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The Story of the Queen of Sheba

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The Hoopoe and the Certain News

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The hoopoe did not delay long before he arrived,

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following his absence from the procession of Allah’s Prophet, Solomon (peace be upon him).

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The Prophet of Allah, Solomon (peace be upon him),

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had threatened to subject him to a severe punishment

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unless he had a valid excuse.

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So the hoopoe spoke, explaining the reason for his delay:

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"I have comprehended that which you have not comprehended,

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“But he was not long in coming, and he said: I have found out (a thing) that thou apprehendest not, and I come unto thee from Sheba with sure tidings.” (27:22)

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Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

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"Meaning: I have learned of something that neither you nor your troops have learned of,

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“But he was not long in coming, and he said: I have found out (a thing) that thou apprehendest not, and I come unto thee from Sheba with sure tidings.” (27:22)

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meaning with truthful, certain, and verified news."

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Indeed, these words were addressed by the hoopoe to Allah’s Prophet Solomon,

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and Solomon, the Prophet of Allah,

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had been granted by Allah a kingdom such as none in the world had ever been given,

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in response to his supplication when he prayed:

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“He said: My Lord! Forgive me and bestow on me sovereignty such as shall not belong to any after me. Lo! Thou art the Bestower.” (38:35)

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﴿Indeed, You are the Bestower.﴾ [38:35]

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“So We made the wind subservient unto him, setting fair by his command whithersoever he intended.” (38:36)

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“And the unruly, every builder and diver (made We subservient),” (38:37)

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﴿...and others bound together in shackles.﴾ [38:38]

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﴿This is Our gift, so grant or withhold without account.﴾ [38:39]

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Yet despite that, the hoopoe says to him:

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"I have comprehended that which you have not comprehended."

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Yes!

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A smaller creature may possess knowledge that a greater one has not reached.

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For the foundational principle of knowledge, which no one should overlook,

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is Allah's saying:

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“They are asking thee concerning the Spirit. Say: The Spirit is by command of my Lord, and of knowledge ye have been vouchsafed but little.” (17:85)

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and His saying, Glorified be He: ﴿...and above every possessor of knowledge is one more knowing.﴾ [12:76]

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Thus, it is not necessary for the elder to be more knowledgeable than the younger,

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nor vice versa.

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Attaining knowledge is not tied to age;

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a youngster may attain what an elder has not.

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Solomon, the Prophet of Allah, did not act arrogantly toward the hoopoe—

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he who had threatened to kill him

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if he failed to produce a valid justification for his absence.

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Rather, he listened to him

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and then sought to verify the news he brought.

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Some common proverbs in societies

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teach people that the elder is always more knowledgeable than the younger,

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and they consider it objectionable for a youngster to bring knowledge unknown to an elder,

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or for a youngster to correct and instruct an elder.

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This is false and contrary to Islamic law.

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Therefore, we must scrutinize the meanings of the popular proverbs we use;

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among them is truth and among them is falsehood.

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What accords with Islamic law is truth,

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and what opposes Islamic law is falsehood.

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It is improper for a Muslim to present popular proverbs

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as if they were unquestionable, absolute truths.

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Indeed, it is unacceptable to prioritize proverbs that violate Islamic law

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over the pure Divine Law revealed by the All-Knowing, All-Wise, Glorified be He.

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Fathers and mothers must accept the truth when brought by their children

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if it conforms to Islamic law,

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and not dismiss them simply as youngsters who do not yet understand life.

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For the young grow up, and the ignorant learn.

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Allah may bless parents

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through the guidance of their children and their walking upon the path of the righteous,

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so that the children acquire knowledge that neither the fathers nor mothers know,

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due to differences in upbringing and environment.

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In such a case, it is improper to meet this blessing

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with rejection and arrogance on the pretext that they are young.

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The father of Abraham (peace be upon him) fell

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into this very bad conduct when he rejected what Abraham brought to him.

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Abraham (peace be upon him) said to his father:

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“O my father! Lo! there hath come unto me of knowledge that which came not unto thee. So follow me, and I will lead thee on a right path.” (19:43)

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“O my father! Lo! there hath come unto me of knowledge that which came not unto thee. So follow me, and I will lead thee on a right path.” (19:43)

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However, the arrogance that infected Abraham's father

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led him to reject the truth that Abraham brought.

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So he retorted to his son, saying:

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“He said: Rejectest thou my gods, O Abraham? If thou cease not, I shall surely stone thee. Depart from me a long while!” (19:46)

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﴿"If you do not desist, I will surely stone you, so avoid me a prolonged time."﴾ [19:46]

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A response like this, or close to it,

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is uttered by some fathers and mothers in various terms,

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yet all revolve around this same meaning expressed by those before them.

