Transliteration:( Wa laqad saddaq 'alaihim Ibleesu zannabhoo fattaba'oohu illaa fareeqam minal mu'mineen )
"And indeed Iblis (Shaitaan) proved his conjecture true [68] to them. So they followed him, except a party [69] that were believers."
Iblis had once vowed before Allah to mislead mankind through temptations such as lust, greed, and envy. This verse confirms that his claim turned out to be accurate for a vast majority of people, especially disbelievers. While the verse is not confined to the people of Saba, it applies broadly to humanity—demonstrating that Satan’s deception is often successful when people become heedless of divine guidance.
This also shows that even some assumptions of disbelievers (like Satan’s) may turn out to be true—not due to merit, but because of the weakness and heedlessness of human beings.
Despite the wide success of Satan’s schemes, a small group of sincere believers remained protected. These were people of true faith, who did not fall prey to Satan’s whispers. The verse uses a construction that emphasizes exception—not all humans were deceived. It acknowledges that within the broader community of believers, there are two groups:
The sincere and pious, who resisted Satan’s influence.
The heedless, who, while claiming belief, became vulnerable to his tricks.
This verse affirms that steadfastness and sincerity are the real shields against Satan, and that being among the believers is not enough—true resistance requires conscious effort and devotion.
20. And indeed Iblis did prove true his thought about them, and they followed him, all except a group of true believers. 21. And he had no authority over them, — except that We might test him who believes in the Hereafter, from him who is in doubt about it. And your Lord is Watchful over everything.
Having mentioned Saba’ and how they followed their desires, and the Shaytan, Allah tells us about their counterparts among those who follow Iblis and their own desires, and who go against wisdom and true guidance. Allah says:
(And indeed Iblis did prove true his thought about them,) Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, and others said that this Ayah is like the Ayah where Allah tells us about how Iblis refused to prostrate to Adam, peace be upon him, then said:
(See this one whom You have honored above me, if You give me respite to the Day of Resurrection, I will surely seize and mislead his offspring all but a few!) (17:62)
(Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them as thankful ones.) (7:17) And there are many Ayat which refer to this matter.
(And he (Iblis) had no authority over them, ) Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him said, “This means, he had no proof.”
(except that We might test him who believes in the Hereafter, from him who is in doubt about it.) means, `We gave him power over them only to show who believes in the Hereafter and that it will come to pass.’ The people will be brought to account and rewarded or punished accordingly, so that he will worship his Lord properly in this world — and to distinguish these believers from those who are in doubt about the Hereafter.
(And your Lord is a Watchful over everything.) means, despite His watching, those who follow Iblis go astray, but by His watching and care, the believers who follow the Messengers are saved.
(34:20) Iblis found his estimate of them to be true, and they followed him, except a party of the believers.[35]
35. History shows that in ancient times there lived among the Sabaeans a small group of the people, who believed in one God, apart from all other gods. The inscriptions that have been discovered in the ruins of Yaman as a result of modern archaeological research point to the existence of this small element. Some inscriptions of the period about 650 B.C. indicate that at several places in the kingdom of Saba there existed such houses of worship as were exclusively meant for the worship of dhu-samavi or dhusamaavi (i.e. Rabb as-samaa: Lord of the heavens). In some places this Deity has been mentioned as Malikan dhusamavi (the King who is the Owner of the heavens). This remnant of the Sabaeans continued to live in Yaman for centuries afterwards. Thus, in an inscription of 378 A.D. there is also mention of a house of worship built in the name of Ilah dhu-semevi. Then, in an inscription dated 465 A.D. the words are; Bi-nasr wa rida ilah-in baal samin wa ardin (i.e. with the help and support of that God who is the Owner of the heavens and the earth). In another inscription of the period dated 458 A.D., the word Rahman has been used for the same God, the actual words being bi-rida Rahmanan (i. e. with the help of Rahman.
[1228]- i.e., the people of Saba’ or mankind in general. [1229]- That mankind could readily be misled by him.
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