Stories Of The Qur-ān By Ibn Katheer Part 8 The Story of Saba'(Sheba)

 ﷽

*Stories Of The Qur-ān By Ibn Katheer*

*Part 8*

*The Story of Saba'(Sheba)*

Allah the Almighty says:

{Indeed there was for Saba' (Sheba) a sign in their dwelling-place

-two gardens on the right hand and on the left,; (and it was said to

them:) "Eat of the provision of your Lord, and be grateful to Him.' A fair

land and an Oft-Forgiving Lord! But they turned away (from the

obedience of Allah), so We sent against them Sail AI-'Arim (flood

released from the dam), and We converted their two gardens into

gardens producing bitter bad fruit, and tamarisks, and some few lote-

trees. Like this We requited them because they were ungrateful disbelievers. And never do We requite in such a way except those who

are ungrateful (disbelievers). And We placed, between them and the

towns which We had blessed, towns easy to be seen, and We made the

stages (of journey) between them easy (saying): "Travel in them safely

both by night and day." But they said: "Our Lord! Make the stages

between our journey longer," and they wronged themselves; so We

made them as tales (in the land), and We dispersed them all totally.

Verily, in this are indeed signs for every steadfast, grateful (person)}.

(Saba', 15-19)

Scholars of genealogy -among them was Muhammad Ibn Ishaq -said: the

name of Saba' is `Abd Shams Ibn Yashjub Ibn Ya`rub Ibn Qahtan. He was the

first to take captives and he was very generous to the people. As-Suhaili said: it

is said that he was the first person to be crowned, and some scholars said he

was Muslim and that he composed poetry in which he brought good news to the

advent of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). This last saying was

attributed to Ibn Didya in his book titled: [At-Tanwir fi Maulid Al-Bashir An-

Nadhir]

Imam Ahmed said: I have been told by Abu `Abdur Rahman, after `Abdullah

Ibn Luhai` ah, after `Abdullah Ibn Da`lah saying: I heard `Abdullah Ibn Al-

`Abbas as saying: A man asked Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) about

Saba', whether it was a man, a woman, or a name of a land? He (Peace be upon

him) said: Verily, he was a man to whom ten sons were born. Six thereof

inhabited the Yemen andfour Sham (Syria). Those in Yemen were: Madhhaj, Kindah, Al-Azd, Al-Ash `ariyun, Anmar and Himyar. And those who inhabited

Syria were: Laghm, Judham, `Amilah and Ghassan." The Questioner was Farwah

Ibn Musaik Al-Ghatifi.

This means that the term Saba' covers all these tribes; among them also

were At- Tababi `ah (Sing. Tubba` ) in the Yemen. Their kings used to put

crowns on as were done by kings of Persia. The Arabs used to call whomsoever

rules over the Yemen and Hadramaut "Tubba`", as they used to call kings of

Sham (Syria) and the Arab Peninsula "Caesar", and the ruler of Persia "Khusrau",

the ruler of Egypt Fir` aun (Pharaoh), the ruler of Abyssinia "Negus", and the

ruler of India "Ptolemes", and Bilqis was from among the Himyar kings who ruled

the Yemen. They lived in happiness and easiness, with abundance of

sustenance: fruits, plants, etc. and they were righteous people who followed the

Straight Path, but when they altered the Grace of Allah and denied it, they

inevitably incurred to themselves and their peoples destruction and devastation.

Muhammad Ibn Ishaq narrating from Wahb Ibn Munabah said: Allah the

Almighty sent them thirteen Prophets. And, As-Sadi claimed that Allah the

Almighty sent them twelve thousand Prophets. Allah knows best!

The point is, when they replaced guidance with misguidance and prostrated

themselves before the sun instead of Allah the Almighty, the matter which took

place during the era of Bilqis and her ancestors and that which continued till

Allah sent over them a flood released from the dam. Allah the Almighty

explained: {But they turned away (from the obedience of Allah), so We

sent against them Sail Al-`Arim (flood released from the dam), and We

converted their two gardens into gardens producing bitter bad fruit,

and tamarisks, and some few lote trees. Like this We requited them

because they were ungrateful disbelievers. And never do We requite in

such a way except those who are ungrateful (disbelievers)}.

Many scholars mentioned that the Dam of Ma'rab was built to keep water

behind two great mountains, and when the water raised, the people began to

implant orchards and fruitful trees and many kinds of vegetables. It is said that

the originator of the darn was Saba' Ibn Ya` rub who changed the course of

seventy valleys forcing them to pour out water therein. In addition, he forced the

water to get out from thirty springs or holes, but he died before completing it.

So, the tribe of Himyar perfected it and it was of the space of one square league.

Thereupon, they were living in happiness and abundance. Qatada and others

said: the woman (from among them) would go putting a basket on her head,

and it would be filled with fresh, ripe fruits, and they said that the air they

breathed was so clean and pure that neither flies, nor harmful germs were found

in their land. Allah the Almighty says: {Indeed there was for Saba' (Sheba)

a sign in their dwelling -place- two gardens on the right hand and on

the left; (and it was said to them:) Eat of the provision of your Lord,

and be grateful to Him. A fair land and an Oft-Forgiving Lord!} (Saba',

15) and, {And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: If you give

thanks (by accepting Faith and worshipping none but Allah), I will give

you more (of My Blessings); but if you are thankless (i.e. disbelievers),

verily My punishment is indeed severe}. (Ibrahim, 7) But, when they adorned other than Allah the Almighty and arrogantly dealt with His Grace -the

stages (of journey) between them were easy in which they used to travel safely

both by night and day -and asked Him to make the stages between their

journeys longer and severer. Thus, they asked to turn the good into what is bad

like the Children of Israel who asked Allah the Almighty to turn Manna and quails

into herbs, cucumbers, Fum (wheat or garlic), lentils and onions. Thereupon,

they were deprived that great blessing and comprehensive grace; their land was

destroyed and they themselves were scattered allover the globe. Allah the

Almighty says: {But they turned away (from the obedience of Allah), so

We sent against them Sail Al-`Arim (flood released from the dam)}.

