Then the tailor said, "O young man, Allah has created man weak, and he needs to cooperate continuously with others throughout his life. The Muslims need one another with regard to both worldly and religious affairs, hence cooperation among Muslims is something important that Allah has enjoined and He has made cooperation the basis for religious and worldly well being. If the Muslims achieve this cooperation, they are described as a strong, integrated structure, and as a single body. All of that confirms that cooperation and mutual support among them is something essential. That includes many aspects in the lives of Muslims.
It is well known that people’s interactions cannot be sound, and their interests cannot be achieved and they cannot be united and their enemies cannot feel any awe of them except by means of Islamic solidarity, the reality of which is cooperation in righteousness and piety, and mutual support, love, sincerity, and urging one another to follow the truth and be steadfast and patient. Undoubtedly this is among the most important of Islamic duties and obligations.
Islamic solidarity among the Muslims – individuals, societies, governments and peoples – is one of the most important of ideas, and one of the duties which are essential to the welfare of society and the well being of their religious affairs and the soundness of their interactions and to united them against their common foe. There are many verses and ahaadeeth which speak of this, if not in these exact words then in similar meanings. Islamic solidarity means helping one another, standing shoulder to shoulder, supporting and advising one another and other such phrases. That includes enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, calling others to Allaah, and guiding people to that which will lead to their happiness and salvation, in this world and the Hereafter. That also includes teaching the ignorant, helping the destitute, supporting the one who is wronged, stopping the wrongdoer from wronging others, establishing the law of Allaah, maintaining security, stopping miscreants and mischief-makers, protecting roads, providing means of transportation by land, sea and air, and providing means of communication both land-based and wireless, so that their common worldly and religious interests may be achieved, and so as to facilitate cooperation between Muslims in everything that may protect the truth, establish justice and spread peace and security in all regions. Mutual support also includes reconciling between Muslims, resolving armed conflicts between them and fighting the offending party until it complies with the command of Allah.
Always look into the Book of Allah, and into the Sunnah of our Prophet (ﷺ), and ponder over them both thoroughly, for verily, contained in them two, is much goodness. Know, that the most important of requirements, and the most obligatory of the obligations, is Tawhld. So make it the center of your concerns; so learn it, in knowledge or 'Ilm, action or ‘Amal, and calling to it, for indeed, it was the center of concern for the Da’wah of your exemplary master, our beloved Prophet (ﷺ).
Take moral lessons from the Quran and the Sunnah. There is no best words but the words of Allah, and there is no best guidance but the Sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ). Remember, the worst human who deceive Allah, were humans who were made apes like the Sabbaths. The worst people who seek justification because of their lust, will be destroyed by Allah like the people of Lot. And the worst civilization who deny the favor of Allah, will be driven out of their land, like the people of Saba.
The young wayfarer said, "Tell me about the story of Saba!"The tailor said, "O young man, history teaches us that the nation which lives a comfortable and prosperious life of happiness and fearlessly spend their lives in luxury, and then becomes involved in disobedience, then their all into destruction is not a mere matter of chance or hard luck, but as a result of the law of Retribution. The background to the rise and fall of nations is not governed by mere chance or in a haphazard manner, but is something that is subject to specific Divine principles. Sometimes the causes for a nations rise or fall are so clear and self-evident that any novice may recognise them easily and sometimes these causes are different from the generally accepted reasons and is based upon obedience and disobedience to Allah’s laws.
Saba is one of the well-known Tribes of the Qahtani nation. The genealogists, say that Saba' 'Abd Shams bin Yashjub bin Ya'rub bin Qahtaan, was the first of the Arabs who Saba' and that was why he was called Saba'. He he was the first person to he crowned and was also called al-Ra'ish ("the philanthropist"), because he gave to the people from his own wealth. It is said that the royal palace at Ghamadan was an engineering master-piece. This palace consisted of twenty storeios and the top storey was constructed of precious crystal glass. There were other unique grand buildings.And during the kingdom of Saba there were gold mines producing gold. Moreover the areas of Hadramount and Yemen were also noted for producing fragrance and the pearls of Oman and Bahrain were considered to be second to none in the world. The coastal areas of Yemen was a market for the whole area and Trade was carried on with Syria, Egypt, Europe, India and China.
