Tafsir of Saba' 34:18

{ And We placed between them and the towns which We had blessed, visible towns }

This is a conjunction of the entirety of this passage with the entirety of what preceded it, joining one narrative to another. It is a recounting of the blessings they were granted during their travels and trade, what they committed in terms of ingratitude toward them, and what befell them as a consequence. The preceding narrative was an account of the blessings they were granted in their dwellings and places of residence, what they did therein, and what was done to them.

By "the towns which We had blessed" is meant the towns of the Levant (al-Sham); this is due to the abundance of its trees and fruits and the prosperity afforded to its inhabitants. According to Ibn Abbas, it refers to the towns of Jerusalem; according to Mujahid, it is al-Sarawiyyah; according to Wahb, it is the towns of Sana’a; and Ibn Jubayr said it refers to the towns of Ma’rib. The relied-upon opinion is the first one, to the extent that Ibn Atiyyah stated that there is a consensus among the exegetes upon it.

The meaning of "visible" (zahirah), according to what is narrated from Qatadah, is "continuous," where some are so close to others that what is in one becomes visible to those in the one opposite it. This implies extreme proximity, though we shall mention shortly, God willing, what has been said regarding the distance between each two towns. Al-Mubarrad said: "visible" means "elevated," that is, upon hills and knolls, making them the most prominent of towns. It is also said that "visible" means "known," as in the expression "this is a visible matter," meaning known; the town is known for its beauty and the care of its inhabitants for those passing through it. It is also said that "visible" means placed along the roads to facilitate the travel of wayfarers.

Ibn Atiyyah said: What appears to me is that the meaning of "visible" is "situated outside the cities." It is a term for the small villages that are in the outskirts (dawahir) of cities, as if he distinguished by this attribute between the small villages and the absolute towns, which are the cities. The outskirts of a city are those areas extending beyond it into the open plains; from this is their saying, "We descended at the zahir (outskirts) of such-and-such a city," meaning outside of it. From this is the saying of the poet: "Had a band of Quraysh witnessed me / Quraysh of the valleys, not Quraysh of the outskirts"—meaning those who live outside the valley of Mecca. Those who dwell outside the city are also called "ahl al-dawahi" (people of the outskirts) and also "ahl al-bawadi" (people of the deserts).

{ And We determined the stages therein }

Meaning, We made the distance of some relative to others according to a specific measure of travel. It is said that whoever traveled from a town in the morning would reach another by the time of midday and the siesta, and whoever traveled after the afternoon would reach another at sunset. Thus, there was no need to carry provisions, nor to sleep in an empty land, nor to fear an enemy or the like. It is also said that there was one mile between every two towns. Al-Dahhak said: the stages were measured such that the towns were arranged according to these distances. This is the most consistent with the meaning of "visible" as heard from Qatadah, and likewise consistent with His saying—Exalted be He—{ Travel therein }. It denotes extreme proximity, such that it is as if they never left the towns themselves.

The apparent meaning is that { Travel therein } is a command from Him—the Almighty—delivered upon the tongue of a prophet or similar figure. It is based on an implied act of speaking, meaning: We said to them, "Travel therein" { nights and days }—that is, whenever you wish, night or day—{ in safety } from everything you dislike, with no difference between the times. Nights were mentioned first because they are the suspected time of fear from an ambush—even if it is said that the night better conceals calamities—or because they precede the days, or because We said: "Travel therein in safety, even if your journey is long and your nights and days are many."

Qatadah said: They would travel for a journey of four months in safety; even if a man were to encounter his father's killer, he would not incite him. Or it means: Travel therein during your nights and your days—that is, for the duration of your lives—you will encounter nothing therein but safety. Nights were mentioned first due to their precedence.

As for "days," it is understood that there is benefit in mentioning the nights and days, even if travel is never devoid of them. It is also permissible that there was no literal speech, but rather that their enabling to travel as described, and the smoothing of its beginnings and causes, was treated as if it were a command to them. Under both interpretations, the command is for the purpose of permissibility.