34. Surah Saba-(Sheba) Mecca 58 [54 verses]

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

فَقَالُوا ...

34:19 [Ali]. But they said:

C3817. Said: in this and other places in the Quran, "language" is used for thought or deed, The Commentators call it the "language of actual facts" (zabdn hal) as opposed to the "language of words" (zabdn qal).

... رَبَّنَا بَاعِدْ بَيْنَ أَسْفَارِنَا...

"Our Lord! place longer distances between our journey-stages."

C3818. The covetous Saba people, in order to get more profit from travellers' supplies by concentrating them on a few stations which they could monopolise, tended to choke off traffic and ruin the big trade. Selfishness often runs counter to true self-interest.

It is a historical fact that the great Yemen-Syria route in Arabia declined with the decline of Yemen. There were no doubt physical causes, but supreme above all were the moral causes, the grasping nature of the people, and their departure from the highest standards of righteousness.

... وَظَلَمُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ...

But they wronged themselves (therein).

... فَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَحَادِيثَ ...

At length We made them as a tale (that is told),

C3819. The people of Saba were given every chance. They had prosperity, skill, trade and commerce, and a healthy and beautiful country.

They also had, apparently, great virtues, and as long as they remained true to their virtues, i.e., to the Law of Allah, they remained happy and contented. But when they became covetous and selfish, and became jealous of other people's prosperity instead of rejoicing in it, they fell from grace and declined.

It may be that the climate changed, the rainfall became scantier, perhaps on account of the cutting down of hill forests; trade routes changed, on account of the people falling off in the virtues that make men popular: behind all the physical causes was the root-cause, that they began to worship mammon, self, greed, or materialism. They fell into the snare of Satan.

They gradually passed out of history, and became only a name in a story. Moral: it is only Allah's Mercy that can give true happiness or prosperity, and happiness or prosperity is only a snare unless used for the highest service of Allah and man.

... وَمَزَّقْنَاهُمْ كُلَّ مُمَزَّقٍ...

and We dispersed them all in scattered fragments.

... إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُور ﴿١٩﴾ٍ

Verily in this are Signs for every (soul that is) patiently constant and grateful.

Asad’s Version:

34:19 [Asad] (19) But now they would say, "Long has our Sustainer made the distance between our journey-stages !" 27 for they had sinned against themselves. And in the end We caused them to become [one of those] tales [of things long past], and scattered them in countless fragments. 28 Herein, behold, there are messages indeed for all who are wholly patient in adversity and deeply grateful [to God].