Saba 34:19

"But [insolently] they said, "Our Lord, lengthen the distance between our journeys," and wronged themselves, so We made them narrations and dispersed them in total dispersion. Indeed in that are signs for everyone patient and grateful."

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."

Сабейцы - это известное племя, проживавшее в южном Йемене и населявшее город Маариб. Господь проявил величайшую милость по отношению к человечеству в целом и к арабам в частности, когда поведал в Священном Коране о народах, которых уже в мирской жизни постигло справедливое возмездие и страшное наказание. Арабы знали о судьбе соседствовавших с ними народов, слышали о них в старинных сказаниях и могли воочию убедиться в правдивости коранических преданий. Все это помогало им уверовать в Небесное Писание и внять проповедям Пророка Мухаммада, да благословит его Аллах и приветствует. Всевышний Аллах сказал, что в поселении сабейцев было знамение. Под этим подразумевается то, что Аллах осенил сабейцев великой милостью и избавил их от нужды и бедствий. Это обязывало их благодарить Его и поклоняться только Ему. Затем Он разъяснил, что этой милостью были два сада, растущие по правую и левую стороны города. Поселение сабейцев располагалось вблизи огромной долины, в которую стекали потоки горных вод. Сабейцы построили в ней крупную плотину, благодаря которой в долине образовалось водохранилище. Этой водой сабейцы орошали свои сады, располагающиеся по правую и левую стороны от долины. Сады давали обильный урожай, приносящий сабейцам много радости и удовольствия, и обеспечивали их большей частью необходимого пропитания. Всевышний повелел им благодарить Его за эти сады, а также за многие другие милости. Их страна была прекрасна, воздух - чист, а земли - плодородны. Но самое главное - Аллах обещал им простить их грехи в том случае, если они будут благодарны, и поэтому Он возвестил, что страна их была прекрасна, а Господь - милосерден. Однако щедроты Господа не ограничивались уже перечисленным. Он видел, что сабейцы нуждаются в торговых связях с богатыми странами, и помог им наладить торговые отношения с богатой соседней страной. Многие комментаторы считали, что речь идет о йеменском городе Сане. Тем не менее, некоторые богословы предполагали, что это - Шам. В любом случае, Аллах помог сабейцам безопасно проводить купеческие караваны в эту страну, не испытывая при этом никаких трудностей. Они знали расстояние между городами и не сбивались с пути, а путешествовали и днем и ночью в полной безопасности, не зная ни страха, ни беспокойства. Это было милостью Всевышнего, Который избавил сабейцев от бедствий и страхов. Но они оказались неблагодарными и отвернулись от своего Благодетеля, отказались от поклонения Ему и даже отвергли его милость. Они не довольствовались тем, что их торговые поездки были легкими и не составляющими труда, а пожелали, чтобы их путешествия были долгими и трудными. Они даже просили Господа удлинить расстояния между их остановками в пути. Однако неверие и неблагодарность сабейцев навредили только им самим, потому что Всевышний Аллах покарал их и лишил тех самых мирских благ, которые обольстили и ввели в заблуждение этот некогда богатый народ. Господь наслал на их поселение огромный поток воды, который прорвал их плотину, уничтожил их сады и погубил их деревья. Вместо удивительных садов и плодоносных деревьев сабейцы приобрели сады с деревьями, из которых они не могли извлечь никакой пользы. Аллах наказал их прорывом плотины и взамен прежних садов даровал им два новых сада с тамариском и лотосом. Это - хорошо известные деревья, которые не приносят употребляемых в пищу плодов. Столь же тщетными были и деяния самих сабейцев. Они отказались возблагодарить Аллаха и отдали предпочтение отвратительному неверию, и тогда Он лишил их милости и сменил ее на суровое наказание. Воистину, Его наказания заслуживают только те, кто не верует в Него и отказывается благодарить Его за дарованные им блага. После того как сабейцев постигло наказание, пропало их былое единство, и между ними начались распри. Память о них осталась в народных преданиях, и люди стали из поколения в поколение передавать притчи о сабейцах. Арабы даже сложили о них поговорку, которая гласит: «Они распались, как сабейцы». Люди не устают рассказывать друг другу о несчастье, которое выпало на долю этого народа. Однако полезные уроки из этих сказаний извлекают только терпеливые и благодарные рабы Аллаха, которые терпеливо сносят ради Него все неприятности и несчастья, признают Его милости, благодарят Его за дарованные блага и исправно выполняют Его повеления. Услышав историю сабейцев, такие люди понимают, что наказание постигло их только из-за их неблагодарности и что подобное наказание угрожает каждому, кто пойдет по их стопам. Они понимают, что благодарность Всевышнему Господу позволяет людям сохранить благополучие и уберечься от несчастий, что посланники Аллаха говорили только сущую правду и что Его воздаяние неизбежно, о чем свидетельствуют многочисленные события, происшедшие с древними народами, некогда жившими на земле.

