Surah Saba

Introduction

It is Meccan, as narrated from Ibn Abbas and Qatada. In at-Tahrir, it is stated that it is Meccan by consensus. Ibn Atiyya said: "It is Meccan, except for His saying, the Exalted: 'And those who have been given knowledge see...'"

At-Tirmidhi narrated from Farwa bin Musayk al-Muradi that he said: "I came to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, shall I not fight those of my people who have turned their backs?'" The hadith continues, and in it: "...and there was revealed regarding Saba what was revealed. A man asked: 'O Messenger of Allah, what is Saba?'"

Ibn al-Hassar said: "This indicates that this story is Medinan, because the migration of Farwa occurred after the conversion of Thaqif in the ninth year." It is possible, however, that the statement "and there was revealed" is a narrative concerning what had been revealed before his migration, so it does not contradict its being Meccan.

Its verses are fifty-five according to the Syrian count, and fifty-four according to the others. The claim that it is forty-five is an error of the scribe's pen.

The aspect of its connection to the preceding surah is that the attributes ascribed to Allah, the Exalted, at its beginning are befitting to the judgments at the conclusion of the previous one, in His saying, the Exalted: "That Allah may punish the hypocrite men and hypocrite women..." and so on.

Furthermore, the preceding part alluded to the disbelievers’ questioning of the Hour in a mocking manner, whereas here, it narrates their explicit denial of it and their vilification of those who believe in the Resurrection in the most complete manner, mentioning in relation to that what was not mentioned there.

In al-Bahr, it is stated that the reason for its revelation is that Abu Sufyan said to the disbelievers of Mecca when they heard, "That Allah may punish the hypocrite men and hypocrite women, and the polytheistic men and polytheistic women": "It is as if Muhammad is threatening us with punishment after we die and is frightening us with the Resurrection. By al-Lat and al-Uzza, the Hour will never come to us, nor shall we be resurrected." Thus, Allah, the Exalted, said: "Say, O Muhammad: 'Yes, by my Lord, you will surely be resurrected.'" This was stated by Muqatil, and the remainder of the surah is a threat and warning to them. From this, the connection between this surah and the one preceding it becomes evident. End quote.

In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

"All praise is due to Allah, to whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth." That is, to Him, Mighty and Majestic is He, belongs—by way of creation, sovereignty, and disposal through bringing into existence, bringing to naught, giving life, and causing death—everything that exists within them, whether it is intrinsic to their reality, extrinsic to them, or established within them. It is as if it were said: "To Him belongs this entire world, in its entirety."

Describing the Exalted with this, according to Abu al-Su’ud, serves to confirm the implication of linking "The Praise" (al-hamd)—defined by the lam of reality in the view of those realized in knowledge—with the Majestic Name (Allah). This confirms the specificity of all individual created things to Him, Mighty and Majestic is He, by clarifying His solitude and independence in that which necessitates this praise. Furthermore, every existence other than Him, among which is the human being, is under His sovereignty, having no entitlement to existence in their own essence, let alone any attributes other than that. Rather, all of these are favors overflowing upon them from His side, Mighty and Majestic is He. Anything of this nature is removed from any entitlement to praise, for the pivot of praise is the beauty that emanates from one who acts by choice. Thus, it becomes clear that all instances of praise belong exclusively to Him, the Exalted.

The description mentioned also signals that He, the Exalted, is the One praised for the blessings of the world, since the praise is followed by that which encompasses all worldly blessings. The expression is analogous to saying: "I praise your brother who carried you and clothed you," intending by it: "I praise him for his carrying and clothing you."

