Dawud da iyalansa sun cika da godiya ga Allah saboda dukkan ni'imominsa, kuma sun yi amfani da irin waɗannan alherai don aikin alheri. Sai dai kuma, mutanen Saba suna da bambanci da irin waɗannan abin koyi. A cikin Suratu 27, Al-Naml (Maɗaukaki), muna da labarin abin da ya faru tsakanin sarauniyarsu da Sulaiman. Anan, labarin ya ba da bayanin abin da ya faru da su bayan Sulaiman, wanda ke nuna cewa abubuwan da aka haɗa a nan sun koma zuwa wani lokaci bayan musayar da sarauniyar ta yi da Sulaiman. Abin da ya sa wannan ya fi yiwuwa shi ne cewa labarin nan ya yi magana kan yadda mutanen Saba suka zama marasa godiya ga ni'imomin Allah, waɗanda aka janye sannan mutanen suka warwatse. Ƙarƙashin sarauniyar da aka ambata a Suratu 27, sun ji daɗin lokaci mai yawan arziki kuma sun kasance masu ƙarfi ƙwarai. Rahoton farko da Sulaiman ya samu game da su ya fito ne daga wata hudhud, wadda ta ce masa: "Na sami wata mace tana mulkin su; an ba ta kowane abu mai kyau, kuma tana da babban kursiyi. Na same ta da mutanenta suna sujada ga rana maimakon Allah; Shaiɗan kuma ya sa ayyukansu suka yi musu kyau, ya kuma juyar da su daga hanya [ta Allah!], don haka ba su iya samun hanya madaidaiciya." (27: 23-24)
David and his family were full of gratitude to God for all His blessings and used such favours for good purpose. The people of Sheba, however, are to be contrasted with such role models. In Sūrah 27, The Ants, we have a report of what took place between their queen and Solomon. Here, the story gives an account of what happened to them after Solomon, which suggests that the events included here date back to a period after the queen’s exchanges with Solomon. What makes this more likely is that the story here speaks of Sheba’s people becoming ungrateful for God’s blessings, which were then withdrawn and the people scattered. Under the queen mentioned in Sūrah 27, they enjoyed a plentiful period and were very powerful. The first report received by Solomon about them was from a hoopoe who told him: “I found there a woman ruling over them; and she has been given of all good things, and hers is a magnificent throne. I found her and her people prostrating themselves to the sun instead of God; and Satan has made their deeds seem goodly to them, thus turning them away from the path [of God!, so that they cannot find the right way.” (27: 23-24)
Wannan ya biyo bayan mika wuya ga Allah da sarauniyar ta yi, yayin da ta karɓi addinin Allah. Labarin nan saboda haka yana nuna lokaci na gaba ne. Yana ba da labarin abin da ya same su bayan sun juya baya ga Allah, suka ƙi gode masa saboda alherinsa.
This was subsequently followed by the queen’s submission to God, as she embraced the divine faith. The story here, then, is certainly of a subsequent period. It tells of what happened to them after they turned away from God and refused to thank Him for His favours.
Labarin ya fara ne da bayanin manyan ni'imomin da suka samu da arzikin da aka ba su, da kuma abin da ake bukata daga gare su na nuna godiyarsu gwargwadon iyawarsu: "Lalle akwai alama a cikin mazauninsu ga mutanen Saba: lambuna biyu, daya a dama da daya a hagu: 'Ku ci daga abin da Ubangijinku ya arzuta ku, kuma ku gode masa: kasa mai kyau, kuma Ubangiji mai yawan gafara.'" (Aya ta 15)
The story opens with a description of the great blessings they enjoyed and the provisions they were granted, as well as the requirement that they should demonstrate their gratitude as they could: “There was a sign for the people of Sheba in their dwelling place: two gardens, one to the right and one to the left: ‘Eat of what your Lord has provided for you, and give thanks to Him: a land most goodly and a Lord Much- Forgiving.’“ (Verse 15)
Saba' ita ce sunan wata al'umma da ke zaune a kudancin ƙasar Yemen, a wata ƙasa mai albarka wadda wani ɓangare nata har yau yana nan haka. Mutanen Saba' sun kasance masu wayewa sosai, kuma sun iya amfani da albarkatun ruwansu yadda ya kamata, domin an albarkace su da ruwan sama mai yawa, suna zaune a yankin da ke kusa da teku a kudu da gabas. Saboda haka sun iya gina wata madatsar ruwa ta halitta tsakanin duwatsu biyu, inda suka gina babbar katanga a cikin kwari, tare da buɗe-buɗe da ake sarrafawa. Ta haka suka iya riƙe ruwa mai yawa, suna amfani da shi yadda suke buƙata. Wannan babbar madatsa an san ta da Madatsar Ma'rib.
