Surah Saba’ (سَبَأ) is the 34th chapter of Al Qur'an with 54 verses part of the Juzʼ 22. It is a Makkan surah focusing on the civilizations as how societies rise through gratitude and justice, and fall through arrogance, denial, and ingratitude.
The name of the chapter refers to Sheba, a kingdom mentioned in the Qur'an and the Bible. Sheba is the subject of verses 15 to 21 of the surah, although this passage likely does not refer to the kingdom under the famous Queen of Sheba, 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 Sabaeans who lived in the Ma'rib valley. [1]
Note: A very important clarification
Before we go further, we make one clarification for the readers of Al Qur'an who often mistake this Surah with the mention of the Queen of Sheba and her interaction / dialogue, diplomacy, and conversion with Solomon. Instead the mention of Queen of Sheba (Bilqīs) appears in Surah An-Naml (27:22–44), where: (1) She rules a powerful kingdom, (2) She initially worships the sun, (3) She corresponds with Prophet Sulayman عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ, and (3) She witnesses Allah’s signs and submits to Him.
Why the difference? Surah Saba focuses on civilizational gratitude and collapse, while Surah An-Naml focuses on guidance, wisdom, and submission to truth. Remember, Al Qur’an distributes aspects of history thematically, not chronologically.
Coming over to the 34th Surah, We have already shared the | Exegesis / Tafseer | of the Sürah Saba’ which can be read from clicking on the highlighted link.
Although, the theme of this post is the some of the selected verses from this surah, however, herein under we first present an overview of the Sūrah, as an introduction to the Sūrah. Thereafter, we will share some of the selected verses that cover the basic theme of the Sūrah. Therefore, the following overview covers the context, major themes / subjects and lessons that we draw from this Sūrah for our guidance in present times.
Core theme of Surah Saba’
At its core, Sürah Saba’ addresses gratitude vs. ingratitude, faith vs. denial, and accountability in the Hereafter. It contrasts people who recognize Allah’s favors and submit to Him with those who become arrogant, deny resurrection, and misuse blessings. The surah weaves together:
- Historical examples
- Stories of prophets
- Arguments for resurrection
- Refutations of shirk (associating partners with Allah)
Main Themes of Sürah Saba’
- Allah’s Absolute Knowledge / Power & the Hereafter
- The surah opens by affirming that nothing in the heavens or the earth escapes Allah’s knowledge (34:1–3). This directly refutes the denial of resurrection, emphasizing that One who knows all can surely resurrect all.
- Key verse: “Not absent from Him is the weight of an atom in the heavens or the earth…” (34:3)
- Lesson today: (1) Nothing escapes accountability, (2) Hidden injustice is still recorded, and (3) Denial of resurrection is intellectually shallow. This refutes modern materialism that dismisses moral consequence.
- Denial of the Hereafter and Its Consequences
- Disbelievers mock the idea of resurrection.
- Allah responds with rational and moral arguments: denial does not erase accountability (34:3–9).
- Mention of Prophets Dāwūd & Sulaymān: Power with gratitude (34:10–14): These prophets are presented as models of gratitude despite immense power:
- Prophet Dawud عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ: Mountains and birds joined him in glorifying Allah; he was taught skill in armor-making (34:10–11).
- Prophet Sulayman عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ: Commanded the wind, jinn, and animals, yet remained a thankful servant (34:12–14). The emphasis is that Prophet Sulaymān had: (1)Political power, (2)Economic strength, and (3)Technological advantage - Yet he: Acknowledged Allah and used power for service, not arrogance.
- Key verses: “Work, O family of Dāwūd, in gratitude. And few of My servants are truly grateful.” (34:13)
- The people of Saba’: Prosperity destroyed by ingratitude (34:15–19): This is the central historical parable of the surah, which focuses on their rise and fall.
- Central verse: “There was for [the people of] Saba’ a sign in their dwelling place…” (34:15)
- They lived in prosperity with fertile land, economic stability and a magnificent dam (Ma’rib Dam). and they were Divinely told to "Eat from the provision of your Lord and be grateful to Him.” (34:15)
- But they turned away in arrogance and ingratitude.
- Thus Allah caused the dam to collapse, turning their lush land into barren terrain (34:16–17).
- Lesson:
- Civilizations do not fall due to lack of resources, but due to moral decay and ingratitude.
- Environmental and social collapse often follows moral decay
- Blessings abused become means of destruction
- False Leaders and Blind Following
- On the Day of Judgment, followers will blame their leaders, and leaders will deny responsibility (34:31–33).
- This exposes the illusion of power and influence in dunya.
- False sense of security through wealth & children (34:35–37)
- Key verse: “It is not your wealth nor your children that bring you closer to Us…” (34:37)
- Lesson today: (1)Status is not spirituality, (2)Privilege is not proof of truth, and (3)Nearness to Allah is moral, not material
- Shayṭān’s strategy exposed (34:20–21)
- Key verse: “And Iblīs found his assumption about them to be true…” (34:20)
- Shayṭān does not force disbelief—he exploits: (1) Negligence, (2) Ingratitude, and (3) Moral laziness
- Lesson today: Most people fall not through rebellion, but distraction
- The illusion of intercession & false leaders (34:22–23)
- Key verse: “Say: Call upon those you claim besides Allah…” (34:22)
- Lesson today: No ideology, celebrity, or system will save anyone - the responsibility rests with the individuals.
- Psychology of denial (34:31–33): These verses show: Followers blaming leaders and leaders blaming followers. Thus No one will escape accountability.
- The Prophet ﷺ as a universal warner: The Prophet ﷺ is reassured that rejection is not new. Past nations also denied truth—until reality overtook them (34:43–54)
- Key verse: “We have not sent you except as a bringer of good news and a warner to all mankind.”
- Lesson today: Islam is universal and Da'wah transcends ethnicity, class, and geography
Lessons for us today
- Prosperity without ethics is fragile
- Gratitude is a civilizational force
- Environmental collapse is often moral collapse
- Wealth does not equal worth
- Faith must shape how power is used
- Accountability cannot be outsourced
Summarizing, Surah Saba’ teaches that gratitude sustains civilizations, arrogance destroys them, wealth is a test not a proof, and accountability before Allah is unavoidable.
We now share herein under some of the selected verses from Sürah Saba’ already published:
We will add more verses in time, In Sha Allah.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.
For verses on Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. .
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.
Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors. If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.
Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on social media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.
0 comments:
Post a Comment