The people of Saba constructed over a hundred dams for the purpose of storing and retaining water for irrigating their lands and orchards and to keep these fertile all over Yemen. In this way the whole country became fertile, green and prosperous. Of all these dams, the greatest dam was the dam od Ma'arib which was constructed in the capital city of Ma’aarib. The builders of Saba were quite well acquainted with the arts of engineering and construction. Towards the south of Ma’aarib on the right end left side there are two mountains which are known as Mount Ablaq. Between these two mountains there is a very long and wide valley known as Waadi Ithniyah. When rain fals in this area or when water flows out of fountains, this valley becomes like a river. The people of Saba saw this and around theyear 800 B.C. they built a wall across the valley and constructed a dam. For quite a long time they remained busy constructing this dam wall.
The dam itself was two miles square. It was 150 feet long and 50 feet wide, of which the major section had by then become broken down and destroyed. One third of it still remains till today. Lands were irrigated for an area of 300 squares miles to water the date orchards, the beautiful gardens of fruits and vegetables, the fragrant lands of flowers, as well as the fragrant trees and gardens. So, fertile and liscious did these things that the whole world around there became changed into a garden of paradise.
Because Yemen was a land of abundance in fragrant scents, fruits and flowers and because it was granted great wealth in mineral resources of gold, silver and other minerals, there was a general abundance of wealth and trade. All this served to make the people of Saba quite prosperous and living a life of comfort and ease and continuous happiness as they continued to enjoy Allah's bounties and favours. Moreover their surroundings being like a garden of paradise, the weather being very moderate, the people were safe in the absence of mosquites, flies and fleas which could possibly cause them any harm.
For some time, the people of Saba continued to look upon these bounties as favours from Allah, appreciating them as such.They continued to carry out the commands of Allah. However, as time passed, their wealthy position and prosperity, luxury and comforts started to create within them, bad characteristics like arrogance and pride. This bad turn detariorated until they ever went so far as to cast aside the true religion and turned over the Kufr and Shirk. The people of Saba were First Muslims but slowly and gradually they adopted ' Kufr'. In their higher ranks the people of Saba used to be sun worshippers. In the lower stages they became idol worshippers which was the national religion.
Reference :Allah did not immediately punish them, but gave them a period of respite while Allah's messengers tried to call them to the path of truth. During this time, Allah sent 13 messengers to them. They tried to make them realize that the favours of Allah were not meant for them to become drunk with the enjoyment there of and to discard proper manner and character and also not for the sake of becoming rebels against Allah.If that is what they did, it was a bad way they had chosen for themselves. In the end, history repeated itself and they faced the same result which others previous to them were made to experience.
Allah sent over them two forms of punishment, as a result of which their paradise like gardens and orchards, were destroyed and in the place of that desert like plants and
thorn bushes started to grow as if to bear witness that such is the end result of those who rebel against Allah with disobedience.
The magnificent infrastructure which they had constructed and which irrigated an area of 300 square miles and of which they were very proud, as it transformed the whole environment into beautiful, fertile pastures and fields and made Yemen a veritable rose-garden, that reservoir at Allah’s command, burst open and its waters suddenly flooded the whole valley and spread over the gardens and drowned everything in its wake and destroyed every thing. And when the waters dried up, the gardens of the area between the two mountains, was transformed into an area of reeds and thorn bushes and desert trees, the fruits of which were exceedingly bitter.
When this punishment came upon the people of Saba and Ma'aarib, all their strength and power could not stop the destruction. Their knowledge of engineering and the art of dam construction was of no use. For them there was no other way out but to leave their beloved land and disperse to other areas.