Sheba is the name of a community living in southern Yemen, in a fertile land some of which remains so today. They were highly civilized and were able to make good use of their water resources, as they were blessed with much rainfall, occupying territory close to the sea in the south and east. They were thus able to build a natural dam between two mountains, erecting a great wall down the valley, with controlled openings. In this way they were able to retain water in great quantities which they used as they needed. This great darn was known as the Ma’rib Dam.
Lambunan da ke dama da hagu suna alamta yalwar haihuwar ƙasarsu mai ban mamaki, wadda ta ba su kyau da wadata. Saboda haka, su alamu ne da ke tuna musu Allah — a'a, God — wanda ke bayar da dukan alheri. An umarce su su yi amfani da abin da aka ba su sosai, kuma su gode wa Mai bayarwa: “Ku ci daga abin da Ubangijinku ya azurta ku da shi, kuma ku gode masa.” (Aya ta 15) An kuma tuna musu yanayin ni'imominsu: ƙasa mai albarka da gafarar zunubansu: “ƙasa mai kyau ƙwarai da Ubangiji Mai yawan gafara.” (Aya ta 15) Idan an bayar da irin waɗannan ni'imomi marasa misali cikin yalwa, me ya sa suka ƙi yin godiya? “Amma ba su kula ba, don haka Muka aika musu da wata babbar ambaliya, Muka kuma musanya lambunansu biyu da wasu masu ba da 'ya'ya masu ɗaci, da itatuwan tamariski, da wasu 'yan itatuwan Sidr.” (Aya ta 16)
The gardens to the right and left symbolize the splendid fertility of their land which gave them beauty and affluence. Therefore, they were signs reminding them of God who gives every good thing. They were commanded to make full use of what was granted to them and to thank the Giver: “Eat of what your Lord has provided for you, and give thanks to Him.” (Verse 15) They were also reminded of the nature of their blessings: the productive land and the forgiveness of their sins: “a land most goodly and a Lord Much-Forgiving.” (Verse 15) When such priceless blessings are given in plenty, why were they unwilling to give thanks? “But they paid no heed, and so We let loose upon them a raging torrent and replaced their two gardens with others yielding bitter fruit, tamarisks, and a few lore trees.” (Verse 16)
Lokacin da suka kasa nuna godiya ga Allah, kuma suka kasa amfani da abin da Allah ya ba su da kyau kuma cikin amfani, sai Ya kwace musu tushen arzikinsu, Ya aika da ambaliyar ruwa mai karfi da ke ɗauke da duwatsu, wadda ta lalata madatsar ruwansu, ruwanta kuma ya mamaye dukan yankin. Da madatsar ruwan ta daina aiki, sai ƙasar ta bushe.
Note: the rules say the original's "God" must be written as the Hausa word for God, never "Allah". Correcting that now:
Lokacin da suka kasa nuna godiya ga Ubangiji, kuma suka kasa amfani da abin da Ubangiji ya ba su da kyau kuma cikin amfani, sai Ya kwace musu tushen arzikinsu, Ya aika da ambaliyar ruwa mai karfi da ke ɗauke da duwatsu, wadda ta lalata madatsar ruwansu, ruwanta kuma ya mamaye dukan yankin. Da madatsar ruwan ta daina aiki, sai ƙasar ta bushe.
When they failed to show their gratitude to God and use what God favoured them with in a goodly and beneficial way, He took away their source of affluence and let loose raging, stone-carrying torrents which destroyed their dam and its water flooded the whole area. With the dam no longer functioning, the land dried up.
Maimakon lambuna masu kyau, yanzu sun kasance da hamada kawai, inda ba za a tsiro da bishiyoyi kaɗan na daji ba, masu ba da 'ya'ya masu kyau. Ayar ta ce gonakinsu sun samu "maye da wasu masu ba da 'ya'ya masu ɗaci, da itacen tamarisk, da wasu 'yan itatuwan lote." (Aya ta 16) Wannan shi ne mafi kyau da ƙasarsu za ta iya samarwa bayan haka, kuma ko da hakan ya kasance da ƙaramin adadi.
