(15–44) “We certainly gave David and Solomon knowledge. They said, ‘All praise is for Allah, who has favored us over many of His believing servants.’ And Solomon inherited from David”—and so on to the end of the account.
In this Quran, Allah mentions and draws attention to His favor upon David and his son Solomon by granting them vast and abundant knowledge, as indicated by the indefinite form of the word. Allah also says:
“And remember David and Solomon when they judged concerning the field into which some people’s sheep had strayed by night. We were Witness to their judgment. We gave Solomon understanding of the matter, and to each We gave sound judgment and knowledge”—to the end of the verse.
“They said,” in gratitude to their Lord for His immense favor in teaching them, “All praise is for Allah, who has favored us over many of His believing servants.” Thus, they praised Allah for making them believers—the people of felicity—and for placing them among the select believers.
There is no doubt that the believers occupy four ranks: the righteous; above them, the martyrs; above them, the steadfast affirmers of truth; and above them, the prophets. David and Solomon were among the select messengers. Although their rank was below that of the [five] Messengers of Firm Resolve, they were nevertheless among those noble and eminent messengers whom Allah mentioned with honor and praised greatly in His Book. They therefore praised Allah for enabling them to attain this rank.
A sure sign of a servant’s felicity is that he is grateful to Allah for His religious and worldly blessings and recognizes that every blessing comes from his Lord. He neither boasts of them nor becomes self-admiring because of them; rather, he sees that they require abundant gratitude from him. After praising David and Solomon together, Allah singled out Solomon by mentioning what was particular to him, for Allah had granted him a vast kingdom, and his life involved events and experiences that his father’s had not—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon them both. Allah said: “And Solomon inherited from David.”
That is, he inherited his knowledge and prophethood, so his father’s knowledge was added to his own. He presumably learned from his father the knowledge that he possessed, in addition to the knowledge Solomon already had during his father’s lifetime, as indicated by the previously cited words, “We gave Solomon understanding of the matter.” In gratitude to Allah, rejoicing in His kindness, and proclaiming His favor, Solomon said: “O people, we have been taught the language of birds.” Thus, may blessings and [peace] be upon him, he understood what birds said and communicated, just as he conversed with the hoopoe and it answered him, and as he understood the ant’s words to the other ants, as will follow. No one other than Solomon—peace be upon him—was granted this.
“And we have been given all things.” That is, Allah granted us blessings, the means of kingship, sovereign power, and dominion such as He had granted to no other human being. For this reason, Solomon supplicated to his Lord: “Grant me a kingdom that will belong to no one after me” (1). Allah therefore subjected the devils to him, and they performed for him whatever tasks he wished—tasks that others were incapable of performing. He also subjected the wind to him: its morning course was a month’s journey and its evening course was a month’s journey.
“Indeed, this”—which Allah has granted us, by which He has favored us, and which He has made particular to us—“is truly the manifest favor,” clear and evident. He thereby acknowledged Allah Most High’s blessing in the fullest possible manner.
“And Solomon’s armies of jinn, humans, and birds were marshalled before him, and they were kept in ordered ranks.” That is, his vast, formidable, and diverse armies—comprising human beings, jinn and devils, and birds—were assembled for him. They were directed and kept in order, with those in front held back for those behind, and they were arranged with the utmost discipline in their marching, encamping, halting, and departure. Solomon had prepared for all of this and made the necessary arrangements.
All these forces submitted to his command; they could neither disobey nor rebel against him. Allah Most High said: “This is Our gift, so bestow or withhold”—that is, bestow without reckoning. Solomon then set out with these immense armies on one of his journeys (2).
⦗603⦘
“Until, when they came upon the Valley of the Ants, an ant said,” warning its companions and others of its kind, “O ants, enter your dwellings, lest Solomon and his armies crush you without realizing it.” This ant sincerely advised the others and made herself heard by them. She may have done so directly, in which case Allah had granted the ants extraordinary hearing, for one ant’s voice to alert the ants that filled the entire valley would be among the most astonishing wonders. Alternatively, she may have informed the ants around her, after which the news passed from some to others until it reached them all. She warned them to take care and told them how to do so: by entering their dwellings.
She understood the circumstances of Solomon and his armies and the greatness of his authority. She also excused them, indicating that if they crushed the ants, it would be neither intentional nor done knowingly. Solomon—peace be upon him—heard and understood her words.
“So he smiled, laughing at her words,” out of admiration for her eloquence (3), her sincere counsel, and her fine expression. Such is the manner of the prophets—may blessings and peace be upon them: perfect decorum, showing amazement where appropriate, and never allowing their laughter to exceed a smile. Most of the Messenger’s laughter—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—consisted of smiling, for loud guffawing indicates frivolity of mind and poor manners. Conversely, not smiling or showing amazement at something worthy of amazement indicates harshness of character and tyranny. The messengers are free of both extremes.
