| Chapter 34 : Surah Al-Saba |
(Revealed before Hijrah) Date of Revelation, Title and Context In the present Surah, however, Muslims have been warned that they should be on their guard against falling into bad ways because when wealth and prosperity come to a people they are prone to give themselves up to a life of ease and luxury. Since God has no particular relation with any community for all time, if Muslims in the heyday of their glory and material prosperity led a life of sin-as did the Sabaeans or the Israelites after Solomon-they too would suffer the same fate. Subject-Matter Next, the Surah makes a somewhat detailed reference to Prophets David and Solomon, who made vast conquests and subdued rebellious tribes and in whose reigns the Israelite power and glory rose to its zenith. But in the pride of their power and prosperity the Israelites fell into evil ways and began to lead a life of sin. This reference to the Israelites is followed by a reference to the Sabaeans who were a highly prosperous and cultured people, but who like the Israelites defied and disobeyed Divine commandments and like them incurred the displeasure of God and were destroyed by a mighty flood. By referring to the might, glory and prosperity of the Israelites under David and Solomon, and to that of the Sabaeans, and to the subsequent destruction of both, the Surah gives a warning to Muslims that wealth, power and prosperity will also be bestowed on them, but if in the heyday of their glory they, like the Israelites and the Sabaeans, gave themselves up to a life of luxury and ease, they will be punished like them. Next, the Surah deals with its main theme, viz., the progressive rise of the cause of Islam and the sad fate that is in store for idol-worshippers and their false deities. The disbelievers are challenged to call upon their deities to obstruct the progress of Islam, and to arrest the decline and downfall of their own false ideals and institutions. They are told that no power on earth could stop this from happening. In order to make them realize that their cause was destined to perish and Islam to sweep away everything before it, they are further told to study the operation of the laws of nature, which were all working in its favour. In answer to the disbelievers' demand as to when the prophecy about the rise and progress of Islam will be fulfilled, the Surah goes so far as to fix a definite date for it. Its signs, it says, will begin to appear about a year after the Flight of the Holy Prophet from Mecca when the Quraishites, by expelling him from his native town, will render themselves deserving of Divine punishment. After this the Surah observes that whenever a Divine Reformer makes his appearance it is the vested interests and privileged classes that stand in his way. They feel and apprehend that the rise of the new Movement will weaken their hold on the poor people who, by accepting the new Message, will refuse to be exploited or suppressed any more. So they fight it tooth and nail and try to nip it in the bud and the suppressed and exploited classes are, by threats and intimidation, dragooned into accepting their lead and opposing the Divine Reformer. Towards its close the Surah refers to a simple criterion by which it could be easily found out that the Holy Prophet is neither an impostor nor a maniac but a true Prophet of God. An impostor, it says, is never allowed to prosper and eventually comes to a sad end but the cause of the Prophet is progressing, and a madman cannot bring about such a wonderful revolution in the life of a whole people as the Holy Prophet has done.
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ فِي الآخِرَةِ وَهُوَ الْحَكِيمُ الْخَبِيرُ يَعْلَمُ مَا يَلِجُ فِي الأَرْضِ وَمَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهَا وَمَا يَنزِلُ مِنْ السَّمَاءِ وَمَا يَعْرُجُ فِيهَا وَهُوَ الرَّحِيمُ الْغَفُورُ وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لاَ تَأْتِينَا السَّاعَةُ قُلْ بَلَى وَرَبِّي لَتَأْتِيَنَّكُمْ عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ لاَ يَعْزُبُ عَنْهُ مِثْقَالُ ذَرَّةٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَلاَ فِي الأَرْضِ وَلاَ أَصْغَرُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَلاَ أَكْبَرُ إِلاَّ فِي كِتَابٍ مُبِينٍ
أَفَلَمْ يَرَوْا إِلَى مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ مِنْ السَّمَاءِ وَالأَرْضِ إِنْ نَشَأْ نَخْسِفْ بِهِمْ الأَرْضَ أَوْ نُسْقِطْ عَلَيْهِمْ كِسَفًا مِنْ السَّمَاءِ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَةً لِكُلِّ عَبْدٍ مُنِيبٍ
