Tafsir of Surah Saba' - Verse 18

The Trade of Saba' and Their Destruction

Allah tells us about the blessings which the people of Saba' enjoyed, and the luxuries and plentiful provision which was theirs in their land, with its secure dwellings and towns which were joined to one another, with many trees, crops and fruits. When they traveled, they had no need to carry provisions or water with them; wherever they stopped, they would find water and fruits, so they could take their noontime rest in one town, and stay overnight in another, according to their needs on their journey. Allah says:

وَجَعَلْنَا بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ الْقُرَى الَّتِى بَارَكْنَا فِيهَا

(And We placed, between them and the towns which We had blessed,) Mujahid, Al-Hasan, Sa`id bin Jubayr and Malik, who narrated it from Zayd bin Aslam, and Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak, As-Suddi, Ibn Zayd and others -- all said that this means the towns of Syria. It means they used to travel from Yemen to Syria via towns easy to be seen and connected to one another. Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn `Abbas said, "`The towns which We had blessed by putting Jerusalem among them."

قُرًى ظَـهِرَةً

towns easy to be seen, meaning, clear and visible, known to travelers, so they could take their noontime rest in one town and stay overnight in another. Allah says:

وَقَدَّرْنَا فِيهَا السَّيْرَ

(and We made the stages (of journey) between them easy) meaning, `We made it in a way that met the needs of the travelers.'

سِيرُواْ فِيهَا لَيَالِىَ وَأَيَّاماً ءَامِنِينَ

(Travel in them safely both by night and day.) means, those who travel in them will be safe both by night and by day.

فَقَالُواْ رَبَّنَا بَـعِدْ بَيْنَ أَسْفَارِنَا وَظَلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ

(But they said: "Our Lord! Make the stages between our journey longer," and they wronged themselves;) They failed to appreciate this blessing, as Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Al-Hasan and others said: "They wanted to travel long distances through empty wilderness where they would need to carry provisions with them and would have to travel through intense heat in a state of fear."

فَجَعَلْنَـهُمْ أَحَادِيثَ وَمَزَّقْنَـهُمْ كُلَّ مُمَزَّقٍ

(so We made them as tales (in the land), and We dispersed them all totally.) means, `We made them something for people to talk about when they converse in the evening, how Allah plotted against them and dispersed them after they had been together living a life of luxury, and they were scattered here and there throughout the land.' So, the Arabs say of a people when they are dispersed, "They have been scattered like Saba'," in all directions.

إِنَّ فِى ذلِكَ لآيَـتٍ لِّكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُورٍ

(Verily, in this are indeed signs for every steadfast, grateful.) In the punishment which these people suffered, the way in which their blessings and good health were turned into vengeance for their disbelief and sins, is a lesson and an indication for every person who is steadfast in the face of adversity and grateful for blessings. Imam Ahmad recorded that Sa`d bin Abi Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«عَجِبْتُ مِنْ قَضَاءِ اللهِ تَعَالَى لِلْمُؤْمِنِ إِنْ أَصَابَهُ خَيْرٌ حَمِدَ رَبَّهُ وَشَكَرَ، وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ مُصِيبَةٌ حَمِدَ رَبَّهُ وَصَبَرَ، يُؤْجَرُ الْمُؤْمِنُ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَتْى فِي اللُّقْمَةِ يَرْفَعُهَا إِلَى فِي امْرَأَتِه»

(I am amazed at what Allah has decreed for the believer; if something good befalls him, He praises his Lord and gives thanks, and if something bad befalls him, he praises his Lord and has patience. The believer will be rewarded for everything, even the morsel of food which he lifts to his wife's mouth.)" This was also recorded by An-Nasa'i in Al-Yawm wal-Laylah. There is a corroborating report in the Two Sahihs, where a Hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, says:

«عَجَبًا لِلْمُؤْمِنِ لَا يَقْضِي اللهُ تَعَالَى لَهُ قَضَاءً إِلَّا كَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ، إِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ سَرَّاءُ شَكَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ، وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ ضَرَّاءُ صَبَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ، وَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ لِأَحَدٍ إِلَّا لِلْمُؤْمِن»

