The story of the Queen of Sheba | Episode (4) | The hoopoe and the certain news

0:00 The Story of the Queen of Sheba

0:05 The Hoopoe and the Certain News

0:12 The hoopoe did not delay long before he arrived,

0:16 following his absence from the procession of Allah’s Prophet, Solomon (peace be upon him).

0:21 The Prophet of Allah, Solomon (peace be upon him),

0:24 had threatened to subject him to a severe punishment

0:28 unless he had a valid excuse.

0:30 So the hoopoe spoke, explaining the reason for his delay:

0:34 "I have comprehended that which you have not comprehended,

0:37 “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)

0:41 Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

0:44 "Meaning: I have learned of something that neither you nor your troops have learned of,

0:49 “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)

0:52 meaning with truthful, certain, and verified news."

0:57 Indeed, these words were addressed by the hoopoe to Allah’s Prophet Solomon,

1:02 and Solomon, the Prophet of Allah,

1:05 had been granted by Allah a kingdom such as none in the world had ever been given,

1:10 in response to his supplication when he prayed:

1:14 “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)

1:24 ﴿Indeed, You are the Bestower.﴾ [38:35]

1:29 “So We made the wind subservient unto him, setting fair by his command whithersoever he intended.” (38:36)

1:38 “And the unruly, every builder and diver (made We subservient),” (38:37)

1:47 ﴿...and others bound together in shackles.﴾ [38:38]

1:52 ﴿This is Our gift, so grant or withhold without account.﴾ [38:39]

2:01 Yet despite that, the hoopoe says to him:

2:04 "I have comprehended that which you have not comprehended."

2:07 Yes!

2:08 A smaller creature may possess knowledge that a greater one has not reached.

2:12 For the foundational principle of knowledge, which no one should overlook,

2:16 is Allah's saying:

2:19 “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)

2:23 and His saying, Glorified be He: ﴿...and above every possessor of knowledge is one more knowing.﴾ [12:76]

2:29 Thus, it is not necessary for the elder to be more knowledgeable than the younger,

2:32 nor vice versa.

2:34 Attaining knowledge is not tied to age;

2:37 a youngster may attain what an elder has not.

2:41 Solomon, the Prophet of Allah, did not act arrogantly toward the hoopoe—

2:46 he who had threatened to kill him

2:48 if he failed to produce a valid justification for his absence.

2:51 Rather, he listened to him

2:53 and then sought to verify the news he brought.

2:58 Some common proverbs in societies

3:01 teach people that the elder is always more knowledgeable than the younger,

3:06 and they consider it objectionable for a youngster to bring knowledge unknown to an elder,

3:11 or for a youngster to correct and instruct an elder.

3:15 This is false and contrary to Islamic law.

3:19 Therefore, we must scrutinize the meanings of the popular proverbs we use;

3:25 among them is truth and among them is falsehood.

3:28 What accords with Islamic law is truth,

3:31 and what opposes Islamic law is falsehood.

3:35 It is improper for a Muslim to present popular proverbs

3:39 as if they were unquestionable, absolute truths.

3:43 Indeed, it is unacceptable to prioritize proverbs that violate Islamic law

3:48 over the pure Divine Law revealed by the All-Knowing, All-Wise, Glorified be He.

3:53 Fathers and mothers must accept the truth when brought by their children

3:59 if it conforms to Islamic law,

4:02 and not dismiss them simply as youngsters who do not yet understand life.

4:07 For the young grow up, and the ignorant learn.

4:12 Allah may bless parents

4:15 through the guidance of their children and their walking upon the path of the righteous,

4:20 so that the children acquire knowledge that neither the fathers nor mothers know,

4:25 due to differences in upbringing and environment.

4:28 In such a case, it is improper to meet this blessing

4:32 with rejection and arrogance on the pretext that they are young.

4:37 The father of Abraham (peace be upon him) fell

4:40 into this very bad conduct when he rejected what Abraham brought to him.

4:47 Abraham (peace be upon him) said to his father:

4:50 “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)

4:56 “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)

5:00 However, the arrogance that infected Abraham's father

5:05 led him to reject the truth that Abraham brought.

5:10 So he retorted to his son, saying:

5:13 “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)

5:17 ﴿"If you do not desist, I will surely stone you, so avoid me a prolonged time."﴾ [19:46]

5:24 A response like this, or close to it,

5:26 is uttered by some fathers and mothers in various terms,

5:31 yet all revolve around this same meaning expressed by those before them.

5:37 “Nay, for they say only: Lo! we found our fathers following a religion, and we are guided by their footprints.” (43:22)

5:43 “Nay, for they say only: Lo! we found our fathers following a religion, and we are guided by their footprints.” (43:22)

5:47 “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)

5:52 “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)

5:59 “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)

6:04 The hoopoe spoke with knowledge that reached the level of certainty for him,

6:09 saying to Solomon, the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him):

6:13 “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)

6:18 Likewise, we ought to speak and converse based on knowledge

6:22 that has reached the level of certainty for us,

6:25 especially when the speech pertains to others.

6:29 It is not sufficient for us to say,

6:31 "So-and-so said," or "I heard..."

