27. Sūrat al-Naml

٢٧۔ سُورَةُ النَّمْل

Qurʾān > Chapter 27 > Section 4
القرآن > كتاب ٢٧ > باب ٤

27.4 The hoopoe brought him the news about the Queen of Sheba. Letter from King Solomon to the Queen of Sheba.

٢٧۔٤ مقطع في سُورَةُ النَّمْل

quran:27:20 –

And he took attendance of the birds and said, "Why do I not see the hoopoe - or is he among the absent?  

And he reviewed the birds, to see the hoopoe — which would locate water beneath the ground and indicate its location by pecking at it, whereupon the devils would extract it, for Solomon required it for when he prayed; but he could not see him — then he said, ‘Why is it that I do not see the hoopoe?, in other words, is there something preventing me from seeing him? Or is he among the absent?, and so I cannot see him because he is absent?’ And when he became certain ˹of the hoopoe’s absence˺,
القرآن:٢٧:٢٠ –

وَتَفَقَّدَ الطَّيْرَ فَقَالَ مَا لِيَ لَا أَرَى الْهُدْهُدَ أَمْ كَانَ مِنَ الْغَائِبِينَ  

{وتفقّد الطير} ليرى الهدهد الذي يرى الماء تحت الأرض ويدل عليه بنقره فيها فتستخرجه الشياطين لاحتياج سليمان إليه للصلاة فلم يره {فقال ماليَ لا أرى الهدهد} أي أعرضَ لي ما منعني من رؤيته {أم كان من الغائبين} فلم أره لغيبته فلما تحققها.
quran:27:21 –

I will surely punish him with a severe punishment or slaughter him unless he brings me clear authorization."  

He said, ‘Assuredly I will chastise him with a severe chastisement, by having ˹all˺ his feathers as well as his tail plucked and leaving him out in the sun, where he would not be able to escape from reptiles, or I will slaughter him, by slitting his throat, unless he brings me (read la-ya’tiyannī or la-ya’tinannī) a clear warrant’, plain manifest proof for his ˹having a valid˺ excuse.
القرآن:٢٧:٢١ –

لَأُعَذِّبَنَّهُ عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا أَوْ لَأَذْبَحَنَّهُ أَوْ لَيَأْتِيَنِّي بِسُلْطَانٍ مُبِينٍ  

قال {لأعذبنه عذاباً} تعذيباً {شديداً} بنتف ريشه وذنبه ورميه في الشمس فلا يمتنع من الهوام {أو لأذبحنه} بقطع حلقومه {أو ليأتيني} بنون مشددة مكسورة أو مفتوحة يليها نون مكسورة {بسلطان مبين} ببرهان بين ظاهر على عذره.
quran:27:22 –

But the hoopoe stayed not long and said, "I have encompassed ˹in knowledge˺ that which you have not encompassed, and I have come to you from Sheba with certain news.  

But he did not remain (read fa-makutha or fa-makatha) long ˹in absence˺, in other words, ˹he was away only˺ for a short while, and came to Solomon humbly, with his head up and his wings and tail lowered. Solomon pardoned him and asked him about what he had encountered during his absence: and he said, ‘I have discovered something of which you have no knowledge, and I have brought you from Sheba (this may be read in declined form ˹min Saba’in˺ or left as indeclinable ˹min Saba’a˺) — a tribe in Yemen, whose name is taken from the name of one of their ancestors (which is also the reason why it may be declined) — a verified report.
القرآن:٢٧:٢٢ –

فَمَكَثَ غَيْرَ بَعِيدٍ فَقَالَ أَحَطْتُ بِمَا لَمْ تُحِطْ بِهِ وَجِئْتُكَ مِنْ سَبَإٍ بِنَبَإٍ يَقِينٍ  

{فمكث} بضم الكاف وفتحها {غير بعيد} يسيراً من الزمن وحضر لسليمان متواضعاً برفع رأسه وإرخاء ذنبه وجناحيه فعفا عنه وسأله عما لقي في غيبته {فقال أحَطتُ بما لم تحط به} أي: اطلعت على ما لم تطلع عليه {وجئتك من سبأٍ} بالصرف وتركه، قبيلة باليمن سميت باسم جد لهم باعتباره صرف {بنِبأ} خبر {يقين}.
quran:27:23 –

Indeed, I found ˹there˺ a woman ruling them, and she has been given of all things, and she has a great throne.  

