The Story of the Queen of Sheba
The Hoopoe and the Certain News
The hoopoe did not delay long before he arrived,
following his absence from the procession of Allah’s Prophet, Solomon (peace be upon him).
The Prophet of Allah, Solomon (peace be upon him),
had threatened to subject him to a severe punishment
unless he had a valid excuse.
So the hoopoe spoke, explaining the reason for his delay:
"I have comprehended that which you have not comprehended,
“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)
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"Meaning: I have learned of something that neither you nor your troops have learned of,
“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)
meaning with truthful, certain, and verified news."
Indeed, these words were addressed by the hoopoe to Allah’s Prophet Solomon,
and Solomon, the Prophet of Allah,
had been granted by Allah a kingdom such as none in the world had ever been given,
in response to his supplication when he prayed:
“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)
﴿Indeed, You are the Bestower.﴾ [38:35]
“So We made the wind subservient unto him, setting fair by his command whithersoever he intended.” (38:36)
“And the unruly, every builder and diver (made We subservient),” (38:37)
﴿...and others bound together in shackles.﴾ [38:38]
﴿This is Our gift, so grant or withhold without account.﴾ [38:39]
Yet despite that, the hoopoe says to him:
"I have comprehended that which you have not comprehended."
Yes!
A smaller creature may possess knowledge that a greater one has not reached.
For the foundational principle of knowledge, which no one should overlook,
is Allah's saying:
“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)
and His saying, Glorified be He: ﴿...and above every possessor of knowledge is one more knowing.﴾ [12:76]
Thus, it is not necessary for the elder to be more knowledgeable than the younger,
nor vice versa.
Attaining knowledge is not tied to age;
a youngster may attain what an elder has not.
Solomon, the Prophet of Allah, did not act arrogantly toward the hoopoe—
he who had threatened to kill him
if he failed to produce a valid justification for his absence.
Rather, he listened to him
and then sought to verify the news he brought.
Some common proverbs in societies
teach people that the elder is always more knowledgeable than the younger,
and they consider it objectionable for a youngster to bring knowledge unknown to an elder,
or for a youngster to correct and instruct an elder.
This is false and contrary to Islamic law.
Therefore, we must scrutinize the meanings of the popular proverbs we use;
among them is truth and among them is falsehood.
What accords with Islamic law is truth,
and what opposes Islamic law is falsehood.
It is improper for a Muslim to present popular proverbs
as if they were unquestionable, absolute truths.
Indeed, it is unacceptable to prioritize proverbs that violate Islamic law
over the pure Divine Law revealed by the All-Knowing, All-Wise, Glorified be He.
Fathers and mothers must accept the truth when brought by their children
if it conforms to Islamic law,
and not dismiss them simply as youngsters who do not yet understand life.
For the young grow up, and the ignorant learn.
Allah may bless parents
through the guidance of their children and their walking upon the path of the righteous,
so that the children acquire knowledge that neither the fathers nor mothers know,
due to differences in upbringing and environment.
In such a case, it is improper to meet this blessing
with rejection and arrogance on the pretext that they are young.
The father of Abraham (peace be upon him) fell
into this very bad conduct when he rejected what Abraham brought to him.
Abraham (peace be upon him) said to his father:
“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)
“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)
However, the arrogance that infected Abraham's father
led him to reject the truth that Abraham brought.
So he retorted to his son, saying:
“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)
﴿"If you do not desist, I will surely stone you, so avoid me a prolonged time."﴾ [19:46]
A response like this, or close to it,
is uttered by some fathers and mothers in various terms,
yet all revolve around this same meaning expressed by those before them.
“Nay, for they say only: Lo! we found our fathers following a religion, and we are guided by their footprints.” (43:22)
“Nay, for they say only: Lo! we found our fathers following a religion, and we are guided by their footprints.” (43:22)
“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)
“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)
“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)
The hoopoe spoke with knowledge that reached the level of certainty for him,
saying to Solomon, the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him):
“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)
Likewise, we ought to speak and converse based on knowledge
that has reached the level of certainty for us,
especially when the speech pertains to others.
