In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
A summary of the Tafsir of al-Tabari.
Abridged by Dr. ‘Aqil ibn Salim al-Shammari.
Surah al-Naml.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
“(Solomon) said: We shall see whether thou speakest truth or whether thou art of the liars.” (27:27)
“Go with this my letter and throw it down unto them; then turn away and see what (answer) they return,” (27:28)
Solomon (peace be upon him) said to the hoopoe, "We shall see whether you have spoken the truth in the excuse you have offered."
"Have you spoken the truth in all of this, or were you among the liars regarding it?"
“Go with this my letter and throw it down unto them; then turn away and see what (answer) they return,” (27:28)
"Then go back to them, stay close to them, and observe what they return with."
“(The Queen of Sheba) said (when she received the letter): O chieftains! Lo! there hath been thrown unto me a noble letter.” (27:29)
The hoopoe went with Solomon’s letter to her and cast it before her.
When she read it, she said to the nobles of her people:
“(The Queen of Sheba) said (when she received the letter): O chieftains! Lo! there hath been thrown unto me a noble letter.” (27:29)
She described it as noble because it was sealed.
It is said it was because it came from a king, so she described it as such due to the nobility of its sender.
“Lo! it is from Solomon, and lo! it is: In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful;” (27:30)
"Do not exalt yourselves against me, and come to me in submission."
She said, "O nobles, a letter has been cast to me, in which is written:"
"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful."
"Do not be arrogant or haughty toward what I have called you to."
"And come to me, yielding to Allah in oneness and obedience."
“She said: O chieftains! Pronounce for me in my case. I decide no case till ye are present with me.” (27:32)
“They said: We are lords of might and lords of great prowess, but it is for thee to command; so consider what thou wilt command.” (27:33)
“They said: We are lords of might and lords of great prowess, but it is for thee to command; so consider what thou wilt command.” (27:33)
She said to the nobles of her people:
"Advise me in this matter that has come before me, regarding the affair of the sender of this letter that has been cast to me."
"I have never decided any matter until you have witnessed it and I have consulted you regarding it."
The nobles of the people of the Queen of Sheba said:
"We possess great strength and fierce prowess in war."
"The decision, O Queen, rests with you regarding whether to fight or to refrain."
"So consider what opinion you hold, and command us, that we may follow your command."
“She said: Lo! kings, when they enter a township, ruin it and make the honour of its people shame. Thus will they do.” (27:34)
The Queen of Sheba said, "Indeed, when kings enter a city by force and conquest, they ruin it and make its honorable people humiliated by enslaving the free."
The account of her words regarding kings in this situation concludes, and Allah says:
"And just as the Queen of Sheba said, so do kings act when they enter a city by force."
“But lo! I am going to send a present unto them, and to see with what (answer) the messengers return.” (27:35)
It is mentioned that she said, "I am sending a gift to Solomon to test him: is he a king or a prophet?"
"Then I shall see with what news and action my messengers return regarding his response to the gift I sent him."
"Will it be with acceptance and turning away from us, or with the rejection of the gift and persistence in demanding that we follow his religion?"
“So when (the envoy) came unto Solomon, (the King) said: What! Would ye help me with wealth? But that which Allah hath given me is better than that which He hath given you. Nay it is ye (and not I) who exult in your gift.” (27:36)
“Return unto them. We verily shall come unto them with hosts that they cannot resist, and we shall drive them out from thence with shame, and they will be abased.” (27:37)
When the messenger came from the woman with her gifts, Solomon said, "Do you provide me with wealth? What Allah has given me of wealth and worldly goods is better and greater than what He has given you."
"I do not rejoice in the gift you have brought me; rather, you are the ones who rejoice in the gift presented to you, for you are a people who boast of worldly things and compete through them, and the world and its wealth are not among my needs."
Solomon said, "Return to them, for we shall surely come to them with armies against which they have no power, and they will have no ability to repel them from what they intend for them. We shall surely expel those who sent you, humiliated, and they will be disgraced if they do not come to me in submission."
“He said: O chiefs! Which of you will bring me her throne before they come unto me, surrendering?” (27:38)
Solomon said to the nobles of his army from among the jinn and mankind who were present:
"O nobles, which of you will bring me her throne before they come to me in submission?"
The reason Solomon specifically requested the bringing of the woman’s throne was to make it a proof against her regarding his prophethood and to make her recognize the power of Allah and the greatness of His affair.
She had left her throne in a house within the heart of her palaces, locked and secured against her.
Allah brought it out without the opening of locks or bolts until He delivered it to His ally among His creation and surrendered it to him.
