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Tafsir of Saba' 34:18-19

Surah Saba' 34:18

ﱴ ﱵ ﱶ ﱷ ﱸ ﱹ ﱺ ﱻ ﱼ ﱽ ﱾ ﱿ ﲀ ﲁ ﲂ ﲃ ﲄ ﲅ

And We placed between them and the cities which We had blessed [many] visible cities. And We determined between them the [distances of] journey, [saying], "Travel between them by night or day in safety."

Tafsir

Al-Kashshaf

Verse range: 34:18-19

Open in Qurani

{The towns which We had blessed} These are the towns of the Levant.

{Visible towns} Connected, such that one can be seen from another due to their proximity; they are visible to the eyes of the onlookers. Or, they are situated along the path, visible to travelers, not hidden away from their routes.

{And We determined the travel therein} It is said: A traveler departing in the morning would take a midday nap in a village, and one departing in the evening would spend the night in a village, until reaching the Levant, fearing neither hunger, thirst, nor enemy, and having no need to carry provisions or water.

{Travel therein} We said to them: "Travel." There was no explicit command, but since they were enabled to travel and the means were made easy for them, it was as if they were commanded and permitted to do so.

If you ask: What is the meaning of His saying {nights and days}? I say: It means: Travel therein, whether you wish by night or by day, for security therein does not differ by the time. Or: Travel therein in safety, fearing nothing, even if your journey is prolonged and extends for days and nights. Or: Travel therein during your nights and days for the duration of your lives, for at every moment and time, you will encounter nothing but security.

{Our Lord, lengthen the distance between our journeys} It is read as a prayer (*Rabbana ba‘id*). They became ungrateful for the blessing, grew weary of the good life, and became bored with ease. They sought hardship and toil, just as the Children of Israel sought onions and garlic in place of manna and quails. They said: "If our orchards were further apart, it would be more desirable to us." They wished for God to place deserts between them and the Levant so they could ride mounts and carry provisions. God granted their request.

It is also read as a vocative (Rabbana ba‘ada), attributing the action to "the distance" (bayn), as one says: "Two leagues have passed."

It is also read as a nominal sentence (Rabbana ba‘ada), with Rabbana as the subject. The meaning here is the opposite of the first: they considered their journeys too long despite their shortness and proximity, due to their extreme indulgence and luxury, as if they were complaining to their Lord and grieving over it.

{Narratives} People talk about them and marvel at their circumstances. We dispersed them completely, and people took them as a proverb, saying: "They went like the hands of Saba," and "They scattered like the hands of Saba." Kuthayyir said: *O, the hands of Saba! O ‘Azza, what have I become after you?* *No sight has delighted my eyes since you.*

The Ghassan tribe went to the Levant, the Anmar to Yathrib, the Judham to Tihama, and the Azd to Oman.

{Patient} Against acts of disobedience.

{Grateful} For blessings.

{And Iblis had already confirmed his assumption about them, so they followed him, except for a party of the believers. And he had no authority over them except [it was] that We might make evident who believes in the Hereafter from who is thereof in doubt. And your Lord, over all things, is Guardian.}