Dovud va uning oilasi Xudoning barcha ne'matlari uchun Unga shukronalar aytishga to'la edi va bu ne'matlardan yaxshi maqsadlarda foydalanardi. Biroq Sheba xalqi bunday namunaviy insonlarga qarama-qarshi qo'yiladi. 27-surada, "Chumolilar" surasida, ularning malikasi bilan Sulaymon o'rtasida bo'lib o'tgan voqea haqida xabar beriladi. Bu yerda esa, hikoya Sulaymondan keyin ularga nima yuz berganini bayon qiladi, bu esa bu yerda keltirilgan voqealar malika bilan Sulaymon o'rtasidagi munosabatlardan keyingi davrga oid ekanini anglatadi. Buni yanada ehtimolli qiladigan narsa shundaki, bu yerdagi hikoya Shebaning xalqi Xudoning ne'matlariga nisbatan shukrsiz bo'lib qolganini, shuning uchun bu ne'matlar olib qo'yilganini va xalqning tarqalib ketganini aytadi. 27-suradagi malika hukmronligi davrida ular farovon yashab, juda qudratli bo'lishgan. Sulaymonga ular haqida birinchi xabarni hudhud olib keldi va u shunday dedi: "Men u yerda bir ayolni ularning ustidan hukmronlik qilayotganini ko'rdim; unga barcha yaxshi narsalar berilgan va uning ulkan taxti bor. Men uni va uning xalqini Xudo o'rniga quyoshga sajda qilayotganini topdim; shayton ularga o'z amallarini go'zal ko'rsatib, ularni [Xudoning] yo'lidan burib qo'ydi, shuning uchun ular to'g'ri yo'lni topa olmaydilar." (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more likely is that the story here speaks of Sheba’s people becoming ungrateful for God’s blessings, which were then withdrawn and the people scattered.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)
Shundan so'ng malika Xudoga bo'ysunib, ilohiy dinni qabul qildi. Demak, bu hikoya aniq keyingi davrga oid. U ularning Xudodan yuz o'girib, Uning ne'matlari uchun shukr qilishdan bosh tortganlaridan keyin ularga nima yuz berganini bayon qiladi.
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.
Hikoya ularning ulkan ne'matlari va ularga berilgan rizqlar tasviri bilan boshlanadi, shuningdek, ular qodir bo'lganicha shukr qilishlari lozimligi bayon etiladi: "Sabo qavmi uchun yashash joylarida bir belgi bor edi: o'ngda va chapda ikki bog'. «Rabbingiz sizga rizq qilib bergan narsalardan yeng va Unga shukr qiling: go'zal yurt va Mag'firat qiluvchi Rabb»." (15-oyat)
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)
Sheba — bu Yamanning janubidagi hududda yashagan jamoaning nomi bo‘lib, uning bir qismi bugungi kunga qadar unumdor bo‘lib qolmoqda. Ular juda madaniyatli bo‘lib, suv resurslaridan yaxshi foydalana olganlar, chunki ularning yerlariga ko‘p yomg‘ir yog‘ardi; ular janubda va sharqda dengizga yaqin hududni egallagan edilar. Shu tufayli ular ikki tog‘ orasida tabiiy to‘g‘on qurishga muvaffaq bo‘ldilar: vodiy bo‘ylab katta devor ko‘tarib, unda nazorat qilinadigan teshiklar qoldirdilar. Shu yo‘l bilan ular suvni katta miqdorda to‘plab, zarurat tug‘ilganda undan foydalanardilar. Bu ulkan to‘g‘on Ma’rib to‘g‘oni nomi bilan mashhur edi.
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.
Ung va chapdagi bog'lar ularning yerining ajoyib unumdorligini ramz qilar edi, bu unumdorlik ularga go'zallik va boylik bergan edi. Shuning uchun bular ularga har bir yaxshi narsani ato etuvchi Allohni eslatuvchi belgilar edi, deb yozilmaydi — biz "Alloh" deyishimiz kerak emas: bu Xudoni eslatuvchi belgilar edi. Ularga berilgan narsalardan to'liq foydalanish va Bergan Zotga shukr qilish buyurilgan edi: {Rabbingiz sizga rizq qilib bergan narsalardan yenglar va Unga shukr qilinglar.} (15-oyat) Ularga, shuningdek, ne'matlarining mohiyati eslatilgan edi: unumdor yer va gunohlarning kechirilishi: {go'zal yurt va Mag'firat qiluvchi Rabb.} (15-oyat) Bunday qadrsiz ne'matlar mo'l-ko'l berilganda, nega ular shukr qilishni istamadilar? {Lekin ular e'tibor bermadilar, shuning uchun Biz ularning ustiga kuchli sel yubordik va ikki bog'lari o'rniga achchiq meva beradigan, tamarisk daraxtlari va bir necha sidr daraxtlari bo'lgan bog'larni berdik.} (16-oyat)
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)
Ular Allohga shukr qilmagach va Alloh ularga ato etgan ne'matlarni yaxshi va foydali yo'lda ishlatmagach, U ularning farovonlik manbaini olib qo'ydi va toshlarni olib ketadigan, kuchli oqimli sel suvlarini yubordi. Bu sel ularning to'g'onini buzdi, suvi esa butun hududni bosib ketdi. To'g'on endi ishlamay qolgach, yer quruqlashib qoldi.