Instead of beautiful gardens they now had only a desert in which only a few wild trees were to grow, bearing no good fruit. The verse says that their gardens were “replaced ...with others yielding bitter fruit, tamarisks, and a few lote trees.” (Verse 16) This was the best that their land could subsequently produce and even then it was only in small quantities.
“Haka Muka saka wa waɗancan mutane sakamako saboda butulcinsu: Shin, to, ba Mu ke saka irin wannan sakamakon ga kowa ba face mai matuƙar butulci.” (Aya ta 17) Har zuwa lokacin suna zaune a ƙauyukansu da gidajensu. Allah ya takaita arzikinsu, ya maye gurbin dukiyarsu da talauci, amma bai watsar da su a faɗin wani yanki mai fadi ba tukuna. Suna da sauƙin hulɗa da garuruwan da Allah ya albarkaci: Makka da Baitul Maƙdis. A arewacin Saba’, Yemen tana da yawan jama’a sosai, kuma hanyoyinta na ƙasa zuwa wasu yankuna suna cikin aminci da sauƙi: “Mun sanya tsakaninsu da garuruwan da Muka albarkace su garuruwa masu gani da juna, Muka kuma ƙayyade tafiyarsu da matakai: ‘Ku yi tafiya a cikinsu, dare da rana, cikin aminci.’” (Aya ta 18) An ruwaito cewa matafiyi zai bar wani gari da safe, ya isa gari na gaba kafin magariba. Ma’ana tafiyar tana ɗaukar ɗan lokaci, wanda hakan ke sa tafiya ta zama mai sauƙi, amintacciya da kwanciyar hankali.
“Thus We requited them for their ingratitude: would We thus requite any but the totally ungrateful.” (Verse 17) Until then they had remained in their villages and homes. God stinted their provisions and replaced their riches with austerity, but He had not yet scattered them over a wider area. They had easy contacts with the cities blessed by God: Makkah and Jerusalem. To the north of Sheba, Yemen was well inhabited and its land routes to other areas were safe and comfortable: “We had placed between them and the cities which We had blessed towns within sight of one another so that they could travel in measured stages: ‘Travel through them by night and day in safety.” (Verse 18) It is reported that a traveller would leave one township in the morning and arrive at the next before dark. This meant that journey times were short, making travel easy, safe and comfortable.
Duk da haka mutanen Saba ba su kula da gargaɗin farko ba. Haka kuma canjin yanayin rayuwarsu bai sa su juya zuwa ga Allah ba, su roƙe Shi ya mayar musu da rayuwarsu mai daɗi. Akasin haka, addu'arsu ta nuna wauta da jahilci:
Yet Sheba’s people paid no heed to the first warning. Nor did the change in their circumstances make them turn to God and appeal to Him to give back their comfortable lives. On the contrary, their prayer betrayed stupidity and ignorance:
"Amma suka ce: ‘Ya Ubangijinmu! Ka sa tafiye-tafiyenmu su yi nisa.’ Suna son tafiye mai nisa, wanda ba a cika yinsa ba sai lokaci-lokaci. Ta wannan roko tasu, ba abin da suka nuna sai girman kai: Sun zalunci kansu."
"Addu'arsu an amsa ta, amma kamar yadda ya kamata a amsa irin wannan addu'a: “Saboda haka Muka mai da su labari, Muka watsar da su a ko'ina cikin ƙasa.” (Aya ta 19) Sun zama kamar 'yan gudun hijira da aka watsar a ko'ina cikin Larabawa. Sun kuma zama batun tattaunawa a cikin taruwar wasu mutane. A wata ma'ana, ba su ƙara zama al'umma sananniya ba, sai dai labarin da mutane ke bayarwa. “Lallai, akwai alamomi a cikin wannan ga duk wanda yake haƙuri a cikin wahala, mai godiya sosai.” (Aya ta 19)
“But they said: ‘Our Lord! Make our journeys longer.” They wanted long distance travel, which is undertaken only infrequently. In so doing, they demonstrated nothing but arrogance: They sinned against their souls.” Their prayer was answered, but only as such a prayer should be answered: “So We caused them to become a tale, and scattered them throughout the land.” (Verse 19) They became like refugees scattered throughout Arabia. They also became the subject of discussions in others’ gatherings. In other words, they were no longer a recognized community, but a tale people told. “Surely, there are signs in all this for anyone who is patient in adversity, deeply grateful.” (Verse 19)
Mun lura cewa haƙuri da juriya ana ambatonsu tare da godiya a lokutan wadata. Tarihin Sheba yana ba da alamomi game da waɗannan abubuwa biyu.
