Tafsir of Saba' 34:16-17

Surah Saba' (34): Verses 16-17

Then, after Allah mentioned what was incumbent upon Him, He mentioned what was incumbent upon them, saying:

He clarified the extent of their injustice by their turning away, just as the Almighty said: {And who is more unjust than one who is reminded of the revelations of his Lord, yet turns away from them?} Then He explained the manner of their retribution, as He said: {Indeed, We shall take vengeance upon the criminals} (As-Sajdah: 22).

The manner of the retribution was that Allah sent against them a flood that drowned their wealth and destroyed their homes.

Regarding "al-'Arim" (the dam/flood), there are several interpretations:

1. It refers to the rats (al-jaradh) which caused the destruction of the dam. This is because Bilqis (the Queen of Sheba) had intentionally created a reservoir in the mountains by blocking the valleys so that rainwater and springs would collect there, forming a lake. She made three gates for it, one above the other, which were opened sequentially. The rats gnawed through the dam, causing its collapse, and the water turned against them.
2. It is the Arabic name for the dam itself (which is the plural of 'urmah, meaning stones/masonry).
3. It is the name of the valley from which the water emerged.

And His saying: {and We changed their two gardens into gardens producing bitter fruit...} indicated the permanence of the ruin. This is because gardens belonging to people contain good fruits due to cultivation. If left untended for years, they become like thickets and jungles where trees intertwine, corrupting vegetation grows, fruits decrease, and trees multiply.

• Al-Khamt: Every tree that has thorns, or every tree whose fruit is bitter, or every tree whose fruit is inedible.
• Al-Athl: A type of tamarisk tree. It bears no fruit except at certain times, bearing something like galls ('afas) or smaller, similar in taste and nature.
• As-Sidr: The well-known lote tree.

He said {a few} (of the lote trees) because the lote tree was among their best trees, so Allah diminished them.

Then Allah clarified that this was a recompense for their ingratitude, saying: {That We recompensed them for their disbelief. And do We recompense anyone except the ungrateful?}

Some scholars said that Mujazāh (recompense/retribution) is used for punishment, while Jazā’ (reward/recompense) is used for blessings. However, His saying {That We recompensed them} indicates that Jazā’ is also used for punishment. Perhaps those who made this distinction derived it from the fact that Mufā'alah (the pattern of Mujāzāh) often implies reciprocity between two parties, where each takes something from the other. In the case of blessings, it is not called Mujāzāh because Allah Almighty is the originator of the blessings.

Surah Saba' (34): Verses 18-19