Note: The rules require "God" rather than "Allah" in the translation, so the correct rendering is:
Ular Xudoga shukr qilmagach va Xudo ularga ato etgan ne'matlarni yaxshi va foydali yo'lda ishlatmagach, U ularning farovonlik manbaini olib qo'ydi va toshlarni olib ketadigan, kuchli oqimli sel suvlarini yubordi. Bu sel ularning to'g'onini buzdi, suvi esa butun hududni bosib ketdi. To'g'on endi ishlamay qolgach, yer quruqlashib qoldi.
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.
Oldin go'zal bog'lar o'rnida endi faqat cho'l qolgan edi, unda faqat bir necha yovvoyi daraxtlar o'sardi va ular yaxshi meva bermasdi. Oyat ularning bog'lari "achchiq meva beradigan, tamarisk va bir necha sidr daraxtlari bilan almashtirildi" deydi. (16-oyat) Ularning yeri keyinchalik ancha-muncha narsani berishi mumkin bo'lgan eng yaxshi narsa shu edi va hatto bu ham faqat oz miqdorda edi.
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.
“Shunday qilib, Biz ularni noshukrligi uchun jazoladik: noshukrlardan boshqasini Biz shunday jazolaymizmi?” (17-oyat) Shugacha ular o‘z qishloqlarida va uylarida yashab kelgan edilar. Alloh ularning rizqini tor qildi va boyligi o‘rniga qashshoqlik berdi, ammo ularni hali keng hududlarga tarqatmagan edi. Ular Alloh bereka ato etgan shaharlar: Makka va Quddus bilan oson aloqada edilar. Shabaning shimolida joylashgan Yaman yaxshi obod edi va u yerdan boshqa hududlarga boradigan quruqlik yo‘llari xavfsiz va qulay edi: “Biz ular bilan Biz bereka ato etgan shaharlar orasida bir-birini ko‘radigan qishloqlar joylashtirgan edik, ular o‘sha yo‘llarda belgilangan manzillar bilan yurishlari uchun: ‘Ularda kechayu kunduz xavfsiz yurинглар’.” (18-oyat) Rivoyat qilinishicha, yo‘lovchi ertalab bir qishloqdan chiqib, qorong‘i tushguncha keyingi qishloqqa yetib borar edi. Bu esa yo‘l vaqtining qisqaligini, sayohatning oson, xavfsiz va qulay bo‘lganini anglatadi.
“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.
Ammo Saba xalqi birinchi ogohlantirishga ham e'tibor bermadi. Hayotlarining o'zgarishi ham ularni Xudoga yuzlanib, farovon hayotlarini qaytarib berishini So'rashga undamadi. Aksincha, ularning duosi nodonlik va johillikdan darak berar edi:
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:
"Ammo ular dedilar: «Parvardigorimiz! Safarlarimizni uzoqlashtir», — deb. Ular uzoq masofali sayohatni xohladilar, bunday sayohat faqat kamdan-kam hollarda amalga oshiriladi. Shunday qilib, ular kibrdan boshqa hech narsani namoyon etmadilar: ular o‘z nafslariga zulm qildilar." Ularning duosi ijobat bo‘ldi, ammo faqat bunday duo ijobat bo‘lishi kerak bo‘lganidek: "Shunday qilib, Biz ularni ibratga aylantirdik va ularni yer yuzining turli tomonlariga sochib yubordik." (19-oyat) Ular Arabistonning turli joylariga sochilgan qochqinlarga o‘xshab qoldilar. Shuningdek, ular boshqalarning majlislarida muhokama mavzusiga aylandilar. Boshqacha aytganda, ular endi tan olingan jamiyat emas, balki odamlar gapiradigan ertak bo‘lib qoldilar. "Albatta, bularda har bir sabr qiluvchi, shukr qiluvchi kishi uchun oyatlar bor." (19-oyat)
“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)
Biz sabr va sabotning, shuningdek, ne'mat paytida shukr qilish bilan birga zikr etilganini ta'kidlaymiz. Saba' qissasi ikkala holat uchun ham belgilar beradi.
We note that patience and steadfastness are mentioned alongside thanksgiving in times of plenty. The history of Sheba gives signs on both counts.
Bu oxirgi ikki oyatni tushunishning bir yo‘li shu. Ammo ular boshqacha tarzda ham tushunilishi mumkin, u holda birinchi jumla shunday bo‘ladi: “Biz ular bilan Biz barakot bergan shaharlar orasiga hukmronlikka ega bo‘lgan shaharlarni qo‘ygan edik.” Bu joylar kuch-qudrat va hukmronlikka ega bo‘lganligi sababli, Saba xalqi kambag‘al bo‘lib qoldi, cho‘l aholisidek yashab, yaylov va suv topish uchun qayta-qayta uzoq yo‘llarni bosib o‘tishga majbur bo‘ldi.
