Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/151)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

And Nawf al-Himyari said: The ants of that valley were like flies. (1) It was also said: like Bactrian camels. The well-known view is that they were small ants. Al-Shaʿbi said: That ant had two wings. It was also said that she was a lame ant. Thus she called out: “O ants, enter your dwellings.” She did not use the feminine-plural imperative, because, having been attributed speech like that of human beings, they were addressed as human beings are addressed: “Lest Solomon and his soldiers crush you”—that is, break you. Breaking is the meaning of haṭm. “While they are unaware.”

Solomon heard her words. Whenever any creature spoke, the wind would carry its words and cast them into Solomon’s hearing. Muqatil said: Solomon heard her speech from three miles away. Al-Dahhak said: The name of that ant was Tahiya. Muqatil said: Her name was Jarma. (2)

If it is asked: How could Solomon and his soldiers have crushed them when the wind carried Solomon and his troops upon a carpet between heaven and earth? It may be answered: His soldiers included mounted men and foot soldiers upon the earth, whose distances were folded up for them. It was also said that this occurred before Allah subjected the wind to Solomon.

The exegetes said: The ants knew that Solomon was a prophet, neither tyrannical nor unjust. The meaning of the verse is: Had you not entered your dwellings, they would have trampled you without realizing that you were there. It is related that, when Solomon reached the Valley of the Ants, he halted his troops until the ants had entered their homes.

“Then he smiled, amused by her words, and said, ‘My Lord, inspire me to be thankful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and to do righteous deeds that please You; and admit me, by Your mercy, among Your righteous servants.’ (19)”

His saying, exalted is He: “Then he smiled, amused by her words.” Al-Zajjaj said: The laughter of the prophets is, for the most part, smiling. His saying, “amused,” means: smiling. It was said that it began as a smile and ended in laughter.

Abd al-Wahid al-Malihi informed us; Ahmad ibn Abdullah al-Naʿimi informed us; Muhammad ibn Yusuf informed us; Muhammad ibn Ismaʿil related to us; Yahya ibn Sulayman related to us; Ibn Wahb related to me; Amr—who was Ibn al-Harith—informed us; al-Nadr informed us,

(1) Ibn Kathir said in the same place: “This is how I found it written, with a ya bearing two dots below; however, it should be with a ba bearing one dot, and this is a scribal corruption. Allah knows best. The point is that Solomon, peace be upon him, understood her words and smiled, laughing at them. This is indeed a most remarkable matter.” (2) There is no benefit in investigating this ant’s characteristics or name, for no report concerning this has been transmitted from the Messenger of Allah upon which one may rely. It is sufficient for us that Allah Most High has informed us of the ant’s speech, Solomon’s understanding of it, and the indication contained therein. Allah knows best. See Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya, 2:19.