I found a woman ruling over them, in other words, she was their queen, her name Bilqīs; and she has been given ˹an abundance˺ of all things, that kings might require, in the way of machines and instruments, and she possesses a great throne — its length was 80 cubits, its width 40 cubits, its height 30 cubits, and was made of gold and silver, encrusted with pearls, rubies, chrysolite, and emeralds, with its legs made of rubies, chrysolite and emeralds, containing seven ˹inner˺ doors, the door of each chamber shut.
القرآن:٢٧:٢٣ –

إِنِّي وَجَدْتُ امْرَأَةً تَمْلِكُهُمْ وَأُوتِيَتْ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَلَهَا عَرْشٌ عَظِيمٌ  

{إني وجدت امرأة تملكهم} أي: هي ملكة لهم اسمها بلقيس {وأوتيت من كل شيء} يحتاج إليه الملوك من الآلة والعدة {ولها عرش} سرير {عظيم} طوله ثمانون ذراعاً وعرضه أربعون ذراعاً وارتفاعه ثلاثون ذراعاً مضروب من الذهب والفضة مكلل بالدر والياقوت الأحمر والزبرجد الأخضر والزمرد وقوائمه من الياقوت الأحمر والزبرجد الأخضر والزمرد عليه سبعة أبواب على كل بيت باب مغلق.
quran:27:24 –

I found her and her people prostrating to the sun instead of Allah, and Satan has made their deeds pleasing to them and averted them from ˹His˺ way, so they are not guided,  

I found her and her people prostrating to the sun instead of God, and Satan has adorned for them their deeds and he has barred them from the Way, from the path of truth, so that they are not guided
القرآن:٢٧:٢٤ –

وَجَدْتُهَا وَقَوْمَهَا يَسْجُدُونَ لِلشَّمْسِ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ فَصَدَّهُمْ عَنِ السَّبِيلِ فَهُمْ لَا يَهْتَدُونَ  

{وجدتها وقومها يسجدون للشمس من دون الله وزيَّن لهم الشيطان أعمالهم فصدَّهم عن السبيل} طريق الحق {فهم لا يهتدون}.
quran:27:25 –

˹And˺ so they do not prostrate to Allah, who brings forth what is hidden within the heavens and the earth and knows what you conceal and what you declare -  

to prostrate themselves to God (allā yasjudū should be read as an yasjudū: the lā is extra and with it has been assimilated the nūn of an, similar to ˹the construction˺ where God says, li-allā ya‘lama ahlu’l-kitābi, so that the People of the Scripture may know ˹Q. 57:29˺; the sentence functions as the direct object of yahtadūna, ‘guided’, whose ilā, ‘to’, has been omitted); ˹He˺ Who brings forth the hidden (al-khab’ is a verbal noun, with the same meaning as al-makhbū’, ‘that which is hidden’) of rain and plants, in the heavens and the earth, and He knows what they conceal, within their hearts, and what they proclaim, with their tongues.
القرآن:٢٧:٢٥ –

أَلَّا يَسْجُدُوا لِلَّهِ الَّذِي يُخْرِجُ الْخَبْءَ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا تُخْفُونَ وَمَا تُعْلِنُونَ  

{ألاً يسجدوا لله} أي: أن يسجدوا له فزيدت لا وأدغم فيها نون أن كما في قوله تعالى: (لئلا يعلم أهل الكتاب) والجملة في محل مفعول يهتدون بإسقاط إلى {الذي يخرج الخبء} مصدر بمعنى المخبوء من المطر والنبات {في السماوات والأرض ويعلم ما يخفون} في قلوبهم {وما يعلنون} بألسنتهم.
quran:27:26 –

Allah - there is no deity except Him, Lord of the Great Throne."  

God — there is no god except Him, the Lord of the Mighty Throne’ (this clause constitutes an ˹independent˺ new sentence, which is a eulogy comprising ˹praise of˺ the Throne of the Compassionate One to counter the ˹description of the˺ throne of Bilqīs: between the two, however, is an unfathomable difference).
القرآن:٢٧:٢٦ –

اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ ۩  

{الله لا إله إلا هو رب العرش العظيم} استئناف جملة ثناء مشتمل على عرش الرحمن في مقابلة عرش بلقيس وبينهما بون عظيم.
quran:27:27 –

˹Solomon˺ said, "We will see whether you were truthful or were of the liars.  