It is not sufficient for us to say,
"So-and-so said," or "I heard..."
For such expressions have been censured in Islamic law.
Abu Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
"I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say:
'Wretched is the riding-animal of a man: "They claim..."'"
Reported by Abu Dawud.
Al-Mazhari (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"It was the habit of a group of people
that whenever they spoke of something they heard from others
without knowing its authenticity,
they would say:
'They claimed the matter was such and such,'
or 'So-and-so claimed he heard such and such,'
or 'saw such and such,'
and the like.
So the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade them
from speaking words whose authenticity they did not know."
Indeed, speaking with verified knowledge
is obligatory when speaking about people and criticizing them—
regarding their honor, character,
or attacking their religious commitment,
or labeling them with descriptions of religious innovation, wickedness, or the like.
A person is not excused from accountability for their speech
on the pretext that such talk is widespread among people.
We have an instructive lesson in the Incident of the Slander (Al-Ifk)
that befell our mother 'A'ishah.
The hypocrites attacked her honor,
and some Companions repeated this talk without verification,
so the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) applied
the prescribed punishment for false accusation (qadhf) upon them: eighty lashes.
The Qur'an was revealed admonishing the believers
for how they handled this terrible slander,
teaching them the proper etiquette for dealing with reports
that attack the honor of Muslims upon hearing them.
Allah, Glorified be He, said:
﴿Why, when you heard it, did not the believing men and believing women...﴾ [24:12]
“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)
﴿...and say, "This is an obvious falsehood"?﴾ [24:12]
This is the first etiquette:
to think well of those whose history we know
to be good, trustworthy, moral, and upright,
so we do not rush to believe any talk
that contradicts what we know without verification.
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"Allah Almighty says:
'Why did you not'—meaning 'should you not'—
'when you heard it'—
meaning that talk with which the Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with her) was accused—
﴿...think good of themselves...﴾ [24:12]
“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)
meaning: measure that talk against themselves;
if it would be inappropriate for them,
then the Mother of the Believers is even more deserving of innocence from it,
all the more so."
The second etiquette:
explicitly denouncing such reports
that impugn the honor of believing men and believing women,
﴿...and say, "This is an obvious falsehood"?﴾ [24:12]
Al-Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"This is the obligatory good assumption
when a believer hears about his fellow believer
such speech:
to declare him innocent with his tongue
and to brand the speaker a liar."
Allah Almighty also said:
“Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they produce not witnesses, they verily are liars in the sight of Allah.” (24:13)
“Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they produce not witnesses, they verily are liars in the sight of Allah.” (24:13)
“Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they produce not witnesses, they verily are liars in the sight of Allah.” (24:13)
This is the third etiquette:
demanding proof for the authenticity of the report.
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"Allah Almighty says:
'Why did they not'—
meaning 'should they not'—
'produce against it'—
meaning against what they claimed—
'four witnesses'
who testify to the truth of what they brought forward?"
“Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they produce not witnesses, they verily are liars in the sight of Allah.” (24:13)
“Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they produce not witnesses, they verily are liars in the sight of Allah.” (24:13)
meaning: in the judgment of Allah, they are wicked liars.
There are other etiquettes mentioned in the verses of Surah An-Nur
regarding proper conduct toward news that attacks people's honor.
So, my dear sister, have you adhered
to these etiquettes when dealing with the news you hear
about those around you?
Have you denounced anyone who talks about people and attacks their honor,
demanding from her proof for the truth of what she says?
Have you defended believing men and believing women
whose pure record,
noble character, and sound religion you know,
when their honor is attacked?
A day may come when you will need someone to think well of you,
defend you, and protect your honor.
For days alternate,
and debts are repaid, whether in this world or the Hereafter.
What sends people to Hellfire most
is the harvest of their tongues.
But
what was the certain news brought by the hoopoe?
Did he bring it with glad tidings or with denunciation?
And how did Solomon, the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him), deal
with this news?
We shall continue in a future gathering, Allah willing.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
The Story of the Queen of Sheba
with Solomon, the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him).