In gratitude to Allah, who had brought him to this state, Solomon said: “My Lord, inspire me”—that is, inspire and enable me—“to be grateful for Your blessing which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents,” for a blessing bestowed upon one’s parents is also a blessing upon the child. He therefore asked his Lord to enable him duly to thank Him for the religious and worldly blessings bestowed upon him and his parents. “And enable me to perform righteous deeds that please You”—that is, enable me to perform righteous deeds that please You because they conform to Your command, are done sincerely for You, and remain free of anything that would invalidate or diminish them. “And admit me, by Your mercy”—which includes Paradise—“among Your righteous servants.” Mercy is bestowed upon the righteous in accordance with their differing ranks and stations.
This is one example Allah relates of Solomon’s conduct upon hearing the ant address and call out to the others.
Allah then relates another example involving Solomon’s communication with birds: “He inspected the birds.” This demonstrates his perfect resolve, vigilance, excellent organization of his armies, and personal supervision of matters both minor and major. He did not neglect even this matter: inspecting the birds to see whether they were all present or whether any were missing. This is the meaning of the verse.
Those who claim that he inspected the birds specifically to see where the hoopoe was among them (4), so that it could direct him to water, whether distant or near, have offered no sound interpretation. They allege that the hoopoe can see water beneath dense earth, but no evidence supports this claim. Indeed, both reason and the wording of the verse demonstrate its falsity. As for reason, ordinary experience, experimentation, and observation have established that none of these animals possesses such extraordinary sight as to see water beneath dense earth. Were that true, Allah would have mentioned it, for it would be among the greatest signs.
As for the textual evidence, if this meaning had been intended, the verse would have said, “He sought the hoopoe to locate water for him, and when he could not find it, he said what he said,” or, “He searched for the hoopoe,” or, “He looked for it,” or used some similar expression. Rather, Solomon inspected the birds to determine which were present and which were absent, and to ensure that they remained at the stations and positions he had assigned them.
Moreover, Solomon—peace be upon him—was not in such need or distress for water that he required the hoopoe’s skill to locate it. He had devils and powerful jinn who could dig for water, regardless of its depth. Allah had also subjected the wind to him, its morning course being a month’s journey and its evening course a month’s journey. With all this at his disposal, how could he need the hoopoe?
In some works of Quranic commentary, certain views are found and become so widespread that no alternatives are known. These views are transmitted without scrutiny from the Israelites, while the transmitter overlooks their conflict with sound meanings and fails to test the reports against those meanings. They then continue to be passed down, with each later commentator accepting them unquestioningly from his predecessor, until they come to be regarded as the truth. This is how such unsound views find their way into works of Quranic commentary.
The intelligent and discerning person recognizes that this noble Quran is clear and Arabic. Allah addressed all people through it—the learned and the unlearned—and commanded them to reflect upon its meanings and relate those meanings to its Arabic words, whose meanings were not unknown to the pure Arabs. When such a person encounters reports transmitted from anyone other than the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—he tests them against this principle. If they agree with it, he accepts them because the wording indicates them. If they conflict with it in wording and meaning, or in either one alone, he rejects them and is certain of their falsity, because he possesses a well-established principle that rules them out: his knowledge of the discourse’s meaning and what its wording indicates.
The point is that Solomon’s inspection of the birds—peace be upon him—and his noticing the hoopoe’s absence demonstrate his perfect vigilance, his personal management of the kingdom, and his exceptional discernment, for he noticed the absence of even this small bird. “He said, ‘Why do I not see the hoopoe? Or is he among the absent?’” That is: Do I not see him because I have failed to notice him, as he is hidden among these vast multitudes? Or should the matter be taken at face value—has he actually absented himself without my permission or command?
⦗604⦘
Solomon then became angry with him and threatened him, saying: “I will surely punish him severely”—with something short of death—“or I will slaughter him, unless he brings me a clear authority,” meaning a clear proof justifying his absence. This reflects Solomon’s perfect piety and fairness: he did not swear unconditionally to punish or kill him, for such a penalty could be imposed only for an offense, while the hoopoe’s absence might have been due to a clear excuse. Solomon therefore allowed for that possibility because of his piety and discernment.
“He did not remain away for long,” and then he came. This demonstrates the awe (5) Solomon inspired in his troops and how strictly they obeyed his commands. Even this hoopoe, whose absence had been caused by a clear excuse, did not dare remain away for long. “He said” to Solomon, “I have comprehended something you have not comprehended.” That is, despite your vast knowledge and lofty rank in knowledge, I possess knowledge of something you do not know. “I have brought you from Sheba”—the well-known tribe in Yemen—“a report of which I am certain,” meaning a report whose truth is established.