The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 681
CHAPTER 34 SABA' (Revealed before Hijrah) Date of Revelation, Title and Context The Surah seems to owe its title to the fact that it contains a somewhat detailed reference to Saba', a people of Yemen who were destroyed by a great flood. It was revealed at Mecca. While it is difficult to assign to it a definite date from the nature of its contents, it appears to belong to the early Meccan period, though some scholars place it in the middle Meccan period, while some others like Rodwell and Nöldeke give it an even later date. The preceding several Sūrahs embodied prophecies about the rise, progress and the ultimate victory of Islam over false faiths, while in the immediately preceding chapter, Al-Aḥzāb, the subject was dealt with at some length as to how the combined forces of darkness utterly failed in their nefarious designs to destroy Islam and how Islam emerged from one of the severest ordeals with flying colours, its power and prestige having been considerably enhanced. In the present Surah, however, the Muslims have been warned that they should be on their guard against falling into bad ways because when wealth and prosperity come to a people they are prone to give themselves up to a life of ease and luxury. Since God has no particular relation with any community for all time, if a people in the heyday of their glory and material prosperity lead a life of sin-as did the Israelites after Solomon or the Sabeans—they too suffer the consequences of their sinful deeds. The immediate connection of this Surah with its predecessor consists in the fact that towards the close of that Surah it was stated that of the whole creation of God man alone was endowed with such inborn qualities and capacities as enable him to fulfil the demands of the Shari'ah and to imbibe and demonstrate in his person Divine attributes. All other species of creation were incapable of doing so. Therefore, when the great responsibility of conforming life to the Divine Law was placed before man and other beings and things, they all refused to accept it except man because he alone was found capable of going to the utmost limit in sacrificing his comforts and interests in the discharge of his great and grave responsibility. The Surah opens with the celebration of praises of the Wise and All-Aware God, Who, knowing that of all creation man alone could bear the heavy burden of carrying out the grave responsibility of fulfilling the demands of the Shari'ah, laid that burden on his shoulders, but having laid it, He did 2595