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

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

فَقَالُوا ...

34: 19. 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.

وَلَقَدْ صَدَّقَ عَلَيْهِمْ إِبْلِيسُ ظَنَّهُ...

34: 20. And on them did Satan prove true his idea,

C3820. Cf. 17:62.

Satan out of arrogance had said, when he asked for respite from the Most High; "I will bring (Adam's) descendants under my sway, all but a few."

This was now proved true on the Saba people. He had no power to force them. It was their own will that went wrong and put them into his power.

... فَاتَّبَعُوهُ إِلَّا فَرِيقًا مِّنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿٢٠﴾

and they followed him, all but a Party that believed.

وَمَا كَانَ لَهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّن سُلْطَانٍ...

34: 21. But he had no authority over them --

... إِلَّا لِنَعْلَمَ مَن يُؤْمِنُ بِالْآخِرَةِ مِمَّنْ هُوَ مِنْهَا فِي شَكٍّ...

except that We might test the man who believes in the Hereafter from him who is in doubt concerning it:

C3821. Might test. - the word in the original is might know.

It is not that Allah does not know all. Why does He want to test?

It is in order to help us subjectively, to train our will, to put us definitely the question, "Will you obey Allah or other than Allah?"

Cf. n. 467 to 3:154.

... وَرَبُّكَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَفِيظٌ ﴿٢١﴾

and thy Lord doth watch over all things.

قُلِ ادْعُوا الَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُم مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ...

34: 22. Say:

"Call upon other (gods) whom ye fancy, besides Allah:

C3822. Other objects of worship, such as Self, or Money, or Power, or things we imagine will bring us luck or prosperity, though they can do nothing of the kind.

... لَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَلَا فِي الْأَرْضِ...

they have no power -- not the weight of an atom -- in the heavens or on earth;

C3823. The false gods have no power whatever either in heaven or on earth, either in influencing our spiritual life or our ordinary worldly life.

To suppose that they have some share, or that they can give some help to Allah, even though Allah is Supreme, is both false and blasphemous.

Allah is One and Supreme, without sharer, helper, or equal.

... وَمَا لَهُمْ فِيهِمَا مِن شِرْكٍ وَمَا لَهُ مِنْهُم مِّن ظَهِيرٍ ﴿٢٢﴾

no (sort of) share have they therein,

nor is any of them a helper to Allah.

وَلَا تَنفَعُ الشَّفَاعَةُ عِندَهُ إِلَّا لِمَنْ أَذِنَ لَهُ...

34: 23. "No intercession can avail in His Presence except for those for whom He has granted permission.

C3824. Cf. 20:109, n. 2634, where I have explained the two possible modes of interpretation.

Each soul is individually and personally responsible. And if there is any intercession, it can only be by Allah's gracious permission. For the Day of judgment will be a terrible Day, or Day of Wrath (Dies Irae) according to the Latin hymn, when the purest souls will be stupefied at the manifestation of Allah's Power.

See next note.

... حَتَّى إِذَا فُزِّعَ عَن قُلُوبِهِمْ ...

So far (is this the case) that, when terror is removed from their hearts

C3825. "Their hearts": the pronoun "their" is referred to the angels nearest to Allah.

On the Day of Judgment there will be such an irresistible manifestation of Power that even they will be silent for a while, and will scarcely realise what is happening. They will question each other, and only thus will they regain their bearings.

Or "their" may refer to those who seek intercession.

...قَالُوا مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمْ...

(at the Day of Judgement, then) will they say, 'What is it that your Lord commanded?'

C3826. In their mutual questionings they will realise that Allah's Judgment, as always, is right and just. Does this mean that no sort of intercession is required?

... قَالُوا الْحَقَّ...

They will say, 'That which is true and just;

... وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ ﴿٢٣﴾

and He is the Most High, Most Great.'"

Asad’s Version:

34:19 (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].

(34:20) Now, indeed, Iblis did prove that his opinion of them had been right: 2 ' for [when he called them,] they followed him - all but some of the believers [among them] .

34:21 And yet, he had no power at all over them: 30 [for if We allow him to tempt man,] it is only to the end that We might make a clear distinction between those who [truly] believe in the life to come and those who are in doubt thereof: 31 for thy Sustainer watches over all things.

34:22 SAY: "Call upon those [beings] whom you imagine [to be endowed with divine powers] beside God: they have not an atom's weight of power either in the heavens or on earth, nor have they any share in [governing] either, nor does He [choose to] have any helper from among them." 32

34:23 And, before Him, intercession can be of no avail [to any] save one in whose case He may have granted leave [therefor]: 33 so much so that when the terror [of the Last Hour] is lifted from their hearts, they [who have been resurrected) will ask [one another], "What has your Sustainer decreed [for you]?" - [to which) the others will answer, "Whatever is true and deserved 34 - for He alone is exalted, great!"

[[Asad’s notes –

27 In its generally-accepted spelling - based on the reading adopted by most of the early scholars of Medina and Kufah - the above phrase reads in the vocative rabbana and the imperative ba'id ("Our Sustainer! Make long the distances ...", etc.), which, however, cannot be convincingly explained. On the other hand, Tabari, Baghawi and Zamakhshari mention, on the authority of some of the earliest Qur'an-commentators, another legitimate reading of the relevant words, namely, rabbuna (in the nominative) and ba'ada (in the indicative), which gives the meaning adopted by me: "Long has

our Sustainer made the distances ...", etc. To my mind, this reading is much more appropriate since (as pointed out by Zamakhshari) it expresses the belated regrets and the sorrow of the people of Sheba at the devastation of their country, the exodus of large groups of the population, and the resultant abandonment of many towns and villages on the great caravan routes.

28 An allusion to the mass-migration of South- Arabian tribes in all directions - particularly towards central and northern Arabia - subsequent to the destruction of the Dam of Ma'rib.

29 See 17:62, as well as the last sentence of 7:17, in which Iblis (i.e., Satan) says of the human race, "most of them wilt Thou find ungrateful".

30 Cf. a similar phrase placed in the mouth of Iblis in 14:22 ("I had no power at all over you: I but called you - and you responded unto me"), and the corresponding note 31 ; also, see note 30 on 15:39-40. - Although, on the face of it, verses 20-21 of the present surah refer to the people of Sheba, their import is (as the sequence shows) much wider, applying to the human race as such.

31 See 15:41 and the corresponding note 31.

32 I.e., anybody who would "mediate" between Him and any of His creatures. As is evident from the sequence (as well as from 17:56-57), this passage relates, in particular, to the attribution of divine or semi-divine qualities to saints and angels and to the problem of their "intercession"

with God.

33 Regarding the Qur'anic concept of "intercession", see note 7 on 10:3. Cf also 19:87 and 20:109.

34 Lit., "the truth" - i.e., whatever God decides regarding His grant or refusal of leave for intercession (which is synonymous with His redemptive acceptance or His rejection of the human being concerned) will conform with the requirements of absolute truth and justice (see note 74 on 1 9:87).