Tafsir of Saba' 34:44

"And We had not given them any scriptures which they study, nor had We sent to them before you any warner."

{And We had not given them any scriptures which they study} There is no proof in them for the validity of polytheism.

{nor had We sent to them before you any warner} To warn them of punishment if they did not associate partners with God, as the Almighty said: "Or have We sent down to them an authority which speaks of that which they were associating with Him?" (Ar-Rum: 35).

Alternatively, He describes them as an unlettered people, a people of ignorance (Jahiliyyah) who possess no religion, have no acquaintance with the revelation of a book, nor the sending of a messenger, as He said: "Or have We given them a book before this, so they are holding fast to it?" (Az-Zukhruf: 21).

Thus, there is no basis for their denial, nor any pretext to which they can cling—unlike the People of the Book, who, even if they are in error, say: "We are people of books and laws, and we rely upon messengers and the messengers of God."

{And those before them denied} The nations and past generations denied just as these have denied. Yet, these people have not attained even a fraction of what We gave those before them in terms of longevity, physical strength, and abundance of wealth. When they denied their messengers, My rejection came upon them through destruction and eradication, and their reliance upon what they relied on did not avail them. So what is the matter with these people?

Note on recitation: "Yadrusūnaha" (they study it) is read as "Tadrīs" (repetition of study), or from "Daras al-kitab" (to study the book). "Yaddarusūnaha" (with a shaddah on the dal) is the ifta'al form of "dars."

{Then how was My rejection?} If you ask: What is the meaning of {So how was My rejection?} when it is already implied by {And those before them denied}?

I say: Since the meaning of "And those before them denied" is that they committed the act of denial and proceeded with it, the denial of the messengers is made a consequence of that. It is like someone saying: "So-and-so proceeded toward disbelief, so he denied Muhammad (peace be upon him)." It is also possible that it connects to the phrase "they have not attained," like saying: "Zayd has not attained a tenth of Amr’s virtue, so he surpassed him."

{So how was My rejection?} Meaning: My rejection of the former deniers. Let them, therefore, beware of the like.

"Say, 'I only advise you of one thing: that you stand for Allah, [seeking truth] in pairs and individually, and then give thought. There is not in your companion any madness. He is only a warner to you before a severe punishment.'"