Verse 19 opens with the statement: فَقَالُوا رَ‌بَّنَا بَاعِدْ بَيْنَ أَسْفَارِ‌نَا وَظَلَمُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ فَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَحَادِيثَ وَمَزَّقْنَاهُمْ كُلَّ مُمَزَّقٍ (Then they said," Our Lord, make (the phases of) our journeys more distant." And they wronged themselves, therefore We turned them into stories and tore them into pieces - 34:19). It means that so unjust were these people that they would go to the extent of dismissing the very blessing of Allah placed there to eliminate the hardships of travel, rather went deeper into their lack of recognition and straight ungratefulness by coming forward to pray that their Lord makes the distances they cover in travel longer - hoping that the habitations do not appear at such close distances, and wishing to see some hard areas of a forest or wilderness which ask for some rough traversing as well. Their case was similar to that of the Bani Isra'il. They used to get the excellent sustenance of mann and salwa, all free of cost. Bored with it, they asked Allah to replace it with vegetables and greens. In return for their ungratefulness and lack of recognition for blessings, Allah Ta’ ala released the punishment on them that has been called the flood of the dam earlier. The ultimate consequence of this very punishment has been stated in this verse in strong words, that is, they were virtually expunged from this world leaving nothing but idle tales of their wealth and luxury.

The word: مَزَّقْنَاهُمْ (mazzaqnahum) is a derivation from: تَمزِیق (tamziq) which means to tear and scatter (a people) or to destroy (a kingdom). The sense is that some of the inhabitants of this city of Ma'arib were destroyed on the spot and some others were scattered in a manner that small groups of them spread out to various countries. This destruction and scattering away of the people of Saba' became proverbial in Arabia. On such occasions, there is an Arab idiom: تَفَرَّقُوا اَیَادِیَ that is, these people got scattered away as were the luxury-laden people of the Saba'.

Ibn Kathir and other commentators have reported a long narrative about a soothsayer who had come to know about the coming of the punishment of the flood a little before it actually did. He made a swift and unique plan. First of all, he sold his entire property. When he had the money in his hands, he told his people about the coming flood and exhorted them to get out of the area immediately. He also told them that those who intend to shift to a safe far-away place should go to 'Amman, and those who have a taste for liquor, pita bread and fruits should move to Busra in the country of Syria, and those who would settle for rides that go through mud, come handy during the time of famine and prove efficient when dashing on a journey, should go to Yathrib (Madinah) which abounds in dates. His people followed his advice. The tribe of Azd went towards ` Amman, the Ghassn to Busra in the country of Syria and the Aws and Khazraj and Banu ` Uthman started off in the direction of Yathrib, the home of date palms. After reaching Batn Murr, Banu ` Uthman liked the place and settled right there. Because of this divergence, Banu ` Uthman were given the title of Khuza'ah. Batn Murr is closer to Makkah al-Mukarramah where they had chosen to settle down. As for Aws and Khazraj, they reached Yathrib and stayed there. After the long narrative in Ibn Kathir, the same detail about people scattering to different places has been reported on the authority of Said from Qatadah from al-Sha'bi. Thus, says Ibn Kathir, these people of Saba' were shredded into pieces, people who have been mentioned in: مَزَّقْنَاهُمْ كُلَّ مُمَزَّقٍ (We torn them into pieces).

The concluding statement in verse 19: إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ‌ شَكُورٍ‌ (Surely in this, there are signs for everyone who is ever- patient, fully grateful - 34:19) means that there is a great sign and lesson in the rise and fall and in the radical change that hit the life cycle of the people of Saba' for a person who is enduring and grateful at its best, that is, when faced with some distress or pain, one observes patience over it, and when blessed with things of comfort, one is readily grateful for it. This is a life style in which one always comes out a winner. No matter what the state of his life is, he ends up in nothing but pluses, profits and gains. So says a Hadith of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ appearing in the Sahih of al-Bukhari and Muslim where the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been reported to have said:

'Certainly unique is the state of life a true believer is always in. No matter what Allah decrees for him, it turns for him into nothing but good and profitable. If he is blessed in one way or the other or has the desire of his heart fulfilled, he thanks Allah for it and it becomes good and beneficial for him in the Hereafter. And if he suffers from some pain or distress, he bears it with considered patience for which he is rewarded in a big way and thus, this suffering too, becomes good and beneficial for him' - from Ibn Kathir.

Some commentators have taken the word: صَبَّارٍ‌ (Sabbar: very patient) in the general sense of sabr or patience - which includes remaining firm in all acts requiring obedience as well as abstaining from sins. In the light of this tafsir or explanation, a true believer remains comprehensively attuned to Sabr (patience) and shukr (gratitude) under all conditions and then, for that matter, every sabr is shukr and every shukr is sabr. Allah knows best.

Other English translations

Tafsīr · classical commentary

The Trade of Saba' and Their Destruction