034 Surah Saba

Surat Saba' (Arabic: "Sheba") is the 34th surah of the Qur'an with 54 ayat, and is a Meccan sura. It discusses the lives of Solomon and David, a story about the people of Sheba, challenges and warnings against the disbelievers as well as the promises related to the Day of Judgment. The chapter was revealed during the Meccan period of Muhammad's prophethood, therefore, a Meccan surah. Some commentators of the Quran, including Ahmad ibn Ajiba, Mahmud al-Alusi, Ibn al-Jawzi, and Al-Qurtubi opined that the sixth verse was an exception and was revealed in the Medinan period. The chapter began with the phrase Alhamdulillah ("Praise be to God"), one of the five chapter where to do so—the others are Al-Fatihah, Al-An'am, Al-Kahf and Fatir. The first two verses assert God's praiseworthiness and omnipotence. The following verses (3–9) criticized the disbelievers for their rejection of the resurrection, the Day of Judgement and of Muhammad's message. The ninth verse also mentions the orderliness of the universe as evidence of God's omnipotence. The following verses (10–14) briefly discuss David and Solomon, both considered prophets by Islam. --- Updated: 2018-08-18