In this, there was for her the greatest proof of the truth of what Solomon had called her to, and of the truthfulness of Solomon in what he had informed her of his prophethood.
“A stalwart of the jinn said: I will bring it thee before thou canst rise from thy place. Lo! I verily am strong and trusty for such work.” (27:39)
A powerful, rebellious leader among the jinn said, "I will bring it to you before you rise from this seat of yours, and I am strong and trustworthy regarding it—regarding the jewels it contains, and I will not betray it."
It is mentioned that he used to sit to judge between the people, and it is said he would sit until midday.
“One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: I will bring it thee before thy gaze returneth unto thee. And when he saw it set in his presence, (Solomon) said: This is of the bounty of my Lord, that He may try me whether I give thanks or am ungrateful. Whosoever giveth thanks he only giveth thanks for (the good of) his own soul; and whosoever is ungrateful (is ungrateful only to his own soul's hurt). For lo! my Lord is Absolute in independence, Bountiful.” (27:40)
“One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: I will bring it thee before thy gaze returneth unto thee. And when he saw it set in his presence, (Solomon) said: This is of the bounty of my Lord, that He may try me whether I give thanks or am ungrateful. Whosoever giveth thanks he only giveth thanks for (the good of) his own soul; and whosoever is ungrateful (is ungrateful only to his own soul's hurt). For lo! my Lord is Absolute in independence, Bountiful.” (27:40)
“One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: I will bring it thee before thy gaze returneth unto thee. And when he saw it set in his presence, (Solomon) said: This is of the bounty of my Lord, that He may try me whether I give thanks or am ungrateful. Whosoever giveth thanks he only giveth thanks for (the good of) his own soul; and whosoever is ungrateful (is ungrateful only to his own soul's hurt). For lo! my Lord is Absolute in independence, Bountiful.” (27:40)
The one who possessed knowledge from the Book of Allah—who was, as mentioned, a man from the children of Adam—said, "I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you."
When Solomon saw the throne of the Queen of Sheba settled before him, he said, "This is the empowerment, kingship, and authority I am in."
"Even to the extent that this throne was carried to me in the blink of an eye from Ma'rib to the Levant, by the grace of my Lord, which He has bestowed upon me to test and try me."
"Will I be grateful for His action toward me, or will I be ungrateful for His favor by failing to thank Him? Whoever is grateful for the favor of Allah, he is only grateful for the benefit of his own soul."
"For he does not benefit anyone but himself by that, because Allah has no need of any of His creation. And whoever is ungrateful for His favors, he has only wronged himself."
Allah is free of need for his gratitude, and He is Generous; and from His generosity is His bestowing upon those who are ungrateful for His favor, making it a means by which they might reach acts of disobedience.
“He said: Disguise her throne for her that we may see whether she will go aright or be of those not rightly guided.” (27:41)
When the throne of the Queen of Sheba was brought, Solomon said, "Alter her throne for her; we shall see whether she is intelligent enough to recognize her throne as being the one that belongs to her, or whether she is among those who do not understand and will not recognize her throne."
“So, when she came, it was said (unto her): Is thy throne like this? She said: (It is) as though it were the very one. And (Solomon said): We were given the knowledge before her and we had surrendered (to Allah).” (27:42)
When the Queen of Sheba came to Solomon, her throne was brought out for her, and he said to her, "Is your throne like this?" She said, and she likened it to it, "It is as if it were it."
Solomon said, "And we were given knowledge of Allah and His power over what He wills, and we were submissive to Allah before her."
“And (all) that she was wont to worship instead of Allah hindered her, for she came of disbelieving folk.” (27:43)
If it were also said that Allah prevented her from it by granting her success in embracing Islam, that would also be a correct interpretation.
“It was said unto her: Enter the hall. And when she saw it she deemed it a pool and bared her legs. (Solomon) said: Lo! it is a hall, made smooth, of glass. She said: My Lord! Lo! I have wronged myself, and I surrender with Solomon unto Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.” (27:44)
“It was said unto her: Enter the hall. And when she saw it she deemed it a pool and bared her legs. (Solomon) said: Lo! it is a hall, made smooth, of glass. She said: My Lord! Lo! I have wronged myself, and I surrender with Solomon unto Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.” (27:44)
It is mentioned that when the Queen of Sheba approached, intending to meet Solomon, he ordered the devils, and they built for him a palace like a surface made of glass.
He caused water to flow beneath it to test her intelligence. When the woman saw the palace, because of its clarity, she thought it was a deep sea, and the water creatures were beneath it.