6:34 For such expressions have been censured in Islamic law.

6:39 Abu Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

6:42 "I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say:

6:47 'Wretched is the riding-animal of a man: "They claim..."'"

6:50 Reported by Abu Dawud.

6:53 Al-Mazhari (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

6:56 "It was the habit of a group of people

6:59 that whenever they spoke of something they heard from others

7:02 without knowing its authenticity,

7:05 they would say:

7:06 'They claimed the matter was such and such,'

7:09 or 'So-and-so claimed he heard such and such,'

7:13 or 'saw such and such,'

7:14 and the like.

7:16 So the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade them

7:19 from speaking words whose authenticity they did not know."

7:25 Indeed, speaking with verified knowledge

7:28 is obligatory when speaking about people and criticizing them—

7:31 regarding their honor, character,

7:34 or attacking their religious commitment,

7:36 or labeling them with descriptions of religious innovation, wickedness, or the like.

7:41 A person is not excused from accountability for their speech

7:44 on the pretext that such talk is widespread among people.

7:49 We have an instructive lesson in the Incident of the Slander (Al-Ifk)

7:51 that befell our mother 'A'ishah.

7:54 The hypocrites attacked her honor,

7:57 and some Companions repeated this talk without verification,

8:01 so the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) applied

8:05 the prescribed punishment for false accusation (qadhf) upon them: eighty lashes.

8:08 The Qur'an was revealed admonishing the believers

8:11 for how they handled this terrible slander,

8:15 teaching them the proper etiquette for dealing with reports

8:17 that attack the honor of Muslims upon hearing them.

8:22 Allah, Glorified be He, said:

8:24 ﴿Why, when you heard it, did not the believing men and believing women...﴾ [24:12]

8:26 “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)

8:30 ﴿...and say, "This is an obvious falsehood"?﴾ [24:12]

8:34 This is the first etiquette:

8:37 to think well of those whose history we know

8:40 to be good, trustworthy, moral, and upright,

8:43 so we do not rush to believe any talk

8:46 that contradicts what we know without verification.

8:50 Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

8:53 "Allah Almighty says:

8:54 'Why did you not'—meaning 'should you not'—

8:57 'when you heard it'—

8:59 meaning that talk with which the Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with her) was accused—

9:01 ﴿...think good of themselves...﴾ [24:12]

9:05 “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)

9:09 meaning: measure that talk against themselves;

9:13 if it would be inappropriate for them,

9:15 then the Mother of the Believers is even more deserving of innocence from it,

9:19 all the more so."

9:23 The second etiquette:

9:25 explicitly denouncing such reports

9:28 that impugn the honor of believing men and believing women,

9:32 ﴿...and say, "This is an obvious falsehood"?﴾ [24:12]

9:35 Al-Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

9:38 "This is the obligatory good assumption

9:40 when a believer hears about his fellow believer

9:43 such speech:

9:45 to declare him innocent with his tongue

9:47 and to brand the speaker a liar."

9:51 Allah Almighty also said:

9:53 “Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they produce not witnesses, they verily are liars in the sight of Allah.” (24:13)

9:58 “Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they produce not witnesses, they verily are liars in the sight of Allah.” (24:13)

10:00 “Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they produce not witnesses, they verily are liars in the sight of Allah.” (24:13)

10:05 This is the third etiquette:

10:07 demanding proof for the authenticity of the report.

10:11 Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

10:14 "Allah Almighty says:

10:16 'Why did they not'—

10:17 meaning 'should they not'—

10:19 'produce against it'—

10:20 meaning against what they claimed—

10:23 'four witnesses'

10:25 who testify to the truth of what they brought forward?"

10:28 “Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they produce not witnesses, they verily are liars in the sight of Allah.” (24:13)

10:30 “Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they produce not witnesses, they verily are liars in the sight of Allah.” (24:13)

10:35 meaning: in the judgment of Allah, they are wicked liars.

10:40 There are other etiquettes mentioned in the verses of Surah An-Nur

10:45 regarding proper conduct toward news that attacks people's honor.

10:51 So, my dear sister, have you adhered

10:53 to these etiquettes when dealing with the news you hear

10:57 about those around you?

11:00 Have you denounced anyone who talks about people and attacks their honor,

11:05 demanding from her proof for the truth of what she says?

11:09 Have you defended believing men and believing women

11:12 whose pure record,

11:15 noble character, and sound religion you know,

11:18 when their honor is attacked?

11:20 A day may come when you will need someone to think well of you,

11:25 defend you, and protect your honor.

11:28 For days alternate,

11:30 and debts are repaid, whether in this world or the Hereafter.

11:35 What sends people to Hellfire most

11:37 is the harvest of their tongues.

11:41 But

11:42 what was the certain news brought by the hoopoe?

11:46 Did he bring it with glad tidings or with denunciation?

11:50 And how did Solomon, the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him), deal

11:54 with this news?

11:57 We shall continue in a future gathering, Allah willing.

12:01 Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

12:05 The Story of the Queen of Sheba

12:08 with Solomon, the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him).

The story of the Queen of Sheba | Episode (4) | The hoopoe and the certain news

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