SHEBA【Quran commentary】Surah 34 Saba

Commentary By Maulana Wahiduddin khan

1-2. This Universe is an introduction to its Creator…

This Universe is an introduction to its Creator. Its terrifying vastness reveals the majesty of its Creator. The utter perfection of its harmony indicates that its Creator is a perfect and complete being. The fact of the Universe being extremely congenial and conducive to the nourishment of human life clearly shows that its Creator is extremely kind and merciful towards His creations.

One who ponders over the mysteries of the Universe will be totally absorbed in the realization of God’s majesty and perfection. He will be convinced that from the beginning of time till the end of eternity, all majesty pertains to the one and only God and to none other than Him.

3-6. The addressees of the Quran were not disbelie…

The addressees of the Quran were not disbelievers in the Day of Judgement. It was just that they did not believe that Judgement Day would bring them humiliation and punishment. The world they lived in appeared safe to them and they could not, therefore, understand how they would be in jeopardy on reaching the world Hereafter.

This truth about life and the Universe is found in all divine scriptures. It is the Quran’s mission to reveal this reality in its pure and unadulterated form. Now, those who take a stand in opposition to this mission are indulging in the most improper bravado. Before God, they will be treated as deserving of the severest punishment.

7-9. The people of Makkah held the Prophet and his…

The people of Makkah held the Prophet and his companions in contempt, and used to mock them. They did so due to their disbelief in the Hereafter and because in their hearts they were not fearful of God’s scourge; this made them quite flippant about the affairs of the Hereafter.

The worst punishment for a man in this world is to be incapable of right thinking. One so punished is not capable of seeing things in their proper perspective. He is unable to learn lessons even from obvious realities. For example, innumerable stones of varying sizes, fall towards the Earth’s surface but get destroyed as soon as they come in contact with our atmosphere. If these stones were to start falling on human habitation, the entire humanity would be wiped out. A major part of the centre of the earth consists of hot molten lava. If that lava were to erupt and flow unchecked over the surface of the earth, everything in its path would be burnt to a cinder. But God, having made special arrangements, does not allow such catastrophic events to occur. There are clear signs in heaven and on earth which show man’s helplessness. But when a man is incapable of right thinking, no sign of God can give him guidance.

10-11. When a believer who is fully absorbed in the…

When a believer who is fully absorbed in the remembrance of God recites the praises of God, he is in fact in consonance with the entire Universe; all things in heaven and on the earth join him in chorus, albeit in silent language. But, God had so specially blessed David that the hills, mountains and birds used to audibly join him when he recited the praises of God.

Similarly, God taught David (through angels) the skills to make use of iron. He developed the technique of melting and moulding iron to such an extent that he could make the very fine links of which chain mail is composed. The suits of armour made from this could be worn like ordinary clothes. At that time, this technique was unknown to the world.

A believer can make great advances in the fields of industry and science. But, it is essential that he should direct this human progress towards peace and goodness. Whatever he accomplishes should be done with the realization that, finally, he has to appear before God and be answerable to Him.

12-13. Solomon had brought about great develop…

Solomon had brought about great developments in seafaring and sea trade and it was at his behest that high quality sail-fitted ships were built. With God’s further blessing, his ships always had favourable winds. Similarly, the technique of melting copper and the production of different artefacts from it were well-developed in his period. Solomon utilized these extraordinary powers for constructive and peaceful purposes. Among them was the preparation of the things mentioned in this verse.

The entire existence of man is the gift of God. From head to foot, he is the manifestation of His Grace. Therefore, he should have in him feelings of the utmost gratefulness and indebtedness towards God. But, this is the very feeling with which a human being is least imbued. The reason for this is that whatever a man may receive in this world is in the guise of the result of the cause and effect chain. Therefore, he considers it as such – the result of some cause. But this is the real test of man. It is expected that he should see the hand of God in whatever he ostensibly receives through cause and effect. Whatever he obtains, apparently on account of his talents and diligence, should be treated by him as direct gifts from God.

14. When it was time for Solomon to die, he was…

When it was time for Solomon to die, he was leaning on a stick and having some constructive work done by the ‘jinn’. The angel of death took away his life-spirit, but his lifeless body, with the support of the stick remained upright. The jinn continued with their work under the impression that he was nearby supervising the work. It so happened that some white ants infested the stick and after some time, when the white ants had made the stick hollow, his body fell on to the ground. It was then that the jinn came to know that Solomon had died. This incident suffices to remove the erroneous popular belief that the jinn have knowledge of the future.

