Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (2/406)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

The Story of Sabaʾ

Allah the Exalted says:
“Indeed there was, for the people of Sabaʾ, a sign in their dwelling place: two gardens, one to the right and one to the left. ‘Eat of the provision of your Lord and give thanks to Him: a good land and a forgiving Lord.’
But they turned away, so We unleashed upon them the flood of the dam, and We replaced their two gardens with two others bearing bitter fruit, tamarisk, and a few lote trees.
Thus We repaid them for their ingratitude—and do We ever repay any but the ungrateful?
And We set between them and the towns We had blessed towns that were clearly visible, and We measured out between them the stages of travel, saying: ‘Journey between them by night and by day in safety.’
Yet they said, ‘Our Lord, make the distance between our journeys longer,’ and they wronged themselves. So We turned them into a tale and scattered them utterly. Surely in that are signs for every steadfast, grateful soul.”
[Surah Sabaʾ, 34:15–19]

The genealogists—among them Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq—state that Sabaʾ was ʿAbd Shams ibn Yashjub ibn Yaʿrub ibn Qaḥṭān. They add that he was the first Arab to take captives in war, and for that reason he was called Sabaʾ (lit. “captor”). He was also known as al-Rāʾish, because he used to distribute wealth to the people from his own possessions.

Al-Suhaylī relates that he was the first person to wear a crown. Some have said that he was a monotheist and even composed poetry foretelling the advent of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Among his verses are:

[Wāfir metre]
A mighty rule shall be held after us
by a Prophet who will permit no forbidden thing.
Kings from our line will rule after him
and subject the servants without reproach.
Then other kings of ours shall reign,
and sovereignty among us will be divided.
After Qaḥṭān a Prophet shall arise—
devout, his brow the best of mankind.
He is called Aḥmad—would that I
might live but a year beyond his sending,
so I could aid him, support him with my help,
with every mailed warrior and every archer.
When he appears, be among his helpers,
and whoever meets him, convey to him my greeting of peace.

(1) al-Sirah (vol. 1, p. 10). (2) In the printed edition: “min.” (3) al-Muruj al-Dhahab (vol. 2, p. 71) and al-Bada’ wa-l-Tarikh (vol. 3, p. 131); Nahayat al-Arab by al-Nuwayri (vol. 15, p. 291). Al-Suhayli observes in al-Rawd al-Anf (vol. 1, p. 19) that he is not certain of this derivation, since Saba’ is written with a hamza while sabi is not. (4) The phrase is omitted in manuscript B through the loss of the letter ‘ayn. In Nahayat al-Arab (vol. 15, p. 292) it reads that the one nicknamed al-Rayish was al-Harith ibn Shaddad. (5) al-Rawd al-Anf (vol. 1, p. 19). (6) Read so in B, which is the more appropriate wording. In manuscripts A and Ṭ it reads bi-wujūd. (7) al-Nuwayri records two verses in Nahayat al-Arab (vol. 15, p. 292). Clearly these verses are fabricated and metrically forced, and their rhymes recur unduly.

قِصّة سَبَأ قال الله تعالى: ﴿لَقَدْ كَانَ لِسَبَإٍ فِي مَسْكَنِهِمْ آيَةٌ جَنَّتَانِ عَنْ يَمِينٍ وَشِمَالٍ كُلُوا مِنْ رِزْقِ رَبِّكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لَهُ بَلْدَةٌ طَيِّبَةٌ وَرَبٌّ غَفُورٌ (١٥) فَأَعْرَضُوا فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَيْلَ الْعَرِمِ وَبَدَّلْنَاهُمْ بِجَنَّتَيْهِمْ جَنَّتَيْنِ ذَوَاتَيْ أُكُلٍ خَمْطٍ وَأَثْلٍ وَشَيْءٍ مِنْ سِدْرٍ قَلِيلٍ (١٦) ذَلِكَ جَزَيْنَاهُمْ بِمَا كَفَرُوا وَهَلْ نُجَازِي إِلَّا الْكَفُورَ (١٧) وَجَعَلْنَا بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ الْقُرَى الَّتِي بَارَكْنَا فِيهَا قُرًى ظَاهِرَةً وَقَدَّرْنَا فِيهَا السَّيْرَ سِيرُوا فِيهَا لَيَالِيَ وَأَيَّامًا آمِنِينَ (١٨) فَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا بَاعِدْ بَيْنَ أَسْفَارِنَا وَظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ فَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَحَادِيثَ وَمَزَّقْنَاهُمْ كُلَّ مُمَزَّقٍ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُورٍ﴾ [سبأ: ١٥ - ١٩] . قال علماء النسب، منهم محمد بن إسحاق (١) : اسم سبأ عبد شمس بن يشجب بن يعرب بن قحطان. قالوا: وكان أول من سبى في (٢) العرب فسُمّي سبأ لذلك (٣) ، وكان يقال [له: الرائش لأنه كان يُعطي الناس الأموالَ من متاعه. قال السهيلي: ويقال] (٤) إنه أول من تَتَوَّج (٥) . وذكر بعضهم أنه كان مسلمًا، وكان له شعر بشَّرَ فيه بقدوم (٦) رسول الله ﷺ ، فمن ذلك قوله (٧) : [من الوافر] سَيَملِكُ بعدَنا مُلْكًا عظيمًا … نبيُّ لا يرخِّص في الحرامِ ويملِك بعدَه مِنهم ملوكٌ … يدينون العبادَ بغيرِ ذام ويملِك بعدَهم منا ملوكٌ … يَصِيْر الملكُ فينا باقتسام ويملك بعدَ قحطانٍ نبيٌّ … تقيّ جَبينِه خيرُ الأنام يُسمى أحمدًا يا ليتَ أني … أُعمّر بعدَ مبعثِه بعام فأعضدُه وأحبُوه بنصري … بكلّ مدجّج وبكلّ رام متى يظهرْ فكونوا نَاصِرِيه … ومَنْ يلقاهُ يُبلغْه سلامي

(١) السيرة (١/ ١٠). (٢) في ط: من. (٣) مروج الذهب (٢/ ٧١)، والبدء والتاريخ (٣/ ١٣١). ونهاية الأرب للنويري (١٥/ ٢٩١). وقال السهيلي في الروض (١/ ١٩): ولست من هذا الاشتقاق على يقين، لأن سبأ مهموز، والسبي غير مهموز. (٤) سقطت العبارة من ب بنقلة عين. والذي في نهاية الأرب للنويري (١٥/ ٢٩٢): أن الذي لقب بالرائش هو الحارث بن شداد. (٥) الروض الأنف (١/ ١٩). (٦) كذا في ب، وهو اللفظ الأنسب. وفي أ وط: بوجود. (٧) أورد النويري في نهاية الأرب (١٥/ ٢٩٢) بيتين. وواضح أن هذه الأبيات مصنوعة منحولة، وقد تكررت فيها الضرائر الشعرية.