وَلِسُلَيْمَانَ الرِّيحَ غُدُوُّهَا شَهْرٌ وَرَوَاحُهَا شَهْرٌ وَأَسَلْنَا لَهُ عَيْنَ الْقِطْرِ وَمِنْ الْجِنِّ مَنْ يَعْمَلُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِ وَمَنْ يَزِغْ مِنْهُمْ عَنْ أَمْرِنَا نُذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابِ السَّعِيرِ يَعْمَلُونَ لَهُ مَا يَشَاءُ مِنْ مَحَارِيبَ وَتَمَاثِيلَ وَجِفَانٍ كَالْجَوَابِ وَقُدُورٍ رَاسِيَاتٍ اعْمَلُوا آلَ دَاوُودَ شُكْرًا وَقَلِيلٌ مِنْ عِبَادِيَ الشَّكُورُ فَلَمَّا قَضَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ الْمَوْتَ مَا دَلَّهُمْ عَلَى مَوْتِهِ إِلاَّ دَابَّةُ الأَرْضِ تَأْكُلُ مِنسَأَتَهُ فَلَمَّا خَرَّ تَبَيَّنَتْ الْجِنُّ أَنْ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ الْغَيْبَ مَا لَبِثُوا فِي الْعَذَابِ الْمُهِينِ لَقَدْ كَانَ لِسَبَإٍ فِي مَسْكَنِهِمْ آيَةٌ جَنَّتَانِ عَنْ يَمِينٍ وَشِمَالٍ كُلُوا مِنْ رِزْقِ رَبِّكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لَهُ بَلْدَةٌ طَيِّبَةٌ وَرَبٌّ غَفُورٌ فَأَعْرَضُوا فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَيْلَ الْعَرِمِ وَبَدَّلْنَاهُمْ بِجَنَّتَيْهِمْ جَنَّتَيْنِ ذَوَاتَى أُكُلٍ خَمْطٍ وَأَثْلٍ وَشَيْءٍ مِنْ سِدْرٍ قَلِيلٍ
وَجَعَلْنَا بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ الْقُرَى الَّتِي بَارَكْنَا فِيهَا قُرًى ظَاهِرَةً وَقَدَّرْنَا فِيهَا السَّيْرَ سِيرُوا فِيهَا لَيَالِيَ وَأَيَّامًا آمِنِينَ فَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا بَاعِدْ بَيْنَ أَسْفَارِنَا وَظَلَمُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ فَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَحَادِيثَ وَمَزَّقْنَاهُمْ كُلَّ مُمَزَّقٍ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآياتٍ لِكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُورٍ
وَمَا كَانَ لَهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ إِلاَّ لِنَعْلَمَ مَنْ يُؤْمِنُ بالآخِرَةِ مِمَّنْ هُوَ مِنْهَا فِي شَكٍّ وَرَبُّكَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَفِيظٌ قُلْ ادْعُوا الَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ لاَ يَمْلِكُونَ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَلاَ فِي الأَرْضِ وَمَا لَهُمْ فِيهِمَا مِنْ شِرْكٍ وَمَا لَهُ مِنْهُمْ مِنْ ظَهِيرٍ وَلاَ تَنفَعُ الشَّفَاعَةُ عِنْدَهُ إِلاَّ لِمَنْ أَذِنَ لَهُ حَتَّى إِذَا فُزِّعَ عَنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ قَالُوا مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمْ قَالُوا الْحَقَّ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ
وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَنْ نُؤْمِنَ بِهَذَا الْقُرْآنِ وَلاَ بِالَّذِي بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذْ الظَّالِمُونَ مَوْقُوفُونَ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ يَرْجِعُ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ الْقَوْلَ يَقُولُ الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا لِلَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا لَوْلاَ أَنْتُمْ لَكُنَّا مُؤْمِنِينَ قَالَ الَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا لِلَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا أَنَحْنُ صَدَدْنَاكُمْ عَنْ الْهُدَى بَعْدَ إِذْ جَاءَكُمْ بَلْ كُنتُمْ مُجْرِمِينَ وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا لِلَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا بَلْ مَكْرُ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ إِذْ تَأْمُرُونَنَا أَنْ نَكْفُرَ بِاللَّهِ وَنَجْعَلَ لَهُ أَندَادًا وَأَسَرُّوا النَّدَامَةَ لَمَّا رَأَوْا الْعَذَابَ وَجَعَلْنَا الأَغْلاَلَ فِي أَعْنَاقِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا هَلْ يُجْزَوْنَ إِلاَّ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
وَمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلاَ أَوْلاَدُكُمْ بِالَّتِي تُقَرِّبُكُمْ عِنْدَنَا زُلْفَى إِلاَّ مَنْ آمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَأُوْلَئِكَ لَهُمْ جَزَاءُ الضِّعْفِ بِمَا عَمِلُوا وَهُمْ فِي الْغُرُفَاتِ آمِنُونَ
قُلْ إِنَّ رَبِّي يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَقْدِرُ لَهُ وَمَا أَنفَقْتُمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَهُوَ يُخْلِفُهُ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ
فَالْيَوْمَ لاَ يَمْلِكُ بَعْضُكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ نَفْعًا وَلاَ ضَرًّا وَنَقُولُ لِلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا ذُوقُوا عَذَابَ النَّارِ الَّتِي كُنتُمْ بِهَا تُكَذِّبُون وَإِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُنَا بَيِّنَاتٍ قَالُوا مَا هَذَا إِلاَّ رَجُلٌ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَصُدَّكُمْ عَمَّا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ آبَاؤُكُمْ وَقَالُوا مَا هَذَا إِلاَّ إِفْكٌ مُفْتَرًى وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِلْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ إِنْ هَذَا إِلاَّ سِحْرٌ مُبِينٌ
قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَعِظُكُمْ بِوَاحِدَةٍ أَنْ تَقُومُوا لِلَّهِ مَثْنَى وَفُرَادَى ثُمَّ تَتَفَكَّرُوا مَا بِصَاحِبِكُمْ مِنْ جِنَّةٍ إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ نَذِيرٌ لَكُمْ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ عَذَابٍ شَدِيدٍ