He, Solomon, said, to the hoopoe: ‘We shall see whether you have spoken the truth, in what you have informed us, or whether you are of the liars, that is, of their ilk — for ˹to say˺ that is rhetorically more powerful than ˹simply˺ saying ‘or whether you have lied’. He ˹the hoopoe˺ indicated to them the place of the water and it was extracted. They thus drank, performed their ablutions and prayed. Solomon then composed a letter in the following form: ‘From the servant of God, Solomon son of David, to Bilqīs, Queen of Sheba. In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful: Peace be upon those who follow Guidance. To wit: do not rise up against me ˹in defiance˺, but come to me in submission’. He then stamped it with musk and sealed it with his ring, and said to the hoopoe:
القرآن:٢٧:٢٧ –

قَالَ سَنَنْظُرُ أَصَدَقْتَ أَمْ كُنْتَ مِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ  

{قال} سليمان للهدهد {سننظر أصدقت} فيما أخبرتنا به {أم كنت من الكاذبين} أي من هذا النوع فهو أبلغ من أم كذبت فيه، ثم دلهم على الماء فاستخرج وارتووا وتوضؤوا وصلوا ثم كتب سليمان كتاباً صورته (من عبد الله سليمان بن داود إلى بلقيس ملكة سبأ "بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم السلام على من اتبع الهدى أما بعد فلا تعلوا علي وأتوني مسلمين) ثم طبعه بالمسك وختمه بخاتمه ثم قال للهدهد:
quran:27:28 –

Take this letter of mine and deliver it to them. Then leave them and see what ˹answer˺ they will return."  

Take this letter of mine and deliver it to them, that is, to Bilqīs and her people, then turn away, withdraw, from them, but remain close by them, and see what ˹response˺ they shall return’, ˹and see˺ what kind of response they shall give. Thus, he took it and approached her ˹Bilqīs˺. But as her soldiers were all around her, he cast it into her private chamber. When she saw it, she shuddered and was consumed by fear. She read what it said.
القرآن:٢٧:٢٨ –

اذْهَبْ بِكِتَابِي هَٰذَا فَأَلْقِهْ إِلَيْهِمْ ثُمَّ تَوَلَّ عَنْهُمْ فَانْظُرْ مَاذَا يَرْجِعُونَ  

{إذهب بكتابي هذا فألقه إليهم} أي بلقيس وقومها {ثم تولَّ} انصرف {عنهم} وقف قريباً منهم {فانظر ماذا يرجعون} يردون من الجواب فأخذه وأتاها وحولها جندها وألقاه في حجرها فلما رأته ارتعدت وخضعت خوفاً ثم وقفت على ما فيه.
quran:27:29 –

She said, "O eminent ones, indeed, to me has been delivered a noble letter.  

Then, she said, to the noblemen of her people: ‘O ˹members of the˺ council, lo! (read yā ayyuhā’l-mala’u innī, pronouncing ˹in the last two words˺ both hamzas; or by not pronouncing the second one and changing it into a wāw with kasra vowelling) a noble, a sealed, letter has been delivered to me.
القرآن:٢٧:٢٩ –

قَالَتْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ إِنِّي أُلْقِيَ إِلَيَّ كِتَابٌ كَرِيمٌ  

ثم {قالت} لأشراف قومها {يا أيها الملأ إني} بتحقيق الهمزتين وتسهيل الثانية بقلبها واواً مكسورة {أُلقي إليَّ كتاب كريم} مختوم.
quran:27:30 –

Indeed, it is from Solomon, and indeed, it reads: 'In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful,  

It is from Solomon and lo! it is, in other words, its text says: “In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
القرآن:٢٧:٣٠ –

إِنَّهُ مِنْ سُلَيْمَانَ وَإِنَّهُ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ  

{إنه من سليمان وإنه} أي مضمونه {بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم}.
quran:27:31 –

Be not haughty with me but come to me in submission ˹as Muslims˺.' "  

Do not rise up against me ˹in defiance˺, but come to me in submission”’.
القرآن:٢٧:٣١ –

أَلَّا تَعْلُوا عَلَيَّ وَأْتُونِي مُسْلِمِينَ  

{ألا تعلوا عليَّ وأتوني مسلمين}.