Saba’ (, ) is the 34th chapter (

sūrah A ''surah'' (; ; ) is an Arabic word meaning 'chapter' in the Quran. There are 114 ''suwar'' in the Quran, each divided into ayah, verses (). The ''suwar'' are of unequal length; the shortest ''surah'' (al-Kawthar) has only three verses, while ...

) of the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

with 54 verses ('' āyāt''). It discusses the lives of

Solomon Solomon (), also called Jedidiah, was the fourth monarch of the Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy), Kingdom of Israel and Judah, according to the Hebrew Bible. The successor of his father David, he is described as having been the penultimate ...

and

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

, a story about the people of

Sheba Sheba, or Saba, was an ancient South Arabian kingdoms in pre-Islamic Arabia, South Arabian kingdom that existed in Yemen (region), Yemen from to . Its inhabitants were the Sabaeans, who, as a people, were indissociable from the kingdom itself f ...

, challenges and warnings against the disbelievers as well as the promises related to the

Day of Judgment The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...

. Regarding the timing and contextual background of the

asbāb al-nuzūl Occasions or circumstances of revelation (in Arabic - ''al-nuzūl'') names the historical context in which Quranic verses were revealed from the perspective of traditional Islam. Though of some use in reconstructing the Qur'an's historicity, ''a ...

"circumstances of revelation", it is an earlier

Meccan surah A Meccan surah is, according to the timing and contextual background of their revelation ('' asbāb al-nuzūl'') within Islamic tradition, a chronologically earlier chapter ('' suwar'', singular ''sūrah'') of the Qur'an. The traditional chronolog ...

, which means it was revealed in Mecca instead of later in

Medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

Summary

The chapter begins with the phrase ''

Alhamdulillah ''Alhamdulillah'' (, ') is an Arabic phrase meaning "praise be to God", sometimes translated as "thank God" or "thanks be to the Lord". This phrase is called ''Tahmid'' (). A longer variant of the phrase is ''al-ḥamdu l-illāhi rabbi l-ʿāl ...

'' ("Praise be to God"), one of five chapters to do so; the others are

Al Fātiḥah Al-Fatiha () is the first chapter () of the Quran. It consists of seven verses (') which consist of a Dua, prayer for guidance and mercy. Al-Fatiha is recited in Muslim obligatory and voluntary prayers, known as ''salah''. The primary litera ...

Al-An'am Al-An'am (, ; The Cattle) is the sixth chapter (sūrah) of the Quran, with 165 verses ( āyāt). Coming in order in the Quran after Al-Fatiha, Al-Baqarah, Al 'Imran, An-Nisa', and Al-Ma'idah, this surah dwells on such themes as the clear ...

Al-Kahf Al-Kahf () is the 18th chapter (sūrah) of the Qur'an with 110 verses ( āyāt). Regarding the timing and contextual background of the revelation ('' asbāb al-nuzūl''), it is an earlier Meccan surah, which means it was revealed before Muh ...

and

Fatir Fatir (, ; Originator), also known as Al-Mala’ikah (, ; "The Angels"), is the 35th chapter (sūrah) of the Qur'an with 45 verses ( āyāt). Parts of Q35:39-45 are preserved in the Ṣan‘ā’1 lower text. Regarding the timing and cont ...

. The first two verses assert

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

's praiseworthiness and omnipotence. The following verses (3–9) criticized the disbelievers for their rejection of the

resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions involving the same person or deity returning to another body. The disappearance of a body is anothe ...

, the

Day of Judgement The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...

and of Muhammad's message. The ninth verse also mentions the orderliness of the universe as evidence of God's omnipotence. The following verses (10–14) briefly discuss

and

, both of whom are among the prophets in Islam. Verses 15–19 contain a story about the eponymous people of

. The story is based on the ancient

Sabaeans Sheba, or Saba, was an ancient South Arabian kingdom that existed in Yemen from to . Its inhabitants were the Sabaeans, who, as a people, were indissociable from the kingdom itself for much of the 1st millennium BCE. Modern historians agree th ...

who lived in the central lowlands of

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

. According to the verses, they were originally prosperous, but turned away from worship and giving thanks to God, and as a result suffered a flood. The story is presented as a warning against worldly pride and arrogance. Semitic philologist A. F. L. Beeston linked the story to the prosperous Sabeans of the

Ma'rib Marib (; Old South Arabian: 𐩣𐩧𐩨/𐩣𐩧𐩺𐩨 ''Mryb/Mrb'') is the capital city of Marib Governorate, Yemen. It was the capital of the ancient kingdom of '' Sabaʾ'' (), which some scholars believe to be the ancient Sheba of bibl ...

oasis who settled on each side of the

wadi Wadi ( ; ) is a river valley or a wet (ephemerality, ephemeral) Stream bed, riverbed that contains water only when heavy rain occurs. Wadis are located on gently sloping, nearly flat parts of deserts; commonly they begin on the distal portion ...

(hence the reference to "the garden of the right" and "of the left" in verse 15. Beeston,

CNRS The French National Centre for Scientific Research (, , CNRS) is the French state research organisation and is the largest fundamental science agency in Europe. In 2016, it employed 31,637 staff, including 11,137 tenured researchers, 13,415 eng ...

researcher Jérémie Schiettecatte, as well as the Quranic commentary ''

The Study Quran ''The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary'' (TSQ) is a 2015 English-language edition of the Quran edited by Seyyed Hossein Nasr and published by HarperOne. Fellow Muslims Joseph Lumbard, Caner Dagli and Maria Massi Dakake, prepared t ...