Many scholars said: Allah the Almighty sent mice or rats on the bases of the

darn, and when they discovered this they brought cats to eat them up, but all

was in vain. The bases became very weak and finally the darn collapsed and the

water drowned everything. Their good fruitful trees turned into -as explained by

Allah the Almighty -bad ones: {And We converted their two gardens into

gardens producing bitter bad fruit, and tamarisks}. And {and some few

lote-trees} for they produce Nabk which is very few among the countless

thorns they have. Allah the Almighty says: {Like this We requited them

because they were ungrateful disbelievers. And never do We requite in

such a way except those who are ungrateful (disbelievers)} i.e. We only

punish -with this severe punishment those who disbelieved in Us, belied Our

Messengers, disobeyed Our Orders, and violated Our Boundaries.

Allah the Almighty says: {So We made them as tales (in the land), and

We dispersed them all totally} i.e. after the destruction of their gardens,

properties and land, they needed to travel and move away. 

Thus, they scattered

in different parts of the land as some of them moved to the Hejaz, and Khuza' ah

moved to Mecca. Some of them also moved to Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, they

were the first to inhabit it. Then, they were followed by three tribes from the

Jews: the Banu Qainuqa', Banu Quraizah, and Banu An-Nadir. The Jews made

coalitions with the Aus and Khazraj and lived there (till the time of Prophet

Muhammad (Peace be upon him)). Some of them, moved to Sham (Syria) and

afterwards they converted to Christianity: Ghassan, Amilah, Bahra', Lukham,

Judham, Tanukh, Taghlub, and others.

Muhammad Ibn Ishaq, in his The Prophet's Biography [Kitab As-Sirah],

said that the first to quit the Yemen before the Sail Al-'Arim (the flood released

from the dam) was' Amr Ibn 'Amir Al-Lukhami. Lukham was the son of 'Adyi Ibn

Al-Harith Ibn Murrah Ibn Azd Ibn Zaid Ibn Muha' Ibn 'Amr Ibn 'Uraib Ibn Yashjub

Ibn Zaid Ibn Kahlan Ibn Saba'. It is said also by Ibn Hisham: Lukham Ibn 'Adyi

Ibn 'Amr Ibn Gharib Ibn Saba'. Ibn Ishaq said: the reason behind his moving

from Yemen as I was told by Abu Zaid Al-Ansari that he saw a mouse or rat

digging beneath the dam of Ma'rab which was used to keep the water behind, so

he realized that the dam would not stand so long, so he intended to move from

the Yemen. However, he tricked his people by ordering his youngest son to slap him on the face before the people. The son did what he was ordered to and 'Amr

said: I would never live in a place where my youngest son slapped me on the

face. And he offered his property to be sold. The noblemen of the Yemen said:

seize the opportunity of 'Amr's rage and buy all his property. Hence, he moved

along with his children and their offspring. The Azd said: we never leave 'Amr

Ibn 'Amir, so they sold their properties and accompanied him in his fleeing

(without knowing his real intentions). They arrived at the land of `Ak who fought

against them and their war had its ups and downs.

Finally, they departed from the land of 'Ak and dispersed in the lands. Ibn Jafnah

Ibn 'Amr Ibn 'Amir went to Sham (Syria), Al-Aus and Al-Khazraj went to Yathrib

(Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah), Khuza'ah went to Marran, Azd As-Sarah went to

As-Sarah, and Azd 'Amman went to 'Amman, then Allah the Almighty sent the

flood against the dam and it was totally collapsed. The Glorious Qur'an bears

witness to this incident.

As-Sadi narrated the like and Muhammad Ibn Ishaq said that 'Amr Ibn `Amir

was a priest. Others said that his wife was Tarifah Bint Al-Khair Al-Himyariyah

and that she was a priestess. She foretold the destruction of their country as if

they saw an indication in that rat or mouse, so they did what they did, and Allah

knows best! His whole story was mentioned in the Exegesis on the authority of

`Ikriamh after Ibn Abu Hatim.

However, not all the people of Saba' moved from the Yemen after the

collapsing of the dam, but the majority thereof stayed there. Only the people of

the Dam (Ma'rab) went away and dispersed in the land. This is expressed in the

Hadith mentioned earlier that was narrated by `Abdullah Ibn `Abbas, that the

majority of the Yemenites did not movem from the Yemen. Only four tribes

quitted and six tribes stayed. They continued to live there and the ruling was

kept by them and the Tababi`ah till they were deprived of their own self-ruling -

for about seventy years -by the army sent by the Negus under the command of

Abraha and Aryat. Then, it was regained by Saif Ibn Dhi Yazan AI-Himyari shortly

before Prophet Muhammad's birth. Then, Allah's Prophet (Peace be upon him)

sent to the Yemen `Ali Ibn Abu Talib and Khalid Ibn Al-Walid, then Abu Musa Al-

Ash`ari and Mu`adh Ibn Jabal to invite the people to embrace Islam. Then, Al-

Aswad Al-`Ansi seized the Yemen and drove out the deputies of Allah's

Messenger (Peace be upon him). During the era of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, Al-Aswad Al-`Ansi was killed and the Muslims had the upper hand in the Yemen.