The conjunctive phrasing in His saying: "And to Him is praise in the Hereafter," appearing as it does after the relative clause, signals that He, Glorified is He, is the One praised for the blessings of the Hereafter, so that the speech may be consistent. Restricting the praise there to the Hereafter signals that the scope of the first praise is the world, for that same reason. Thus, the two clauses signify that He, Mighty and Majestic is He, is the One praised for the blessings of the world within the world, and that He, Blessed and Exalted is He, is the One praised for the blessings of the Hereafter within the Hereafter. It is also permissible that the speech contains the art of ihtibak (ellipsis and compensation), where the root is: "All praise is due to Allah [in the world]... and to Him belongs what is in the Hereafter, and the praise [is due to Him] therein," such that each clause affirms what was omitted from the other.

Abu al-Su’ud stated: The second clause serves to assert the exclusivity of the praise of the Hereafter to Him, the Exalted, following the clarification of the exclusivity of the worldly praise to Him. This is on the condition that "in the Hereafter" is linked to the praise itself or to the "belonging" (the stability of ownership). Its freedom from the mention of that for which He is praised is not due to sufficiency in mentioning its existence in the Hereafter to define it—as was the case previously in mentioning its existence in the world—but rather to make it general for the blessings of the Hereafter, as in His saying: "Praise to Allah, who has fulfilled for us His promise and made us inherit the earth [so we] may settle in Paradise wherever we will," and His saying: "Praise to Allah, who has removed from us [all] sorrow. Indeed, our Lord is Forgiving and Appreciative," and "who has settled us in the home of duration out of His bounty," as well as that which serves as a means to attaining them, such as worldly blessings, as in His saying: "Praise to Allah, who has guided us to this"—meaning, to that which is rewarded with this bliss, namely faith and righteous action.

You know that what first comes to mind is what was decided initially. The difference between the two praises, given that the blessings of the world and the blessings of the Hereafter are both by way of grace, is that the first is in the manner of worship, while the second is in the manner of pleasure and rejoicing. It has been reported in a tradition that the people of Paradise will be inspired to glorify Allah (tasbih) just as they are inspired to breathe.

As for the statement of al-Zamakhshari—that the first is obligatory because it is for a blessing bestowed as a favor, while the second is not obligatory because it is for a blessing that is mandatory to deliver to its deserving recipient—it is based on the opinion of the Mu’tazila. Furthermore, his statement "because it is for a blessing mandatory to deliver" is not absolute among them, for what Allah, the Exalted, gives to the servants in the Hereafter is not, according to them, limited to recompense; rather, some of it is grace and some is reward.

The placing of the predicate (in the Hereafter) first in the second clause serves to confirm the restriction derived from the lam (of possession/exclusivity), as is common, out of concern for the status of the blessings of the Hereafter. It is also said: It is for exclusivity because worldly blessings may come through the agency of someone who deserves praise for them, whereas the blessings of the Hereafter are not so. It is as if he intended to emphasize the exclusivity, or the matter is based on the premise that the exclusivity derived from the lam signifies complete association, not restriction, as elaborated by al-Fadil al-Yamani. As for the claim that he intended to signify "exclusivity of exclusivity," that is as you can see. His statement "the blessings of the Hereafter are not so" is countered by: "It is expected that your Lord will raise you to a praised station." So reflect.

"And He is the Wise"—the One who makes perfect the affair of the two abodes and manages them according to what wisdom demands.

"The All-Aware"—the One who knows the inward aspects of things and their hidden contents. It follows from this that He, the Exalted, has knowledge of other things as well. Some have generalized this from the beginning of the matter. What has been mentioned is based on what some linguists have said: that "expertise" (khibra) is specific to inward aspects because it comes from the phrase "I split the earth" (khabartu al-ard), when one digs into it.

In this concluding phrase, there is an indication that just as He, the Exalted, is worthy of praise because He is a Bestower of blessings, He is also worthy of it because He, Glorified is He, is described with voluntary perfection. The meaning of Him, the Exalted, being a Bestower is also completed by the fact that it is done by way of wisdom and correctness, and with knowledge of the place of entitlement and necessity, not like one to whom the term "bestower" is applied metaphorically.