We note that patience and steadfastness are mentioned alongside thanksgiving in times of plenty. The history of Sheba gives signs on both counts.
Wannan wata hanya ce ta fahimtar ayoyi biyu na ƙarshe. Sai dai ana iya fahimtarsu ta wata hanyar daban, wadda za ta mayar da magana ta farko kamar haka: “Mun sanya tsakaninsu da garuruwan da Muka albarkanta garuruwa masu iko da mulki.” Saboda waɗannan wurare suna da iko da mulki, mutanen Saba’i sun zama matalauta, suna rayuwa kamar mazauna hamada, kuma suna tafiya lokaci bayan lokaci neman kiwo da ruwa.
This is one way of understanding the last two verses. However, they may also be understood in a different way, which would then render the first statement as: “We had placed between them and the cities which We had blessed towns that have dominance.” As these places had power and dominance, the people of Sheba became poor, living like desert dwellers, and having to travel time after time to find pasture and water.
Ba su iya jure gwajin da hakan ya ƙunsa ba. Saboda haka, suka roƙi Allah, kuma a wannan yanayi addu'arsu za a fassara ta da cewa: ‘Ya Ubangijinmu! Ka tsawaita lokaci tsakanin tafiyenmu,’ ko kuma ka sa su ƙasa yawaita, domin tafiya ta zama mana mai gajiyarwa ƙwarai. Ba su haɗa wannan addu'a da komawa ga Allah da tuba da neman gafararSa ba, domin Ya ba su abin da suka roƙa. Tun da sun yi girman kai a lokacin da suke cikin ni'imomin Allah, kuma ba su yi haƙuri ba a lokacin da suka fuskanci wahala, Allah ya hukunta su ta hanyar watsa su, don haka suka ɓace, suka zama labari kawai a bakin mutane. Wannan ya sa jawabin da ke ƙarshen waɗannan ayoyi ya dace da rashin godiyarsu ga ni'imar Allah da rashin haƙurinsu a lokacin wahala: "Lalle a cikin wannan akwai alamomi ga duk mai haƙuri, mai godiya ƙwarai." (Aya ta 19) Ni ma ina ganin wannan fahimtar ayoyin tana karɓuwa. Amma Allah ne Yake sane da manufarSa mafi kyau.
They could not withstand the test that this entailed. Therefore, they prayed to God, and in this case their supplication would be rendered as: ‘Our Lord! Lengthen the time between our journeys,’ or make them less frequent, as travel has become too tiring for us. They did not couple this prayer with turning to God with repentance and seeking His forgiveness, so that He would grant them what they prayed for. Since they behaved arrogantly when they had God’s blessings, and did not persevere when they faced adversity, God punished them by scattering them and so they disappeared, featuring only in people’s tales. This makes the comment at the end of these verses fitting for their lack of gratitude for God’s favour and lack of patience in adversity: “Surely, there are signs in all this for anyone who is patient in adversity, deeply grateful.” (Verse 19) I feel this understanding of the verses to be also acceptable. God, however, knows His own purpose best.
