxicated with comfort that they began to ask for hardship, as they heard about other countries that in journeys there is no water, no settlements, so they wished the same for themselves; this was great ingratitude.” (Mawduh) Their prayer is similar to that of the Children of Israel, who, in comparison to manna and quails and other conveniences, demanded lentils and vegetables, etc.

The second exegesis is by Ibn Ashur, who says: “In my view, the more apparent matter is that they said this in response to their prophets and righteous people, when they forbade them from polytheism, because they used to advise them that Allah Almighty has bestowed so many blessings upon you, made travel so easy, and granted such prosperity, so it is obligatory upon you to be grateful and worship Him alone. So, in response, they said what is mentioned in the verse, just as the disbelievers of Quraysh said: « اللّٰهُمَّ اِنْ كَانَ هٰذَا هُوَ الْحَقَّ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ فَاَمْطِرْ عَلَيْنَا حِجَارَةً مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ اَوِ ائْتِنَا بِعَذَابٍ اَلِيْمٍ » [ الأنفال : ۳۲ ] ‘O Allah! If this is indeed the truth from You, then rain down upon us stones from the sky, or bring upon us a painful punishment.’ The evidence for this is that before this, Allah Almighty said: «فَاَعْرَضُوْا » ‘They turned away’—obviously, one turns away only from an invitation. This is also supported by the fact that after their statement, it is said: «وَ ظَلَمُوْۤا اَنْفُسَهُمْ » ‘And they wronged themselves’—meaning they were ungrateful and committed polytheism with Allah Almighty. In the Qur’an, the word ‘wrong’ is often used for polytheism, because there is no greater wrong than this.”

The third exegesis is the one to which almost all commentators have pointed, that this is the statement of their condition. Whoever is ungrateful for the blessings given by Allah Almighty, it is as if he is saying by the tongue of his condition, “O Lord! I am not worthy of these blessings.” Similarly, any nation that does not value Allah’s blessings and adopts a rebellious attitude, it is as if they are praying to their Lord, “O Lord! Take these blessings away from us, for we are not worthy of them.”

➋ { وَ ظَلَمُوْۤا اَنْفُسَهُمْ:} That is, they persisted in disbelief and polytheism.

➌ { فَجَعَلْنٰهُمْ اَحَادِيْثَ … :} That is, We destroyed and scattered them in such a way that they became a tale and a proverb for dispersal. The people from various tribes who survived the flood left their homeland and went to different regions of Arabia. The Ghassanids headed towards Jordan and Syria, the tribes of Aws and Khazraj settled in Yathrib, Khuza’ah settled in the Tihamah region near Jeddah, the tribe of Azd settled in Oman, Lakhm and Kindah were also forced to leave, until there was no nation named Saba left in the world, only its mention remained in proverbs and tales.

➍ {اِنَّ فِيْ ذٰلِكَ لَاٰيٰتٍ لِّكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُوْرٍ :} It was obligatory upon the people of Saba to value and be grateful for the countless blessings mentioned in these verses, and then, when the punishment came, it was obligatory to repent from sins and be patient in adversity. Their leaders should have tried to restore the system of the country, reestablish peace, and arrange for agricultural needs and travel facilities as before, but they let go of patience and scattered into different regions. They neither thanked Allah for His blessings, nor repented when calamity struck, nor did their leaders try to reform the country by staying there with patience; rather, everyone left in whichever direction they wished. The truth is that patience and gratitude are inseparable. Only he is grateful who is patient with his share of destiny, and only he is patient who knows the value of Allah Almighty’s blessings and is grateful for what he has. In the events of Saba, there are signs for everyone, but for every patient and grateful person, there are many signs and lessons, because they are the ones who are very patient in their hardships and very grateful for blessings, and they take lessons from the attitudes and outcomes of others’ hardships and blessings. Other people neither show patience nor gratitude, nor do they take lessons from the condition of others.

19. 1. That is, just as people mention the hardships of travel, dangers, and the severity of the weather, make our journeys long and distant. Instead of continuous settlements, we had to pass through desolate and barren forests and deserts in between. In the summers, the intensity of the sun and in the winters, the biting winds troubled us, and on the way, to protect ourselves from hunger, thirst, and the harshness of the weather, we also had to arrange provisions. Their prayer is similar to how Bani Israel, in comparison to the comforts of manna and quails and other conveniences, demanded lentils and vegetables, etc., or their prayer was in the manner of their state.

19. 2. That is, He made them so extinct that the story of their destruction became well-known among the people, and it became a topic of conversation in gatherings and assemblies.

19. 3. That is, He scattered and dispersed them, so the famous tribes settled in Saba migrated and settled in different places; some came to Yathrib and Makkah, some went to the region of Shaam, some elsewhere, and some to other places.

19. But they said, "Our Lord, make the distances between our journeys longer [30]," and they wronged themselves. So We made them stories [31] and scattered them utterly. Surely in this are signs for every steadfast and grateful one [32].

[30] When a person becomes intoxicated with wealth and riches, and ease and comforts are available to him from every direction, sometimes in this state of intoxication he begins to utter improbable things, such as when people narrate various difficulties related to travel, saying that for so many days we had nothing to eat or drink, or that we lost our way at such and such a place and could not find a single human being to ask for directions, and so on. Thus, he begins to wish that he too should have such a journey. Perhaps these people did not say this with their tongues, but rather with the state of their hearts. That is, such thoughts began to arise in their hearts.

[31]
The Destruction of Trade Alongside Agriculture:

When the agricultural economy of these people was destroyed, this very thing became the cause of the destruction of their commercial progress as well. When the production of their own goods ceased, then what kind of trade could there be? If only foreign goods are bought and sold abroad, then how much profit can ultimately be made from that? And the second result of this was that the many settlements that were established along this highway moved away to other places, because their economy also depended mostly on the buying and selling of food items from these trade caravans. In this way, all the new settlements of Saba were destroyed and ruined.

[32] ﴿صَبَّار﴾ and ﴿شَكُوْرٌ﴾ are both intensive forms, and they encompass the entire way of life of a believer. And both are inseparable from each other. The characteristic of a believer is that when blessings are bestowed upon him by Allah, he expresses gratitude, and this remains his practice throughout his life. And when he faces any hardship, he endures it with patience and steadfastness, and remains hopeful for Allah’s mercy in the future. This is the meaning of this verse, and every believer can well understand what were the real causes of the rise of the people of Saba, and what was the real cause of their destruction and ruin.