'' argued that the flood corresponds to the failure of the dam system that irrigated the community. The dams were mentioned in inscriptions dated from around 450–540 CE, and ''The Study Quran'' further argues that the phrase "the flood of 'Arim" correspond to the

triliteral root The roots of verbs and most nouns in the Semitic languages are characterized as a sequence of consonants or " radicals" (hence the term consonantal root). Such abstract consonantal roots are used in the formation of actual words by adding the vowel ...

ʿ-r-m that appeared in the inscriptions to refer to the dam system. The rest of the chapter discusses various topics, including the nature of

Iblis Iblis (), alternatively known as Eblīs, also known as Shaitan, is the leader of the Shayatin, devils () in Islam. According to the Quran, Iblis was thrown out of Jannah#Jinn, angels, and devils, heaven after refusing to prostrate himself bef ...

(the Devil in the Islamic tradition), challenges to those who reject the message of Islam, warnings of the consequences which will come to them in the Day of Judgement, as well as the nature of Muhammad's mission.

Ayat (verses)

*1-2 Praise to the All-wise and Sovereign God *3 Unbelievers shall not escape the

Judgement Day The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the ''Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus, Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God in Abrahamic religions, God of a ...

*4-5 The reward of believers and the punishment of infidels sure *6 Certain Jews accept the Quran as the word of God *7 The Quraish scoff at the doctrine of the resurrection *8 Muhammad accused of being a forger of the Quran and a madman *8-9 Divine judgments threatened against the unbelievers *10-11 David received blessing and knowledge from God *12 Solomon received dominion over the winds and the genii *13 The palaces, statues of Solomon etc constructed by genii *14 Solomon’s death concealed from the genii *15-16 The people of

Sabá Sabá is a town, with a population of 17,080 (2023 calculation),Citypopulation.de
Population of cities in Hondu ...

rebel against God and are punished *19 They are dispersed on account of covetousness *20 All but a few believers follow Iblís *21 The idolaters worship imaginary deities *22 Only those who are permitted shall intercede on the Judgment Day *23-26 The bountiful God will judge between true believers and the infidels *27 Muhammad sent to man as a warning *28-29 The infidels will feel God’s threatened punishment in the Judgment Day *30-32 Mutual enmity of the idolaters and their leaders on the day of judgment *33 God’s prophets have always been opposed by the affluent *34-35 The Makkans boast in their riches in vain *36 The righteous only shall be saved *37 Muhammad’s adversaries shall be punished *38 The Lord will reward the almsgivers *39-40 The angels shall repudiate their worshippers *41 Idolaters shall be unable to help one another in the judgment *42 The unbelievers call Muhammad a forger of the Quran and blasphemer *43-44 Rejecting their Prophet as did those before them, the Makkans shall receive like punishment *45-49 Muhammad protests the truth of his claims *50-54 Unbelievers shall repent when too late to avail

Revelation history

The chapter was revealed during the Meccan period of

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

's (May his mention be exalted) prophethood, therefore, a

Meccan sura A Meccan surah is, according to the timing and contextual background of their revelation (''asbāb al-nuzūl'') within Islamic tradition, a chronologically earlier chapter ('' suwar'', singular ''sūrah'') of the Qur'an. The traditional chronologi ...

. Some commentators of the Quran, including

Ahmad ibn Ajiba Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAjība al-Ḥasanī (; 1747–1809) was an influential 18th-century Moroccan scholar and poet in the Sunni Darqawa Sufi lineage. Biography He was born of a sharif family in the Anjra tribe that ranges from Tang ...

Mahmud al-Alusi Abū al-Thanā’ Shihāb ad-Dīn Sayyid Maḥmūd ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Ḥusaynī al-Ālūsī al-Baghdādī (‎; 10 December 1802 – 29 July 1854 CE) was an Iraqi Islamic scholar best known for writing ''Ruh al-Ma'ani'', an exeges ...

Ibn al-Jawzi Abu al-Faraj Jamal al-Din Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Hasan Ali Al-Jawzi also known as Ibn al-Jawzi (16 June 1201) was a Muslim jurisconsult, preacher, orator, heresiographer, traditionist, historian, judge, hagiographer, and philologist who played ...

, and

Al-Qurtubi Abū ʿAbdullāh Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Abī Bakr al-Anṣārī al-Qurṭubī () (121429 April 1273) was an Andalusian Sunni Muslim polymath, Maliki jurisconsult, mufassir, muhaddith and an expert in the Arabic language. Prominent scholar ...

opined that the sixth verse was an exception and was revealed in the Medinan period.

Name

The name of the chapter refers to Sheba, a kingdom mentioned in the Quran and the Bible. Sheba is the subject of verses 15 to 21 of the chapter, although this passage likely does not refer to the kingdom under the famous

Queen of Sheba The Queen of Sheba, also known as Bilqis in Arabic and as Makeda in Geʽez, is a figure first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. In the original story, she brings a caravan of valuable gifts for Solomon, the fourth King of Israel and Judah. This a ...

, but rather about a group of people in the same region in a later period. Orientalist A. F. L. Beeston and Jérémie Schiettecatte identified the people in these verses to be the

who lived in the

valley.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * *

External links

Quran 34

Clear Quran translation Mustafa Khattab is a Canadian–Egyptian Muslim scholar, imam, and university chaplain. He holds a professional ijâzah in the Ḥafṣ style of recitation. He is known for his translation of the Quran in "The Clear Quran" series. Career He ...

Q34:20
50+ translations, islamawakened.com {{Authority control Chapters in the Quran Sheba Solomon David Last Judgment

Saba Saba may refer to: Places * Saba (island), an island of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean Sea * Sabá, a municipality in the department of Colón, Honduras * Șaba or Șaba-Târg, the Romanian name for Shabo, a village in Ukraine * Saba, ...