2375. Five Chapters of the Qur'an, i.e., 1st, 6th, 18th, 35th and the present one, begin with the words 'All praise is due to Allah.' All these Chapters, expressly or by implication, deal with the subject of the Lordship, Almightiness and Majesty of God. 2376. The words, 'His is all praise in the Hereafter' refer to the time when Islam again will become triumphant after its temporary decline. The allusion in this verse is to the subject dealt with in 32:6. It signifies that it is God alone Who knows what kind of teaching is needed in a particular age. Similarly, it is He who knows when to take back to heaven the teaching which had descended from it, after it has been corrupted by the people, just as He takes water back to heaven in the form of vapors after it becomes corrupt, and sends it down in a purified form in the shape of rain. The words, 'whatever goes into the earth and whatever comes forth from it,' may also signify that whatever man shall sow, so shall he reap. Good actions produce good results and bad deeds lead to evil consequences. The verse may also be taken as signifying that God is aware of every phenomenon and every event; including the rise and fall of nations. 2377. The subject of the preceding verse is further elaborated and developed in the present one, viz., that no action good or bad goes unrequited. The disbelievers are thus warned that their opposition to Islam and their persecution of Muslims will not go unpunished. 2378. The words, 'We could cause the earth to sink with them,' refer to the Signs of the earth; and the words 'or cause pieces of the sky to fall upon them' allude to heavenly Signs. 2378A. Mountain tribes. For a similar expression see 12:83. 2379. The expression, 'And We made the iron soft for him,' shows that the art of making implements of war from iron was very much developed by David and he freely made use of it for making coats of mail as the next verse shows. 2380. Solomon's dominions extended from northern Syria along the coast of the eastern Mediterranean down to the Red Sea, along the Arabian Sea and up to the Persian Gulf. In fact, in Solomon's time; the Israelite Empire had reached its zenith in wealth, power and prestige as the word Rih which, among other things, means power and conquests, (Lane), used in the verse, shows. The verse also shows that Solomon possessed a large mercantile navy (1 Kings, 9:26-28 & Jew. Enc. vol. XI. p. 437) and that industry and craftsmanship had greatly developed under him and that he had also conquered and pressed into service wild and rebellious mountain tribes (11 Chron. 4.1, 2 & 2:18). 2381. Besides being a highly prosperous, powerful and civilized monarch, Solomon was the prince of builders among Israelite rulers. He had a special taste for architecture which had greatly developed under him. The Temple of Jerusalem bears an eloquent testimony to his fine architectural taste. 2382. Solomon's worthless son and successor, Rehoboam, under whose weak rule Solomon's great and mighty Kingdom fell to pieces (1 Kings, chaps. 12, 13; 14 & Jewish. Enc. under "Rehoboam"). 2383. Disruption and disintegration of Solomon's Kingdom set in in Rehoboam's time. 2383A. Saba', as is mentioned under 27:23, was a city of Yemen situated about three days' journey from San'a', also called Ma'arib. This town finds frequent references in the Old Testament and in Greek. Roman and Arabic literatures, especially in the south Arabian inscriptions. The Sabaeans were a highly prosperous and cultured people whom God had blessed in great abundance with all the comforts and amenities of life. The whole country was made very fertile by dams and other irrigation works and was full of gardens and streams. Of public works built to assist agriculture like barriers and dams the most celebrated was the dam of Ma'arib (Enc. of Islam,vol.4, p.16). Tirmidhi quotes a tradition on the authority of Farwah bin Malik that when asked whether Saba' was the name of a land or of a woman, the Holy Prophet is reported to have said, 'It is neither the name of a land nor that of a woman, but the 2384. 'Arim means, a dam or dams constructed in valleys or torrent-beds; or a torrent of which the rush is not to be withstood; or violent rain (Lane). A mighty flood caused the dam of Ma'arib. to which the Sabaeans owed all their prosperity. to burst and inundate the whole area causing widespread ruin. A land full of beautiful gardens, streams and great works of art, was turned into a vast waste. The dam was about two miles long and 120 ft. high. It was destroyed about the first or second century A.D. (Palmer). 2385. The words, 'the towns which We had blessed,' refer to the towns of Palestine, the seat of Solomon's government with which the Sabaeans carried on prosperous trade. The words, 'towns that were prominently visible,' signify that the towns were situated so near each other as to be easily visible, or the words may mean, prominent towns and show that the route from Yemen to Palestine and Syria was very frequented, safe and well-populated. According to Muir there were 70 stages or stops from Hadarmaut to Ailah on the road from Yemen to Syria. It was a very frequented and safe route, flanked on both sides by shady trees. 