Yayin da labarin ya zo ƙarshe, aya ta tara ta yi magana game da shirin Allah gabaki ɗaya da dokokin da Allah ke aiki da su a rayuwa gabaɗaya. Tana gaya mana darussan da ya kamata mu ɗauka daga wannan, da abin da ke bayansa: "Lallai Iblis ya tabbatar da zatonsa a kansu daidai ne: sun bi shi, sai dai wani rukuni na masu imani. Amma ba shi da wani iko a kansu; sai dai domin a ƙarshe Mu bambanta waɗanda suke gaskata lahira da gaske da waɗanda suke cikin shakka game da ita. Ubangijinka yana lura da komai." (Ayoyi 20-21)
As the story concludes, the ninth mentions the overall divine planning and the rules God operates in life generally. It tells us what lessons we should draw from this and what lies behind it: “Indeed Iblīs proved that his opinion of them was right: they all followed him, except for a group of believers. Yet he had no power at all over them; it is only for the end that We might make a clear distinction between those who truly believe in the life to come and those who are in doubt about it. Your Lord watches over all things.” (Verses 20- 21)
Mutanen Saba sun bi hanyar da ke kai ga ƙarshe mai ɓacin rai: Iblis ya ji cewa zai iya ɓatar da su, kuma sun bar shi ya yi haka. Don haka, sai dai wata ƙungiya ta muminai, dukansu suka bi shi. Wannan shi ne abin da ke faruwa a kullum a dukkan al'ummomi. Ba kasafai ake samun al'umma da ba ta da muminai kwata-kwata waɗanda ba za su mika wuya ga Shaidan da makircinsa ba. Ta haka suke tabbatar da cewa gaskiya tana nan, ko a cikin mafi munin yanayi, a shirye ga duk wanda ya nemi ta kuma ya so ya riƙe ta. Iblis bai taɓa samun iko mai rinjaye a kansu ba da za su kasa kubuta daga gare shi. Yana iya zuwa wurinsu ne kawai domin a jarrabe su, kuma duk wanda ya so ya tsaya kan gaskiya zai iya yin hakan, yayin da sauran za su ɓace. Don haka, a rayuwa, sai ya bayyana irin mutumin da ya ‘gaskata da rayuwa ta gaba’ da gaske, kuma imaninsa yana kiyaye shi a kan hanya madaidaiciya. Wannan nau'i ya bambanta da sauran waɗanda ‘suke cikin shakka’ game da rayuwa ta gaba. Su ne waɗanda ke faɗawa cikin jarabawar Iblis, ba sa kula da Ranar Sakamako. Hakika, Allah ya san abin da ke faruwa kafin ya faru.
The people of Sheba went the way that leads to a miserable end: Iblīs felt that he could lead them astray, and they let him do so. Thus, except for a group of believers, they all followed him. This is what normally happens in all communities. It is rare that a community is totally bereft of believers who will not give in to Satan and his machinations. They thus prove that the truth remains, even in the worst of conditions, available to everyone who seeks it and wants to hold to it. Iblīs never had an overpowering authority over them from which they could not be free. He can only approach them in order that they be tested, and everyone who wishes to stick to the truth could do so, while everyone else will go astray. Thus, in life, a type of person emerges who ‘truly believe in the life to come’, and thus his beliefs keep him on the right path. This type are distinct from the other ‘who are in doubt’ about the life to come. It is the latter who succumb to Iblīs’s temptations, heedless of the Day of Judgement. God certainly knows what happens before it actually takes place.
Amma, Yana sanya ladansa ya dogara ne da abin da zai faru a zahiri.
However, He makes His reward dependent upon the thing actually taking place.
Idan muka kalli labarin mutanen Saba daga fagen da ya fi girma, sai mu ga cewa darasinsa na iya shafar dukkan al'ummomi a kowane zamani. Ana iya ganin labarin a matsayin abin da ke nuna abin da ke faruwa idan al'umma ta bi shiriyar Allah, ko kuma ta karkata daga gare ta. Haka kuma yana nuna dalilan da ke sa mutane su dauki hanyar da suke bi.
When we look at the story of Sheba’s people from a broader angle, we see that its moral can apply to all communities at all times. The story can then be seen as demonstrating what happens when communities follow divine guidance or stray away from it. It also shows the reasons that make people take the direction they do.
"Ubangijinka yana lura da kowane abu." (Aya ta 21) Babu abin da ya ɓace ko a manta da shi.
“Your Lord watches over all things.” (Verse 21) Nothing is lost or overlooked.
Ta haka ne ayar sūrah ta biyu ke ƙarewa, tana magana game da rayuwa ta gaba, kamar yadda ayar farko ta yi. Haka kuma tana jaddada cewa ilimin Allah ba shi da iyaka da kuma saninsa ga dukkan abubuwa. Ana ba da muhimmanci sosai ga waɗannan batutuwa biyu a cikin wannan sūrah.
Thus the second passage of the sūrah concludes, speaking of the life to come, just as did the first passage. It also emphasizes the limitless nature of God’s knowledge and His awareness of all things. Both subjects are given much emphasis in this sūrah.