The story of the dam is about the water which used to come to them from between two mountains, combined with the floods from rainfall and their valleys. Their ancient kings built a huge, strong dam and the water reached a high level between these two mountains. Then they planted trees and got the best fruits that could ever be harvested, plentiful and beautiful. It is said that a woman could walk beneath the trees, carrying a basket or vessel- such as is used for gathering fruit -- on her head. And that the fruit would fall from the trees and fill the basket without any need for her to make the effort to pick the fruit, because it was so plentiful and ripe.
This was the dam of Ma'arib, a land between which and San' a' was a journey of three days. It was said that in their land there were no flies, mosquitoes or fleas, or any kind of vermin. This was because the weather was good and the people were healthy, and Allaah took care of them so that they would single out and worship Him alone. The people of the dam are the are also known as the people of Saba' who came at the time of time of Prophet Sulayman [peace be upon him] Allaah says concerning the people;
"Indeed there was for Saba' [Sheba] a sign in their dwelling place two gardens on the right hand and on the left; [and it was said to them:] "Eat of the provision of your Lord, and be grateful to Him." A fair land and an Oft-Forgiving Lord!" [Q 34: 15]
But after some time they turned away, from worshipping Allaah alone and from giving thanks to Him for the blessings that He had bestowed upon them, and they started to worship the sun instead of Allaah, as the hoopoe told Sulayman, [peace be upon him]:
"I have come to you from Saba' (Sheba) with true news. I found a woman ruling over them, she has been given all things, and she has a great throne. I found her and her people worshipping the sun instead of Allaah, and Shaytan has made their deeds fair seeming to them, and has barred them from the way, so they have no guidance."[27:22-24]
As a result of their ingratitude, Allaah punished them, so Allaah sent against them flood released from the dam. It was said that when Allaah wanted to punish them by sending the flood upon them, he sent beasts from the earth to the dam, large rats, which made a hole in it.
These people having read from their Book [Scripture] that Dam would be destroyed by these large rats decided to bring cats for a while, but when the decree of Allaah came to pass, the rats overran the cats and went into the dam, making a hole in it, and it collapsed. They [the rats] gnawed at the bottom of the dam until it became weak, then the time of the floods came and the waters hit the structure and it collapsed. The waters rushed through the bottom of the valley and destroyed everything in their path -- buildings, trees, etc." As the water drained from the trees that were on the mountains, to the right and the left, those trees dried up and were destroyed.
Those beautiful, fruit-bearing trees were replaced with something altogether different, as Allah says:
"Like this we requited them because they were ungrateful disbelievers. And never do We Requite in such a way except those who are ungrateful [disbelievers]. [Q 34: 17].
This is what happened to those two gardens after they had been so fruitful and productive, offering beautiful scenes, deep shade and flowing rivers: they were replaced with thorny trees, tamarisks and lot trees with huge thorns and little fruit. This was because of their disbelief and their sin of associating others with Allaah, and because they denied the truth and turned towards falsehood. (IBN KATHEER).
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited