The Quran

فَقالوا رَبَّنا باعِد بَينَ أَسفارِنا وَظَلَموا أَنفُسَهُم فَجَعَلناهُم أَحاديثَ وَمَزَّقناهُم كُلَّ مُمَزَّقٍ ۚ إِنَّ في ذٰلِكَ لَآياتٍ لِكُلِّ صَبّارٍ شَكورٍ

Ali Unal

But (this comfort and security spoiled them, and) they said: “Our Lord! Make the distances between our travel-stages longer!”¹, and they wronged themselves (by committing sins). So We caused them to become one of the legends (to circulate among later generations about the distant past), and dispersed them around in numerous fragments.² Surely in that are signs (important lessons) for all who are greatly patient and perseverant (in obedience to God and in adversity for His sake), and greatly thankful (for His favors).

This was like the demand of the Children of Israel for the produce of the soil when they were provided with manna and quails by God in the desert (2: 57). They said: “Moses, we will no longer be able to endure one sort of food. Pray for us to your Lord, that He may bring forth for us of all that the soil produces – its green herbs, and its cucumbers, and its corn, and its lentils, and its onions.” He (Moses) responded: “Would you have in exchange what is meaner for what is better?” (2: 61) (For an explanation, see 2, notes 72–73.) They were not content with what God had provided for them, and instead of thanking God, spoiled by richness, they indulged in sins.
The people of Sheba ruled in southern Arabia for almost 1,000 years from around 1100 bc to around 115 bc. Their capital was Ma’ārib. They controlled the trade between East Africa, India, the Far East, and Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece, and Rome. In addition to this, they had an excellent irrigation system that dotted the length and breadth of the country with dams. Their land was unusually fertile and lush. Between their lands and Syria, there were cities that were closely located to each other and travelers could travel in this vast area in security. As understood from the relationship between the Prophet Solomon, upon him be peace, and the Queen of Sheba, in his time (27: 22–44), the Divine Religion found a way to their land, although they had previously worshipped the sun. However, they went astray later and their prosperous life drove them to sins without repentance. They did not give heed to the warnings of the Prophets who were sent to them. In the end, they deserved a severe punishment. The dams and the irrigation systems collapsed, and their cities and fertile lands were overwhelmed by floods and changed into wastelands. The people were scattered throughout Arabia in small groups, and the civilization of Sheba came to exist only in tales that circulated among people.