15-17. Sheba(Saba’) was a very developed commun…

Sheba(Saba’) was a very developed community of ancient times. It was spread over the area at present known as Yemen. Its centre was the city of Maa’rib. In the period before Christ, it had made great progress and remained at its zenith for about one thousand years. The inhabitants of Sheba had spread their trade far and wide across land and sea and had constructed dams for irrigation purposes. Near Ma’rib, there was a large dam which was 14 meters high and about six hundred meters long. By this means, water from mountain streams was stored and distributed to the adjoining lands. In this way this whole area had become lush green and luxuriant gardens could be seen everywhere.

All these developments had been possible thanks to the provision made by God. Therefore, the people of Sheba should have been grateful to their Lord. But, instead, they became neglectful and arrogant, as generally happens in the case of prosperous communities. Thereafter, the Ma’arib Dam started developing cracks. This was an initial warning, but they did not come to their senses. An earthquake shattered the dam irreparably in the seventh century A.D., as a result of which there were devastating floods and the whole area was destroyed. Moreover, due to the destruction of fertile soil, only wild bushes survived in this area. (The Encyclopaedia Britannica).

18-19. ‘The town that We had blessed’ refers to the…

‘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.

20-21. Satan (Iblis) and his representatives, are…

Satan (Iblis) and his representatives, are forever hatching plots against human beings. On such occasions, it is man’s duty not to fall a victim to them and thus render their plotting unsuccessful. But, the people of Sheba did not prove to be wise. They were influenced by and succumbed to the satanic inducements and trod the path to destruction. There were but a few (true believers) who were successful in this test.

God has not given Satan or his representatives any actual powers over anybody. Satan has the power only to seduce. This has been so arranged for the purpose of putting man to the test. One who passes this test will rise above satanic inducements and remain firm on the path of reality and Truth.

22-23. Every age has had many believers in the Here…

Every age has had many believers in the Hereafter, yet Satan has propagated such erroneous beliefs as have made the unbelievers fearless of the Hereafter. One of these is the false belief that certain beings enjoy such an elevated status before God that they can secure God’s pardon for others.

Any such belief amounts to underestimating the powers of God. It is ridiculous that while these beings are themselves awe-struck by the majesty of God, they are expected by their adorers to use their influence for their salvation. Ironically, it is believed that this would suffice before God.

24-27. The Universe is unimaginably great. Moreover…

The Universe is unimaginably great. Moreover, perfect wisdom and meaningfulness is inherent in it. Such a universe can be the accomplishment of the All-powerful, All-wise God alone. No one can seriously believe that those beings, whom ancient or modern man has invented can be the creators or lords of this universe. This being so, who other than God can be the one who enjoys the position of supremacy in this Universe?

The fact is that the study of the universe invalidates all polytheistic theories. As such, only that theory can be correct which is based on the oneness of God. Any theory which projects the instrumentality of any being other than God is self contradictory.

28-30. Every prophet did missionary work directly…

Every prophet did missionary work directly with his people (community). That alone was practicable. Similarly, the Prophet Muhammad also became the direct dispenser of good news (mubashshir) and a direct warner (munzir) for his own people (6:92). But, since the institution of prophethood ended with him, he is now, by order, mubashshir and munzir for all the nations in the world. Just as he discharged both these functions in relation to his first addressees (in his own times), so in the same way, his followers as deputies had to discharge these functions in relation to all other addressees in later periods. This will be treated as continuity of his prophetic mission. The missionary work done by him during his life-time is directly within the ambit of his prophetic functions, while the work done after his life in this world, will be indirectly so.

The mission of a prophet is always to convey the message of God. Thereafter, the reward or punishment, according to the response of the people, is for God to decide – in this world as well as in the Hereafter.

31-33. Denial of Truth is the greatest crime. The…

Denial of Truth is the greatest crime. The result of this crime does not become apparent to an individual in this world. Therefore, he goes on fearlessly denying the Truth. But, in the Hereafter, when the adverse effect of denying the Truth impinges on the deniers, they will be caught in a state of turmoil.

The common people, in this world, were proud of their leaders, but once in the Hereafter, they will curse them. In reply, their leaders will say, ‘Don’t blame us to cover up your ignominy. It was not we who misguided you but your own desires. You were with us simply because our words were in consonance with your own desires. You wanted a religion in which you could get credit for being righteous without taking much trouble and without changing yourself, and we provided you with it. You put our noose around your neck of your own accord; otherwise, we had no power to do so.’

34-39. Those who acquire wealth and power, rise to…

Those who acquire wealth and power, rise to places of prominence in this world. This creates a sort of false confidence in them. Such people do not give due importance to the Hereafter, even when they are warned of it. They cannot believe that God, Who has given them honour in this world, will dishonour them in the Hereafter.

This false confidence in every age has been the greatest cause of the rejection of the call for Truth by the influential members of a society; and when they look down upon something, men of lesser stature also hold it in contempt. In this way the common people as well as the elite are prevented from accepting the Truth.