She uncovered her shins to wade through it to Solomon. Solomon said to her, "This is not a sea; it is merely a structure built of glass."
The woman, the Queen of Sheba, said, "My Lord, I have wronged myself by worshipping the sun and prostrating to other than You."
And she followed Solomon, yielding to Allah in monotheism, singling Him out in divinity and lordship, to the exclusion of all others.
"And We sent to Thamud their brother Salih, [saying], 'Worship Allah,' but then they became two parties, contending with one another."
"And We sent to Thamud their brother Salih, [saying], 'Worship Allah alone, with no partner, and do not set up any other god with Him.'"
His people became, regarding what he called them to, two parties contending: a party that believed in him and a party that disbelieved in what he brought.
“He said: O my people! Why will ye hasten on the evil rather than the good? Why will ye not ask pardon of Allah, that ye may receive mercy.” (27:46)
Salih said to his people, "O my people, why do you hasten the punishment of Allah before the mercy? Why do you not repent to Allah for your disbelief?"
"So that your Lord may forgive you your great crime, that your Lord may have mercy on you for your seeking His forgiveness for your disbelief."
“They said: We augur evil of thee and those with thee. He said: Your evil augury is with Allah. Nay, but ye are folk that are being tested.” (27:47)
The Thamud said to their messenger, Salih, "We see an evil omen in you and in those with you among our followers, and we have taken the flight of birds as an omen that you and they will bring us misfortune and calamity."
Salih answered them, saying, "The omen you have taken from the birds regarding the misfortune that will befall you is known only to Allah; no one knows which of that will come to pass."
"Whether you expect calamities or misfortunes, or whether you hope for well-being, hope, and what you love."
"Rather, you are a people whom your Lord is testing; when He sent me to you, will you obey Him, so He will reward you with the abundance of His reward, or will you disobey Him, so His punishment will befall you?"
“And there were in the city nine persons who made mischief in the land and reformed not.” (27:48)
There were in the city of Salih—which was the stone city of Thamud—nine individuals who spread corruption in the land and did not reform.
Their corruption in the land was their disbelief in Allah and their disobedience to Him.
Allah specifically singled out these nine men in the report because they were the ones who, as we have heard, strove to hamstring the she-camel and cooperated in it.
“They said: Swear one to another by Allah that we verily will attack him and his household by night, and afterward we will surely say unto his friend: We witnessed not the destruction of his household. And lo! we are truthtellers.” (27:49)
These nine men said, swearing by Allah, "O people, let us plot by night against Salih and his family, then let us kill him, then let us say to his guardian, 'We did not witness the destruction of his family, and we are truthful that we did not witness the destruction of his family.'"
"They plotted a plot, and We plotted a plot, while they did not perceive. So see how was the outcome of their plot: that We destroyed them and their people, all of them."
These nine men betrayed Salih by going to him at night to kill him and his family, while Salih did not perceive it. So We seized them with Our punishment and hastened the torment for them, while they did not perceive Our plot.
So look, O Muhammad, with the eye of your heart at the outcome of the treachery of Thamud, how it was that We destroyed the nine men and their people from among the Thamud, all of them, and left none of them remaining.
“See, yonder are their dwellings empty and in ruins because they did wrong. Lo! herein is indeed a portent for a people who have knowledge.” (27:52)
“And we saved those who believed and used to ward off (evil).” (27:53)
Those are their dwellings, empty of them; Allah destroyed them and annihilated them for their wronging of themselves through their associating partners with Allah and their denial of their messenger.
Indeed, in Our action toward Thamud is a lesson for those among your people who know of Our action toward them—those who deny you regarding what you have brought them from your Lord.
And We saved from Our punishment, which We inflicted upon Thamud, Our messenger Salih and those who believed in him, and they were protected by their faith and by their righteous companion Salih from what befell their people.
Likewise, We shall save you, O Muhammad, and your followers when We inflict Our punishment upon the polytheists of your people.
“And Lot! when he said unto his folk: Will ye commit abomination knowingly?” (27:54)
"Do you indeed approach men with desire instead of women? Rather, you are a people who are ignorant."
And We sent Lot to his people, when he said to them, "O my people, do you commit the immorality while you see that it is an immorality?"
Because of your knowledge that no one before you had preceded you in what you are doing of that.
"Do you indeed approach men with desire from yourselves, instead of the private parts of women which Allah has made lawful for you through marriage?"
"That is nothing from you except that you are a people who are foolish, ignorant of the great right of Allah upon you."
A summary of the Tafsir of al-Tabari.