But [insolently] they said, "Our Lord, lengthen the distance between our journeys," and wronged themselves, so We made them narrations1227 and dispersed them in total dispersion. Indeed in that are signs for everyone patient and grateful.
Notes
[1227] Stories related to others as lessons or examples.
Verse 19 of Surah Saba (34:19), a Meccan surah, is in juz 22, on page 430 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 73 reciters.
Listen to verse 19 of Surah Saba
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Tafsir of verse 19
Al-Mukhtasar
But they arrogantly rejected Allah's favour of facilitating their journey and they said: “Our Lord, make our journeys longer by removing those cities in between so that we can have a taste of the exhaustion of travelling, and we can make clear the excellence of our riding mounts”. And they wronged themselves by arrogantly rejecting Allah’s favour, turning away from thanking Him, so I made them into tales which those after them talk of and I totally separated between them in the lands so they cannot reach each other. In that which has been mentioned, namely favouring the people of Sheba and taking retribution from them, is a lesson for every person who is patient in is obediance to Allah, and bearing what he has been afflicted with, who is thankful for Allah’s favours on him.
But they said, “Our Lord, make [the distance between] our journeys longer14,” and they wronged themselves. So We made them tales [of the past], and dispersed them in all directions. Indeed, there are signs in this for everyone who is patient and grateful.
Notes
[14] They were bored of a comfortable life and easy traveling. Similarly, the Children of Israel were bored of eating the manna and quails and sought other types of food such as onions, garlic, cucumber, etc. See 2:61.
But they said: "Our Lord! Make the stages between our journey longer," and they wronged themselves; so We made them as tales (in the land), and We dispersed them all totally. Verily, in this are indeed signs for every steadfast, grateful (person).
But they said: Our Lord! Make the stage between our journeys longer. And they wronged themselves, therefore We made them bywords (in the land) and scattered them abroad, a total scattering. Lo! herein verily are portents for each steadfast, grateful (heart).
But they said: "Our Lord! Place longer distances between our journey-stages": but they wronged themselves (therein). At length We made them as a tale (that is told), and We dispersed them all in scattered fragments. Verily in this are Signs for every (soul that is) patiently constant and grateful.
And they said: O our Lord! make spaces to be longer between our journeys; and they were unjust to themselves so We made them stories and scattered them with an utter scattering; most surely there are signs in this for every patient, grateful one
Yet they said, "Our Lord, prolong (the stages) between our journeys." And they did injustice to themselves, so We made them (as only) discourses, and we tore them utterly to pieces. Surely in that are indeed signs for every (person) most patient, (and) constantly thankful.
And [recall] when you said, "O Moses, we can never endure one [kind of] food. So call upon your Lord to bring forth for us from the earth its green herbs and its cucumbers and its garlic and its lentils and its onions." [Moses] said, "Would you exchange what is better for what is less? Go into [any] settlement and indeed, you will have what you have asked." And they were covered with humiliation and poverty and returned with anger from Allāh [upon them]. That was because they [repeatedly] disbelieved in the signs of Allāh and killed the prophets without right. That was because they disobeyed and were [habitually] transgressing.
And how many a city have We destroyed that was insolent in its [way of] living, and those are their dwellings which have not been inhabited after them except briefly. And it is We who were the inheritors.
And Allāh presents an example: a city [i.e., Makkah] which was safe and secure, its provision coming to it in abundance from every location, but it denied the favors of Allāh. So Allāh made it taste the envelopment of hunger and fear for what they had been doing.
Verses with similar wording
They share a sequence of words with this verse: useful for telling them apart when memorising.
And We certainly sent Moses with Our signs, [saying], "Bring out your people from darknesses into the light and remind them of the days of Allāh." Indeed in that are signs for everyone patient and grateful.
Do you not see that ships sail through the sea by the favor of Allāh that He may show you of His signs? Indeed in that are signs for everyone patient and grateful.