The wealth and other material things of this world are for the purpose of putting human beings to the test and are not meant as rewards. A surfeit of worldly effects is not a sign of nearness to God; nor does their shortage indicate being at a distance from Him.

Only those who always remembered God and kept themselves within the limits laid down by Him, while availing of His divine bounty, are really close to God. These are the people who will be treated as deserving of God’s eternal blessings and rewards in the Hereafter.

40-42. Angels are not visible to human beings. It was…

Angels are not visible to human beings. It was the prophets who told human beings of the angels. This they did as they wanted the people to realize the majesty of God and devote themselves to prayers. But, Satan, in his devious manner, misled them by saying that it was difficult to achieve nearness to God directly and, as such, they should first worship the angels and through them come near to God. So, throughout the world, idols of angels were set up and worshipped. The concept of gods and goddesses stems in fact from this perverse belief in angels. For example the angel who was appointed for rains was considered the rain-god; and the angel for winds was taken as the god of winds, etc.

In the Hereafter, the angels will dissociate themselves from such worshippers and neither God nor the angels will give them any support. Such people will become eternally helpless.

43-44. The Quran presented clear arguments to its opp…

The Quran presented clear arguments to its opponents which they were unable to counter. In spite of this, they were successful in dissuading the common people from accepting the truth. The sole reason for this success was that the disbelievers played on the sentiments of the common people and stirred them up by saying that it (the Quran’s message) was against the traditions of their forefathers. The miraculous literary value of the Quran was undeniable, and therefore, attempts were made to convince people that its supposed greatness depended solely on magical feats of expression which had nothing to do with divine revelation; it was only a miracle of penmanship and not the result of the knowledge of reality. It is most interesting that as a matter of historical record, for people of every period, prejudice has proved stronger than rational arguments.

The Quran’s addressees could have put forward rational arguments to reject it or they could have referred to any other divine scriptures from which a contradiction to the Quran could have been produced. But none took recourse to either of these possibilities. If people so blatantly deny the call for Truth, it is due to nothing but stubbornness.

46-47. The contemporaries of the Prophet rejected his…

The contemporaries of the Prophet rejected his call of Truth, but this rejection was purely due to stubbornness and prejudice. Had they thought over the matter, either individually or collectively, with open minds, they would have discovered that their Prophet was not a madman. His earlier life would have testified to his seriousness. His sympathetic way would have shown that whenever he spoke, his words showed the deepest concern. His style of discourse, replete as it was with wisdom would have been sufficient evidence of its veracity. His working without demanding remuneration shows that he had undertaken this task only for God’s pleasure and not as a personal concern. Viewing him dispassionately, people would have come to know that his restlessness was not out of madness but because of the danger which he was required to warn against. But they were never serious about the call to accept the truth, and that being so, the above-mentioned facts, albeit so obviously true, did not impress them.

48-50. The world has been created on the basis of…

The world has been created on the basis of Truth. Here, all emphasis is on Truth and all arguments support the Truth. Under these circumstances, Truth should prevail and untruth should carry no weight. But, it is not always so. In this world, sometimes Truth is unable to triumph over untruth.

The reason for this is that this world is a testing ground, and the rules pertaining to the human trial are prevalent here. So, even untruth has the opportunity to flourish here. But this situation will last only till the end of the trial period. On the Day of Judgement, this unrealistic situation will end once and for all. At that time, all evidence will substantiate the Truth, and untruth will be completely valueless.

This event will become a reality on the Day of Judgement. But if and when God wishes, He shows a glimpse of it in this world itself, so that people may learn a lesson from it. A demonstration of this was when Makkah fell and monotheism overcame polytheism, the Prophet of God recited this verse, ‘Truth has arrived and falsehood has perished, for falsehood is bound to perish.’

51-54. When an individual rejects the Truth in the…

When an individual rejects the Truth in the present world, the result of doing so is not immediately apparent. This position emboldens him to reject the Truth; he does not consider the call for Truth worth giving serious attention to. He describes it with contempt and rejects it carelessly.

But the day when the system of the present world collapses, the whole picture will change. He will come to know that this reality which he had ignored was the most important of all. The bubble of vanity will be pricked and he will start spontaneously appreciating and admitting the Truth, which he had considered unworthy of attention in the pre-death period. But, by then, the moment for this would have passed, and he will be told that acceptance at a time when realities were as yet invisible would have had value, whereas acceptance at a time when the truth is plainly visible has no value.

This is the picture of the psychological condition of those who deny the truth. The Truth which was presented to them in this world was so powerful that they found themselves unable to reject it on the basis of reasoning. But, as this Truth fitted ill with their mental mould, they were not ready to accept it either. This ambivalent condition had pushed them into and kept them in a peculiar state of inner conflict, till the angel of death arrived and lifted the veil from their eyes, which they themselves should have removed but did not.