وَقَالَ نَوْفٌ الْحِمْيَرِيُّ: كَانَ نَمْلُ ذَلِكَ الْوَادِي أَمْثَالَ الذُّبَابِ (١) . وَقِيلَ: كَالْبَخَاتِيِّ. وَالْمَشْهُورُ: أَنَّهُ النَّمْلُ الصَّغِيرُ. وَقَالَ الشَّعْبِيُّ: كَانَتْ تِلْكَ النَّمْلَةُ ذَاتَ جَنَاحَيْنِ. وَقِيلَ: كَانَتْ نَمْلَةً عَرْجَاءَ فَنَادَتْ: ﴿قَالَتْ نَمْلَةٌ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّمْلُ ادْخُلُوا مَسَاكِنَكُمْ﴾ وَلَمْ تَقُلْ: ادْخُلْنَ، لِأَنَّهُ لَمَّا جَعَلَ لَهُمْ قَوْلًا كَالْآدَمِيِّينَ خُوطِبُوا بِخِطَابِ الْآدَمِيِّينَ، ﴿لَا يَحْطِمَنَّكُمْ﴾ لَا يَكْسَرَنَّكُمْ، ﴿سُلَيْمَانُ وَجُنُودُهُ﴾ وَالْحَطْمُ الْكَسْرُ، ﴿وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ﴾ فَسَمِعَ سُلَيْمَانُ قَوْلَهَا، وَكَانَ لَا يَتَكَلَّمُ خَلْقٌ إِلَّا حَمَلَتِ الرِّيحُ ذَلِكَ فَأَلْقَتْهُ فِي مَسَامِعَ سُلَيْمَانَ. قَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ: سَمِعَ سُلَيْمَانُ كَلَامَهَا مِنْ ثَلَاثَةِ أَمْيَالٍ. قَالَ الضَّحَّاكُ: كَانَ اسْمُ تِلْكَ النَّمْلَةِ طَاحِيَةُ، قَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ: كَانَ اسْمُهَا جَرْمَى (٢) . فَإِنْ قِيلَ: كَيْفَ يُتَصَوَّرُ الْحَطْمُ مِنْ سُلَيْمَانَ وَجُنُودِهِ وَكَانَتِ الرِّيحُ تَحْمِلُ سُلَيْمَانَ وَجُنُودَهَ عَلَى بِسَاطٍ بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ؟ قِيلَ: كَانَ جُنُودُهُ رُكْبَانًا وَفِيهِمْ مُشَاةٌ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ تُطْوَى لَهُمْ. وَقِيلَ: يُحْتَمَلُ أَنْ يَكُونَ هَذَا قَبْلَ تَسْخِيرِ اللَّهِ الرِّيحَ لِسُلَيْمَانَ. قَالَ أَهْلُ التَّفْسِيرِ: عَلِمَ النَّمْلُ أَنَّ سُلَيْمَانَ نَبِيٌّ لَيْسَ فِيهِ جَبْرِيَّةٌ وَلَا ظُلْمٌ. وَمَعْنَى الْآيَةِ: أَنَّكُمْ لَوْ لَمْ تَدْخُلُوا مَسَاكِنَكُمْ وَطَؤُوكُمْ وَلَمْ يَشْعُرُوا بِكُمْ. وَيُرْوَى أَنَّ سُلَيْمَانَ لَمَّا بَلَغَ وَادِي النَّمْلِ حَبَسَ جُنُودَهُ حَتَّى دَخَلَ النَّمْلُ بُيُوتَهُمْ. ﴿فَتَبَسَّمَ ضَاحِكًا مِنْ قَوْلِهَا وَقَالَ رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَى وَالِدَيَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضَاهُ وَأَدْخِلْنِي بِرَحْمَتِكَ فِي عِبَادِكَ الصَّالِحِينَ (١٩) ﴾ قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿فَتَبَسَّمَ ضَاحِكًا مِنْ قَوْلِهَا﴾ قَالَ الزَّجَاجُ: أَكْثَرُ ضَحِكِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ التَّبَسُّمُ. وَقَوْلُهُ ﴿ضَاحِكًا﴾ أَيْ: مُتَبَسِّمًا. قِيلَ: كَانَ أَوَّلَهُ التَّبَسُّمُ وَآخِرَهُ الضَّحِكُ. أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ الْمَلِيحِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ النَّعِيمِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، حَدَّثَنِي ابْنُ وَهَبٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَمْرٌو، هُوَ ابْنُ الْحَارِثِ، أَخْبَرَنَا النَّضْرُ،

(١) قال ابن كثير في الموضع نفسه: "هكذا رأيته مضبوطا بالياء المثناة من تحت، وإنما هو بالباء الموحدة، وذلك تصحيف، والله أعلم. والغرض: أن سليمان ﵇ فهم قولها وتبسم ضاحكا من ذلك، وهذا أمر عظيم جدا. (٢) لا طائل من البحث في صفات هذه النملة واسمها، ولا خبر في ذلك عن الرسول ﷺ يصار إليه، وحسبنا ما أخبرنا الله تعالى به من كلام النملة وفهم سليمان له وما في ذلك من دلالة. والله أعلم. وانظر: البداية والنهاية لابن كثير: ٢ / ١٩.