(How amazing is the affair of the believer! Allah does not decree anything for him but it is good for him. If something good happens to him, he gives thanks, and that is good for him; if something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience, and that is good for him. This is not for anyone except the believer.)" It was reported that Qatadah said:

إِنَّ فِى ذلِكَ لآيَـتٍ لِّكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُورٍ

g(Verily, in this are indeed signs for every steadfast, grateful.) It was Mutarrif who used to say: "How blessed is the grateful, patient servant. If he is given something, he gives thanks, and if he is tested, he bears it with patience."

In verse 18, it was said: وَجَعَلْنَا بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ الْقُرَ‌ى الَّتِي بَارَ‌كْنَا فِيهَا قُرً‌ى ظَاهِرَ‌ةً وَقَدَّرْ‌نَا فِيهَا السَّيْرَ‌ سِيرُ‌وا (And We had made towns to be seen between them and between the towns in which We had placed Our blessings, and had measured the journey between them: "Travel along them at nights and days peacefully. - 18" ) This verse mentions yet another blessing Allah Ta’ ala had bestowed on the people of Saba'. Then it goes on to refer to the ungratefulness of those people who acted ignorantly and chose to ask for a reversal of this blessing by praying that the thing be made harder and more challenging for them. The statement: الْقُرَ‌ى الَّتِي بَارَ‌كْنَا فِيهَا (towns in which We had placed Our blessings) in this verse probably means the rural areas of the country of Syria, because the reference to the descent of mercy in several verses of the Qur'an is specifically related to that country. The sense of the verse is that Allah Ta’ ala had made their travels to the towns of Syria very easy for them during their trips they had to undertake for their business. Given the conditions that prevailed in the world of that time, the travel distance between the city of Ma'arib and the country of Syria was fairly long with routes being uneven. In view of this difficulty, Allah Ta’ ala had blessed the people of Saba' by having made for their convenience a series of towns at intermittent distances all the way from the city of Ma'arib to the country of Syria.

These habitations were close by the main road, therefore, these were called: قَدَّرْ‌نَا فِيهَا السَّيْرَ‌ (had measured the journey between them). These habitations appearing one after the other were a source of convenience for weary travelers. If a traveler from one of them left home in the morning, he had the choice of reaching some other town on his way, stop there, have lunch or take rest as he wished and could leave after Zuhr and reach the next stage by sundown and spend the night there. The sentence: سِيرُ‌وا فِيهَا لَيَالِيَ وَأَيَّامًا آمِنِينَ (Travel along them at nights and days peacefully - 18) means that these habitations were made at distances that were balanced and equal so that they would reach from one to the other within a fixed time.

In the last sentence of verse 18: (Travel along them at nights and days peacefully.), mention has been made of a third blessing bestowed on the people of Saba'. It means that these settlements were located at such equal and balanced distances that a traveler would be able to cover them in almost identical time. Then the routes were secure. Theft and highway robbery were unknown. One could travel at any time of the night or day without any hesitation or concern.

‘The town that We had blessed’ refers to the green and fertile area of Syria. In this lush green area from Yemen to Syria, there were rows of beautiful townships. Travelling in this area was a pleasant experience, enough to kindle the spirit of thankfulness and devotion in man. It was as if God had put up a signpost there to say: ‘Go ahead without any fear and thank your Lord!’ But the unheeding people of Sheba were unable to read this inscription of God. On account of their improper behaviour, they lost their right to avail of these divine blessings. They were so totally destroyed that it was as if they had never existed. After the destruction of their homeland, the various tribes of Sheba scattered and migrated to far-off places. These incidents are known facts of history. But the real assessor of these events is one who learns the lesson that if he achieves prosperity, he should not be vainglorious. On the contrary, he should treat everything that he receives as a gift from God and be grateful to Him.