2386. The words put in the mouth of the Sabaeans, in fact, describe their actual condition when they defied and disobeyed Divine commandments and consequently fell on evil days. The prosperous and frequented route became deserted and desolate. The words, 'place longer distances between the stages of our journeys,' signify that because many towns on the route fell into ruin, the distance between one stage to the other became much longer and less safe. The Sabaeans were so utterly destroyed that no sign or mark was left of them. They became only a subject for story-tellers. 2387. By their evil deeds the people of Saba' justified Satan's estimate that he would be successful in leading them astray. The reference to this estimate of Satan about the wicked people and their evil deeds may be found in 17:63 where he is mentioned as saying that he will cause his (Adam's) progeny to perish except a few of them. 2388. Satan has no authority over man. It is by his own wrong beliefs and evil deeds that man brings about his spiritual ruin. 2389. Disbelievers are challenged to call upon all their false gods to arrest or retard the progress and advance of Islam and are told that they cannot do so; in fact, no power on earth can stop truth from spreading. 2389A. The Holy Prophet. The words may also mean, 'About whom God permits that intercession may be made in his favor.' 2390. The hearts of the intercessors. 2391. The sinful people who will be punished. 2392. The intercessors or the Messengers of God. 2393. As surely, we (the believers) are on the right, so surely, you (the disbelievers) are in error. 2394. The verse generally is taken as referring to the Fall of Mecca when it was decided beyond a shadow of doubt as to which of the two parties-Muslims or disbelievers-was 'on right guidance' and which 'in manifest error.' It was after that great victory that a union of hearts was brought about between Muslims and their adversaries. 2395. The Holy Prophet has been repeatedly declared in the Qur'an as having been sent as a Messenger to all mankind till the end of time. See also 21:108 and 25:2. The Message of Islam is a universal Message and the Qur'an is the last revealed Book which has laid claim to finality. 2396. The Day of the Battle of Badr or the day mentioned in 32:6 which is stated to be equal to one thousand years after the expiry of which the period of the recognition and acceptance of Islam as a universal Faith will begin. 2397. It is human nature that when a guilty person is face to face with the punishment of his guilt, he tries to excuse himself by seeking to shift the responsibility for his misdeeds to another person. It is to this aspect of human nature that reference has been made in this and the next two verses. 2398. Asarra-hu means, he concealed it; he manifested it (Lane). 2398A. A'naq also means; chiefs of men or great ones (Lane). 2399. The Prophets of God come to raise the depressed and suppressed humanity to their rightful place in society and to restore to them the rights which are denied to them by the vested interests. That is why in all ages it is the rich, the wealthy, the men of power and influence-the vested interests-who range themselves against the new Divine Message. 2400. Wealth, power and position are not the means of achieving nearness to God. On the contrary, they tend to keep men away from Him. It is right belief and good actions which are man's real wealth and which can bring him salvation and God's pleasure. 2401. All the efforts and machinations of disbelievers to retard or arrest the progress of the cause of Truth and frustrate God's purpose prove futile and recoil on their own heads. 2402. Mi'shar means, a tenth part; a hundredth part; according to some a thousandth part (Lane). 2403. The verse recommends an objective and detached examination of the Holy Prophet's claim. The disbelievers are urged to ponder dispassionately without prejudice and without being influenced by crowd mentality, whether the Holy Prophet suffers from insanity or unsoundness of mind. 2404. The words, 'nor reproduce it;' embody a mighty prophecy that idolatry will never regain a foothold in Arabia. It will disappear from that country for ever. 2405. The words may mean "after death" and the verse may signify that disbelievers will surely, realize after death that they were in the wrong. Disbelievers make foolish conjectures about the failure of the Prophet's mission, which being far removed from the source of "the unseen" or from reality, reason and truth are foolish and baseless. 2406. The opponents of Islam are here told that like the rejecters of the Prophets of yore they will also utterly fail to realize their heart's desire-failure of the mission of the Holy Prophet.
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