سُوْرَةُ سَبَاٍ
Surah Saba (34) — Ayah 19
فَقَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَا بَـٰعِدْ بَيْنَ أَسْفَارِنَا وَظَلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ فَجَعَلْنَـٰهُمْ أَحَادِيثَ وَمَزَّقْنَـٰهُمْ كُلَّ مُمَزَّقٍ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍ لِّكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُورٍ ﴿19﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
But they said: "Our Lord! Make the stages between our journey longer," and they wronged themselves; so We made them as tales (in the land), and We dispersed them all totally. Verily, in this are indeed signs for every steadfast, grateful (person).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
فَقَالُوا۟
faqālū
But they said
رَبَّنَا
rabbanā
Our Lord
بَـٰعِدْ
bāʿid
lengthen (the distance)
بَيْنَ
bayna
between
أَسْفَارِنَا
asfārinā
our journeys
وَظَلَمُوٓا۟
waẓalamū
And they wronged
أَنفُسَهُمْ
anfusahum
themselves
فَجَعَلْنَـٰهُمْ
fajaʿalnāhum
so We made them
أَحَادِيثَ
aḥādītha
narrations
وَمَزَّقْنَـٰهُمْ
wamazzaqnāhum
and We dispersed them
كُلَّ
kulla
(in) a total
مُمَزَّقٍ ۚ
mumazzaqin
dispersion
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
فِى
fī
in
ذَٰلِكَ
dhālika
that
لَـَٔايَـٰتٍۢ
laāyātin
surely (are) Signs
لِّكُلِّ
likulli
for everyone
صَبَّارٍۢ
ṣabbārin
patient
شَكُورٍۢ
shakūrin
(and) grateful
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.
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.
[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.
