The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 695
PT. 22 SABA' 20. But they said, 'Our Lord, place longer distances between CH. 34 JES أَنْفُسَهُمْ فَجَعَلْتُهُمْ أَحَادِيثَ وَ مَزَّقَتُهُمُ the stages of our journeys. And they wronged themselves; so كُلَّ مُمَزَّقٍ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَتٍ لِكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ We made them bywords and We شکور broke them into pieces, a utter breaking up. In that verily are Signs for every steadfast and grateful person. 3146 وَلَقَدْ صَدَّقَ عَلَيْهِمْ إِبْلِيسُ ظَنَّ And Iblis indeed found true. 21 فَاتَّبَعُوهُ إِلَّا فَرِيقًا مِّنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَمَا كَانَ لَهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ سُلْطَنٍ إِلَّا لِنَعْلَمَ مَنْ يُؤْمِنُ بِالْآخِرَةِ مِمَّنْ هُوَ مِنْهَا فِي might distinguish those who شَةٍ وَرَبُّكَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَفِيظٌ his judgement concerning them, so they followed him, all except a party of believers. 3147 22. "And he had no power over them, but it was so that We believed in the Hereafter from those who were in doubt about 3146. Commentary: мо 15:43; 16:100. The words shown as spoken by the people of Saba' in the verse were not actually spoken by them but are used to describe their actual condition when they defied and disobeyed Divine commandments and consequently fell on evil days. The prosperous and frequented route became deserted, and desolate. The words "place longer distances between the stages of our journey" signify that because many towns on the route fell into ruin, the distance between one stage to the other became much longer and less safe. 2609 The expression "and so We made them by-words" means that the Sabaeans were so utterly destroyed that no sign or mark was left of them. They became only a subject for story- tellers. 3147. Commentary: The verse means to say that by their evil deeds the people of Saba' would be successful in leading them justified Satan's estimate that he astray. The reference to this estimate of Satan about the wicked people and their evil deeds may be found in 17:63 where he is mentioned as saying that he will cause his (Adam's) progeny to perish except a few.