And when He, glorified and exalted is He, indicated by His saying, "Do they not see what is before them and what is behind them" [Saba: 9], the verse, regarding His power over what He wills from the heavens and the earth for dealing with whom He wills among those in them as He wishes from bounty upon those who are grateful, and justice towards those who disbelieve. He indicated this by recounting the stories of some of the grateful ones. He concluded with the death of His Prophet, Solomon son of David, the grateful son of the grateful, peace be upon them both. And what was in it from the verse indicating that no one knows the unseen except Him, to produce that He does not have the power over all that others will. The death of the earlier prophets necessitated a disruption after them due to the loss of their signs with their passing, unlike the verse of the Qur'an, for it remains throughout the ages and times, for every human, angel, and jinn, calling out its caller at the heads of witnesses: Is there any challenger or opponent? For this reason, this nation has been preserved, while others have been lost in dark valleys. He followed it with another evidence, a witness to the verse, "If We will, We can cause the earth to swallow them" [Saba: 9], in a people whose complete righteousness was with Solomon, peace be upon him. Their affair became disrupted after him, and their mention became one of the wonders of the universe when their gratitude was lost. Thus, it was from the translation of following their story that the family of David, peace be upon him, were grateful, so He subjected to them from the mountains, birds, minerals, and others what others did not aspire to. They wasted gratitude, so He disobeyed them and deprived them of what they did not fear losing from their waters, trees, and others. So He, exalted is He, said, indicating with His emphasis the greatness of what they were in, and that it is in the utmost indication of power and all attributes of perfection. And that the actions of Quraysh are the actions of one who denies what their story indicates of that: "Indeed, there was for Sheba" meaning the famous city that used to prostrate to the sun. Allah guided them through the hand of Solomon, peace be upon him. The wisdom of the softening of the letter 'q' indicates what they were in of ease, tranquility, and the comfort of living that is fruitful for relaxation, peace, and calmness. And perhaps the reading of the majority with the inflection indicates something similar, while the reading of Abu Amr and Al-Bazzi from Ibn Kathir with the prohibition indicates their return to what they became of bad conditions to the predominant conditions of that land in desolation, scarcity of vegetation, and thirst. "In their dwelling" meaning that which is in the utmost abundance. Hamzah, Al-Kisai, and Hafs from Asim unified it indicating that it is due to the strong connection of benefits and facilities like a single dwelling. Al-Kisai broke the 'k' indicating that it is in the utmost suitability for them and leniency, while the other two opened it indicating what is in it of spirit and comfort. It was in the land of Ma'rib from the lands of Yemen. Hamzah Al-Kirmaniy said: Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, said: It is three farsakhs from Sana'a, and it was the most fertile of lands, the best of them, and the most abundant in fruits, until a woman would place a basket on her head and walk among the trees, and the basket would fill without her touching anything with her hand. Their waters would flow from a mountain, so they built a dam in it and made for it three doors, and they would direct the water to their vineyards from the upper, middle, and lower doors. Al-Razi said: A woman would go out with her spindle and on her head her basket, and she would tend to her spinning, and she would not return to her house until her basket was filled with fruits. Abu Hayyan said regarding the river: When Bilqis ruled, her people fought over the water of their valley, so she left her kingdom and resided in her palace, and they urged her to return, but she refused. They said: Either you return or we will kill you. She said to them: You have no sense, nor do you obey me. They said: We will obey you. So she returned to their valley, and when it rained, the flood would come to them from a distance of three days' journey. So she commanded that the space between the two mountains be blocked with a barrier of stone and tar, and she held back the water from behind the dam and made for it doors, some above others, and built a pond in front of it with twelve outlets for their rivers, and the water would flow to them evenly. Al-Mas'udi said in the introductions of Muruj al-Dhahab before the prophetic biography: It was among the most fertile lands of Yemen and the richest, the sweetest, and the most abundant in gardens. The journey took more than a month for the diligent rider in this state in the expanse like that, the rider would travel from its beginning until he reaches its end, not facing the sun nor parting from its shade, due to the concealment of the land with trees and its dominance over it and its surrounding. Thus, its people were in the best of living, the highest, the most comfortable, and the most abundant, in the height of fertility, pleasant air, clear space, and flowing water, and the strength of unity and gathering of words. Then he mentioned a long report about their news, the destruction of what was of their traces, their dispersion in the lands, and their scattering among the servants. "A sign" meaning a clear indication of Our power over what We will. Then he explained the verse by saying: "Two gardens" adjacent to the path, "on the right and on the left" meaning interconnected orchards and intertwined gardens, until everything from every side is a single garden due to the strong connection of some to others on the right of every traveler and to his left in any place he traveled from their lands, there is no place that is unproductive. Al-Baghawi said: On the right of their valley and to its left, the two gardens surrounded that valley. And he indicated to the generosity of those gardens and the abundance of what is in them of goodness by saying: "Eat" meaning their land does not need to be told to them: Eat "from the provision of your Lord" meaning the Benefactor to you who has brought forth for you from it all that you desire. "And be grateful to Him" meaning dedicate gratitude to Him by acting upon what He has bestowed upon you in what pleases Him to continue the blessing for you. Then he began to magnify that by saying: "A good land" meaning noble soil, good air, free from pests and disturbances, its inhabitants do not need anything that follows them and hinders them from gratitude. Ibn Zayd said: There are no fleas, mosquitoes, scorpions, snakes, nor do their clothes become dirty, nor do their animals tire. And he indicated that no one can truly appreciate Him by saying: "And a Forgiving Lord" meaning for the sins of those who are grateful to Him and their shortcomings by erasing the effects of what they fell short in, so He does not punish them for it nor rebuke them. And were it not for that, He would not have bestowed upon you what you are in, and He would have destroyed you for your sins. And some of the people of Yemen informed me that it is today a place of abundance near Sana'a, Yemen - he said: In some of it, there are grapes from which large raisins are made, very much in size like pearls - adjacent to the lands of the Levant, and it is in the utmost clarity as if it were pieces of musk, and it has no pits at all.