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“Nay, for they say only: Lo! we found our fathers following a religion, and we are guided by their footprints.” (43:22)

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“Nay, for they say only: Lo! we found our fathers following a religion, and we are guided by their footprints.” (43:22)

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“And even so We sent not a warner before thee (Muhammad) into any township but its luxurious ones said: Lo! we found our fathers following a religion, and we are following their footprints.” (43:23)

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“And even so We sent not a warner before thee (Muhammad) into any township but its luxurious ones said: Lo! we found our fathers following a religion, and we are following their footprints.” (43:23)

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“And even so We sent not a warner before thee (Muhammad) into any township but its luxurious ones said: Lo! we found our fathers following a religion, and we are following their footprints.” (43:23)

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The hoopoe spoke with knowledge that reached the level of certainty for him,

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saying to Solomon, the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him):

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“But he was not long in coming, and he said: I have found out (a thing) that thou apprehendest not, and I come unto thee from Sheba with sure tidings.” (27:22)

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Likewise, we ought to speak and converse based on knowledge

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that has reached the level of certainty for us,

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especially when the speech pertains to others.

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It is not sufficient for us to say,

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"So-and-so said," or "I heard..."

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For such expressions have been censured in Islamic law.

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Abu Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

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"I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say:

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'Wretched is the riding-animal of a man: "They claim..."'"

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Reported by Abu Dawud.

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Al-Mazhari (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

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"It was the habit of a group of people

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that whenever they spoke of something they heard from others

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without knowing its authenticity,

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they would say:

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'They claimed the matter was such and such,'

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or 'So-and-so claimed he heard such and such,'

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or 'saw such and such,'

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and the like.

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So the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade them

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from speaking words whose authenticity they did not know."

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Indeed, speaking with verified knowledge

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is obligatory when speaking about people and criticizing them—

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regarding their honor, character,

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or attacking their religious commitment,

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or labeling them with descriptions of religious innovation, wickedness, or the like.

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A person is not excused from accountability for their speech

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on the pretext that such talk is widespread among people.

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We have an instructive lesson in the Incident of the Slander (Al-Ifk)

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that befell our mother 'A'ishah.

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The hypocrites attacked her honor,

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and some Companions repeated this talk without verification,

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so the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) applied

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the prescribed punishment for false accusation (qadhf) upon them: eighty lashes.

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The Qur'an was revealed admonishing the believers

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for how they handled this terrible slander,

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teaching them the proper etiquette for dealing with reports

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that attack the honor of Muslims upon hearing them.

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Allah, Glorified be He, said:

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﴿Why, when you heard it, did not the believing men and believing women...﴾ [24:12]

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“Why did not the believers, men and women, when ye heard it, think good of their own own folk, and say: It is a manifest untruth?” (24:12)

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﴿...and say, "This is an obvious falsehood"?﴾ [24:12]

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This is the first etiquette:

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to think well of those whose history we know

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to be good, trustworthy, moral, and upright,

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so we do not rush to believe any talk

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that contradicts what we know without verification.

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Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

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"Allah Almighty says:

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'Why did you not'—meaning 'should you not'—

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'when you heard it'—

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meaning that talk with which the Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with her) was accused—

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﴿...think good of themselves...﴾ [24:12]

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“Why did not the believers, men and women, when ye heard it, think good of their own own folk, and say: It is a manifest untruth?” (24:12)

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meaning: measure that talk against themselves;

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if it would be inappropriate for them,

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then the Mother of the Believers is even more deserving of innocence from it,

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all the more so."

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The second etiquette:

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explicitly denouncing such reports

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that impugn the honor of believing men and believing women,

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﴿...and say, "This is an obvious falsehood"?﴾ [24:12]

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Al-Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

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"This is the obligatory good assumption

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when a believer hears about his fellow believer

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such speech:

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to declare him innocent with his tongue

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and to brand the speaker a liar."

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Allah Almighty also said:

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“Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they produce not witnesses, they verily are liars in the sight of Allah.” (24:13)

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“Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they produce not witnesses, they verily are liars in the sight of Allah.” (24:13)

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“Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they produce not witnesses, they verily are liars in the sight of Allah.” (24:13)

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This is the third etiquette:

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demanding proof for the authenticity of the report.

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Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

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"Allah Almighty says:

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'Why did they not'—

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meaning 'should they not'—

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'produce against it'—

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meaning against what they claimed—

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'four witnesses'

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who testify to the truth of what they brought forward?"

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“Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they produce not witnesses, they verily are liars in the sight of Allah.” (24:13)

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“Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they produce not witnesses, they verily are liars in the sight of Allah.” (24:13)

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meaning: in the judgment of Allah, they are wicked liars.

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There are other etiquettes mentioned in the verses of Surah An-Nur

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regarding proper conduct toward news that attacks people's honor.

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So, my dear sister, have you adhered

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to these etiquettes when dealing with the news you hear

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about those around you?

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Have you denounced anyone who talks about people and attacks their honor,

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demanding from her proof for the truth of what she says?

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Have you defended believing men and believing women

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whose pure record,

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noble character, and sound religion you know,

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when their honor is attacked?

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A day may come when you will need someone to think well of you,

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defend you, and protect your honor.

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For days alternate,

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and debts are repaid, whether in this world or the Hereafter.

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What sends people to Hellfire most

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is the harvest of their tongues.

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But

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what was the certain news brought by the hoopoe?

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Did he bring it with glad tidings or with denunciation?

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And how did Solomon, the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him), deal

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with this news?

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We shall continue in a future gathering, Allah willing.

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Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

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The Story of the Queen of Sheba

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with Solomon, the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him).