سُوْرَةُ سَبَاٍ
Surah Saba (34) — Ayah 16
فَأَعْرَضُوا۟ فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَيْلَ ٱلْعَرِمِ وَبَدَّلْنَـٰهُم بِجَنَّتَيْهِمْ جَنَّتَيْنِ ذَوَاتَىْ أُكُلٍ خَمْطٍ وَأَثْلٍ وَشَىْءٍ مِّن سِدْرٍ قَلِيلٍ ﴿16﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
But they turned away (from the obedience of Allâh), so We sent against them Sail Al-‘Arim (flood released from the dam), and We converted their two gardens into gardens producing bitter bad fruit, and tamarisks, and some few lote-trees.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
فَأَعْرَضُوا۟
fa-aʿraḍū
But they turned away
فَأَرْسَلْنَا
fa-arsalnā
so We sent
عَلَيْهِمْ
ʿalayhim
upon them
سَيْلَ
sayla
(the) flood
ٱلْعَرِمِ
l-ʿarimi
(of) the dam
وَبَدَّلْنَـٰهُم
wabaddalnāhum
and We changed for them
بِجَنَّتَيْهِمْ
bijannatayhim
their two gardens
جَنَّتَيْنِ
jannatayni
(with) two gardens
ذَوَاتَىْ
dhawātay
producing fruit
أُكُلٍ
ukulin
producing fruit
خَمْطٍۢ
khamṭin
bitter
وَأَثْلٍۢ
wa-athlin
and tamarisks
وَشَىْءٍۢ
washayin
and (some)thing
مِّن
min
of
سِدْرٍۢ
sid'rin
lote trees
قَلِيلٍۢ
qalīlin
few
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
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.
[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.