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.
Ular bu sinovga dosh bera olmadilar. Shu sababli ular Allohga duo qilib, shunday deyishdi: «Parvardigorimiz! Safarlarimiz orasini uzoqlashtir», yoki ularni kamroq qil, chunki sayohat biz uchun juda charchatuvchi bo‘lib qoldi. Ular bu duoni Allohga tavba qilish va Undan mag‘firat so‘rash bilan birga qilmadilar, shunda U ularga duo qilganlarini ato etar edi. Ular Allohning ne'matlari bor paytda takabburlik qilganlari va musibatga duch kelganlarida sabr qilmaganlari uchun, Alloh ularni tarqatib yuborib jazoladi, shunday qilib ular yo‘qolib ketdilar va faqat odamlarning ertaklarida qoldilar. Bu oyatlarning oxiridagi izoh ularning Alloh ne'matiga shukr qilmaganliklari va musibatda sabr qilmaganliklariga mos keladi: «Albatta, bularda har bir sabr qiluvchi, shukr qiluvchi kishi uchun oyatlar bor». (19-oyat) Men oyatlarning bunday tushunilishini ham maqbul deb bilaman. Ammo Alloh o‘z maqsadini eng yaxshi biladi.
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.
Hikoyaning yakunida to'qqizinchi qism umumiy ilohiy rejalashtirish va Xudoning hayotda umuman amal qiladigan qonunlari haqida gapiradi. U bu haqida qanday saboqlar chiqarish kerakligini va bunning ortida nima turganini aytadi: «Darhaqiqat, Iblis ularga nisbatan o'z fikrining to'g'ri ekanligini isbotladi: ular barchasi unga ergashdilar, faqat mo'min bir guruhdan tashqari. Holbuki, uning ularning ustidan hech qanday kuchi yo'q edi; Biz faqat oxirat hayotiga chin dildan ishongan kishilar bilan u haqda shubhada bo'lganlarni aniq ajratishimiz uchun shunday qildik. Rabbing barcha narsaning ustidan nazorat qiluvchidir» (20–21-oyatlar).
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)
Sabo xalqi halokatli yo‘lga yurdi: Iblis ularni yo‘ldan ozdira olishini sezdi va ular unga yo‘l berdilar. Shunday qilib, imonlilarning bir guruhidan tashqari, ularning hammasi unga ergashdi. Barcha jamoalarda odatda shunday bo‘ladi. Shaytonga va uning vasvasalariga berilmaydigan mo‘minlardan butunlay mahrum bo‘lgan jamoa kamdan-kam uchraydi. Shu tariqa ular, eng og‘ir sharoitlarda ham, haqiqatni izlaydigan va unga sadoqat bilan yopishib olishni istagan har bir kishi uchun haqiqat mavjudligini isbotlaydilar. Iblisning ularning ustidan hech qachon shunday hukmronligi bo‘lmagan ki, undan xalos bo‘lish mumkin bo‘lmasin. U faqat sinovga solish uchun ularga yaqinlasha oladi, xolos. Haqiqatga yopishib qolishni istagan har kim buni qila oladi, qolganlari esa adashadi. Shunday qilib, hayotda «oxiratga chin dildan ishonadigan» bir toifa odam paydo bo‘ladi va uning e’tiqodi uni to‘g‘ri yo‘lda saqlaydi. Bu toifa oxirat haqida shubhada bo‘lgan boshqalardan farq qiladi. Aynan ikkinchilari Iblisning vasvasalariga yiqiladi, Qiyomat kunini unutadi. Albatta, Alloh ro‘y berishidan oldin nima bo‘lishini yaxshi biladi.
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.
Biroq, U (Alloh) Oʻz mukofotini aynan sodir boʻladigan narsaga bogʻlab qoʻygan.
However, He makes His reward dependent upon the thing actually taking place.
Qissa Saba' qavmining hikoyasiga kengroq nuqtai nazardan qaraganimizda, uning ibrati barcha jamoalarga va barcha davrlarga tegishli ekanini ko'ramiz. Shunda bu hikoyani jamoalar ilohiy hidoyatga ergashganda yoki undan chetga chiqqanda nima bo'lishini ko'rsatadigan namuna sifatida qarash mumkin. U, shuningdek, odamlarni o'z yo'nalishini tanlashga undaydigan sabablarni ham ko'rsatadi.
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.
“Sizning Rabbingiz har bir narsani kuzatib turadi.” (21-oyat) Hech narsa yo‘qolmaydi va e’tibordan chetda qolmaydi.
“Your Lord watches over all things.” (Verse 21) Nothing is lost or overlooked.
Shunday qilib, surraning ikkinchi qismi ham, xuddi birinchi qismi kabi, oxirat hayoti haqida so‘z yuritib yakunlanadi. U shuningdek, Allohning bilimining cheksizligini va Uning barcha narsalardan xabardorligini ta’kidlaydi. Bu ikki mavzuga ushbu surada katta e’tibor berilgan.
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.