After the breaking down of the reservoir at Ma’aarib, the inhabitants of the town became dispersed all over in various areas.That was, however, not the end of their punishment. This is because not only did the people of Saba adopt an arrogant attitude in showing ingratitude for the favours of Allah and opting for Kufr and Shirk, but they had been used to travel from Yemen to Syria along comfortable routes with such comfortable stopping places that they hardly could know the obstacles of travel. During those journeys, they had become used to cold water at their disposal at all times with fragrant scents and sweet fruits readily available.
Allah said, "And We placed between them and the cities which We had blessed [many] visible cities. And We determined between them the [distances of] journey, [saying], 'Travel between them by night or day in safety.' But [insolently] they said, "Our Lord, lengthen the distance between our journeys," and wronged themselves, so We made them narrations and dispersed them in total dispersion. Indeed in that are signs for everyone patient and grateful."
They had failed to be thankful for these favours. The ungratefulness of the unfortunate people’s reached such a state that in their desires and aspirations they were actually inviting upon themselves Allah's wrath and punishment while being completely unmindful of the results of their actions.
In this state of their ungratefulness, Allah sent upon their another punishment in that all along the route from Yemen to Syria, the whole world became cleared of all inhabitants, all the towns and villages near to each other, all the caravan stops and the commercial and trading posts in between, which used to serve the travellers on their journeys and saw to their comforts and to remove all their obstacles, all these places became devoid of all inhabitants. The whole area became filled and covered in dust and empty of people.
The flood of 'Iram did not come over the whole of Yemen but only directly affected the capital city Ma’aarib and its vicinity, but its destruction spread for many miles around. Only these people who were directly affected by the floods were forced to leave their home-towns and to settle elsewhere. However when the second punishment came, the whole of Yemen was affected and the other tribes of Saba were also faced to disperse. This brought about the end of the government of Saba.
The people of Saba, accepted Allah's Dien around 950 B.C. For centuries they attached themselves to this religion, but like other nations before them, they also turned away from obedience. Then Allah's Messengers came towards them or sent their representatives to call them to the path of guidance. However like those other nations, they also cast Allah's favours behind their backs. This was why one century before the coming of Prophet 'Isa, alaihissalam, the floods of Iram came upon them and destroyed the whole generation of Saba'.
Maymuun bin Qays, spoke the verses
"In that there is a moral for those who seek morals,Then tailor said, "O young man, sins affect the security of a land; they affect its ease; its prosperity; its economy; and they affect the hearts of its people. Sins cause alienation between the people. Sins cause one Muslim to regard his Muslim brother as if he were upon a separate religion other than Islam. But if we sought to rectify ourselves, our families, our neighbours and those in our areas, and everyone we are able to rectify, if we mutually encouraged good and forbade evil,if we assisted those who do this with wisdom and wise admonition - then it would produce unity and harmony.
Ma'rib was wiped out by the torrent of al-'Arim,
Marble, built for them by Himyar,
Which did not budge when the raging billows came
Its water irrigated the crops and the vines
Far and wide, since it was decreed
Then they were scattered and could not
Give drink to a child when just weaned."
I call myself and you, O my young man, as well as my brothers and sisters, to come together under the shade of the Deen of Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala; support one another in establishing the Sharee’ah of Allah; advise each other sincerely with wisdom and wise admonition; debate with those whom we have to debate with in the best way and by satisfying them with textual proofs and intellectual proofs, and do not abandon those who don't know, since they have a right upon us that we should explain the truth to them and encourage them to follow it and that we explain what is false to them and warn them against it."
"[By] that We repaid them because they disbelieved. And do We [thus] repay except the ungrateful? - [QS.34:17]
- Ibn Katheer, Stories of the Quran, Dar Al-Manarah
- Syaikh Safiurrahman Al-Mubarakpuri, Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) Volume VII, Darussalam
- Maulana Hifzur Rahman Soeharwy, Qasasul Ambiyaa, Idara Impex
- Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-’Uthaymeen, The Ill Effects of Sins, Al-Hidaayah
