صَبّ

14:2.

Commentary:

The example of Moses has been mentioned here to show that, the Holy Prophet being like him, his opponents shall come to grief like the enemies of Moses. The Prophet’s enemies are thus warned that, while denying him, they should not forget the case of Moses and his enemies.

By the words, the days of Allah, are meant the days when God assisted believers against their enemies; also the days when He punished the enemies of the Prophets for their evil deeds. The verse means that the right way to bring men from darkness into light is to draw their attention to both the favours of God and His punishments. It is not at all right to think that faith based on fear lacks elements of reality. Such a view, indeed, betrays ignorance of human nature. Many people refrain from evil only due to the fear of punishment. If the incentive of fear were altogether dispensed with, nothing could wean such people from their evil ways. The Quran, being a perfect book, has provided guidance for men of all sorts of dispositions and temperaments and has made use of the incentives both of love and of fear.

In the words, Surely, therein are Signs for every patient and thankful person, Muslims are warned that, like the followers of Moses, they will have to pass through trials and tribulations and it is only when they have patiently borne the ordeal and come out of it with untarnished faith and sincerity that they will inherit the favours of God. But if, like the people of Moses, they prove ungrateful to God, they will be visited with punishment.

Commentary:

The reference in the words "These two" is to two classes of men—the believers and disbelievers, i.e. those who obey and willingly submit to the laws of nature and those of the Shari‘ah and those who flout, disobey and defy these laws. The verse means to say that the second class of men will suffer the evil consequences of their disobedience and defiance.

17:67; 30:47; 45:13.

Commentary:

The sailing of ships, as is mentioned in the present verse, is indeed a great Divine boon. Much of the prosperity of mankind depends on it. The greatest sea power is generally the richest and the most powerful nation in the world.

Commentary:

The words shown as spoken by the people of Saba’ in the verse were not actually spoken by them but are used to describe their actual condition when they defied and disobeyed Divine commandments and consequently fell on evil days. The prosperous and frequented route became deserted, and desolate. The words "place longer distances between the stages of our journey" signify that because many towns on the route fell into ruin, the distance between one stage to the other became much longer and less safe.

The expression "and so We made them by-words" means that the Sabaeans were so utterly destroyed that no sign or mark was left of them. They became only a subject for story-tellers.

Important Words:

رواکد (motionless) is the plural of راکدة which is fem. active participle from رکد which means, it was or became still, motionless, fixed or stationary (Lane).

Commentary:

In this and several other verses the Quran points to the great part that ships were to play in international intercourse. This truth, revealed to a son of the desert, as far back as fourteen hundred years ago, speaks volumes for the Divine origin of the Quran.

71:12; 78:15.

11:82.

Important Words:

صبحھم (came upon them early in the morning). صبح (sabbaha) is the intensive form of صبح (sabaha). They say صبح القوم i.e. he came to the people or attacked them in the morning (Lane & Aqrab). See also 7:79.

Important Words:

سوط (whip) is derived from ساط. They say ساط i.e. he mixed it, one part with another, and stirred it about and beat it; he whipped him. فلان یسوط الحرب means, such a one manages or conducts the war in person. سوط means, a whip; scourge; a portion or share; vehemence or severity; a mixture; a place where water collects and stagnates (Lane & Aqrab).